Seeing me cursing energetically, full of vigor, not looking injured at all, a barely noticeable tenderness appeared on Howard's face. His azure eyes seemed to be misty, adding a thin layer of frost to the coldness in his gaze. He curled his lips. "Alright, it's my fault. You can punish me later."
Then Howard's gaze shifted to the driver who had his back to him, and a layer of ice instantly formed in his eyes. "I need to deal with the person who scared you."
The driver turned around in disbelief. When he saw the large black wings on Howard's back, he screamed, "Ghost!"
Dropping his phone, the driver bolted, but after just three feet, he was instantly ensnared by vines rising from the ground. The vines lifted him up, suspending him upside down, and then brought him back in front of Howard.
I quickly stuffed everything on the seat back into my bag and hid behind Howard, pointing at the driver. "Howard, he scared me just now, and he stole my money and my phone."
"So, how do you want me to deal with him?" Howard's expression remained cold, with a hint of red flame flickering in his blue eyes.
"Can you eat him?" A scum like the driver left in society would only endanger other girls, so it would be better to let Howard deal with him.
Feeling disgust towards the driver, Howard glanced at me with a bit of displeasure. "What do you take me for?"
"Ghost. I must be dreaming. Wake up. Wake up!" The driver was already babbling incoherently, hanging upside down with cold sweat all over his face, struggling wildly.
"If you like doing bad things so much, then meet others like you and see who is worse." As Howard finished speaking, the driver was suddenly thrown to the ground by the vines. The ground opened up like a giant mouth, dragging him down.
Before the driver screamed out, he disappeared completely.
I stared curiously at the empty spot on the ground, asking, "Where did he go?"
"Hell." After dealing with the driver, Howard turned to look at me, his handsome face showing a bit of guilt. "Are you okay? Were you scared tonight?"
He gently brushed the hair from my ear, and the tickling sensation on my cheek made me instinctively dodge. "No, I'm fine."
Only my weak legs told me that the fear still lingered in my heart. But once Howard arrived, I wasn't afraid anymore.
Howard suddenly pulled me into his arms. Pressed against his warm chest, I could smell the pleasant scent of his body wash. His deep, husky voice reached my ears. "I'm sorry for what happened today. I promise I'll never let you face anything alone again."
In that moment, it felt like a firework exploded in my mind, not just because of his gentle voice, but also because of his promise. I had seen him in so many ways—domineering, terrifying, intimidating, arrogant, and indifferent—but never had I seen him make such a tender promise to never let me face danger alone again.
For a moment, I couldn't help but question if the person standing before me was real. I was just an ordinary college girl, with no special qualities and not particularly striking. Yet, this mysterious and noble Howard had chosen me, as if it were meant to be.
With this thought, I asked instinctively, "Howard, did we know each other before?"
Howard stiffened, gently pushed me away, and knocked on my head. "What are you spacing out about now?"
I shook my head and blinked. "I just don't understand why you're so good to me."
Howard raised his hand and gently placed it on my chest. That spot grew warmer because of his touch, as if my heart was beating for him. "Because you are mine!" This sentence echoed in my ears, different from before.
I couldn't help but feel a bit shy, experiencing a longing for love for the first time. But then I I told myself in my heart, 'Calm down. I mustn't be swayed by his sweet talk. Getting lost in love is not an option.'
"Then why didn't you appear when I called you so many times in my heart? Do you know how scared I was today? When that driver approached me with a knife, I almost lost my mind." For a moment, I wasn't afraid because I knew Howard would always be by my side. But when I couldn't summon him, I felt a wave of despair.
"Then you need to ask yourself." Howard glanced at me coldly.
"What do you mean? Are you blaming me for this?" I asked, puzzled.
He looked at me with a mocking smile, his charming face full of disdain. "You were having so much fun chatting with them today, almost forgetting I existed. I thought you didn't need me."
Alright, I admit I did ignore him a bit. Others couldn't see him, so even if I brought him along, it wouldn't help.
"I need friends too; I can't just play with you." I felt his possessiveness was wrong.
With that, Howard turned and walked away.
I looked at the dark, empty corner and immediately ran after him. "Don't leave me here alone. I'm scared."
After the ordeal, I was exhausted. When I got home, I collapsed on the couch, refusing to move. Since tomorrow was the weekend and I didn't need to get up early, so I decided to wash up later.
Howard urged me several times, but I just lay on the couch, unmoving. It wasn't until after 11 PM that I slowly went to the bathroom to wash up.
As soon as I turned on the bathroom light, I was startled by my reflection in the mirror. Because of the robbery today, I was jumpy, so even washing my face scared me.
Calming myself, I took off my clothes and was about to turn on the shower when I saw my reflection in the mirror smile at me. With a scream , I ran out of the bathroom without even putting on my clothes.
Howard was lying on the bed in the bedroom. Hearing my scream, he sat up and saw me running out naked. Before he could be surprised, I pounced on him.
"What are you doing? Throwing yourself at me?" Howard teased.