Page 50 of A Minute Past Midnight

There were decorations everywhere. Balloons, birthday banners, flowers, tables filled with catered food, and music playing softly through the home.

My eyes widened. “Samir.” He smiled. I slowly turned toward him. “You lied.”

“I told you I didn’t have any surprises.”

“You literally said you didn’t have anything planned!”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

Before he could answer, voices suddenly erupted around me. “Surprise!”

I jumped. My hands immediately flew over my mouth.

Standing there were people I never expected to see in Bali, because, apparently, everyone was busy. Gam, Mrs. Raquel, Mr. Amir, Quamir, and⁠—

“Mya!”

My friend came over toward me, and I simply stared at them.

All of them.

The tears hit before I could stop them. “Oh my God.” Mya wrapped her arms around me.

“Happy birthday, bookie!”

I immediately started crying. Not pretty crying either. Real tears.

The kind that came from somewhere deep inside. “I can’t believe you guys lied to me.”

“You deserve to be celebrated,” Gam said softly.

That sentence broke me even more, because I hadn’t celebrated my birthday in years.

Thirteen years to be exact.

After turning twenty-one, birthdays had slowly become just another day. Nothing special, and nothing worth celebrating.

I had convinced myself I didn’t care because my mother and father stopped caring about anything concerning what I liked or loved. Mama would buy me something or take me out occasionally, but it was few and far between. But standing here surrounded by people who had traveled across the world simply to celebrate me, I realized maybe a part of me always cared.

Samir stepped toward me. “Come here, mama.”

I immediately walked into his arms. He held me tightly while I cried against his chest.

“You okay?”

I shook my head. “No.”

He chuckled softly. “Good tears?”

I nodded. “The best.”

His lips pressed against my forehead. “You deserve happiness, Juliana.”

His hand rubbed slowly over my stomach. “You and my baby deserve everything.”

I looked up at him through my tears before he kissed me. “Thank you,” I whispered against his lips.