Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

01

你将会得到你渴望的。

所以，十月一号，Jesse又一次如约收到了每月一份的《每月星座》。这个月的主星座是天秤座，也就是Jesse的星座。

Jesse对星座没什么感觉，他匆匆扫了一眼副标题： 天秤座们，你将会得到你渴望的 。

他没办法退订《每月星座》，他就是不能。

Jesse就是无法鼓足勇气走到街角的书店，告诉那个友善的中年女人（她叫“格蕾丝太太”），拜托，天哪，格蕾丝太太可是每周都会和他打招呼呢。有那么一次，Jesse几乎要成功了，他走到格蕾丝太太的面前，一副欲言又止的样子。当格蕾丝太太和他打招呼说：“Jesse，下午好，”他只憋出来一句，“好的，下午好”。然后离开了现场。

所以，他每个月一号都会收到一份《每月星座》。

而这，就是一切魔法的开始，一个先兆，一个启示。

“你将会得到你渴望的。”

02

几天后，Jesse吹灭生日蛋糕时，许下了一个愿望。

“生日愿望说出来就不灵了！”他的妹妹抱怨他。

03

第二天早上，他没有像往常一样开车去上班，而是骑着车，绕了一点远路，路过了公园里的许愿井。他在井边站了一会儿，低头看着手里的一枚硬币，心里闪过一丝荒谬的念头：他到底是怎么沦落到在上班前特地来许愿的？但最终，他还是把硬币轻轻地抛进了水里。

这回他记住了妹妹的话，没有把愿望说出来，并且暗自希望这可以弥补他把生日愿望说出声的过错。

在骑车去公司的路上，Jesse一如既往地陷入了后悔的漩涡和存在主义危机：说到底，许愿的逻辑到底是什么呢？是因为人们相信某种超自然的力量会回应他们的请求，还是因为许愿本身就具有某种心理暗示的作用？如果一个人许愿后开始不自觉地调整自己的行为，最终促成了愿望的实现，那么是他自己的功劳吗？

他许下的是和吹灭生日蜡烛时同样的一个愿望。

04

Jesse生日的第二天下午，他下班回到家后，房门被敲响了。

门外站着的是Andrew——Jesse暗恋了三个月的邻居，高，瘦，英俊，很棒的头发，闻起来很好，而且，天哪，英国口音。

和大部分美国13岁少女一样，Jesse喜欢英国口音。他们的公寓隔音效果不好，有些时候Andrew在阳台打电话，Jesse可以听到那种悦耳的英国口音。

Andrew穿着一件松松垮垮的连帽衫，手插在兜里，肩膀微微前倾，像是有点犹豫，又像是已经做好了等Jesse关门拒绝他的准备。

“嘿，”Andrew说，语气轻快得有点不自然，“我正准备去找点吃的，你要不要一起？”

Jesse愣了一秒，或者可能是三秒。他的大脑花了比必要时间更长的时间去处理这个提议，并且迅速演算出了几个可能的应对方式。

第一种是直接拒绝——说他已经吃过了，虽然这显然不是真的，现在是下午六点，而且Andrew很可能会听出来。

第二种是接受——但这就意味着社交互动，意味着他要在一个外部环境里思考如何表现得像一个功能正常的人，而不是一个在晚餐端上来之前就开始后悔自己为什么同意出来的神经紧张者。

他意识到自己已经沉默得太久了，于是清了清嗓子，试图让自己的声音听起来像是一个无所谓的酷人，而不是一个因为被邀请去吃饭就陷入微妙危机的人。

“呃，我是说，可以……但你打算去哪？”Jesse问，他的手指在门框上无意识地扣了扣，“如果是那种需要点很贵的前菜的地方，那我可能会有点不自在。不是说我付不起，而是……我会感觉自己太享乐主义了，而这会让我在吃饭的时候一直在想我是不是应该点更便宜的东西，或者说服自己这一餐是合理的，比如‘你今天工作了一整天，所以你值得吃一顿昂贵的晚餐’，但问题是，如果我得花这么多精力去说服自己，那么这整个体验本身是不是就已经变得不值得了？”

Andrew眨了眨眼，嘴角慢慢上扬，像是在努力憋笑，但是看起来是好的那种笑，不是嘲笑，充满善意，他耐心地说：“那我们可以去吃汉堡。”

