Chapter 159: Lilian Baker

I was still thinking about the hug.

No matter how hard I tried to focus on everything else that had happened after the game, my mind stubbornly returned to that single moment.

One second, I had been standing between Kim and Pat, trying to figure out how Lewis had managed to win a game I barely watched. The next second, his arms were around me.

I could still remember how stiff I'd become. How my mind had gone completely blank.

It hadn't been unpleasant, it had just been unexpected.

As if that had not been enough, Andrew called us to his office to give us a private yelling section.

What exactly had I signed up for?

Lewis and I stood outside, waiting for Andrew to show. To my surprise, Lewis was actually calm. Too calm for someone that just got scolded by a teacher and a brother.

"You're awfully calm."

"I've been yelled at by Andrew since I was ten."

"So should I be expecting more of this?" I asked.

Because at this point, I think the only version of Andrew I would be getting is the angry version. The thoughtful one had probably gone on vacation. Or he left it at the campsite.

Lewis shrugged casually. “You don't expect him to accept this easily. He will definitely come around.”

When?

When exactly would he come around? When would he be at peace with our decision and final support or pretend to support us?

Right from time, if he had accepted when I asked him first, we wouldn't have been in this mess. So practically, everything was his fault.

I looked down at my shoes, trying to hide the frustration on my face.

I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Everything was just fucked up.

Lewis noticed almost immediately.

"Why are you so quiet?”

"Me?”

"You've barely said anything since the game."

"I'm talking now."

"Barely,” he said before tilting his head slightly. "What's going on in that little head of yours?"

I hesitated.

I couldn't tell him I was thinking about Andrew.

"Why did you hug me?" I asked instead.

Instantly, his eyebrows lifted. "That's what's bothering you?"

"I didn't say it was bothering me."

"But it looks like it did,” he said calmly.

"I just..." I paused, searching for the right words. "I wasn't expecting it."

Realisation slowly crossed his face.

"You really didn't see that coming."

"No."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I guess I got carried away."

I shook my head. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

He laughed. "I don't think hugs cause heart attacks."

"You've never hugged me before."

"I know."

"So why today?"

He looked genuinely surprised that I was still asking.

"We won."

"I know."

"I was excited."

"And?"

"I saw you." His smile softened. "And before I could think..." He shrugged. "...I just ran."

"That was your thought process?" I asked.

"There wasn't much thinking involved."

"I noticed."

He laughed again. "It was only a hug, Lily."

He said it so casually that I had to shake my head in disagreement.

"People hug,” he added. "My teammates hugged me. The coach hugged me. My mum hugs me almost all the time.”

He grinned as he continued.

"My point is hugs aren't some rare event. They happen all the time, even between people who aren't dating."

I knew he was right.

Winning a basketball game was a perfectly reasonable excuse for one. But why had that particular hug felt... different?

Maybe because I hadn't expected it. Or maybe because everyone had been watching.

"I just wish you'd warned me."

He stared at me for three whole seconds. Then he burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

He laughed even harder.

"Lily."

"What?”

He wiped at the corner of one eye dramatically.

"How exactly was I supposed to warn you?"

"I don't know."

"You literally just said I should've given you a heads-up."

"Yes."

"Okay." He nodded thoughtfully. "So let's imagine this."

He suddenly stood straighter and cleared his throat as though making an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

I immediately covered my face.

"Lewis..."

"No, wait,” he continued dramatically. "Attention everyone!"

A couple of passing students turned to look at us.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me.

He ignored them.

"I, Lewis Walker, would like to officially announce that in approximately three seconds..."

He began counting on his fingers.

"...I intend to hug my girlfriend."

I groaned.

"Please stop."

"One."

"Lewis."

"Two."

I lightly smacked his arm.

"You're embarrassing me."

"Three."

He spread his arms theatrically. "Hug incoming!"

I couldn't hold it anymore. I started laughing.

"So that's what you wanted?" He asked between chuckles.

I shook my head. "No."

"Exactly."

"I just..." I tried to stop laughing. "...meant something."

"What?"

"A signal."

"A secret code?"

"Maybe."

"What kind of code?"

"I don't know."

I thought for a second.

"An eye signal?"

"So every time I want to hug you, I have to blink three times first?"

"Maybe," I said with a shrug.

"That sounds weirder than the hug."

I sighed. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Forget it."

"I plan to."

Then his expression became a little more serious.

"Lily, if we're really going to do this..." He gestured between us. “You have to be prepared."

"For what?"

"For moments like that."

I frowned slightly.

"Our relationship has to look real."

"I know."

"Real couples don't schedule every little thing."

I looked away, thinking about what he had said.

If we stopped to discuss every interaction beforehand, people would notice that our relationship was fake.

"I understand,” I admitted quietly. "I'll try."

He looked at me carefully before speaking, "Or is this really about the hug?"

I looked back at him. "What do you mean?"

"Is it because Andrew saw?"

The question caught me completely off guard.

"What?"

He watched me for another second before speaking again.

"If Andrew's reaction is what's bothering you, then you need to stop worrying so much."

"I wasn't…"

"You were." He smiled knowingly. "I know when you are worried about someone else."

I sighed quietly.

"I just don't want him to think we're making everything worse."

Lewis nodded slowly. "I understand."

Then his expression became unexpectedly firm.

"But you also have to learn something."

"What?"

"If we're going to convince everyone this relationship is real, you'll have to get comfortable disappointing Andrew."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I don't want to disappoint your brother."

"I know, but you will have to."

His words landed heavily in my chest.

"You can't keep checking his face before every decision. You can't keep wondering whether he'll approve. You can't keep changing your mind because he looks unhappy."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Lewis continued more gently. "Andrew isn't living this fake relationship, we are. If every decision depends on whether my brother likes it or not, then this plan won't last a week."

I hated how much sense he was making.

The first person I'd looked for after that hug was Andrew.

I wanted to know what he thought… How he reacted… Whether he was angry… Whether he approved… Whether I'd disappointed him.

And somehow, that frightened me more than the hug itself.

Before I could answer, the office door opened and Andrew stepped out.