Paul, a 23-year-old third-year law student at Stanford, had never imagined he'd be spending so much time back at his parents' home due to the lockdown. It wasn't exactly his preferred situation, but at least he had the privilege of being with family.
"Paul, take out the trash," his mom called out from the kitchen.
"Yes, Mom," he replied with a resigned sigh.
"And don't forget your mask!" she yelled after him.
"Got it," Paul muttered, half amused, half irritated.
Paul had grown up with a strong sense of family values, even if he often found his parents' constant hovering a bit much. His mom, a former B-list actress who had a brief stint in the spotlight, and his dad, a high-powered agent who represented a range of clients, from actors to adult film stars, were good people. But there were moments, like this one, when Paul felt more than a little suffocated by their presence.
After taking out the trash, Paul returned to his room and opened his phone. He messaged Victoria, a fellow law student from Stanford who he'd gotten to know better during the lockdown.
Hi Vic.
Almost instantly, she replied.
"Hey Paul, how's it going?"
"As okay as a youth stuck living with his parents," Paul typed, rolling his eyes.
"So pretty much suicidal? I'm also losing my mind here," Victoria responded.
"And my siblings aren't helping either. My little brother's acting like a lunatic," she added.
"What did Louis do now?" Paul asked, intrigued.
"He's obsessed with some show called Miraculous and thinks he has powers to destroy everything. He's been throwing tantrums, breaking stuff when his 'powers' don't work," Victoria typed, voice full of exasperation.
Paul sent a laughing emoji and a voice note.
"You think that's funny? You don't know how much I envy you being an only child right now," she shot back.
"Sorry, but he's 7. It's great he's using his imagination. Trust me, he'll grow out of it."
"They say so," she replied, reluctantly agreeing.
"Oh, have you heard the boy blowing up online? His voice is incredible. He's so dreamy his name is Ethan jones the song is really good it's called shape of you."
"Not really been online. Been catching up on Professor Johnson's work," Paul typed, staying focused on his studies.
"You're so studious. What chapter are you on?" Victoria asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Chapter 9."
"Well, you're almost done. When you're done, go on YouTube and look up Shape of You. You'll love it."
"Will do, Ma'am."
"Better not say I didn't put you on something good later," she teased.
Just then, Paul's mom called from downstairs, "Paul, breakfast!"
He sighed and sent a quick message to Victoria: "Later, Vic. Mom's calling me for breakfast."
Victoria read his message and felt a slight pang of disappointment. Guess he has to go, she thought. "Okay, talk later."
Meanwhile, in his own home, Paul walked downstairs to join his parents for breakfast. The atmosphere was a bit tense; his parents had been having issues recently due to one of his dad's clients calling far too frequently. His mom, a former actress, didn't approve of her husband's client choices, especially given the nature of some of his father's clients work.
"Paul, how's your study going?" His dad asked, unaware of the tension in the room. Paul's dad, Bill, was a big guy, not caring much about his appearance or the lockdown's effect on his physique.
"Almost done, Dad," Paul replied, glancing at his mom, who was quietly eating her food.
"Actually, I've got a song Victoria recommended," Paul continued. "Want to hear it?"
At the mention of Victoria, his mom perked up. "Oh, Victoria? That's lovely. How's that girl doing?"
"She's fine, Mom," Paul replied, hoping to avoid further discussion.
"Alexa, play Shape of You by Ethan Jones on YouTube," Paul said, activating the smart speakers in their house.
"Playing Shape of You by Ethan Jones," the device responded, and the song began to play.
His mom smiled, enjoying the tune. "What a talented singer!" she exclaimed. "This is catchy, isn't it?"
"Play it again," Bill said, clearly enjoying the song.
Paul didn't think much of it at first. He was more focused on his breakfast and thoughts of school. But as the song played again, his dad said, "That's going to be a hit. You're right, it's catchy and pleasant."
"Wait," Paul said, looking at the screen. "Wasn't that the Jones boy?"
His mom's eyes widened. "No way. It can't be."
But it was. Paul squinted at the screen, seeing the young man singing with curly blond hair and blue eyes. It was Ethan—his old high school junior. Paul couldn't believe it. He'd barely spoken to him since high school, but now he was all over the internet.
"Do you know if he has an agent?" Bill asked, still absorbed in the song.
"No, I don't," Paul replied, "and even if he doesn't, you guys don't represent singers, do you?"
Bill leaned forward, suddenly interested. "The agency's been thinking of branching out to music. This could be what we need—a real game changer."
"Dad, I don't want to ask Ethan. We haven't exactly been close since high school," Paul replied, uncomfortable at the thought.
His mom chimed in, "Just help your dad. You don't need to be in the middle if he says no. Just ask if he has representation. We can take it from there."
Paul sighed. "Okay. I'll give him a call."
He quickly searched for Ethan's number, found it, and clicked the call button. After a few rings, Ethan picked up.
After finishing the call with Ethan, Paul went back to his phone, only to see a new message from Victoria.
"Hey, guess what my little brother just did?" Victoria's message read.
"What now?" Paul replied, eager to hear more.
"He was in his 'Cat Noir' phase again. You know, from Miraculous. He broke one of our mom's fine China plates while trying to 'save the world,'" Victoria explained with a sigh.
Paul laughed out loud. "Man, that kid is a mess. You should've put him on YouTube instead of Ethan!" he typed back, still chuckling.
"You think it's funny? I'm stuck trying to clean up after him while my mom's chasing him around the house. She's going to kill him when she finds out," Victoria responded.
Paul couldn't help but laugh at the mental image. It was hard not to feel some empathy for her, especially since his own family wasn't exactly drama-free. "He'll grow out of it eventually. Just wait for the teenage angst to hit. Then you'll wish he was still Cat Noir."
"Ugh. I'll hold you to that," Victoria replied, clearly not looking forward to that future