Jesse的肩膀稍微放松了一点。他可以接受汉堡。他点点头，但又觉得自己应该补充点什么来掩盖刚才那一小段非必要的思维暴走，于是他说：“但如果是那种装在木盘子上的slider式汉堡，而且旁边的薯条放在一个小铁桶里，那它就不再是普通的汉堡了，它就成了一种‘精致餐饮体验’，而我刚刚已经说过了，我不擅长处理这种体验。”

天啊，他边说边很希望自己的嘴能停下来。Jesse心底暗暗希望自己会搞砸这件事，没有人喜欢听这些无聊的过度思考和说教，他期盼自己这番倒胃口的话可以把Andrew吓跑。

但是Andrew只是大笑起来，好像他说了什么很幽默的话。然后他说：“Jesse，我发誓，它们会是普通大小的汉堡，放在普通的盘子里。”

Jesse犹豫了一下，最终还是点了点头，抓起外套，轻声说了句：“好。”

05

餐厅昏黄的灯光柔和地洒下来，让Andrew的眼神看起来格外温暖。他坐在那里，嘴角带着点不经意的笑意，像是这个世界上最自在的人。好吧，Jesse觉得他就是世界上最放松最自在的人。

“你很擅长这个。”Jesse忽然开口。

“擅长什么？”Andrew轻声问。

Jesse的手指在杯沿上滑了一下，像是在无意识地给自己找个支撑点，声音有点轻：“让别人觉得自己……很特别。”

Andrew一瞬间怔了一下。他本以为Jesse会说点别的，比如“擅长社交”或者“擅长让气氛变得轻松”，但Jesse说出来的话比那要尖锐得多。

Andrew眨了眨眼，随即露出一个笑容，语气轻快：“我会把这当作一个赞美。”

“它的确是。”Jesse说，他似乎觉得自己有些尖锐了，“我只是说……你知道的，有时候你会让人觉得，你有种，呃，吸引力？你总是能让身边的人有种被特别对待的感觉。像是在一个房间里，你在台上演讲，却可以让台下坐着的每一个人都觉得你在注视他。我不是说你故意的。你只是总是能让身边的人，嗯，有种被特别对待的感觉。是的，我想这是一个夸奖。”

“哇哦，这可能是我得到过的最好的赞美。”Andrew笑了一下，目光专注，“Jesse，你知道吗？你是唯一一个会这么说的人。”

Jesse抬起头，看着他，眼里有一点迟疑，又有一点探究。“真的吗？”

“真的。”Andrew笑了一下，语气轻快，但目光却是认真的。“大多数人只会说我很会聊天，很会调节气氛，或者很会讨人喜欢，但你……你能看到别的东西。”

Jesse没说话，他看着Andrew，像是在仔细咀嚼他的话，蓝眼神专注得让Andrew的心跳莫名快了一拍。

Andrew忽然有点想逗逗他：“你这么仔细思考我，是偷偷在家以我为主角写了一篇爱情小说吗？”

Jesse显然没预料到他会这么说，身体微微僵了一下，耳尖以肉眼可见的速度红了。

Andrew不住微笑。他真是太喜欢Jesse了——而是那种每次和他说话都会忍不住更想靠近一点的喜欢。Jesse的聪明和别扭，他以为自己藏得很好，但Andrew总能捕捉到那些微妙的细微之处，因为，Andrew和他一样敏感。

Jesse像是想反驳，但最终只是盯着Andrew看了几秒，然后低头拿起水杯喝了一口水，像是在掩饰自己的表情，跟着满嘴跑火车道：“是的，我以你为主角写了一篇19世纪的爱情小说。你知道，你的口音在美国人听来和达西先生没什么不同。”

Andrew大笑起来。

——他真的，真的很喜欢他。

06

第一次约会在廉价快餐店通常来说不是什么好兆头，但是这一个格外顺利，他们一起回了家，甚至还在公寓楼道里吻别了。

Jesse关上门，靠着门板站了片刻，试图让自己的心跳恢复正常。他的猫咪在他走到他的脚边迎接他，Jesse把她抱了起来。

“嘿，小家伙，今天有点……不一样。”他柔声对猫咪说，伸手抚摸着那只懒洋洋窝在他怀里的猫咪，猫咪懒散地眯着眼睛，“今天感觉特别奇怪。就像是在做一场不真实的梦。”

