Chapter 1

As the manager of the campus radio station, I spent most of my time in a soundproofed room filled with the smell of old records and hot electronics. It was my sanctuary, a place where I, Olivia Wilson, a certified introvert, could control the world, one song at a time. My life was a comfortable cycle of classes, studying, and curating playlists for a campus that barely knew I existed.

And I liked it that way.

This afternoon, a guy from the drama club, someone I vaguely recognized, came in to borrow a portable speaker and a microphone. "It's for a big event on the quad," he said, his eyes shining with excitement. "A really romantic one."

I signed out the equipment without much thought. People borrowed things for grand gestures all the time. It was part of the campus rhythm, like midterms and bad cafeteria food. I felt a small, pleasant buzz, knowing our station's gear would be the backdrop to someone's happiness. I pictured a sweet, nervous guy asking his girlfriend to a formal, or maybe something even bigger. It was nice.

I was in the middle of cataloging new indie tracks when my phone buzzed violently on the console. It was Sarah, my roommate. I picked up, expecting a question about dinner.

"Liv! You will not believe what is happening on the quad right now!" Her voice was a shriek.

"Someone finally streaked past the dean's office?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.

"No! It's a proposal! Like, a real, get-down-on-one-knee proposal! And guess who it is?"

I shrugged, even though she couldn't see me. "I don't know, who?"

"It's Liam Hayes! He's proposing to Chloe Miller!"

The world stopped. My breath caught in my throat. Liam Hayes. The captain of the basketball team. The guy with a quiet smile that could melt glaciers. The guy who was the star of every single one of my secret, pathetic daydreams. And he was proposing. To Chloe Miller, the confident, beautiful English major everyone knew was determined to make him hers.

My mind raced, connecting the dots with sickening speed. The equipment. The big romantic event. It was for Liam. I had personally handed over the tools for my own heartbreak. "No," I whispered.

"Yes! I'm watching it right now! He's got a microphone and everything!"

The microphone. Our microphone. Our speaker. A sudden, terrible idea formed in my head, a desperate, insane plan. I had to stop it. Not because I thought he would magically choose me, but because I couldn't stand the thought of my station's equipment being used to broadcast the end of my foolish hopes.

"I have to go," I said, my voice tight.

I slammed the phone down and sprinted out of the station. I didn't grab my coat or my bag. I just ran. My lungs burned, and my heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat of panic and denial. I had to get that microphone back. I had to pull the plug. It was a stupid, irrational impulse, but it was the only thing I could think of.

As I ran, my mind was a whirlwind of images of Liam. Liam laughing with his teammates after practice. Liam focused in the library, a stray piece of hair falling over his forehead. Liam, who didn't even know my name, about to pledge his life to someone else. It felt like a physical blow, a sharp, crushing weight on my chest. I couldn't let it happen. Not like this.

I burst out onto the main quad. The scene was worse than I imagined. A huge crowd had gathered, a sea of students with their phones out, all pointed towards a small, makeshift stage set up near the central fountain. And there he was. Liam Hayes. He stood in the center of it all, looking impossibly handsome in a simple gray hoodie, holding our station's microphone. He hadn't started speaking yet, but the anticipation was a thick, electric blanket over the crowd.

The speaker I'd loaned out was sitting on a small table, connected to the microphone. My eyes locked onto it. The power switch. The volume knob. It was so close. I saw the receiver for the wireless mic clipped to his jeans, and the main unit on the table. The master volume. I could just... turn it off.

I started pushing through the crowd, muttering, "Excuse me, radio station business." People grumbled but let me pass. My focus was a laser beam on that sound system. I was a few feet away. Liam looked out at the crowd, a small, nervous smile on his face. He didn't see me. He was looking for someone. For Chloe.

My hand trembled as I reached for the mixing board. My fingers hovered over the master volume slider. But then my own stupid, traitorous heart took over. A thought, loud and clear, echoed in my head. He doesn't even know you exist. But God, I wish he did. I wish he was standing here, looking for me. I wish I was the one he was about to do this for. I like him so much it hurts.

A horrific, deafening screech of feedback erupted from the speaker, making everyone jump. And then, my voice, amplified and crystal clear, boomed across the entire quad.

"...I like him so much it hurts."

Silence. A thousand pairs of eyes swiveled from Liam and landed directly on me. My hand was still outstretched, my fingers having accidentally hit the 'talkback' button on the mixer, a feature that broadcasts the operator's voice through the main output. I had just confessed my deepest, most secret crush to the entire campus. And to Liam Hayes himself.

My blood ran cold. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. My life, as I knew it, was over. I looked up, mortified, my gaze locking with Liam's. The confused, nervous smile was gone from his face. He was staring right at me, his expression unreadable, a mixture of shock and something else I couldn't decipher.

Then, he lowered the microphone and started walking. Straight towards me.