Chapter 29 - Epilogue: The Bench

Epilogue: The Bench

It was a quiet afternoon, years later.

The kind where the sun didn’t burn, just warmed. The breeze was gentle. The NTU campus was quieter than it used to be. New buildings had risen. Some familiar ones had been painted over. But the Hive still stood, strange and beautiful, casting its shadow over the Sports Hall.

There was a bench behind the hall. It hadn’t changed.

A little worn at the edges. A small chip at the side. Still shaded by the same tree.

Aleem sat there first. He arrived early, just like he always used to. A takeaway coffee in one hand, his other resting lightly on his knee. He looked older now—but in the way sunlight ages paper: softened, not worn.

Ivan arrived next. The same quiet walk, same unhurried pace. They didn’t say much at first. Just nodded. Sat.

Crystal came after, loud even before she was in sight, muttering about the heat and why campus food “was never this expensive back in our day.”

Isabelle came last, two iced drinks in hand, even though no one asked her to. She still remembered their orders.

Four friends.

Same bench.

New season.

They didn’t talk about jobs.

Or marriage.

Or children.

They didn’t need to.

Instead, they shared photos from their phones. Talked about the new badminton court that replaced their old one. Wondered aloud if the current batch of students even knew who Jolene and Mark were anymore.

Then, for a long time, they just sat.

Silence.

But the kind that felt full, not awkward.

The kind that said: This is safe. This is home.

Before they left, Crystal pulled out something from her bag.

It was the small acrylic plaque Aleem once made. The one with just one word:

ABIX

“We should put this back,” she said. “Somewhere here.”

They found a quiet corner beside the court, where the grass still grew wild. Isabelle dug a small dent into the earth with her heel. Ivan brushed off the surface stone. Aleem gently placed the plaque down.

No ceremony.

No announcement.

Just presence.

As they stood up, someone nearby shouted, “Court 3 free already!”

A group of undergrads rushed past them—laughing, holding rackets, energy in every step.

One of them looked familiar.

Or maybe they just felt familiar.

And for a moment, ABIX saw themselves—four younger versions, stepping into something they had no idea would shape the rest of their lives.

Crystal smiled, eyes soft. “Think they’ll be alright?”

Aleem nodded. “I think we were.”

They walked away, the afternoon sun casting four long shadows behind them.

Not the same as before.

But still side by side.

Always.

End.