Dragging my luggage downstairs, Erik insisted on taking me to the station. I had already refused, but couldn't argue with him.
Unexpectedly, as soon as we got downstairs, we ran into Matthew, who was holding a suitcase, seemingly waiting for me.
The cool autumn breeze lifted a corner of his white shirt. He smiled at us with a gentle expression. "Mr. Johnson, I'm heading to school too, so Karena and I can go together."
Erik was pleased. "Great, with you around, I won't worry." In his eyes, Matthew was still like an older brother to me, and it was natural for him to take care of me. But if he knew I liked Matthew, he probably wouldn't let him take me.
Then Matthew and I got into a taxi to the station, and neither of us spoke. Matthew glanced at me and naturally started talking. "I heard you enrolled in the school next to mine. We'll be going to school together again."
I smiled awkwardly and lowered my head. "Yeah."
Matthew knew that I had always clung to him since childhood, but now I had grown up and was no longer the same. Moreover, an inexplicably formidable Howard had appeared by my side.
Matthew sighed, sounding a bit regretful. "You don't seem to talk as much as you used to. I remember you used to be quite the chatterbox. Maybe we've grown apart since I was away for a year."
I looked up at him, seeing his gentle face.
'I used to love clinging to him, and iit seems that my distance has left him feeling a bit lost. The more hesitant I am, the more awkward it feels. It wis better to be more natural.' Thinking of this, I forced a smile. "We'll be in the same place for the next few years, so we'll get to know each other again."
Seemingly encouraged by my words, Matthew's smile brightened a bit, "Yes, we have time."
Worried that I might mistreat myself in school, Saskia packed a lot of food for me. Matthew offered to take me back to school since it wasn't convenient for a girl to carry so much stuff.
I wasn't ready to let Matthew know I was living off-campus, so I asked him to take the things to my dorm.
At the dorm building, Matthew stopped. "I'm not allowed in your dorm, so I'll leave you here."
I took the bags from him. "Thank you, Matthew."
"Can you manage to carry everything up? I can watch your things here while you take them up one by one." Matthew asked.
"No need, my roommates will come down to help." Just then, Amelia and Isabella's voices rang out. They took the luggage from me and raised their eyebrows at Matthew. "Who's this?"
Before I could speak, Matthew introduced himself. "I'm Matthew, Karena's neighbor and friend. I study at the university next to yours. We'll probably see each other often."
"Hello." Amelia, who had heard about Matthew from me, understood immediately.
Isabella winked at me. "A neighbor?"
Worried Isabella might say something inappropriate, I quickly glared at her. "Matthew, you should head back to your school. I'll go up now."
With that, I hurried upstairs with my roommates.
"He's still watching us!" Isabella glanced back at the dorm entrance before we went up the stairs.
"Alright, stop it. I'll treat you to something delicious later, okay?" Back in the dorm, I collapsed into a chair, exhausted.
Isabella sat beside me, tugging at my sleeve. "Is he really your neighbor? Not your boyfriend?" She asked this because she knew I had a boyfriend.
Knowing the whole story, Amelia said, "Don't tease her. He's definitely her neighbor."
"Is he the one you told us about? So, your boyfriend isn't him?" Isabella asked with a hint of disappointment in her tone.
This was a tricky question. I chose to be vague. "Stop guessing. He's just my neighbor."
I climbed into bed and lay down. "I'm so tired. I need to sleep."
I used it as an excuse, but I actually fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already evening.
I got out of bed, shocked, and rubbed my face. "The school gate must be closed by now. I can't get out."
"Of course, it's closed. Do you need to go out? It's so late." Isabella frowned at me.
I didn't want to go out, but if I didn't go back, Howard would surely be upset and overthink; After all, I came back with Matthew today and hadn't explained it to him.
For the first time, I felt Howard's lifestyle was exceedingly antiquated, making communication rather difficult. If only there were a phone available.
The gate was closed, so I had to give up on going home.
I hesitated and approached Amelia with a smile. "Amelia, I have something to discuss with you."
Knowing I only acted like this when I needed something, Amelia raised an eyebrow and closed her book. "What do you want to say?"
"Can you take me to see your grandpa tomorrow? I have something important to discuss with him." I tugged at her sleeve and blinked. "Please."
It wasn't a big deal for Amelia, so she agreed easily. "But why do you need to see my grandpa?"
"I'll explain when we get there."
I thought Howard would come to see me tonight since we hadn't seen each other all day, but he didn't come, so I had a quiet evening.
But his silence made me uneasy, like something bad was about to happen.
In the morning, I went to the bathroom and tried calling his name in my mind.
Then he appeared out of thin air, and I looked at him in surprise. "It really works."
"Do you need something?" Howard's expression was indifferent, revealing little emotion.
I smiled ingratiatingly. "I just wanted to see if it worked. "
Howard looked at me with a half-smile. "You really are quite bored."
"I didn't go back last night. Aren't you going to ask why? Don't you care about me?" I pouted playfully.