猫咪抬起头，懒散地打了个哈欠，露出了一些不耐烦的神色。

“哦，原来你也是这么认为的。”Jesse嘴角弯起，他放下猫咪，小心翼翼地坐到沙发上，猫咪也顺势跳到他的腿上。“你不觉得今天的事情特别不真实吗？我甚至有点不敢相信，一切都那么顺利。”他耸耸肩，轻声对猫咪说，“我们吃了汉堡，聊了很多，最后，居然还在楼道里吻别了。你说，这合理吗？”

猫咪依旧没有回应，只是用尾巴轻扫了下沙发垫子，她觉得无聊了，从沙发上跳下来，有什么东西随着她的动作掉到地上了。

是《每月星座》，Jesse把它捡起来，又一次看到了封面上的那行字：

“你将会得到你渴望的”。

Jesse忽然因为这行字感到一阵心悸。

他闭上眼睛，回忆起今天晚上。Andrew的笑容，Andrew专注听他说话的神情，那种带着温柔笑意的表情。

这怎么可能？Jesse根本没有来得及为此付出任何努力——他本来以为许愿的逻辑就像把愿望列进“新年愿望”一样，许下愿望，然后为之努力呢。

在此之前，Andrew从来没有——至少Jesse从来没有察觉到——表现出类似的兴趣。过去三个月，他们的互动一直停留在普通邻居的程度。

然而，就在他在许愿井许下愿的当天，他的愿望实现了。

Jesse睁开眼睛，低头盯着手中的杂志。

天秤座们：你将会得到你渴望的。

他的呼吸有些乱了。

《每月星座》。生日蛋糕。许愿井。

天啊。

他倒吸了一口气，猛地站起身来，像是身体突然无法承受这种发现带来的冲击。他许下的愿望——那个听起来像是愚蠢幻想的愿望——竟然真的发生了？Andrew不可能突然就喜欢上他，不可能突然就注意到他，除非……

除非是魔法。

他从来没有想过Andrew会看见他，更别说约他出去。毕竟，你的邻居正好是你喜欢的类型、喜欢男人、他长得很帅还单身、还正好喜欢你的可能性太小了。再加上一重：他“正好”在你从许愿井里丢下一枚硬币后的当天“正好”约你出去？这些巧合重合在一起的概率有多低？

Jesse的胃一阵翻腾。他不确定自己是想笑还是想哭。自从他发现自己喜欢Andrew以来，他从未真正期待过有什么结果——他甚至已经做好了永远埋藏这份心情的准备。

可现在——如果这一切只是因为许愿井的魔法呢？

如果Andrew的喜欢不是“真的”呢？

Jesse感到一种压倒性的愧疚感席卷而来。他夺走了Andrew的自由意志。他用魔法操控了Andrew的感情，而Andrew甚至不知道。

他跌坐回床上，手肘抵着膝盖，双手紧紧扣在一起。

他无法忍受这种想法。

他的眼睛有些酸涩。他需要让自己冷静下来，可他的脑子根本停不下来。他几乎能听见心脏的跳动声，一下又一下，像是在提醒他——这是假的，这不是真的，你不能接受这个。

Jesse站起身，走向厨房，打开橱柜，目光落在那瓶从未开封的威士忌上。他不常喝酒，但现在，他需要一点什么来让自己停下来。

07

十一点，Jesse带着被酒精醺醺然的脑子，敲响了Andrew的房门。

Andrew给他开了门，惊讶地说道：“Jesse，你喝酒了。”

Jesse决定实践一下自己是否真的有魔法，他清了清嗓子，抬起头很硬气地说：“Andrew Garfield。”

“是的，先生。”Andrew挑起眉毛，忍着笑说道。

“我希望你现在吻我。”Jesse用几乎可以算是命令的祈使句说。

他心里很希望Andrew做出符合常理的事情：拒绝一个只出来约会过一次的醉鬼在半夜十一点提出来的接吻邀请。起码这可以证明Andrew没有被他的魔法所操控。

“呃，好吧。”Andrew温和地笑了一下，“不过，我可得告诉你，我不喜欢酒精味的吻。”他低下头，从善如流地亲吻了Jesse。

“天啊，”Jesse低声说，“我是个巫师。”

Andrew费了好大的劲儿才没有笑出声来，只是克制着露出了一个疑惑的微笑：“什么？”

“你根本就不喜欢我。”

“胡说，”Andrew轻柔地打断他，“我非常喜欢你，而且我们第一次见面的时候我就这么觉得了。”

Jesse用蓝眼睛悲哀地看着他：“不，你不喜欢我。这一切都是因为——”他深吸了一口气，“都是因为我的巫术。我是个巫师。”

