Blend

Spotify made me a playlist with my ex. We broke up eight months ago, and it's still updating.

It's called "Blend." Half my songs, half his. We made it on our two-week anniversary, because we were that couple, and a little green circle told us we were "92% compatible."

Ninety-two. I screenshotted it. I'm not proud.

His name was Noah. He ended things in a Costa car park, said I deserved "someone who's all in." I said okay. I went home and cancelled nothing, because I forgot the Blend existed.

Last night, 2 AM, I opened it. Under his side, new songs. Sad ones. Songs I'd never heard him play. A song about a girl leaving. A song about a kitchen. One called "Still Here."

I scrolled through them like a diary he didn't know I could read.

Then I noticed something in the corner. A tiny line of text: "Listening now."

He was awake too. Same minute. Same playlist. Probably the same song.

I thought about leaving the Blend. Two taps. Clean break. My thumb hovered over it.

Then I saw the compatibility score had changed.

Ninety-six percent.

Eight months apart, and we got more compatible.

Spotify can see it. The algorithm knows we listen to the same sad songs at the same sad hour.

It's weird being matched by a machine with someone who left.

But the machine says we fit.

The only one who disagreed was him.