It was a typical afternoon on campus. The graduation bustle had faded, and most students were either preparing for their next steps or enjoying the peace after the storm. Arthur and Nick were at the university café, sitting opposite from Mia and Pim, sipping iced coffees and talking about the future.
Nick had just finished talking about a job opportunity when Mia's phone vibrated on the table. She gazed at it, her expression hardening.
"What's wrong? " Pim asked, noticing the shift in her demeanor.
Mia hesitated, then looked up at Arthur and Nick. "There's… someone here to see you."
Arthur frowned. "Who? "
Mia sighed, putting her phone down. "Tee."
Nick tensed. Arthur's grasp on his cup tightened. Pim looked between them, plainly bewildered.
"What? " Arthur's voice was flat, controlled. "Why? "
Mia gave him a desperate look. "He wants to apologize."
Arthur let out a harsh laugh. "Apologize? " He set his cup down with more force than necessary. "After everything he did, now he wants to apologize? "
Nick was silent, his jaw tight. He wasn't sure how to feel. He had scarcely thought about Tee since the truth about Tyler had come out, but now that the name had returned, old fury rose up.
Mia looked down. "I know it's not easy, but he's been trying to reach out for a while. He wanted to come sooner, but I told him it wasn't the proper time."
Arthur's chest clenched. He wanted to tell Mia to tell Tee to go to hell, but he knew her well enough to understand that if she was bringing this up now, it meant something to her.
Still, the prospect of facing Tee after everything made his stomach churn.
After a long pause, Arthur breathed. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
Tee was waiting at the old campus fountain. He looked different from the last time Arthur had seen him—thinner, more worn. His normal smug demeanor was gone, replaced by uncertainty.
When Arthur and Nick approached, Tee rose up swiftly, his hands in his pockets. Mia and Pim waited a few steps away, ready to intercede if things went south.
Arthur crossed his arms. "Well? Say what you need to say."
Tee swallowed hard. "I—I know I don't deserve to be standing here. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I needed to come anyway." He took a deep breath. "I was a coward. I was selfish. I let Tyler control me, and I let my own vulnerabilities make me do things I regret."
Nick's look was inscrutable. "You didn't just 'let' Tyler manipulate you. You actively aided him. You were part of everything that tore us apart."
Tee flinched but nodded. "I know. And I take full responsibility. I wasn't brave enough to stand up to him. I was frightened of being revealed, scared of what it would entail for me. I let that dread make me do unforgivable things to Arthur, to both of you."
Arthur clenched his hands. The recollections of what Tee had done still stung—how he had fed into Tyler's lies, how he had helped propagate the rumors. How he had seen Arthur suffer and done nothing.
"I can't take any of it back," Tee said, his voice subdued. "But I want you to know that I regret it every day. I've lost a lot due to my actions, but losing my self-respect was the worst."
There was quiet.
Arthur wanted to stay angry. He wanted to convince Tee that regret wasn't enough, that he had suffered too much to just let this go. But as he looked at Mia—who was watching him, hopeful—something in him melted.
He thought about everything he and Nick had been through. About how they had fought their way back to one another, about how they had chosen love over hate.
Maybe it was time to choose peace over resentment.
Arthur breathed, then met Tee's eyes. "I won't lie and say I can forget what you did. But I also don't want to carry this anger anymore." He took a step closer. "I forgive you, Tee. Not for your sake, but for mine."
Tee's eyes widened. He seemed like he hadn't expected Arthur to say that. His shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you."
Nick, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "But we're not your friends, Tee. We're not going to act like nothing happened."
Tee nodded swiftly. "I don't expect that. I just… I just wanted to make things right, even if it's just this."
Arthur glanced at Mia, who offered him a faint, thankful smile.
"Last thing," Tee stated cautiously. "Are you—are you going to press charges? "
Arthur gazed at Nick, then back at Tee. "No," he said. "But not because of you. Because I don't need to drag this out anymore. I have greater things to focus on."
Tee's face crumpled slightly. "I understand. And thank you."
Arthur nodded. "Goodbye, Tee."
And with that, he turned away, Nick following beside him.
As they walked away, Arthur felt something light inside him, as if a load he hadn't realized he was carrying had been removed.
Maybe closure wasn't about forgetting. Maybe it was about deciding to move forward.