My High School Crush Kissed Me On A Bet To Humiliate Me. Now He Transferred To My College And Wants A Second Chance. Should I Give Him The Satisfaction Of A Response?

Confrontation and Camping

A few days later, Nico texted asking if I wanted to come to a small gathering at his apartment that Friday. He mentioned some mutual friends from high school would be there, people who’d also ended up at our university. I almost said no automatically, but then he mentioned Fay would be coming.

I’d run into Fay at the campus bookstore a few weeks back and we’d grabbed coffee together. She was different from how I remembered her in high school, more genuine and less concerned with what everyone else thought. We’d talked for two hours about our classes and our plans after graduation and I’d actually enjoyed it. So I texted back saying I’d stop by for a bit.

Friday evening I showed up at Nico’s apartment around 8. The place was small but clean, with mismatched furniture that looked like it came from different thrift stores. About 15 people were scattered around the living room and kitchen, most of them faces I recognized from high school but hadn’t really kept in touch with.

Nico opened the door and his whole face lit up when he saw me. He touched my arm lightly as I walked past him into the apartment, guiding me toward where everyone was gathered. I moved away from his hand smoothly and headed straight for where Fay was standing by the kitchen counter.

Fay hugged me and immediately started telling me about her disastrous chemistry lab from earlier that week. We fell into easy conversation while Nico hovered nearby, clearly waiting for an opening to join us. Every time there was a pause in our discussion, he’d try to steer the conversation towards something that included him or suggest we all move to the couch where there was more room. I kept turning back to Fay, asking her another question or bringing up a new topic.

After about 20 minutes of this, Nico gave up and went to talk to some guys near the TV. I grabbed a soda from the cooler and settled onto the arm of the couch next to Fay. We talked about her roommate drama and my research project and the terrible dining hall food. Other people drifted in and out of our conversation. Nico kept glancing over at me from across the room. At one point he brought over a bowl of chips and set it on the coffee table right in front of where I was sitting, using it as an excuse to ask if I was having a good time. I told him it was nice seeing everyone again and turned back to Fay before he could continue.

The Balcony Talk

Around 9:30, Fay touched my elbow and nodded toward the small balcony off the living room. We stepped outside into the cool night air. The balcony was barely big enough for two people, with a rusty metal railing and a view of the parking lot. Fay leaned against the railing and looked at me carefully.

She said she’d heard about what happened at that party senior year. My stomach tightened but I kept my expression neutral. She continued quickly, explaining she wasn’t there that night but she’d heard the story later from someone else. She said she thought it was really cruel what Nico and his friends did.

I took a sip of my soda to give myself a second before responding. Fay asked if I was okay being around him now, if it bothered me to see him at the school and come to his apartment. I appreciated that she asked directly instead of dancing around it. I told her I was completely fine. That I wasn’t the same person I was in high school and he couldn’t hurt me anymore. I explained that I’d built a whole new life here and what happened back then didn’t have power over me now.

Fay studied my face like she was trying to determine if I was telling the truth or just being brave. I must have been convincing because she relaxed and said she was glad. That she’d been worried about bringing it up but wanted to make sure I was okay. We talked for a few more minutes about other things, lighter topics, before heading back inside. The apartment felt warmer after the cool air outside.

I noticed Nico watching us come back in and within minutes he was making his way over. Someone had turned up the music and a few people were laughing loudly near the kitchen. Nico asked if he could talk to me for a minute and gestured back toward the balcony. Fay gave me a questioning look but I nodded that it was fine.

Nico and I stepped back outside. He closed the sliding door behind us, muffling the noise from the party. The balcony felt even smaller with him standing close to me. He leaned against the railing and ran his hand through his hair, a nervous gesture I remembered from high school. He said he knew we had a weird moment at that party senior year and he wanted to clear the air about it.

I stayed quiet, watching him, curious to see if he would actually acknowledge what he’d done or keep minimizing it. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He said everyone was drunk and stupid that night and things got out of hand with his friends acting immature. I kept my expression neutral, giving him nothing.

He continued saying he felt bad about how it ended and he wished we could move past it now that we were both more mature. I noticed he never actually said the words “I’m sorry” or took direct responsibility for orchestrating the whole thing. Instead he framed it like some mutual awkward situation that just happened to both of us. Like we were both victims of his friends’ behavior rather than him being the one who planned it. He said we were different people now and he hoped we could start fresh.

I let the silence sit between us for a few seconds. Then I told him very calmly that I appreciated him bringing it up. I explained that I had moved past it completely, that I wasn’t angry or hurt anymore. I said I’d grown a lot since then and I hoped he had too.

Relief washed over his face immediately. He stepped forward like he was going to hug me, arms already starting to lift. I took a smooth step back and suggested we head back inside to rejoin everyone. His arms dropped and he nodded quickly, trying to hide his disappointment. We went back into the apartment and I found Fay again. Nico stayed close for the rest of the night, always within view, always ready to jump into whatever conversation I was having. When I said I needed to leave around 11:00, he walked me to the door and asked if I’d want to hang out again soon, just the two of us. I gave him a non-committal smile and said “Maybe,” then left before he could pin me down to specific plans.