Chapter 5: The Fake Girlfriend Gambit

We were silent the whole way. I took Ben to urgent care.

As soon as I opened the exam room door, I immediately closed it again.

Hmm, I must have opened the wrong door.

But when I opened it again, the same annoying face was still behind the desk, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, smiling at me with his chin in his hand.

So, can someone tell me why, when I take my ex to the doctor, the attending physician is my first love?!

Patient sixteen, please come in.

I was still hesitating at the door when the voice called us in.

“Sis?” Ben looked at me blankly, then checked the sign by the door. “Dr. Matthew Lane, internal medicine. We didn’t go to the wrong place.”

I took a deep breath. “That’s right.”

Then I pulled Ben in.

I hoped Dr. Lane would play along and pretend not to know me.

But the next second—

“Autumn, long time no see. Are you feeling unwell?” My first love, in a white coat, completely ignored the obviously sicker Ben and greeted me in a very familiar tone.

I could feel Ben’s gaze shoot over instantly.

“See the doctor first.” I pressed Ben into the chair.

I didn’t answer Dr. Lane, just put my hands on Ben’s shoulders and reported the basics: “Ben Carter, male, 19, caught a cold and has a fever, probably since last night. I’m worried it could get worse...”

Dr. Lane raised an eyebrow at me but didn’t interrupt. He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and started writing in the chart.

I recognized that pen.

It was a basic Montblanc fountain pen.

Smooth, elegant black with gold trim—just like how Dr. Lane was in my heart back then.

Nine years ago, I saved up my Christmas money for years, took a two-hour bus to the city’s big mall, and carefully picked out a pen for Matthew’s eighteenth birthday.

The pen I gave so thoughtfully now only brings embarrassment and regret.

The pen is nice, but the person isn’t.

I resisted the urge to grab the pen and toss it in the trash.

But I didn’t notice Ben glancing at me, cautious and uncertain.

Dr. Lane took Ben’s thermometer, checked it, and wrote a slip. “102.7. Autumn said you might have had a fever half the night. That’s dangerous. Go get a chest x-ray.”

I accompanied Ben out, but Dr. Lane called me back.

Family can stay. I need to explain a few things.

Ben nervously tugged at me. I gave him a reassuring look and managed to send him out.

When the door closed, I sat across from Dr. Lane, arms folded, one leg crossed.

“Go ahead. Aren’t there instructions?”

“Autumn, you know what I mean.”

Dr. Lane took off his glasses and smiled at me.

Without the glasses, he looked more like he did nine years ago—but even more irritating.

Back then, he wore the same fake smile, the perfect, friendly senior, and led me on for half a year.

Our school banned dating, especially since I was just a freshman and he’d just started high school.

But he took my pen, hugged me gently, and finally kissed my forehead.

At the time, I really thought we had a secret, unspoken relationship.

But reality hit me hard just days later.

That day was sunny. Matthew asked me to meet in the woods behind the school. I went, heart full of girlish dreams.

Then Matthew told me he was going abroad.

“Autumn, I’m going to the UK to study medicine.”

A tear fell silently into the dirt.

“What about me?”

“Sorry, but we don’t really have anything, right?” Matthew shrugged. “I don’t think I owe you anything.”

Nine years later, Matthew is still shameless.

“Autumn, I still have the pen you gave me.”

My fists clenched, but I forced a polite smile. “So?”

Matthew got up and walked toward me, but I blocked him two feet away with my leg.

“I had my reasons back then. My family made me go to the UK. I didn’t want to...”

“Stop!” I still sat, legs crossed, looking at him. “I’m not here for nostalgia. Please, Dr. Lane, stick to your medical ethics.”

Matthew looked at me helplessly. “Autumn, I know you resent me. I’m willing to take it slow. Let’s start over, okay?”

“They say first love is unforgettable. Autumn, we were each other’s first love, right?”

Ugh! I just felt nauseous.

I was about to tell Matthew off when the office door suddenly burst open.

Ben, one hand in his pocket, glared at Matthew and walked straight toward me.

Even though Ben and I were over, I still felt guilty.

He strode over, wrapped his arm around my neck, and pulled me into his embrace.

He gently brushed my hair, tucking a stray strand behind my ear, and said to Matthew, as if it were nothing, “Oh, so it’s the ex.”

Matthew wasn’t fazed. He ignored Ben and looked me in the eyes. “Autumn, I forgot to ask—who’s this little brother?”

Little brother... that one stung.

Although Ben still looked calm and dignified, I could feel his whole body tense behind me.

But I was grateful to Ben for saving me, so I went along, holding his hand on my neck. I felt his hand stiffen, then quickly tighten, fingers interlaced.

Ben’s fingers gently scratched my palm, and as soon as I loosened my grip, he pressed even closer, intertwining our fingers.

Way too intimate.