Chapter 1: The Midnight Kiss

The bass thrummed through the floorboards of the cramped college house, each beat matching the anxious rhythm of Liam's heart as he navigated through the crowd of sweaty, drunk students. Red solo cups littered every surface, and the air was thick with the smell of cheap beer and someone's failed attempt at making jungle juice. New Year's Eve parties were supposed to be magical—at least that's what every movie had taught him—but so far, this felt more like sensory overload.

He clutched his own barely-touched beer, using it as a social prop more than anything else. His eyes swept the room, ostensibly looking for Jenny, his coworker who'd insisted he come tonight, but really searching for one person in particular.

Amy.

He'd been thinking about her for weeks, ever since Jenny had introduced them at a coffee shop near campus. She'd been reading Darwin's Origin of Species while absently stirring her latte, completely absorbed in the dense text. Most people would have found it pretentious or boring, but as a biology major, Liam had been instantly intrigued. Their conversation had been brief—just a few minutes about evolutionary theory—but there was something about her quiet intelligence that had stuck with him.

"Liam!" Jenny's voice cut through the music, and he turned to see her weaving through the crowd, a mischievous grin on her face. "There you are! I was starting to think you chickened out."

"Just... taking it all in," he replied, having to raise his voice over the noise.

Jenny laughed, grabbing his arm. "Come on, Amy's in the kitchen. She looks like she could use some rescuing from Brad's terrible pickup lines."

His pulse quickened as Jenny dragged him toward the kitchen, but as they rounded the corner, he stopped short. Amy was indeed there, looking adorably out of place in her simple jeans and fitted t-shirt among the more elaborately dressed partygoers. But she wasn't being harassed by Brad—she was engaged in animated conversation with another girl.

"Katie!" Jenny called out, and the blonde turned with a brilliant smile.

Katie was everything Amy wasn't—bold where Amy was shy, confident where Amy was reserved. She had the kind of magnetic energy that drew people in, and when she smiled at Liam, he felt momentarily stunned.

"So you're the famous Liam," Katie said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Jenny's told us so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," he managed, acutely aware of how Amy had looked up at the sound of his name, offering him a small, warm smile.

"Mostly," Katie teased, then laughed. "I'm kidding. Jenny thinks you walk on water."

The conversation flowed easily after that, helped along by Katie's natural charisma and Jenny's talent for keeping everyone engaged. Liam found himself torn between his original interest in Amy—who remained quietly thoughtful, contributing occasional insights that revealed her sharp mind—and his growing fascination with Katie's bold confidence.

As the night wore on, Katie seemed to find excuses to touch him—a hand on his arm when she laughed, brushing against him when she reached for her drink. It was flattering and confusing, especially when he caught Amy watching these interactions with an unreadable expression.

"Ten minutes to midnight!" someone shouted from the living room, and the crowd began to surge in that direction.

"Oh my god, we need champagne!" Katie exclaimed, grabbing Jenny's hand. "Come on, I saw some in the fridge."

They disappeared into the crowd, leaving Liam and Amy alone by the kitchen counter. The noise seemed to fade slightly, creating an intimate bubble around them.

"Having fun?" Amy asked, having to step closer to be heard.

"Yeah, it's... a lot," he admitted. "Not really my scene, but I'm glad I came."

She smiled at that, and for a moment, he thought she might say something more. Instead, she just nodded, taking a sip of her drink.

"Five minutes!" The countdown announcement interrupted the moment.

"We should probably..." Liam gestured toward the living room.

"Yeah," Amy agreed, but neither of them moved immediately.

The crowd was pressing in around them now as people gathered for the countdown. Liam found himself separated from Amy by a group of particularly enthusiastic sorority girls, craning his neck to spot her in the crowd. He could see Jenny and Katie near the front, champagne flutes in hand, but Amy seemed to have vanished.

"Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The room erupted in cheers, noisemakers, and the inevitable chaos of midnight kisses. Liam stood there awkwardly, watching couples embrace around him, when he spotted them.

Amy, Katie, and Jenny were locked in a three-way kiss near the front of the room.

His breath caught in his throat. It wasn't a quick, playful peck between friends. Katie had her hands tangled in Amy's hair, while Jenny's arms wrapped around both of them. Amy—shy, intellectual Amy—was kissing back with surprising passion, her body pressed against Katie's.

The kiss seemed to last forever, though it was probably only seconds. When they finally broke apart, all three girls were flushed and laughing, completely oblivious to the stunned expressions of several onlookers.

Liam felt like he'd been hit by lightning. His careful assumptions about Amy's reserved nature crumbled in an instant, replaced by something much more complex and intriguing. The image burned itself into his memory—the way Amy's usually composed features had been transformed by desire, the confident way Katie had guided the kiss, Jenny's knowing smile when they separated.

He was still staring when Katie's eyes found his across the room. Her smile widened, and she said something to the other two girls. Amy glanced his way, her cheeks reddening even more, while Jenny just grinned and raised her champagne flute in a mock toast.

The crowd was beginning to disperse now, some people heading home, others settling in for whatever the rest of the night might bring. Liam felt frozen, unsure of what to do with what he'd witnessed, when Katie appeared at his elbow as if she'd materialized from thin air.

"Quite a show, wasn't it?" she said, her voice low and intimate despite the lingering noise around them.

"I... uh..." He couldn't form words.

Katie laughed, a sound like silver bells. She moved closer, close enough that he could smell her perfume—something light and floral that contrasted sharply with the heavier scents of the party.

"You looked like you enjoyed watching," she whispered, her lips nearly brushing his ear. The warmth of her breath sent a shiver down his spine.

"Katie, I—"

"Shh." She pressed a finger to his lips, her eyes dancing with mischief and something darker. "Don't worry, Liam. You'll get your turn."

Before he could process what she meant, she was gone, melting back into the crowd with the fluid grace of someone completely comfortable in her own skin.

Liam stood there, heart pounding, trying to understand what had just happened. The night had shifted into something he didn't recognize—familiar faces had revealed hidden depths, and innocent interactions had taken on new, charged meanings.

He looked around for Amy, suddenly desperate to talk to her, to try to reconcile the woman who'd been reading Darwin with quiet focus with the one who'd just shared that scorching kiss. But she was nowhere to be seen, and Jenny was busy helping Katie distribute champagne to a group of lingering partygoers.

You'll get your turn.

The words echoed in his mind as the party continued around him, full of promise and mystery. Whatever he'd thought he understood about Amy, Katie, and Jenny—about this whole situation—had just been completely rewritten.

And despite his confusion, despite feeling completely out of his depth, Liam realized he was more intrigued than ever.