Epilogue

One Month Later.

Arthur Penhaligon sat at his desk in the Rare Books Archive. He was not the Dean. The Board had found his behavior "erratic" and passed him over.

He didn't care.

He was still the Head Archivist.

"Hey, Artie!"

Lily walked in. She hadn't dropped out. She was carrying two boba teas. She hopped up onto the corner of his desk, swinging her legs. She was wearing neon orange sneakers.

"Delivery," she said, handing him a cup.

Arthur took it. He looked at his tie.

It wasn't a Windsor knot. It was a slightly looser four-in-hand. And it wasn't silk. It was a bright blue tie covered in small, yellow cartoon ducks.

"Thank you, my dear," Arthur said.

He took a sip of the boba. He chewed a pearl.

"How are the vibes today?" Lily asked.

Arthur looked around the Archives. Someone had left a pink sweater on a 16th-century chair. There was a faint hum of pop music coming from Lily’s headphones.

"The vibes," Arthur Penhaligon said, reaching out to hold her hand, "are immaculate."

He leaned forward and kissed her, right there in the library, and for once, he didn't care about the silence at all.