Still Yours

Chapter 1: When The Lights Go Out

🎵Black bird singing in the dead of night,
           
Take these broken wings and         

                                   learn to fly🎵

     ~BlackBiird by Beyoncé~

~~Three years later~~

The ballroom shimmered beneath the glow of chandeliers, their soft golden light scattering across hundreds of polished glasses and sequined gowns. Applause still lingered in the air as Olandria stepped down from the stage, the weight of the crystal award cool against her hands, while flashes from cameras continued bursting around her.

The applause had been a little overwhelming, loud enough that for a few seconds she had barely heard her own voice during the speech. A few people approached her immediately. A photographer asked for one more picture, a well-known designer wrapped her in a warm embrace congratulating her. Someone offered her a glass of champagne and she accepted it with a polite smile.

Compliments came easily tonight, flowing from people who had watched her career evolve over the last few years. And she thanked each person with genuine appreciation. She had worked hard for this moment, harder than most people in the room would ever fully understand.

Despite the celebration surrounding her, a quiet part of her mind remained distant from it all, watching the evening as if it were happening from slightly outside herself. She moved through the after-party gracefully, exchanging hugs and posing for photographs, but there was a careful limit to how long she lingered in each conversation.

After finishing one glass of champagne, she started making her rounds, offering soft excuses and telling people she had an early morning. Most of them understood right away, nodding and hugging her before turning back to the music and conversation. A few teased her about leaving so soon, laughing that the night had barely gotten started, but she only smiled and promised she'd make it up to them another time. .

By the time she stepped outside the venue, the air felt cooler against her skin. The sound of the party faded behind her as the doors closed, replaced by the distant sounds of late-night traffic along the Miami streets. Her driver opened the back door of the car, and she slipped inside, her award rested beside her on the seat, catching the faint glow of passing streetlights.

The ride home was quiet. Her phone vibrated constantly with messages from family and friends who watched the ceremony. Notifications from social media poured in faster than she could read them, she responded to a few texts from her sisters and her mom. After a few minutes she turned the phone face down on the seat, silencing her notifications before leaning her head back against the leather seat.

The city gradually shifted from nightlife to quieter residential streets, palm trees passing by the window. The car finally pulled in front of her house, she stepped out of the car, gathering the skirt of her dress so it wouldn't brush the pavement. The house was exactly as she had left it earlier that evening, its windows dark except for the glow of the porch light. For a brief moment she paused on the walkway, adjusting the award in her hand while the driver pulled out of the gated driveway.

Inside, the lights turned on as she stepped through the doorway. Her heels echoed lightly against the hardwood floors while she crossed the living room, setting her clutch and the award down on the console table near the entrance. The house was neat, exactly the way she had left it earlier. The throw blanket on the couch was folded perfectly across the armrest, Noel's toys stacked neatly inside baskets along the wall, and the kitchen counters were spotless. The quiet wasn't unsettling exactly, but it was noticeable in a way she had learned to live with.