When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 197: Samuel’s Turn to Tease

Chapter 197: Samuel’s Turn to Tease

Almost instantly, his phone buzzed. Timmy’s eyes shot down to the screen, his breath catching in his throat. There it was—her reply.

"Hey, Timmy! Yes, just got back today. How have you been? I missed your silliness!"

A rush of warmth filled his chest. Her words, so light and casual, brought a smile to his face before he even realized it. "I missed your silliness," she’d said. She had missed them. Timmy couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face.

He chuckled softly to himself, his eyes still glued to her reply. He had been agonizing over this, thinking she might not even want to talk. But here she was, replying almost immediately, like she was waiting for his message.

A thought popped into his head, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Was she waiting for me to message her? If only he’d known, he could have texted her sooner. The thought made him feel a bit silly for all the time he’d spent overthinking. He quickly typed back, his fingers eager to keep the conversation going.

"I’ve been good! Just catching up on work. It’s been a bit hectic, but I’m managing. And I’m glad to hear you’re back! I’m sure your work missed you."

He hit send before he could overthink it. Almost immediately, Lily replied again, the conversation flowing as if there had been no pause at all.

"Hectic work, huh? I can relate. But hey, I’m glad we can chat again. Missed talking to you too."

Timmy’s grin only widened at her message. She had missed talking to him too. A surge of happiness bubbled inside him. They kept chatting, teasing each other about their work, joking about how they both needed more vacations.

"I think we should both take a break sometime soon," Timmy wrote, laughing as he added, "A real vacation, no work allowed."

Lily replied with a laughing emoji, "That sounds amazing. We could go somewhere, no emails, no phone calls."

Timmy felt lighter with every message, his worries melting away. She was laughing with him. She was engaged in the conversation. Maybe he had been wrong to doubt himself. Maybe, just maybe, he had been too anxious for no reason. He smiled to himself, his heart skipping a beat. It felt good to talk to her, like everything else in the world had faded into the background.

Just as Timmy was about to type another message, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He looked up quickly, and his eyes widened in surprise as Samuel walked into the room. Samuel’s eyes flicked over to Timmy, then narrowed with a hint of amusement as he took in the wide grin on his assistant’s face.

Samuel knew those expressions all too well—the ones Timmy was making now. They were the exact same expressions he used to have before realizing he actually had feelings for Zinnia.

"Well, well," Samuel said, his voice light but teasing. "You’re looking awfully happy there, Timmy. What’s got you smiling like that?" He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed, watching Timmy with a curious expression.

Timmy froze, his fingers hovering over his phone as his cheeks flushed. He hadn’t realized how obvious his excitement had been. "Uh, nothing," Timmy stammered, trying to downplay it. "Just, uh, chatting with someone."

Samuel raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the casual tone. "Really? With who? I don’t usually see you grinning like that unless it’s something... interesting." His eyes flicked to the phone in Timmy’s hands, where the screen was still lit up with their conversation.

Timmy quickly locked the screen, but it was too late. Samuel was already walking closer, a knowing smile on his face. "Come on, Timmy. You’re acting like someone just stole your heart. Who’s the lucky person?" Samuel teased, his voice full of amusement.

Timmy’s heart skipped a beat. "It’s... it’s just someone I’m talking to," he muttered, now even more embarrassed. "Nothing serious."

Samuel smirked. This assistant of his used to tease him about Zinnia, but now it seemed like it was payback time.

"Uh-huh," Samuel said with a smirk, leaning over the desk to get a better look at Timmy’s phone. "Sure, sure. You keep telling yourself that." His smile widened as he looked back at Timmy. "Who is it? I can see you’re practically glowing."

Timmy shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to hide his nervousness behind a forced laugh. "It’s no big deal," he said quickly, glancing up at Samuel. "Just someone I know."

Samuel tilted his head, watching Timmy closely. "Someone you know, huh? You know, I don’t usually see you like this. Something’s definitely up. You’ve got that look."

Timmy wanted to sink into the chair and disappear. "It’s nothing," he repeated, though his words were less convincing now. "Just... someone I’ve been talking to. Nothing special."

Samuel raised both eyebrows, clearly intrigued now. "Well, you sure seem happy about it. Are you sure you’re not falling for this person?"

Timmy’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. "It’s not like that," he said quickly, flustered. "I just... I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it."

Samuel chuckled. "Ah, I see. It’s one of those things, huh? You’re talking to them, but you’re not sure if it’s more than that yet?"

Timmy shifted uncomfortably, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. "Maybe," he admitted, his voice softening. "I think I might be... a little interested. But I’m not sure yet."

Samuel’s grin grew wider. "Well, Timmy, looks like someone’s got a crush. I won’t get in your way, but I hope it works out for you."

Timmy laughed awkwardly. "Thanks," he said, though the embarrassment was still there.

Samuel gave him one last look before heading back toward his office, his smile lingering. "Good luck, Timmy. Let me know how it goes."

As Samuel disappeared from the room, Timmy let out a deep sigh, his heart still racing. He stared at the screen, rereading Lily’s last message. He chuckled to himself again. He had to admit, Samuel was right. Maybe there was something more to this after all. In fact, there definitely was!

But for now, Timmy decided he’d keep it to himself, savoring the moment. After all, sometimes it was nice to keep a little mystery in your life.

And as he typed his next message to Lily, the smile on his face never faded.