If you ever accidentally propose to your crush...
Don't do it on a university campus.
Actually...
Don't accidentally propose at all.
Trust me.
People say university is where you discover yourself.
Apparently...
Nobody mentions the part where complete strangers decide your relationship status before you do.
I learned that the hard way.
It happened on a Tuesday.
A completely ordinary Tuesday.
At 8:02 a.m., I was single.
By 8:07 a.m., half the university thought I was engaged.
To Kai Turner.
The Student Council Vice President.
Top student.
Campus heartthrob.
And...
The guy I'd been secretly crushing on since freshman year.
There was just one tiny problem.
I had absolutely no memory of proposing to him.
My phone buzzed.
Then buzzed again.
Then it completely gave up pretending to be normal.
By the time I reached my classroom, I had forty-three unread messages.
Emma: LEOOOOO! IS IT TRUE?! 🎉
Mom: Why didn't you tell us first?
Grandma: Bring your fiancé home this weekend.
I stopped walking.
"...Fiancé?"
Before I could process that, another notification appeared.
Campus Buzz
📸 New Post
"Looks like our Student Council Vice President finally said yes. Congratulations to the happy couple!" ❤️
Attached below...
Was a photo.
I tapped it.
Then stared at my screen for a solid five seconds.
There I was.
On one knee.
Looking up at Kai Turner.
He was looking down at me.
From that angle...
It looked exactly like a proposal.
...
"I was tying my shoelace."
I zoomed in.
Then zoomed in again.
Nope.
If anything, it looked even more romantic.
"...Who took this?"
I didn't remember anyone standing nearby.
Then again...
I also didn't remember Grandma finding out before I did.
Another notification popped up.
❤️ 5.2K Likes
💬 1.8K Comments
I blinked.
"There are more people invested in my love life than I am."
Curiosity got the better of me.
I opened the comments.
Everyone had apparently decided Kai and I were soulmates.
One comment even said we'd have adorable children.
"...We're both guys."
The reply underneath read:
Details.
I sighed.
"The internet was a mistake."
I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed for my classroom.
A girl I'd never met walked past me with the biggest smile.
"Congratulations!"
I looked behind me.
Nobody.
"...Thanks?"
She happily continued down the hallway.
I stood there for a second.
"Congratulations for what?!"
The closer I got to my classroom, the worse it became.
When I finally reached my classroom...
Every conversation stopped.
Thirty pairs of eyes landed on me.
...
"Nope."
I slowly took one step backward.
The classroom door clicked shut behind me.
Too late.
Someone near the window shouted,
"The groom's here!"
The room burst into laughter.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
Before I could escape, a familiar voice called my name.
"Leo!"
Emma rushed over and grabbed both my shoulders.
Her eyes were sparkling.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"That you and Kai are finally dating!"
"We're not dating!"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
She shoved her phone into my face.
The same photo.
Different caption.
POV: When your crush says yes. ❤️
I stared at it.
Then at Emma.
Then back at the screen.
"...I hate cameras."
Emma laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone.
"No."
She pointed at the picture.
"You hate shoelaces."
...
"...Fair."
I folded my arms.
"I already reported it."
She showed me the screen.
This post doesn't violate our community guidelines.
I sighed.
"Apparently ruining my life isn't against the rules."
Emma patted my shoulder.
"Look on the bright side."
"There isn't one."
"Your crush definitely knows your name now."
I gave her a look.
"Emma."
"What?"
"He already knew my name."
She blinked.
"Oh."
A second later she smiled again.
"Well... now he knows you tie your shoelaces very romantically."
I buried my face in my hands.
"I need new friends."
Before Emma could say anything else...
The classroom suddenly went quiet.
Not the normal kind of quiet.
The kind where everyone pretends to be busy while secretly staring at the door.
Emma slowly turned her head.
"Oh."
I didn't need to ask.
"...He's here, isn't he?"
She nodded.
Fantastic.
Maybe if I didn't look up...
This would all disappear.
"Morning."
Kai Turner walked in carrying an iced coffee.
Someone immediately called out,
"Congratulations, Kai."
He paused.
"Hm?"
The student simply pointed at their phone.
Kai took out his own phone, glanced at the screen, and raised an eyebrow.
That was it.
No dramatic reaction.
No panic.
Just one tiny eyebrow.
Then...
He looked straight at me.
I suddenly found my desk fascinating.
Footsteps approached.
Slow.
Steady.
They stopped beside my desk.
"Leo."
"...Hi."
I finally looked up.
Kai held his phone where only I could see it.
The photo.
"I didn't know you were so romantic."
I nearly choked.
"I WAS TYING MY SHOELACE!"
Half the class burst into laughter.
Kai's lips twitched.
Not a laugh.
Just the smallest hint of a smile.
It somehow made everything worse.
"I know," he said.
I blinked.
"...You know?"
"I saw you."
Relief washed over me.
"Oh, thank goodness."
I pointed around the classroom.
"Then tell them!"
Kai looked around.
Someone already had their phone out.
He looked back at me.
"...Seems a little late."
"What do you mean, 'a little late'?"
