When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 152: Accidental Call

Chapter 152: Accidental Call

Timmy walked back into his rented room, the door creaking slightly as he shut it behind him. He had just met with Lily, but he couldn’t shake the thought of her. It had been on his mind all day—her smile, her voice, the way she carried herself. She was always so calm, so composed, and Timmy, well, he was anything but. He couldn’t help it.

He picked up his phone and opened his contacts app, his thumb hovering over her name. He had saved her number a while ago, but tonight, for some reason, he found himself staring at her contact picture.

Lily’s face looked so serene, the way her brown eyes sparkled even in the dim light of the photo. He couldn’t help but trace the soft curve of her cheek with his finger, his thumb gliding over the screen like it was the most delicate thing in the world.

Timmy exhaled, realizing he was lost in the image. It was silly, he knew. He should probably stop obsessing over something so trivial. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling. It was just one of those things—one of those moments when he couldn’t stop himself from staring.

His finger lingered for a second too long, and before he could register what had happened, the phone vibrated in his hand. The screen flashed. He had pressed something. He quickly glanced at it, and his heart skipped a beat.

The call button was highlighted. Timmy’s stomach sank, panic rushing through him. He was about to call her. He hadn’t meant to do that. Not now, not when his mind was still spinning over everything.

He frantically tried to press the red button to end the call, but his fingers fumbled in his nervousness, and in a split second, he hit the wrong button. The loudspeaker icon blinked on the screen, and before he could react, the phone was ringing.

Timmy froze, his heart racing. Oh, no. Oh no. The call was going through. What was he supposed to do now? He hadn’t planned this. He didn’t want to call her like this—not in the middle of some embarrassing slip-up.

In a panic, he raised the phone to his ear, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t answer. But of course, just as the connection was made, Lily’s voice cut through the line, smooth and calm.

"Timmy?" Her voice sounded so natural, so perfectly normal. Like it was just another call, just another conversation.

Timmy’s brain scrambled. He wasn’t ready for this. He wasn’t ready to have an actual conversation. And now she had picked up. She was waiting for him to say something. He was supposed to have something clever to say. He had to come up with an excuse, and fast.

"Uh... hi, Lily!" Timmy said, his voice cracking a little with nervousness. He could feel his face flushing, the heat of embarrassment spreading across his cheeks. "I, uh, I was just... checking to confirm that we both saved each other’s numbers correctly."

Lily, on the other end, paused for a moment, and Timmy immediately wished he could retract his words. It was the lamest excuse he could have come up with. It was a total cop-out. Why did he say that? He knew Lily wouldn’t buy it for a second.

"Is that so?" Lily replied, her tone light, but there was a slight hint of amusement in her voice. Timmy could almost picture the subtle smile on her face. "Okay, I’ll take it then."

Timmy exhaled, feeling both relieved and embarrassed at the same time. She was being so understanding. But deep down, he knew she wasn’t fooled. She probably knew exactly what had happened. She probably knew he was staring at her picture and had accidentally called her in his distraction. It was so like him, wasn’t it? Clumsy, nervous, always fumbling with his words.

But then, Lily continued, her voice warm and a little teasing. "Now, that you’ve confirmed it was the correct numbers... you can tell me now what you really wanted to say."

Timmy’s stomach twisted. So, she knew. She knew he was stalling. And now, she was waiting for him to admit it. She was so straightforward, so clear in how she communicated, and he had no choice but to keep going with this conversation. He could feel his face heating up again, and he desperately tried to gather himself.

What was he supposed to say now? What could he tell her that wouldn’t make him sound like a complete fool? The truth? That he had just been looking at her picture and had gotten distracted? No way. That would be way too embarrassing. He couldn’t let her know that.

"Uh, well," Timmy began, his voice faltering, trying to find the right words. "Did you, uh, take your dinner already?" His voice was small, shy, like he was asking a question he knew was trivial but needed to fill the silence somehow.

Lily paused for a moment before replying, her voice calm. "Dinner? Yeah, I had something light earlier. Why? Are you offering to make me dinner, Timmy?"

Timmy froze, realizing what he had just said. Of course, he hadn’t meant to imply that. The last thing he had wanted was to sound like he was offering her food out of nowhere. But the thought of inviting her for dinner... just the idea of spending some time together, away from all the work and tension—well, that sounded nice.

His voice went a little quieter, his nerves catching up with him. "I... I was wondering... Can I invite you for dinner?" He swallowed hard, hoping she wouldn’t laugh or find it strange. "I mean, if you’re free, of course. We could go somewhere nice, or... I don’t know. Just thought it might be nice, you know?"

Lily didn’t reply immediately, and for a moment, Timmy thought he had said something wrong. But then he heard her breath through the phone, steady and calm. She was thinking about it, he guessed.