Sleepyhead!!

Closing observing the parts detached by Nina, "You didn't try to power on the mobile, right?" he asked, keenly looking at her for the answer.

"No! No! Of course, I didn't! The data can usually be recovered in such cases, but is it possible even if it's a picture taken a few minutes back?"

The middle-aged person nodded as Nina stated her point and questioned him. "Of course! But currently, I am working on another task. I will get back to you once your pictures are recovered. Please leave your name and number in that register." the man said, pointing to a book near the door and going back to his green coloured board.

"But....We will leave the city tomorrow morning. When will you open the shop?" Nina murmured sadly, making the corners of her lips point downwards.

"You can come and get your pictures by 9 am. Is that fine?" He uttered, beaming at her. That smile displayed his warmness towards her, and the deep-set of eyes, which had wrinkles at the corners, showed the confidence he had in his work.

Nina grinned too and felt relieved and tension-free as she could get to see the pictures they took together. Looking at Ace, she laughed but immediately closed her mouth with her palm. Ace was sitting on a stool, drooling and sleeping by placing his elbow on the glass table and his palm under his chin. He was falling off from his palm but continued to sleep, moving his head uncomfortably.

Nina scratched her head, glancing at her phone parts and at Ace's pant pockets. "Excuse Me...Can you please lend your phone to book a cab?"

"Sure!" the greyish-eyed shopkeeper smiled, giving his mobile to her. A car was booked instantly, but it showed that it would arrive after 15 minutes. Nina sighed, looking at the time and sat on the stool beside Ace.

"Did you cry because of your phone?"

Turning towards the guy, who was still working on that board, "No!" she replied, shaking her head. Nina sat in the same position silently, gazing and literally enjoying Ace's sleeping face until the driver appeared.

"Ace! Ace!" she patted on his shoulder, but he didn't show a moment. "Ace!" Nina called him louder as she was afraid that the cab driver might not wait in the traffic.

"Ahh!!" he groaned and glanced around, rubbing his eyes and twisting his wrist due to pain caused by the weight of his head.

"Let's go!! The cab driver is waiting!" Nabi uttered and rushed, holding his hand. As they finally sat in the car, Nina gasped for breath while Ace stared at her in an utter dilemma.

"You don't have to glare at me. I know you are tired, so I called a cab. Stay at my house, and in the morning, we will get our photos and start our long nine hours journey."

"Do you still want to come to our village? Don't you have any questions? Not about the village, at least about me?" Ace questioned, gulping and bending his head down.

"I can't change the fact about who you are. Similarly, I can't change my feelings and my destiny too. However, I or We can live as we wish until you or I are fated. Wait....? Can't you become the Alpha?" Nina asked, but the last word, she only conveyed by lip movement.

"I may, but I don't wish to become one."

Nina didn't understand how he could say that. I was like a rejection to her, and she didn't know the reason for the sudden decision as he himself told her that he liked her. Shouldn't he be happy for being destined to the person he loves? The question and doubt that he was acting in love again surfaced. Knuckling her fingers and biting her nails, Nina felt helpless. His question if she still wanted to come to Chandragram also felt like an indication not to come.

There was pin-drop silence in the cab for a few minutes, followed by Ace's snore.

There were thousands of questions that ran in Nina's brain. 'Is my decision to return to the village to spend some time until the forceful event, correct? Am I forcing my love on Ace? Didn't he say 'my girl' yesterday? Why doesn't he want to be my partner now? Am I a time-pass for him? What was going in his mind when he told that he didn't want to become Alpha? Was it related to me or the Alpha post?'

The last self-question made her confused. She glanced at Ace to ask him, but he was peacefully sleeping, leaning his head back and folding his arms. 'It's fine if it's related to the Alpha post, but what is the issue in that? Isn't that the most powerful post in the village? Moreover, being an Alpha, he can be with me. Of course, that's still doubt if he wishes to have me as a wife.'

"Ah!!" she groaned, stamping the floor of the car.

The driver's hand jerked by the sudden sound. "Are you fine, mam?" he inquired, glancing at Nina through the mirror.

"Sorry! I am fine!" Nina nodded and blinked in assurance.

"We will reach the destination in fifteen minutes," the blue-dyed hair guy remarked. Observing the weird hair colour and style, she looked around to check if they were going in the right direction. She knew that they were three ways to reach home from the pickup point. However, she had been on a path, but the rest of the routes, she wasn't aware of them. Suddenly she felt her palms sweating and her heart pacing. She wanted to check the Maps but didn't have her phone. As she was about to take Ace's mobile from his pant slowly, his phone rang, and Nina immediately removed her hands from his thigh.

Nina pulse reached the highest peak in a second but calmed down as Ace woke up, and she could take his phone to check the route. Ace groaned and sat upright, pulling out his mobile from the pocket. Glancing at the number displayed, "Hope it's not any customer care!" he uttered through his grinning teeth.

"Hello!" he responded in an angry tone.

"I...I.." the lady on the other side fumbled, obviously shocked by Ace's pitch.

"You...You...Continue!" Ace satirically and arrogantly replied. He was in no mood to answer and talk to a stranger as he was completely exhausted.