Andrew抱着胳膊歪着脑袋看着他，忍不住地发笑：“你现在入学霍格沃茨有点晚了吧？”

“这都是因为巫术，魔法，呃，随便什么，”Jesse自顾自地一个劲儿说，“你是被我给迷惑了，我也不知道是哪里的魔咒，《每月星座》，生日蛋糕，或者可能是许愿井——”

Andrew沉默了将近十秒，真诚而谨慎地询问：“Jesse，你喝了多少？”

Jesse摇摇头：“不，”他随后以一种令自己敬佩的勇气一股脑地把真相说了出来：“你喜欢我是因为我是天秤座。”

“什么？”

“都是因为我对许愿井许愿了，我还对生日蛋糕许愿了。”Jesse说。

Andrew眨了眨眼，看起来像是完全跟不上Jesse的思路。他的眉头微微皱起，嘴角的笑意也渐渐消失了。“Jesse，”他说。

Jesse用力吸了口气，心脏在胸腔里狂跳。他已经说出口了，已经走到了这里，没法再收回去了。

“我在公园的许愿井许愿。天哪，肯定是许愿井！我刚说完没几个小时就灵验了。我先在生日的时候说的，”他盯着Andrew的眼睛，觉得自己快要喘不过气了，颠三倒四地说。“我当时——我们在公寓里庆祝，然后吹蜡烛，我许愿……”

“你许愿‘我希望我的邻居Andrew Garfield会迷上我’。”Andrew接着他的话说了下去，“是的，我听到了，这怎么了？”

Jesse吓得毛都炸了，真的，Andrew发誓，他的卷毛看起来都比平时蓬松了一点。很多动物受到惊吓时都会把毛发竖起来试图让自己的体型看起来大一点好吓跑天敌。但是这招对Andrew没有奏效，他继续说道：

“你们那天唱生日歌的声音很大，你知道，我们公寓隔音不好。我是去阳台上想对你说一声‘生日快乐’的，然后我就听到了，呃，”Andrew说着说着忽然意识到这是怎么一回事儿了，他简直差点咬破舌头才没有当着Jesse的面笑出来，“我在阳台上听到了，呃，你的生日愿望。”

Andrew原本只是随口复述，半是调侃，半是好奇，但话说到一半，他忽然意识到这里面有点耐人寻味的地方。他一开始只是想转述自己听到的内容，可是当他说到一半，某种戏剧性的真相才后知后觉地在他脑海里拼凑完成。

Jesse。生日。许愿。希望邻居迷上他；

Jesse。喝醉。亲吻。说自己是巫师。

Andrew愣了一秒，然后，嘴角止不住地上扬。他的肩膀微微抖了一下，像是努力在克制笑意，但眼底那点亮晶晶的笑意根本藏不住，他用一种带着揶揄、又止不住愉悦的语气继续道：“所以我今天在阳台看到你回家后就立刻来约你了。”

Jesse猛地睁大眼睛，整个人像是被雷劈了一样，嘴巴微微张开，似乎想要否认，却一个字也说不出来。他的第一反应是想否认，但问题是，他根本无法否认！因为Andrew已经知道了。他甚至都不能用“你误会了”来狡辩，因为Andrew“没有误会”，他只是在单纯地“复述事实”！

“天啊！”Jesse说，他甚至能感觉到自己的耳尖正在燃烧，这是什么级别的社交灾难，天哪。如果Jesse有超能力，他的超能力会是尴尬力，他的名号会是尴尬侠，“你当时为什么不说？”

“呃，我不知道，”Andrew忍俊不禁地说，“你觉得我应该在阳台上大声对你说‘哈！我听到了！你想让我迷上你！’？”

好吧，他说得对。如果他当着所有人面这么对他说，Jesse会当场在自己的生日聚会上晕倒。但是现在也差不多了，Jesse恨不得自己现在就晕过去醒来发现已经是三个月后。

Andrew看着他的表情，彻底笑出了声：“哦，Jesse，你太可爱了。你以为是魔法？你刚才还说自己是巫师——”Andrew说着说着忽然又意识到了什么，他顿住了，快乐而英俊的脸上露出一个兴致勃勃的表情，“天啊，所以你除了在生日的时候许愿了一次，还专门又去许愿井许了一个加强版的愿望？我的天，Jesse，我觉得很荣幸。”

