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The breakfast table was a lively place that morning—too lively for Onika’s taste. Tina and Denzel sat at one end, their hands occasionally brushing in quiet affection. Solange was to the left, cheerfully chiming in on every topic. And then, there was him.
Keith Powers.
Onika’s jaw tightened as she watched Keith sit far too close to Beyoncé, leaning toward her as though he had a right to the air she breathed. His crisp white shirt stretched over his athletic shoulders, his smile as bright as the sunlight spilling through the window. And Beyoncé? She was radiant as ever, her honey-blonde hair pulled into a loose bun, a casual off-shoulder knit sweater exposing her flawless collarbone.
They laughed together, a shared rhythm that excluded everyone else at the table. Their inside jokes—ones that hinted at years of friendship—cut into Onika like jagged glass.
Why did he have to sit so close?
Why did his arm brush hers when he gestured?
Why did he look at Beyoncé like she was the sun, moon, and stars wrapped into one?
Onika clenched her glass of orange juice, the condensation slick under her fingers as her knuckles whitened. Beyoncé leaned closer to Keith, her laugh a soft melody that made Onika’s pulse race—not with admiration, but with fury.
Keith turned to Tina, recalling a shared memory of their families at a summer lake trip. The anecdote was mildly amusing, but it was Beyoncé’s laughter that punctuated every sentence, her amber eyes lighting up as if Keith were the most charming man alive.
Onika’s gaze shifted to Beyoncé’s hand, which rested casually near Keith’s on the table. It wasn’t touching him, but the proximity was maddening.
That hand didn’t belong near him. It belonged to her.
Onika’s mind raced with all the ways she could wipe Keith’s stupid, perfect smile off his face.
“I really want to get back into riding horses,” Beyoncé said suddenly, her voice breaking through Onika’s storm of thoughts. She toyed with her coffee mug, her fingers absentmindedly tracing its rim. “It’s been so long since I’ve done it.”
Keith’s face lit up. “I could teach you! I’m always around horses these days—got a new stable out on the west side. You’d love it.”
