December 8th
The Maraj family home
ONIKA
I finished getting ready, looking at myself in the mirror with a little smile. Seventeen. The thought filled me with a mix of excitement and something I couldn't quite name. But mostly, it was happiness, especially knowing I'd be spending the whole day with Beyoncé.
She'd been so thoughtful. Last night, as the clock struck midnight, she was on FaceTime with me, smiling big as she wished me a happy birthday and surprised me by sending $1,700, like it was nothing. I laughed, telling her she was doing the most, but it felt good knowing she'd put in all this effort just for me.
I was still grinning like an idiot thinking about last night when my thoughts drifted to Landon. He was the only person who hadn't wished me a happy birthday. I shouldn't have been surprised; he's been salty since his birthday, for reasons that honestly, only made sense in his head. He'd been giving me the cold shoulder, and I still didn't get why. He holds grudges like it's his job—literally the pettiest person I know .
But whatever. Today was my day, and I wasn't about to let him ruin it for me.
The doorbell pulled me out of my thoughts. I flew down the stairs, buzzing with excitement, and there she was—Beyoncé, standing there with her arms full of gifts, looking like the ray of sunshine I needed. All I wanted was to run up and hug her, but I couldn't because she was holding half a bookstore and a whole bouquet of roses.
"Happy birthday, beautiful," she grinned, shifting her grip so she wouldn't drop anything.
I laughed, helping her with the bags as we headed upstairs to my room. Once inside, she started pulling everything out one by one—seventeen roses, seventeen books straight off my TBR list, and a Kindle. I just stared, trying to wrap my head around it all.
Finally, she reached into the bag one last time and pulled out a MacBook, her eyes sparkling. "And this.... is for all the incredible stories I know you're going to write," she said, a proud smile lighting up her face.
My heart swelled at the thought, and I could hardly believe how thoughtful she was.
"Bey," I managed, "how did you afford all this? And don't you think it's a little too much?"
She laughed, brushing it off. "Used what I made from tutoring, and I've been trading a little too. Did what I could to make it work."
"You know how to trade?" I raised an eyebrow, a bit in awe. "Is there anything you can't do?"
"Cook," she said without missing a beat, and we both burst out laughing because everyone knew cooking was her Achilles' heel.
I threw my arms around her, squeezing her tight as a rush of gratitude and affection filled me up. "You're unbelievable," I said, peppering her cheek with kisses. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
She just smiled, looking at me with those calm, steady eyes that somehow always felt like home, even with all that energy buzzing underneath. "Just wanted you to feel special today, Onika. That's all."
And right then, I knew—this day was going to be perfect because I had her right by my side. Nothing could make it better.
🩷🖤🩷
I settled down on the blanket, taking in the quiet beauty of the lake. The sun hit the water just right, and the soft breeze brought this peaceful, earthy smell from the trees around us. Everything felt calm, and I was lowkey surprised Bey had thought of all this—pillows, food, even a soft little quilt under us. It was like she knew what I'd love even more than I did.
