Chapter 19

Estella finally relaxed after having a glass of warm water. If we hadn't shown up just now, she probably would have been at a loss for how to deal with Jenson pestering her to go back with him. Yet, she was also puzzled—why was Rowan still with her when he should have left earlier?

Rowan seemed to have noticed the confusion on Estella's face. Pulling a phone out of his pocket, he said, “Someone forgetful happened to have left her phone in my car.”

Estella blushed when she saw the familiar phone case. She quickly took her phone from him.

“Thank you, Rowan.” She wasn’t just thanking him for bringing her phone but also for helping out with the curious carter.

Rowan smiled. “You’re welcome. You can relax and be a bit more casual with me. Are you free? Can I treat you to a meal?”

Estella paused briefly and avoided his intense gaze. She said slowly, “Human, the man who just left is my ex-boyfriend. I already broke up with him, but you saw his attitude. So, I’m not planning to start a new relationship anytime soon.”

Estella made herself pretty clear; she wasn’t a fool, she could tell Rowan had feelings for her. But she couldn’t reciprocate his feelings at the moment. Jenson had always been very stubborn. Estella didn’t want to risk dragging others into her problems before she ended things cleanly with him.

However, Rowan showed no signs of wavering. He offered Estella words of comfort in a gentle tone.

“Don’t worry, Estie. Even if you eventually decide to reject me, I should still look out for your safety since you’re Zoe’s and my friend. So, please don’t refuse my help. You should get enough rest tonight. You have me, and I won’t let him hurt you.”

Estella’s lips curved into a sincere smile. “Thank you, Rowan.”

Rowan’s ears burned red when he heard those words. He hurriedly excused himself.

Perhaps it was because of Rowan’s words of comfort, or maybe it was the firm lock on his presence. For whatever reason, Estella managed to have a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, she headed out for work as usual, only to run into Rowan just outside her building. When she noticed his slightly disheveled hair and that he was wearing the same shirt he’d worn last night, a bizarre thought occurred to her.

“Did you stay here the entire night?”

Rowan nodded calmly. “I was worried your ex might try to harass you again. So, I waited around for a while. In the end, I got a bit too lazy to head back. I decided to just sleep in the car since I’d be able to drop you off at work in the morning.”

Estella pursed her lips. “Why didn’t you just come up and stay over at my place?”

Rowan froze for a second. There was a flash of embarrassment in his eyes. He averted his gaze. “You were home alone last night.”

Although he didn’t say it outright, Estella understood what he meant. Zoe hadn’t been home last night since she was away on a business trip. Rowan had wanted to respect her personal space, so he’d chosen to sleep in the car instead.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling rising in her heart. It was as though her still and lonely heart was slowly being filled by warmth.

Rowan glanced down at his watch and opened the door to the front passenger seat. “Have you had breakfast? It’s still early. There’s enough time for us to grab breakfast before I drop you off at work.”

Estella had been planning on grabbing something light at one of the places near her house before heading to work. She nodded upon hearing his suggestion.

After they had breakfast, Rowan drove Estella to the office.

“Estie, I’ll pick you up when you get off work!”

As if he was afraid of getting rejected, Rowan drove away right after saying that. Estella let out a chuckle when she saw the anxious look on his face through the car window.

She lowered her head and typed a message. “Alright, I’ll be waiting for you.”