"You mean..." Amelia asked and hesitated.
"Yes." For some reason, the female ghost had been unusually quiet these past two days, making me feel a bit inexplicably scared.
Amelia seemed even more nervous than I was. "We need to find it quickly. If it gets lost and someone else picks it up, that would be bad."
I quickly reassured her. "It shouldn't be lost. I think I left it at home."
After a whole morning of classes, I still had to meet Howard for lunch.
Knowing I was going to meet Howard, Amelia didn't plan to come along.
After saying goodbye to her, I went to the infirmary feeling a bit down. Before I even entered, I heard voices inside.
"Dr. Smith, I feel a tightness in my chest. What's wrong with me? Do I need to go to the hospital for a check-up?" The sweet female voice sounded somewhat familiar to me.
The other voice was even more familiar. "You're not sick. If you don't believe me, you can go to another hospital for a check-up. Of course, seeing a neurologist might be better." The sarcastic and cold voice was unmistakably Howard's. It seemed he was very dedicated to his work, treating even beautiful women with such bluntness.
The girl seemed a bit angry, stomped her foot, and turned to run out. When she saw me standing at the infirmary door, her expression changed. Feeling embarrassed to be caught in such a scene, she took the initiative. "Seriously, doesn't Dr. Smith need a break in the middle of the day? Why can't you see the doctor at another time? Is it really that urgent?"
The person in front of me was Luna Bailey, a well-known beauty on campus with a sweet voice. She had represented the school in a singing competition and won first place nationally. She was also one of the beauties who boldly confessed on the forum yesterday, saying she wanted to win over Howard. It seemed she had failed before even starting.
I was about to find an excuse to pretend I hadn't seen anything when Howard's voice came from the room, slightly raised and impatient. "Is there anyone else who needs to see a doctor? Come in quickly, why are you standing at the door chatting?"
Since Howard already had given the word, I couldn't refuse. I just nodded to Luna and went in.
Luna huffed and walked away briskly.
I pushed open the infirmary door and looked at Howard sitting at his desk. I couldn't help but feel indignant for Luna. "She's a beauty, after all. You really don't mince words."
Howard glanced at me with a half-smile, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want me to be gentle to other women?"
I let out a dissatisfied sound and sat across from him. "Don't make it sound like I'm a jealous woman. I couldn't care less about what you do with others."
Even though it was sunny outside, I felt the room was a bit chilly.
"Do you have the air conditioning on in here?" I looked around and asked.
Howard snorted, "You look like an air conditioner, giving everyone the same attention."
Too tired to banter with him, I asked, "Did you see my necklace this morning?"
"What necklace?"
"The one you threw out of the room last night. Where did you throw it?"
Howard replied nonchalantly, "I didn't see it this morning. Maybe someone else has it by now."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He raised an eyebrow but didn't answer.
Seeing his mysterious demeanor and unwillingness to explain, I didn't want to argue with him. "You asked me to have lunch with you. Where's the lunch?"
"It will be here soon." I was puzzled by his words when suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice. "Is Karena here?"
If I wasn't mistaken, it was Matthew's voice.
"Go open the door. The guest is here; why are you still sitting there?" Howard said, feigning impatience.
Feeling curious, I went to open the door, and it was indeed Matthew standing there. "Matthew, why are you here?"
'Wait, how did he know I am with Howard?' I wondered.
Matthew had a gentle smile on his face and said softly, "You got hurt yesterday, so I came to the infirmary to check on you and happened to meet Howard."
My heart tightened as I wondered whether Howard had said something inappropriate to Matthew.
"Matthew..." I was about to explain when Matthew raised his hand to ruffle my hair.
He still had a gentle smile on his face. "It seems you have grown up. You didn't even tell me about having a boyfriend."
I clenched my hands and turned to look at Howard behind me, wondering what exactly he had said to Matthew; if Matthew knew, it meant my family knew too.
Howard stood up, walked over, and pulled me into his arms. "What's there to hide from your neighbor? Are you afraid he'll tell your parents? Don't worry. I've already talked to him, and he'll keep our secret."
My expression grew more awkward, but I didn't dare contradict Howard, so I just forced a smile.
Matthew remained gentle. "Yes, I won't tell your parents for now. You can tell them yourselves in the future."
I didn't know why, but I felt uncomfortable for no reason.
Since high school, I had liked Matthew. But I didn't think there was anything wrong with it; Matthew was excellent and very gentle. Any girl with such an outstanding guy around who treated her well would like him.
I had planned to confess to him after starting college, but his sudden departure abroad disrupted all my plans. At that time, I was sad for a long time because of his departure. Just when I had gotten over it, he suddenly came back.
Hearing his blessing in person made me feel indescribably sad. Even though I knew it was impossible with him, he was someone I had liked. His blessing for me and Howard meant he had always seen me as a sister.
Suppressing my dejection, I forced a smile. "Thank you, Matthew."
Matthew didn't seem to notice my emotions, his expression growing even gentler. "I also have someone I want to introduce to you. How about we have dinner together tomorrow at that restaurant near the school?"
When he mentioned introducing someone, my first thought was that he had a girlfriend. "Who is it? A friend of yours?"
He said, a rare hint of shyness crossing his face. "Sort of."