He turned his phone toward me.
The post had already crossed eight thousand likes.
I stared at the number.
"...Eight thousand?"
"It's spreading fast."
"My funeral will have fewer people."
Emma snorted beside me.
"You're being dramatic."
"I think I'm being reasonable."
Kai took another sip of his coffee.
"I do have one question."
"What?"
"Why me?"
I froze.
"...What?"
"If you were going to accidentally propose..."
He tilted his head slightly.
"...why me?"
My brain stopped working.
"I—I didn't choose you!"
"No?"
"No!"
"You just happened to kneel in front of me?"
"Because my shoelace came untied!"
Kai nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
A short pause.
"...Very committed shoelaces."
Even I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
It came out before I could hide it.
Kai glanced at me.
"There it is."
"What?"
"Your laugh."
"...What about it?"
"I like it."
Silence.
Complete.
Utter.
Silence.
Emma's eyes became the size of dinner plates.
Someone at the back whispered,
"Did he just flirt?"
My face instantly felt warm.
Kai seemed to realize what he'd said.
He cleared his throat.
"...Forget that."
Too late.
Nobody was ever forgetting that.
Especially not me.
The professor looked at us and smiled.
"Congratulations."
I dropped my head onto the desk.
"Not you too..."
The lecture began.
I heard absolutely none of it.
I was apparently planning a honeymoon before I'd even been on a first date.
When the bell finally rang...
I packed my bag faster than I ever had before.
Freedom.
At last.
Or so I thought.
"Leo."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
It was Kai.
Again.
I turned around.
He stood a few steps away, waiting patiently while the rest of the class filed out.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
We walked into the hallway.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
It was surprisingly awkward.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"So..."
"I'm sorry."
Kai looked confused.
"For what?"
"The post."
"The rumors."
"The fact that half the university thinks we're planning a wedding."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I don't remember agreeing to the wedding."
"I didn't either."
"I know."
A few students walked past us.
One smiled.
"Congratulations!"
I forced a smile back.
"...Thanks."
The moment they disappeared around the corner, I groaned.
"I can't believe I just thanked them."
Kai laughed.
A real laugh this time.
"You panicked."
"I absolutely panicked."
He leaned against the window.
"You wanted me to clear things up."
"Please."
"I tried."
My eyes lit up.
"Really."
"Then I saw two thousand comments and gave up."
I couldn't help laughing.
"You gave up that quickly?"
"I value my peace."
"Fair enough."
He watched me for a second.
"I like it when you laugh."
My smile disappeared.
"...You do?"
He looked away.
"...Forget I said that."
His ears had turned slightly pink.
Hold on.
Was Kai Turner...
Actually embarrassed?
That was unexpected.
"So..." I said carefully.
"You really don't mind the rumors?"
He shook his head.
"Not really."
"Why?"
Instead of answering, he unlocked his phone.
The photo filled the screen.
"I kept it."
I blinked.
"...You saved it?"
He nodded.
"It's our first picture together."
For some reason...
That tiny sentence hit harder than all the rumors combined.
"Our."
Not "the picture."
Not "the post."
Our picture.
I looked at him.
Then something clicked.
The student council festival.
The extra sandwich he'd handed me when I skipped lunch.
The way he somehow remembered my favorite coffee.
I'd always assumed he was just being nice.
Maybe...
He'd been paying attention all along.
"Kai."
"Hm?"
"Were you... aware of me before all this?"
He smiled.
"I thought I was obvious."
I laughed.
"You really weren't."
"I wasn't?"
"You looked at me maybe twice."
"I looked when you weren't looking."
"...Seriously?"
"You always sat by the window."
"So did you."
"I know."
"..."
"...Oh."
Suddenly, a lot of things made sense.
I laughed.
"No rumors this time."
Kai folded his arms.
"I'm listening."
I took a deep breath.
"Kai Turner..."
"Would you like to go on a date with me?"
For three very long seconds...
He didn't answer.
Then he smiled.
"I was wondering when you'd ask."
"So..."
"That's a yes?"
Instead of answering, he reached for my hand.
His fingers slipped gently between mine.
"I thought that part was obvious."
I couldn't stop smiling.
Turns out...
Being accidentally engaged wasn't the worst thing that could happen.
The next morning...
Emma burst into the classroom holding her phone.
"You two are trending again!"
I sighed.
"Now what?"
She turned the screen toward us.
Campus Buzz
📸 New Post
"Matching shoes already? They're moving fast."
I looked down.
Black sneakers.
Then at Kai.
He was wearing the exact same pair.
"...You copied me."
Kai looked at my shoes.
"No."
"You copied me."
We both turned toward Emma.
She raised both hands.
"Don't look at me! The store had a buy-one-get-one deal!"
I stared at her.
"So you bought us matching shoes?"
She grinned proudly.
"I support local businesses..."
She pointed between us.
"...and local relationships."
Kai chuckled.
I covered my face.
"You are unbelievable."
"I know."
I looked at our matching shoes and smiled.
Maybe being mistaken for a couple wasn't so bad after all.
Because this time...
They were right.
— The End —
