Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Nora's POV

Jake was a good guy. I could tell with the way he walked beside me and the way he laughed heartily. He led me to one shop after another in search of the phone that I told him I was looking for. I wanted to tell him to stop. I didn't even have the means of paying yet. I should have money with me, but maybe I would only figure that out once I go back to my room. In other words, I should really be looking to get back into the main mansion and finally find my way around.

I had intended to do that right from the very start, but he was so fun to be with, and he didn't seem to have any intention of going there. I also felt like he wasn't allowed somewhat. It wouldn't be understandable if that was the case because he seemed to be a pleasant sort—a young, spirited lad who was on a mission to have a good conversation with a lady such as myself. Or was he looking for something more? I felt like he would really be shocked if he found out that I was a queen and that he couldn't be involved with me in any way because of the alpha that already owned me. However, I needed his help, so I didn't mind leading him on if he saw it as that. I just couldn't help myself and stop from taking advantage of this wild opportunity, especially since I really needed it right now.

I smiled politely as he asked of my name. I didn't want to tell him because he might recognize me as the queen then, especially when he put it up with my look. "You can call me Nala," I told him.

"Nala, what a beautiful name," he said, looking at me with approval in his eyes. "It's very nice to meet you. Would you like to look around here because you actually seem pretty lost," he said as he got to a shop.

I smiled at him. It was absolutely wonderful, but just at that moment, he pointed to the phones on display. "Which one would you like to buy?" he questioned.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to get anything without money, so I should have put this off a long time ago, but I hadn't, and now we were finally here. I didn't know what to say. I had to tell him that I just couldn't buy anything anymore. As I looked at him and started thinking of what I should do.

"Go on, pick one," he said. "There are many functions of different ones here."

I smiled at him again. It seemed to be my one escape from his words and how he was acting so kind and good to me when I was so helpless and unable to really figure out what I was doing, what to say, or how to choose.

"Don't tell me you have no idea which one you want." He started coming up to one and then describing it to me. He spoke about RAM and ROM and speed of the device that he was talking about. I did manage to gather a couple of things from what he said, but ultimately I was still clueless in my own way.

I bit my lip, knowing that I didn't even understand half of what he was saying and fully aware that soon enough he would become aware of just how clueless I was in this modern-day era. I was worried; I didn't want that, but I didn't really see any way I could stop it from happening because it already seemed to be pretty much on the way right now.

He raised an eyebrow. "Have you never used a phone before?" he asked me, catching me red-handed so quickly that I panicked.

"Of course I have," I said quickly.

"Well then, take one," he said.

I took a deep breath, looking into his clear eyes and seeing obviously that he was here to help me and not to condemn me or anything like that. He didn't seem like he would punish me or anything like he would scold me for not knowing, so I decided that I should at least be honest with him. I hadn't been honest with anybody here at all, so maybe this should be the first. I didn't know how much I could trust him, but I decided that I would do so right now.

"Please, can I be honest with you?" I said.

He looked excited now. "Of course you can be," he said. "What is it you want to tell me?"

I bit my lip a little as I finally spoke the pure truth, not hiding anything. "I've actually not used a phone before. I seem to have knowledge of using it, like I forgot, you know? As if I have probably used one before."

He didn't seem to understand what I was saying but finally he nodded. He smiled at me. "You seem to be experiencing loss of memory," he said.

I wondered if that was a better explanation than not using a phone before like I told him.

"You must have used a phone before," he told me simply. "Because I have to tell you, you can't live up to this age without having one and without being very familiar with it. So you don't know anything about a phone right now and you don't know how to use it?" he questioned.

I nodded in affirmation.

"Fine, I'll teach you," he told me.

I could hardly believe my ears as I raised an eyebrow, looking at him in question. "Really?" I asked.

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'll teach you," he said again.

"Why are you doing all this?" I asked him. "What are you going to get in return?"

He laughed. "Absolutely nothing, and I don't expect anything in return either. But don't worry, I'm going to help you," he said.

And so I decided that I shouldn't be worried anymore. He was a guy, and although he was making some pretty shady promises to me, I decided that I would believe him somehow and let him do what he said he would do.

"First of all, do you have money to buy one?" he asked me suddenly, raising an eyebrow as he looked at me.

I bit my lip, and he looked totally shocked now. "You don't even have money?" he asked me as if this was something he could absolutely not believe.

"No, I don't," I told him. "I just didn't come out with cash, but then I decided to buy one, if you understand what I'm talking about," I told him, looking at him sheepishly. "But don't worry, you don't really have to do anything. Maybe later I'll buy it," I told him, wishing that I had informed him about this previously so that he wouldn't have wasted his time.

"Oh, it's fine, I'll buy it for you," he said once again.

Now I was totally flabbergasted. "You what?" I asked him.

He winked at me but didn't say anything, turning to the shop owner who seemed to be very bored of our conversation that somehow teetered between normal talking and romance.

"How much is it?" Jake asked finally.

The shop owner's eyes lit up as he spoke. It cost quite a lot, and then he told us exactly how much. I looked at him and it was pretty expensive, even though the currency seemed to have changed from the last time. What he used was not cash—a credit card, I thought to myself, the word popping up in my mind out of the blue.

He paid for it and gave me the phone. "Now you have a phone," he told me.

I looked at him in disbelief. "Jake, isn't this—" I began.

He smiled simply. "Relax, it's no big deal," he said. "You seem to need more help. If you don't mind, I can still show you around," he offered.

I could hardly believe my good fortune.