He stood, his towering height a stark contrast to her tiny frame. Her head tilted slightly, as if she was trying to figure out the mystery of the man who had appeared out of nowhere.
Her body still trembled violently from the aftermath of the chaos.
Yang Lixue had no idea how she was still standing. Her heart started to pound as she tried to recall what had happened earlier but it was all a blur.
She remembered the unclear, deafening squeal of tires, blinding white headlights heading her way, and strong arms pulling her out of harm's way minutes earlier.
The bus had dented a mark right against the pole she was kneeling next to, before it went down the ditch.
The thought that she could have been severely hurt if she stayed there a second longer made her heart drop.
Her knees buckled and her hands trembled as they unconsciously came up to hold the large coat of the man standing in front of her for support. The man had saved her.
He had to have had some crazy reflexes to be able to pull that off within seconds. But she was grateful for his presence all the same.
Her pale, cold fingers gripped his coat tightly, as though if she released her grip on him, something else might happen to her.
Her breath caught as panic rose once more.
Count, she told herself, mouth working soundlessly as she started counting in her head. One. Two. Three.
The man watched her quietly and she fully expected him to pull away from her at her weird behavior, any normal person would thank the kind stranger and leave.
But she wasn't normal was she? She was a weird deaf person with a never-ending stroke of bad luck. Her shoulders shook as she couldn't contain her tears any longer.
The stranger didn't withdraw from her hold like she had expected. In fact, his body loosened slightly, as if silently telling her it was all right to lean on him.
Yang Lixue couldn't help herself from curling into his side, seeking his warmth as she felt her damp clothes cling to her skin. Her tears mingled with the raindrops running down her face and she muffled a gentle sob, not sure what she was supposed to do or say to him.
He pulled her closer without a word, his arms sliding around her waist, holding her firmly in his arms while still being gentle. Her face nuzzled into his chest and his heartbeat throbbed in her ears, the sound was oddly comforting and reassuring.
His big hands held her waist, gently holding her steady. His touch was confident but it didn't violate her in any way.
After some minutes, her legs began to grow tired from standing, and as if the man knew how she was feeling, he gently moved her to the bench to sit.
Yang Lixue turned her head up to him. Her breath hitched as their eyes met.
Staring back at her were two sharp emerald eyes, the most enchanting shade of green she had ever seen.
She could see faint streaks of gold glinting in their depths, mixing with the green. But there was a strange emptiness in his eyes.
They were blank, and a hollow light seemed to emanate from within him.
Her fear even slipped her mind for a moment as she stared at him. She felt an inexplicable need to fill that lonely and lost void she saw in his eyes.
Her cheeks darkened in embarrassment, when she realized how close they were, she was practically stuck to a stranger like glue.
But she could not bring herself to let go, there was a strange magnetic pull to him that she couldn't understand or make sense of.
His presence made her feel safe.
Which was surprising because she would normally hide herself from strangers, especially those of the opposite gender.
Her heart was fighting with her head, one was asking her to remain where she felt safe and secure, while the other questioned how she could be so dependent on a stranger.
Her head won and she attempted to thank him and let the stranger leave to wherever he was going, but the stranger took her by surprise.
He removed his coat despite the cold and draped it over her shaking shoulders. The fabric was thick and warm, and it smelled like him — a combination of rain and something vaguely earthy and clean.
It wrapped around her like a shield.
Her tears had stopped at this point, and her fingers held onto the coat tightly. The way it swallowed her body made her feel like a child again, helpless and tiny.
For a brief period, it was just them — two strangers in the rain.
But soon, the ambulance arrived. She barely heard what was going on around her, but her eyes followed the rescue team as they pulled out a bloody man from the ditch— The bus driver.
She struggled to make sense of the events, which were difficult since she couldn't hear a thing.
Her blue-crystal eyes, hazy with tiredness and confusion, went back and forth between the scene playing out in the ambulance and the intimidating figure in front of her.
She kept trying her best to look away from him, but if they couldn't help it, her eyes slowly drifted upward.
Her heart raced at the sight of his face.
His features were remarkable. His pale skin that was nearly translucent, high cheekbones, and pink plump lips pulled into a thin line.
And wild black hair curling over his forehead, with droplets of the rain clinging to the tips.
He was handsome… Scratch that, he was extremely handsome, but it was his piercing eyes that captivated her the most.
They stared fixated on her, as if she would disappear if he looked away from her for a second.
Her cheeks heated at his undivided attention, ' Why is he staring at me like this? Do I have something on my face? What sort of person stares so unashamedly? '
A lone drop of water broke from his hair and touched Yang Lixue's cheek, making her flinch back to reality.
And her voiceless thoughts spiraled.
' Am I delaying him? He's obviously staying with me because i looked frightened earlier, but now that the police are here, he should be planning to leave now right? '
The thought of him leaving sent a jolt of panic through her.
'Yang Lixue, can't you ever do things on your own? Must you depend on others to live?'
The cruel reminder from her mind made her chest squeeze.Her eyes immediately turned cold and withdrawn.
Let me just get my tablet and thank him for his help, Yang Lixue thought to herself.
But before she could move, the stranger knelt a little, bringing himself to her level as he crouched down in front of her like it came naturally to him.
For the first time since he's been here with her, his mouth moved, saying words just for her ears.
His voice, rich and deliberate, came to her crisply through her hearing aids, and it felt like a lifeline through her panic.
" Are you okay, Lixue?" he asked.
Her eyes widened in surprise, ' he had called my name so intimately, how on earth did he even know my name? Have we met before and i can't remember? ' Yang Lixue pinned her gaze in the unfamiliar man.
What shocked her the most was how clear his voice was, this was the first time in years she had heard someone's voice as crisply as this. Most of the time, words were distorted, or unclear due to the limits of her hearing aids, but his voice…
She had heard the deep voice so clearly. She couldn't get enough of the sound.
The man in front of her had a blank face, but looking closely, she could see how he scrutinized her face, and the subtle eager glint in his eyes as if he wanted to confirm if she heard him.
Yang Lixue slowly nodded her head in a yes.
The way his shoulders immediately relaxed as if her simple nod provided him with the assurance he needed made a confused frown pull on her face.
As if everything wasn't weird enough, his face remained stoic and unreadable as his hands swiftly reached for the button of the coat wrapped around her body, and he started to close it up, as if to make sure she was properly covered from the cold.
With this cold face of his, in other circumstances, Yang Lixue might have found him intimidating.
But here, even when all his attention was turned toward her, she felt only warmth instead.
He leaned forward and tucked a piece of dripping hair behind her ear, his hand grazing her cold cheeks. His actions were simple, but warmth shot through her chest.
" If you need anything, let me know okay?" he mouthed, his voice only a whisper this time.
She realized he already noticed her hearing aids, so he was speaking slowly for her to read his lips.
Yang Lixue nodded, too dazed to do more than nod.