Jesse浑身发抖，谁来给他一把铁锹，不，铁勺也可以，他很希望自己能就地打个洞钻进去再也不出来了，他预备像肖申克一样挖出一条路离开纽约，不，离开美国；不，离开地球；他要去火星，不行，火星也不够远... …好，就定在土星吧。永别了，地球，Jesse要去土星流浪了，再见。

Andrew笑够了，停下来注视着他，脸上还带着愉快的红晕，目光真诚又坦率。“我一直都喜欢你，只是……不知道你有没有兴趣，或者说，不知道你会不会觉得我太吵、太烦、太爱社交之类的。”他轻轻地笑了一下，眼神里带着点不加掩饰的喜爱，“毕竟，你的邻居是你喜欢的类型，可爱，单身，还正好喜欢男人的概率能有多低？”

08

如果你想知道那天之后发生了什么的话，没有，Jesse没有离开地球，他甚至没离开Andrew的公寓。

另外，没有人关心，零个人问了。但是，没有，Jesse依然没能退订《每月星座》，因为他的男朋友非常痴迷于星座和占星术。

09

一个脱口而出的愿望，一枚落入井中的硬币。这似乎是个适合探讨愿望本质的时刻，探讨命运、信念、因果的微妙联系的时刻。

许愿的逻辑，究竟是什么？

停止过度思考。许愿不是乞求，而是一声宣告。是的，朋友们，当你极度渴望时，你会说出那个心愿。

你的宇宙是围着你转的，它听见了你的呼唤，以回声告知你好运将至，千真万确，你要相信它降临的启示——

你将会得到你渴望的。

Chapter Text

01

You will get what you desire.

So, on October 1st, Jesse once again received his monthly issue of Monthly Horoscope right on schedule. This month’s featured sign was Libra, Jesse’s sign.

Jesse didn’t really care about horoscopes. He skimmed the subtitle: Libras, you will get what you desire.

He couldn’t unsubscribe from the Monthly Horoscope . He just couldn’t.

Jesse simply didn’t have the courage to walk into the little bookstore on the corner and tell the friendly middle-aged lady (Mrs. Grace, yep, that was her name) to please, for the love of god, stop. Mrs. Grace greeted him every week, for crying out loud. Once, Jesse almost succeeded. He made it all the way to her counter, hesitated, and stood there looking like he had something to say. But when Mrs. Grace greeted him with a warm, “Good afternoon, Jesse,” all he managed to get out was, “Uh, good afternoon,” before making a hasty retreat.

So, on the first of every month, Jesse received his copy of Monthly Horoscope .

And that was how the magic began.

The first sign, the first omen.

"You will get what you desire."

02

A few days later, Jesse blew out the candles on his birthday cake and made a wish.

“You’re not supposed to say it out loud, or it won’t come true!” his sister complained.

03

The next morning, instead of driving to work like usual, Jesse took a slight detour on his bike and passed by the wishing well in the park. He stood by the well for a moment, staring down at the coin in his hand, and had a fleeting thought: How did he get to the point where he was making wishes before work?

But in the end, he tossed the coin into the water.

This time, he remembered his sister’s advice. he didn’t say his wish out loud. He hoped this would make up for the mistake of blurting it out on his birthday.

On the way to work, Jesse, as usual, spiraled into a cycle of regret and existential crisis. Seriously, what was the logic behind wishing? Was it that people actually believed some supernatural force would grant their requests? Or was it just a psychological trick, like if you made a wish, you’d subconsciously start adjusting your behavior to make it come true? And if that were the case, wouldn’t the real credit go to yourself?

The wish he made at the well was the same as the one he made on his birthday.

04

The day after Jesse’s birthday, in the afternoon, he came home from work and heard a knock on his door.

Standing outside was Andrew, Jesse’s neighbor, whom he had been lowkey crushing on for the past three months. Tall, lean, handsome, amazing hair, smelled nice, and—god help him—a British accent.

Like most 13-year-old American girls, Jesse had a thing for British accents. Their apartment walls were thin, so sometimes when Andrew took calls on his balcony, Jesse could hear that smooth, charming voice drifting through the air.

Andrew was wearing a loose hoodie, hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched, like he wasn’t sure about this but had already braced himself for rejection.

“Hey,” Andrew said, a little too casually, like he was forcing himself to sound nonchalant. “I was about to grab dinner. Wanna come?”

Jesse froze for a second. Or maybe three. His brain took an unnecessarily long time to process the question and immediately ran through a list of possible responses.

Option A: say no, claim he had already eaten. But that was obviously a lie. It was 6 PM. Andrew would definitely see through it.

