Party Playlist Clash Sparks Love

We’ve all been there. Your roommate gets invited to a party and invites you to go with them. It’s nice, but it can be awkward. You might not know anyone there and the urge to stand in the corner and look at your phone can be strong. 

That is, unless you’re part of this week’s Love Letter couple. Nagisa was happy to go to the party with her roommate. After all, it was only a few blocks away from their San Francisco apartment.  She also felt more than comfortable to go up to the party’s co-host – Deen – and tell him that his playlist had way too much Drake on it. 

Deen took Nagisa’s critiques in stride, adding some Shakira to the playlist to make his party guest happy. Over the coming weeks, Deen and Nagisa would see each other several more times and realize that despite their disagreements about music, they had a lot in common. 

Indeed, two years later, they’re now roommates themselves. Here’s their story. 

How did you two meet?

Nagisa: We met through our roommates. My roommate and his roommate were both going to law school together. He and his roommate were throwing a party one weekend and I went with her. We all hit it off really well and we ended up hanging out basically every weekend after that for a couple of weeks in a row. 

We didn’t talk that much the first night, but after a few times of running into each other I thought that this guy seemed pretty cool. We started talking more and more as we got to see each other more, and eventually he asked for my number and we went on a date. 

Did you notice Nagisa at your house that first night, Deen?

Deen: My main memory from that night was that I was picking the music. My Spotify was connected to the speaker. And she and her sister kept coming up to me all night and asking me to queue songs on the playlist. 

I thought it was funny, honestly. And I thought “Oh, she’s bold.” She really wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

What was wrong with Deen’s DJing?

Nagisa: I think he likes Drake a little bit too much. For me, party music is a lot of Spanish music. I wanted some Shakira or something on there, and he was playing way too much rap. 

When was the next time you saw Nagisa?

Deen: We were all going to go to a popular bar that’s down the street from me and my roommate’s apartment at the time. So we were pre-gaming at my place. And then at the bar we were all having a good time, and me and Nagisa started dancing together and then kind of just hit it off really well. 

What was your first date?

Nagisa: Like I said, we had similar interactions for a couple of weeks. Whenever someone had a plan, we would all join. I would always hang out with my roommates and her friends. And he’s super close with his roommate, so if they had plans, we had plans. 

But one night after it was very clear that me and him were getting along, he tried to be smooth and ask for my number. He was implying that he wanted it. But I made him ask “Can I have your number?” So then we started texting and he asked me out for dinner and a movie. 

Did it feel like she was playing hard to get?

Deen: I thought it was funny. I like teasing in relationships. It was a good precursor that I knew we would get along really well. 

And I think we’ve just never really stopped hanging out since. That was in October 2021 and we just celebrated two years. 

Are you living together now?

Deen: We actually live in the apartment that me and my roommate were in at the time we met. And then he moved out to go live with her roommate at a new place. The same two people who introduced us. 

Nagisa: For a year or so we were roommates dating roommates. 

Now that you live together, who picks the music?

Nagisa: We take turns. I’ve grown on Drake a little bit. 

Do you think there are any takeaways from your meet-cute when it comes to being outgoing?

Nagisa: I think I have always been the type to want to get to know people around me. And I do think that being open and being fully yourself, regardless of if you know someone really well or not, is super important and can lead to opportunities, romantic or otherwise.

Deen: Yeah, I think it shows that they're a genuine person. And also, like, if a pretty girl comes up to you at a party and tells you to do something, you should probably just go along with it.

Anything else you want to share? 

Nagisa: I want to give props to the our roommates who brought us together. They like to say that they were our unintentional matchmakers, and I will give them credit!

🤔 Poll of The Day

📊 Last Week We Asked…

“Would you go out of your way to find someone who didn’t call you back?”

• 17% said “Yes, it’s assertive and shows interest”

• 83% said “No, it’s too forward”

And one meet-cuter shared, “It’s not that it’s too forward. I’d take it as they’re just not interested and I would move on. I should probably work on being a little more assertive.”

🥳 Two Clues Game

We’re thinking of a rom-com movie…

• Clue 1: Two recent graduates meet on a long car ride to New York

• Clue 2: A famous scene in Katz’s Deli (New York)

Reply to this email with the answer, or wait until next week’s Love Letter to find out!

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Interviewed and transcribed by Nicolas Vega. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.