"Wish, button, sky," said the professor, gazing up at the stars. "And your problems will be resolved."
Estefanía didn't trust his words. After a month of hell, she didn't believe that a few made-up words could solve her problems.
"I thought you used more seductive arts to entice your female students," she said skeptically, looking at the luminous city.
"If you say so, everything will be resolved for real," Professor Esteban said with arrogance. "Just say the words: 'wish, button, sky.' It won't take you five seconds, and you'll feel better."
"You seduced me to come here and have a relaxing night that would make me feel better, but we've just been staring at the stars like idiots," Estefanía said, glaring at him.
"What did you expect?" Esteban seemed almost like a ghost in that lookout.
"That's a good question," Estefanía said to herself, reflecting. "I was hoping for something more romantic from the most handsome professor at the university, but not this."
"Say the words, Estefanía," Esteban rubbed his temple, stressed. "Wish, button, sky. Say them in that order."
"I wish, button, sky," the skeptical girl finally said, hoping to feel better. "I don't feel any different, I don't feel fulfilled or powerful, not even better. I feel stupid here with you, without even getting a kiss."
Esteban smiled, looking at the stars. His body now shone strangely, like a corporeal being.
"You've said the three words, so you're allowed to make three wishes. Any wish you want will be granted, but you must be careful not to ask for something as trivial as a kiss."
Esteban was serious; he looked at the sky with a smile, but his tone of voice was serious. He wasn't playing a joke on Estefanía.
However, the girl remained skeptical.
"Really? What kind of joke is this? A professor granting wishes to any girl, it seems unlikely, professor."
The professor remained lying on the grass, not getting up but finally looked at the beautiful girl he had next to him.
"Weren't you complaining about not having the opportunities that never came to you? Or about the few skills you think you lack? I've been watching you all this time, and I've seen that you long for great things. Don't you want the perfect job, the perfect boyfriend, or all the money in the world?"
Everything he said was true, but Estefanía still couldn't believe that the professor who had been looking at her so insistently in class only wanted to grant her three wishes, supposedly. Nothing had changed since she had said the words; the sky was still starry, and the city lights were still white dots illuminating the lookout.
"What are you?" Estefanía finally asked. She believed that there must be something about this man who had behaved so insistently.
The professor didn't look away from her and approached her, almost brushing his lips against hers.
"I can be your fairy godmother, your lucky elf, your wishing well, or your magic lamp genie," his mint and strawberry scent dazed Estefanía. "Make a wish."
The girl moved away from her professor a bit. She wanted to kiss him and taste his lips, but the professor was just playing with her thoughts. It didn't make sense that he was playing the magic genie.
"Three wishes?" The professor nodded, and she continued speaking. "I've learned that in this life, things don't come easily. Aren't you trying to scam me?"
Professor Esteban laughed, amused by the analogy.
"Someone else would have made the wishes right away."
"Illusionists who are carried away by your psychological tricks."
"What do you wish for?" The professor indicated again.
Estefanía remembered the university and the problems that had been piling up. However, no matter the problem, she could solve it.
"I wish for a kiss from you," she finally said.
And she got it, but it was a simple kiss, a peck that barely moved her world.
"Give me another kiss, but with so much passion that I forget I have a thousand problems."
Once again, the professor approached her lips, and slowly they kissed. Both had the same desire to kiss each other, their tongues entwined as they enjoyed each other's texture. Estefanía ran her hands over his temples and hugged him in a way that she never wanted the kiss to end. When they separated, Estefanía was stunned; she didn't know how long the kiss had lasted, but one thing was definitive: she had forgotten all her problems.
"And your third wish?" Esteban asked, curious.
This time, Estefanía had to laugh at herself for getting carried away by the professor's game.
"My third wish is for you to grant my wishes, only mine and no one else's," and they kissed again.
Esteban laughed a little but nodded, pleased. He had managed to dispel Estefanía's doubts and fears. He had been captivated by the girl from the beginning, regardless of whether she was a university student. She studied economics, and he was a psychology professor.
"Wishes granted," Esteban whispered when they separated.
Cover and Banner made in Canva; AI-generated images on Canva., Separators made in photoshop