Option B: say yes, but that meant social interaction. That meant trying to act like a normal, functioning human being in a public setting instead of sitting there regretting every life choice that had led him to this moment before the food even arrived.

Realizing he’d been silent for too long, Jesse cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound effortlessly cool rather than oh-my-god-did-he-just-invite-me-to-eat panicked.

“Uh, I mean, sure… but where are you thinking?” Jesse asked, tapping the doorframe with his fingers. “If it’s one of those places with overpriced appetizers, I might feel a little out of place. Not that I can’t afford it—it’s just… I’d spend the whole meal convincing myself that it’s fine to splurge, like, ‘You worked all day, you deserve a nice dinner,’ but then I’d start wondering, ‘If I have to work this hard to justify it, is it even worth it?’”

Andrew blinked. Slowly, his lips curled into a suppressed smile—like he was trying really hard not to laugh. But it wasn’t mocking. It was warm, amused, and patient.

“We can just get burgers,” Andrew said.

Jesse’s shoulders relaxed just a little. Burgers were acceptable. He nodded but felt the need to add something to cover for his minor overthinking spiral.

“But if it’s one of those places where the sliders come on a wooden board, and the fries are in a tiny metal bucket, then it’s no longer just ‘burgers’, it becomes a ‘dining experience,’ and as I just mentioned, I struggle with that concept.”

God. He really wished he could shut up. Jesse braced himself for Andrew to back away slowly, realizing he’d accidentally invited a neurotic mess to dinner.

But Andrew just laughed, he actually laughed. Then he said, “Jesse, I swear. Normal-sized burgers. Regular plates.”

Jesse hesitated for a second, then finally nodded, grabbed his jacket, and quietly said, “Okay.”

05

The restaurant’s warm, dim lighting made Andrew’s eyes look especially soft. He sat there, a small smile at his lips, like he was the most at-ease person in the world. And honestly? Jesse figured he probably was.

“You’re really good at this,” Jesse suddenly said.

Andrew tilted his head. “Good at what?”

Jesse traced the rim of his glass, as if grounding himself. His voice was soft. “Making people feel… special.”

Andrew blinked, surprised. He’d expected Jesse to say something like “good at conversation” or “good at making things feel easy,” but Jesse’s words were sharper than that.

Andrew let out a small chuckle, playing it off lightly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment,” Jesse said, then hesitated. “I mean… you know, some people have this kind of, magnetism? Like when they speak, even in a crowded room, everyone feels like they’re being spoken to directly. It’s not even intentional, but you just… make people feel like they matter. I think that’s rare.”

“Wow,” Andrew said, smiling. “That might be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.” He paused, then added, “You know, Jesse, you’re the only person who’s ever put it that way.”

Jesse glanced up, studying him with a mix of curiosity and hesitation. “Really?”

“Really,” Andrew said, still smiling. “Most people just say I’m charming or sociable. But you… you notice things other people don’t.”

Jesse didn’t respond right away. He just looked at Andrew, blue eyes thoughtful and a little searching.

Then Andrew smirked and teased, “You’ve been analyzing me very deeply. Are you secretly working on a romance novel with me as the lead?”

Jesse visibly tensed, ears instantly turning red.

Andrew burst out laughing. God, he really liked Jesse, the kind of like where every conversation made him want to lean in closer.

Jesse looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he just picked up his water, took a sip like it was no big deal, and then played along with a deadpan face, “Yes. It’s a 19th-century romance novel. To Americans, your accent basically makes you Mr. Darcy.”

Andrew laughed.

—He really, really liked him.

06
A first date at a cheap fast-food joint  isn’t usually a great sign, but this one went exceptionally well. They went home together, and even kissed goodbye in the hallway.

Jesse shut the door and leaned against it for a moment, trying to steady his heartbeat. His cat trotted over to greet him, rubbing against his leg. He scooped her up.

"Hey, little one. Today was... amazing." He spoke softly, stroking the lazy ball of fluff nestled in his arms. The cat squinted lazily at him. "It feels unreal. Like I’m dreaming."

The cat yawned and looked vaguely unimpressed.

"Oh, so you think so too?" Jesse chuckled, setting her down and carefully lowering himself onto the couch. She hopped onto his lap without hesitation. "Don't you think tonight was kind of surreal? I almost can’t believe it! Everything went so smoothly." He shrugged, whispering as if confessing a secret. "We had burgers, we talked, and then, somehow, we kissed in the hallway. Does that even make sense?"

