Lyle and the Limited Genie (Complete)

"I'm sorry Lyle, you're a really great friend but you just aren't what I'm looking for." That's what Emma had said to him when he asked her out. He groaned and pulled the pillow tighter over his face as he remembered. Of course it didn't surprise him. Emma was perfect. Not only was she gorgeous, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, but she was also incredibly successful. She was a rising star in the countries top tech firm and earned more in a month than Lyle earned in a year. And despite her burgeoning career she still found time to work at a soup kitchen, complete in triathlons and hang out with losers like him.

He sighed. Where had it all gone wrong? They'd been best friends in high school. Practically inseparable. Until they were separated by the demands of University. At some point during their 4 years apart they'd lost touch. She'd gone to Stanford to start her amazing journey and he'd gone to San Jose State for a degree in history which had somehow ended up closing doors instead of opening them. While she was started her career in Silicon Valley he'd found a job at Starbucks as he tried to figure out what to do next. Which is coincidentally how they reconnected. She'd come through his store and recognized him and suddenly it was like they'd never been apart.

As they reconnected he found himself looking at her in a whole new light. Back in high school she'd been his best friend and he'd never considered her as a romantic partner but now...now his heart fluttered when he looked at her. They caught up and he realized that they were both single. In fact to her her tell it she hadn't had time to date anyone at all. Lyle couldn't remember Emma ever going on a date and decided that he should just ask her.

He didn't ask her out right away though. Over the next few months they'd gotten to know each other all over again and his initial crush bloomed into a truly intense desire. She was even more perfect now than she'd been in high school. He knew he wasn't anything special but still, what did he have to lose?

"...just aren't what I'm looking for." Her words echoed in his brain. Argh! Had he ruined everything? Could they still be friends? How could he be so stupid!

His phone started buzzing. Fuck. He'd set the alarm to give himself enough time to get to work. He groaned and started to get ready. He made it about halfway there when his phone buzzed again. It was his manager cancelling his shift. "Fuck!" He yelled, kicking a pebble on the sidewalk. It wasn't that he loved serving coffee so much, but he needed the money.

He was too pent up to just turn around and go home. He looked up at the store closest to him and frowned. He walked this route to and from work nearly every single day and he'd never seen that store before. In fact he was pretty sure the stores on either side of it used to be touching. It was like it had suddenly appeared between them and stretched the whole block out. That didn't make any sense. For some reason he felt compelled to go inside.

"Hello! Welcome to Celestial Delights!" A cheerful woman greeted him as he entered, "I'm Didi, the owner, how can I help you?"

Lyle scratched his head, "Well...uh...sorry, has this store always been here?"

"Of course not. It just magically appeared this morning. See anything you like?" Didi said.

Lyle rolled his eyes. She didn't have to be rude. He looked around. The shelves were full of all kinds of strange things, "What is this place?"

"A magic shop. We sell the solution to all of your problems. So what troubles you?" She asked.

"Ha. Sure. You have a time machine so I can go back and fix all my mistakes?"

"Yes. Is that what you want?" Didi said, sounding serious.

Before he could reply another woman stepped out of the back, "Didi don't be ridiculous. Can't you see the pain in his heart? I know exactly what he needs." The second woman grabbed something off the shelf and presented it to him, "I'm Vivi, the real owner. This right here can make your wishes come true."

He looked at the item in his hands, "A candle?"

Vivi shook her head, "Not exactly. When you get home I want you to light it and see what happens. Trust me, it can make your wishes come true."

Lyle was tempted to say something rude and get out of this store as quickly as possible but there was just something about her...what if it was real, "How much?" He asked.

"$19.99." Vivi said with a grin.

Lyle shrugged and decided to get it. He couldn't really afford to waste money right now but there wasn't much difference between being $100 short on rent and $120 short, right?

He brought the candle home and set it on the counter. He stared at it for a moment then went to grab a lighter. He lit the wick cautiously and stepped back. Nothing happened except a tiny flame dancing on the end of the wick. He laughed, did he really think it was magic?

He stopped laughing. As he stared at it something weird was happening. The smoke from the candle wasn't rising up into the air and dispersing. It was gathering together in a ball just above the flame. The candle burned slowly but he felt like he couldn't take his eyes off it as the ball of smoke got larger and larger. After a few minutes the ball of smoke suddenly swirled and shifted and then there was an explosion of dazzling light that **** him to close his eyes.

When he opened them the candle had gone out but the smoke still hung in the air. The ball had reshaped itself into a face. It looked solid and not at the same time. Smoke swirled around within it and its features kept reforming making it impossible to tell if it was male or female. He stepped closed to examine it.

"Hello Master." The smokey head's lips moved and the words appeared in his head but as far as he could tell no sound had reached his ears at all. It surprised him so much he stumbled backwards and fell on his ass. "Do not be afraid. I am your humble servant. I shall grant you wishes as long as my power remains."

"Wishes? Like...a genie?" He asked.

"In a manner, yes." Again the words appeared in his mind.

"You...this...I mean..." He shook his head. This can't be real. The candle must have been some **** and he was hallucinating.

"I am very real," It said, as if reading his mind, "I shall grant your wishes if I am able."

"If you are able? What no wishes for more wishes? No bringing back the dead, that kind of thing?" He said, recalling numerous tropes from fiction.

"Yes. My power to change reality is limited. It is easiest to change you and your life and much more difficult to effect others. Wishes consume the wax from my candle and once it is gone, so too am I. Also a warning, the hardest of all to change is the reality I create. Your wishes cannot be undone. Think carefully, what do you desire?"

Lyle thought hard for a moment. He looked around at his crummy apartment. Honestly he wanted out of this life. A better job. A stable career. Something that would make Emma proud of him. That's it, something that would him that kind of person Emma is looking for.

"I wish I had a job that Emma Stiles found attractive in a partner."

"It shall be so." The floating smoke head started to swirl and then it burst. Smoke filled the room but he found himself able to breath easily. He felt something strange within him and his eyes fluttered closed. He tried to stay awake but he couldn't resist and slumped over, ****.