Meanwhile, Syra was also caught off guard when Clyde suddenly get in between her and Harold. But what surprised her, even more, was when the other party grabbed a hold of her hand in public, without prior notice.
Truth be told, she was just as surprised as Harold was. However, she did not let that show on her face and she also did not pull away from the other party's grasp.
Instead, she just let him pulled her and led the way but before leaving, she was still considerate enough to look back in Harold's direction and gave him an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry"
She mouthed before Clyde completely pulled her away.
When the bus arrived, Clyde made sure that Syra was able to board the bus unscathed, as the other passengers waiting just like them started pushing and getting extra aggressive just to make sure that they would be able to secure a seat for themselves.
It was a rush-hour trip so many were in a hurry and was afraid to be left behind by the bus. Clyde knew this so he made use of his body to shield Syra out from any harm caused by the undisciplined commuters.
"Were you not taught before not to talk to strangers?"
Clyde chastised Syra as soon as they were seated inside the bus.
"But Harold seemed a good man."
"Woah! So you are now even calling each other on a first-name basis. It only took a minute of your time to casually chat with one another and you two seemed really close already. You are way too friendly than I actually expected."
Syra refuted Clyde's word with a scoff.
"You sure are gullible. Just because someone offered you a seat, you already take them as a good man right away."
He added afterward, and for the first time since they left the house, he looked at Syra straight to her eyes.
Syra on the other hand saw the mock and derision reflecting on the other party's eyes as he stared at her as though he was looking down at her for being trustful.
"Are you jealous?"
Out of the blue, Syra asked Clyde that question.
Even she, herself, had no idea where did she borrow the guts to suddenly ask him that incredulous question, but for some reason, it felt like that was the right question to ask.
Meanwhile, when Clyde heard Syra's reply he was stunned.
For a moment, he seemed to run out of words to say. However, he was not left speechless for long as he, later on, laughed the matter off.
"Me??? Jealous???? That is pure absurdity, young miss. Why would I even feel jealous in the first place? Jealousy is wanting something that is not yours. While you on the other hand was all mine. You are bounded to me by our blood contract. I am just being territorial. What is mine, is meant to be mine alone."
"So it came down me having a possessive master."
Syra was not sure, but for some reason, she felt disappointed after hearing Clyde answer.
The bus ride took almost an hour before they arrived at their destination and soon as they got to the mall, Clyde immediately led her to the department store.
"Choose whatever suits your liking and I will pay it for you."
Clyde said magnanimously then he sat at the corner reserved for those customers who were waiting for their company. He allowed Syra to take her time and choose on her own.
But when Syra saw the tag price hanging on each dress displayed in the store, her knees turned weak.
"Just the price of this single dress alone was enough to support me for six months!"
"Same with this one. Its price was even higher than the combined salary that I used to get from my multiple jobs."
Syra muttered to herself as she looked around the place. In the end, she was not able to choose a dress for herself because every time she saw their prices, she would instantly felt intimidated.