The cat offered no response, just flicked her tail, bored. She leapt off his lap, knocking something onto the floor in the process.

Jesse reached down and picked it up. Monthly Horoscopes .

The cover line caught his eye again: You will get what you desire.

A strange feeling tightened in his chest.

He shut his eyes and replayed the evening in his mind. Andrew’s smile. The way he listened so intently. The warmth in his eyes.

How was this possible? Jesse hadn't even tried. He always thought making a wish was like setting a New Year’s resolution. You say it, then you work for it.

But before today, Andrew had never—at least not that Jesse had noticed—shown any romantic interest in him. They’d been nothing more than casual neighbors for three months.

And yet, on the very same day Jesse had made a wish at the wishing well, it came true.

Jesse opened his eyes, staring at the magazine in his hands.

“Libras, you will get what you desire.”

His breath hitched.

Libra. Birthday cake. Wishing well.

Oh, god.

He sucked in a sharp breath and stood up abruptly, as if his body couldn't handle the weight of this realization.

His wish—the one he thought was nothing more than a foolish fantasy—had actually come true? Andrew couldn't have suddenly fallen for him, couldn't have suddenly noticed him, unless...

Unless it was magic.

Jesse had never expected Andrew to see him, let alone ask him out. The chances were just too low:

Your neighbor happens to be your type.
He happens to like men.
He happens to be single and incredibly attractive.
And he happens to ask you out on the exact day you make a wish at a wishing well?

What were the odds of all of that aligning?

Jesse’s stomach twisted. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Ever since he realized he liked Andrew, he’d never dared to hope for an actual outcome. He’d long since accepted that his feelings would remain buried forever.

But now, what if this was only happening because of the magic?

What if Andrew’s feelings weren’t real?

A wave of crushing guilt hit him.

He had taken away Andrew’s free will. Manipulated his emotions with magic. And Andrew didn’t even know.

Jesse sank onto the bed, elbows on his knees, hands clasped tightly.

He couldn’t live with this.

His eyes burned. He needed to calm down, but his mind was spiraling, heart pounding relentlessly. 

This isn’t real. This isn’t real. You can’t accept this.

Jesse stood abruptly and headed to the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and let his gaze land on the unopened bottle of whiskey.

He didn’t drink often. But right now, he needed something to make his brain shut up.

07
At 11 PM, slightly drunk and irrationally determined, Jesse knocked on Andrew’s door.

Andrew opened it, blinking in surprise. “Jesse, you’ve been drinking.”

Jesse, still caught up in his wild theory, cleared his throat and declared, “Andrew Garfield.”

“Yes, sir?” Andrew raised an amused brow.

“I want you to kiss me. Right now.” Jesse’s voice was almost commanding. Deep down, he hoped Andrew would do the reasonable thing, he should refuse the drunken request of someone he had only been on one date with, at eleven o’clock at night. At the very least, that would prove Andrew wasn’t under the influence of his magic.

“Uh… alright.” Andrew chuckled softly. “But I should warn you, I don’t love the taste of alcohol in a kiss.”

Then he leaned in and kissed Jesse.

“Oh my god,” Jesse murmured. “I’m a wizard.”

Andrew barely managed to keep himself from laughing, only suppressing it into a mildly puzzled smile. “What?”

“You don’t really like me.”

“Nonsense,” Andrew gently interrupted him. “I like you very much. I thought so from the moment we first met.”

Jesse gazed at him with sorrowful blue eyes. “No, you don’t. This is all because—” He took a deep breath. “It’s all because of my magic. I’m a wizard.”

Andrew folded his arms and tilted his head at him, unable to hold back a laugh. “Bit late for Hogwarts, don’t you think?”

“It’s because of magic, spells, or, whatever,” Jesse rambled on. “You’re under my enchantment. I don’t even know what caused it, Monthly horoscope , the birthday cake, or maybe a wishing well—”

Andrew was silent for nearly ten seconds before sincerely and cautiously asking, “Jesse, how much did you drink?”

Jesse shook his head. “No,” he then, with an admirable amount of courage, blurted out the truth in one go: “You like me because I’m a Libra.”

“What?”

“It’s all because I made a wish at a wishing well. And on my birthday too.” Jesse said.

Andrew blinked, looking as if he had completely lost track of Jesse’s train of thought. His brows furrowed slightly, and the smile at the corner of his mouth gradually faded. “Jesse,” he said.

