Chapter 1: Listen Together, Hearts Collide

Connecting with a younger classmate on Spotify, all I really wanted was for him to study hard and make something of himself.

Honestly, I’d always pictured myself as the responsible upperclassman—the kind who nudges the younger students in the right direction. I never thought it’d get any messier than that. I just wanted to be the helpful senior, you know? That’s all.

He shot me a message that read, "Hey, don’t I look like your future boyfriend or something?"

I just stared at my screen. Was he serious?

The song played through my AirPods. I swear, half my soul just left my body.

For a second, I just stared at my phone, totally thrown off. Like, what? The music thumped in my ears, but my brain went fuzzy. Wait, did he actually say that? Was this some kind of joke? My face felt hot, and I tried to play it cool, but I could feel my cheeks burning.

It all started when I saw a post in my campus group chat—someone said Spotify had launched a new 'Listen Together' feature. I thought it would be fun to find a random listener to share my playlist with.

It was one of those late-night, impulsive decisions. You know the kind. Finals were coming up, and I figured a little musical connection might be a nice distraction from all the stress. I didn’t really expect anything to come from it—just a random stranger out there, maybe vibing to the same beats as me.

But now, here I was, stuck in this weird situation.

[Good luck comes, wishing you good luck, good luck brings happiness and love...]

Good luck comes—yeah, super lucky, right.

The song was so over-the-top cheerful, I almost wanted to hide under my blanket. The lyrics bounced around, and I could practically see confetti flying. I tried to laugh it off, telling myself it was just a bit of harmless fun.

Still, after everything I'd been through, how could I be scared off by just a silly song? Please. I’d survived worse.

Honestly, I didn’t even hesitate. My finger flew to the button like it had a mind of its own.

But nope, next up:

[The happy drums beat out annual festivities, beautiful dances bring daily joy...]

“Good Days.” Sigh. Of course. Perfect.

I let out a groan and buried my face in my pillow. Could it get any more awkward? My playlist was betraying me, one cheesy track at a time.

At that moment, my toes curled so hard they could have dug a hole in the floor. I mean, seriously.

And then, just as I was about to switch again, a message popped up.

[No need to switch, take a look at the playlist.]

[All the songs are like this. Do you usually like listening to them?]

I stared at the messages, mortified. The realization hit me—oh God, this was my prank playlist. My mind raced, trying to remember what else was on there. Was it all just party anthems and goofy tracks?

My often scatterbrained mind finally remembered why my playlist was so festive—it was just for fun, to prank my roommates. I’d played it for them as a joke.

I remembered that night—pizza boxes everywhere, laughter echoing off the walls, my roommates groaning as I forced them through the ultimate cheese-fest playlist. Total chaos.

Truly, what goes around comes around.

Karma, right? I’d never imagined my own prank would come back to haunt me like this. I could practically hear my roommates’ laughter in my head.

I don’t even know what I was thinking at the time—maybe just trying to ease my embarrassment—I chose a very odd way out. I replied to my lucky listener:

[No choice, I’m 38, divorced, with two kids.]

[Life isn’t going well, so I can only listen to some festive songs.]

I grinned at my own ridiculousness. Honestly, if I was going down, might as well go all in. If I couldn’t be cool, I’d be outrageous.

At the time, I was pretty pleased with myself, thinking this persona was crafted perfectly.

For a split second, I felt like a comedic genius. I even pictured myself winking at the imaginary camera, sitcom-style. Classic.

Unfortunately, my happiness didn’t last long, because this listener immediately switched to "Bohemian Rhapsody."

You know, the classic.

My scalp tingled—Spotify was really messing with me today. So many festive songs, and then something like this at the end.

Of course, the universe couldn’t let me off the hook. I could almost hear Freddie Mercury’s voice mocking my predicament.

Guess I should’ve checked the playlist first.

Now what should I reply? Should I say that even at 38, I have a rock ‘n’ roll heart?

I hesitated, finger hovering over the keyboard. Should I double down on the joke or finally come clean? Maybe I could claim to be a "cool mom" with a secret wild side.

And right then, another message popped up.

[No wonder we could be matched together.]

[I’m 70 with two grandkids. I also like this kind of thing. Looks like we’re both pretty trendy.]

No lie, my heart did a flip—the listener not only picked up my joke, he eased my embarrassment.

I grinned, feeling a rush of relief. This person got it. Instead of calling me out, he played along. My embarrassment faded, replaced by a weird sense of camaraderie.

They say finding someone on your wavelength is rare—and he was actually really sweet about it.

It’s rare to find someone who can match your sense of humor, especially in such a random way. For a moment, I felt like maybe this whole "Listen Together" thing was fate.

I couldn’t help wanting to get to know this listener.

Curiosity buzzed inside me. Who was this mysterious, witty music buddy? I wanted to know more—his story, his favorite bands, maybe even what snacks he liked during late-night study sessions.