After Class, Outside the Faculty Building
The sun dipped lazily over the college rooftops as students trickled out of lecture halls in clusters, some energized, others drained.
Saraph and I had just finished our final class for the day, and we were heading toward the school gate when we heard someone call out.
"Nuella!"
I turned, and immediately my face changed.
There they were. Caleb, Jordan, and Timi -Daniel's closest friends.
Jogging toward me with nervous grins and hopeful eyes.
Saraph could already feel the storm coming.
I narrowed my gaze and turned slightly away.
"Please, Nuella," Caleb said, panting slightly. "Just a few minutes."
"I don't want to talk," I said without looking at them. "Not to you guys."
Jordan's smile faltered. "We understand, but"
"No, you don't," Nuella snapped. "You knew everything. You knew what Daniel was doing.
You knew he was drifting, lying, and breaking me in bits... and none of you said anything."
Silence.
Saraph looked at the boys, then back at me.
"Do you know how that felt?" I continued, voice low but sharp.
"Being around you guys… laughing, talking… and the whole time, you were keeping secrets from me?
Letting me walk around in the dark like a joke?"
Timi tried to step forward. "It wasn't like that."
"Don't," I said flatly, raising a hand. "I'm not interested."
And with that, I turned and started walking away.
Saraph glanced at the boys, torn, then quickly followed me.
Saraph slowed her pace and caught up beside me, gently grabbing my wrist.
"Nuella, wait."
"What?" I said, clearly still fuming.
"They're not completely wrong for wanting to talk," Saraph said gently.
"They stood by while I was hurting."
"I know," Saraph nodded. "But… maybe they didn't know how to handle it either. I mean, we're not exactly trained in emotional disasters, are we?"
I rolled my eyes. "That's not a good enough excuse."
"No, it's not. But it might be the honest one."
I didn't respond, just folded my arms and looked ahead.
Behind them, the boys lingered at a distance, watching quietly.
"Look," Saraph continued, "they came to me earlier. After our class.
Asked if I could talk to you.
Said they just want a chance to explain things properly. Not for drama but because Daniel's not himself."
My expression twitched at his name, but I stayed silent.
"They said he's miserable. Not just regretful but miserable. Like, sleeping too much.
Not eating properly. Overthinking everything."
Saraph gave a small smile. "They're not asking you to get back with him. Just to listen. Let them say their part."
I exhaled slowly, unsure.
"I'm not promising to, I will think about it."
"Of course not."
"Or to smile."
Saraph chuckled. "Not expecting that either."
I glanced over her shoulder. The boys looked more like nervous interns than college seniors.
She sighed. "Fine. But later, not now. And I'm only doing so because you asked."
Saraph raised her hands in victory and waved to the boys for a successful mission.
Nuella's House – Later That Evening
Nuella opened the door, already regretting it a little.
Saraph stood beside her, and behind her, Caleb, Jordan, and Timi with wide, innocent eyes.
"I can't believe I'm letting this happen," Nuella muttered, stepping aside. "Just come in."
The boys filed in like students facing a disciplinary panel, awkwardly looking around her cozy living room.
They didn't sit until Nuella did, arms crossed, waiting.
Jordan went first.
"We're sorry," he said simply. "For everything."
Caleb nodded. "For knowing and not saying. For standing by."
Timi added, "For letting you walk through all of that when we could have at least warned you."
Nuella stared at them. "Why didn't you?"
The boys looked at each other.
"We were scared to meddle," Caleb admitted. "Afraid Daniel would push us away. Or worse, you would hate us for getting involved."
Jordan sighed. "We were wrong."
There was a beat of silence. Then Caleb said softly, "He's not okay."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"He's not been himself. Like we told Saraph earlier, he's down.
He barely eats, barely talks. He's in his head constantly."
Timi added, "He misses you, Nuella. It's obvious. He hasn't even been coming to practice.
And you know, Daniel, that boy lives for basketball."
Jordan stepped forward. "He doesn't just miss you. He's sorry. Deep down.
Like he knows he messed up in ways that go beyond apologies."
I said nothing, but my eyes flickered with conflict.
Caleb leaned forward. "Look, we know he's the one who has to fix it. We're not saying forgive him today or tomorrow.
We're just saying… don't close the door yet."
Jordan looked at her gently. "He needs you."
"And not in a dramatic movie way," Timi said. "Like, seriously. He looks like a sad plant."
Caleb added, "Yeah, like a rose that someone forgot to water."
I chuckled despite myself. "You guys are ridiculous."
"But honest," Saraph smiled. "And they did come all this way."
I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
"I'm still not promising anything. But I'll think about it."
The boys nodded in relief.
"And," I added, "I forgive you three. You came clean. That's something."
Timi beamed. "We'll take that win!"
They all smiled small, relieved, grateful.
Saraph looked at me and whispered, "See? Told you it wouldn't be the worst idea."
I shook my head but smiled faintly. "Let's see what Daniel does next."
As the tension slowly melted into the evening, and the boys' shoulders relaxed with visible relief, Saraph nudged me gently.
"Should we bring it out?"
I gave a small nod, standing up with her. "Yeah… let's feed these clowns."
The boys looked confused until Saraph disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a tray of glasses 🍷 with chilled drinks, plates of jollof rice with grilled chicken, and a bowl of fried plantain stacked high like treasure.
I followed with forks and napkins. "We figured if I was going to forgive you, I might as well do it with food."
The boys' faces lit up like children on Christmas morning.
"Nuella!" Timi gasped. "Now I know we're forgiven."
"This is better than Daniel's entire semester of choices," Caleb added, already reaching for a plate.
Jordan laughed. "You didn't have to, but I'm so glad you did."
Everyone dug in, and the room filled with clinks of cutlery and overlapping conversation.
Stories began flowing.
Saraph cracked a joke about Jordan's attempt at dancing during last semester's talent show.
Caleb acted out Daniel's panicked call from earlier in the day: "Bro, if she slams the door in their faces, I'll just crawl into the earth."
Saraph and I couldn't stop laughing.
"You guys are ridiculous," I said, wiping a tear of laughter from my eye.
"But we're charming," Timi grinned, raising his cup. "To forgiveness."
Saraph clinked hers against his. "And to effort."
The sun had long gone down by the time they stood to leave. Jordan stretched.
"Honestly, thank you. For the food. And for listening."
"Daniel's lucky," Caleb added. "Very lucky."
"And he better not mess it up again," I said, mock-threateningly, wagging my finger.
"Or we'll help you finish him," Saraph chimed in, making everyone laugh again.
The boys waved, still full and full of gratitude, as they stepped out into the night.
As the door closed behind them, Saraph turned to me with a soft smile.
"Think you'll talk to Daniel soon?"
I shrugged, my expression thoughtful. "Maybe. When I'm ready.
But… tonight was a start."
And it truly was.