Jesse took a sharp breath, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He had already said it. He had already come this far. There was no turning back.

“I made a wish at the wishing well. Oh god, it has to be the well! It came true within hours. I first made it on my birthday,” he stared into Andrew’s eyes, feeling like he was about to suffocate as he rambled on. “Back then, we were in the apartment celebrating, and I blew out the candles, and I wished—”

“You wished, ‘I hope my neighbor, Andrew Garfield, will fall for me,’” Andrew finished for him. “Yeah, I heard it. What about it?”

Jesse was so startled that his hair practically stood on end. Seriously, Andrew swore his hair curls looked fluffier than usual. Many animals puff up their fur when frightened to make themselves look bigger and intimidate potential threats. Unfortunately for Jesse, it had the opposite effect, because Andrew didn’t feel even remotely threatened.

“You guys were singing the birthday song so loudly that I stepped out onto the balcony to call out ‘Happy Birthday’ to you. And then I heard... ...,” Andrew suddenly realized what this was about, and he nearly bit his tongue trying not to laugh in Jesse’s face. “I heard you making your wish from my balcony.”

Andrew had meant to just repeat what he had overheard, half-teasing, half-curious. But the actual realization only hit him midway through his own sentence:

Jesse.
Birthday.
Wish.
Wanting Andrew to fall for him.
Jesse.
Drunk.
Convinced he was a wizard.

Andrew blinked. Then, very slowly, a wide grin spread across his face. 

Then, his shoulders shook slightly as he tried to restrain his laughter, but the twinkle in his eyes was impossible to hide. With a teasing yet unmistakably delighted tone, he went on, “So that’s why I asked you out the minute I saw you come home from the balcony today.”

Jesse’s eyes widened in shock. He looked as if he had just been struck by lightning, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to deny it—but he couldn’t. His first instinct was to refute it, but the problem was, he had no way to! Because Andrew already knew. He couldn’t even use the classic “You misunderstood” excuse because Andrew hadn’t misunderstood—he had merely repeated the facts!

“Jesus!” Jesse exclaimed, feeling his ears burn. This was a social catastrophe of epic proportions... ...Oh god. If Jesse had a superpower, it would be the power of awkwardness, and his superhero name would be AwkwardMan. “Why didn’t you say anything back then?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” Andrew said, barely suppressing his laughter. “So you think I should have just shouted from my balcony, ‘I heard that! You want me to fall for you!’?”

Okay, he had a point. If Andrew had said that in front of everyone, Jesse would have passed out on the spot at his own birthday party. But this was almost just as bad—Jesse wished he could faint right now and wake up three months later.

Andrew watched his expression and finally burst out laughing. “Oh, Jesse, you’re adorable. You thought it was magic? You just said you were a wizard—” Andrew trailed off as he suddenly realized something else. His face lit up with newfound interest. “Oh my god. So, after making a wish on your birthday, you even went to the wishing well for a stronger version? Jesse, I’m flattered.”

Jesse was trembling. Someone, give him a shovel. No, even a spoon would do. He desperately wanted to dig a hole on the spot and disappear forever. He was ready to go full Shawshank Redemption , tunneling his way out, not just out of New York, no, out of the U.S.; no, out of Earth; straight to Mars for refuge; no, Mars was still too close, so he decided to go farther, to Saturn, yep, that’ll do. Farewell, Mother Earth, Jesse is off to Saturn, Bye.

Andrew, having laughed enough, stopped and looked at him, his face still flushed with amusement. His gaze was sincere and open. “I’ve liked you all along. I just… wasn’t sure if you’d be interested, or if you’d think I was too loud, too much, too social, that kind of thing.” He gave a small, unguarded smile, his eyes filled with unmistakable fondness. “After all, what are the odds that your neighbor happens to be your type—cute, single, and just so happens to like men?”

08
In case you were wondering, no. Jesse did not leave Earth that night. He didn’t even leave Andrew’s apartment.

Also, no one asked, but for the record, no, Jesse hasn’t unsubscribed from Monthly Horoscopes , because his boyfriend is obsessed with astrology.

09
A wish spoken aloud. A coin tossed into a well.

This should be a moment to contemplate the nature of wishes—their connection to fate, belief, and causality.

But here’s the thing:

Stop overthinking. A wish isn’t a plea; it’s a declaration.

When you truly want something, you say it out loud.

And the universe, your universe, is always listening.

You will get what you desire.

THE END