The Temptation System had a sense of humor. If Arjun had known an app could smirk, he would have suspected Kavya of being the author of its jokes. It was a Saturday morning and the building hummed with low, useful sounds: Neha arranging crates, Mr. Rao sweeping leaves into neat arcs, and someone in 3A hammering the same stubborn nail with a devotion that suggested either artistry or a nervous habit.
Arjun was practicing the art of not practicing — sitting at his tiny table, spoon idly stirring yogurt, notebook open to a page that read, in his tidy but hopeful handwriting: Objective: Keep Smiling. Secondary: Don't embarrass Kavya in common areas. He tapped the pen against the margin and felt, for the first time in weeks, like the list mattered.
His phone buzzed. TEMPTATION SYSTEM — NEW MISSION: COMMUNITY CHALLENGE — Pair with your nearest neighbor for "Flirtation Relay." Rules: 3 Rounds (Compliment, Shared Snack, Team Task). Reward: +10 Flirtation Points. Bonus: "Rendezvous" Badge.
He smiled despite himself. A "Flirtation Relay" sounded like an app-designed childhood game that had somehow learned flirtation. He stood, stretching like someone who had recently discovered the joy of being upright on weekends, and headed out, curiosity pulling him like a friendly leash.
Kavya was in the courtyard by the little fountain, pushing a stray hair behind her ear with a practiced motion that always made him feel he was watching a short film where everything was perfectly lit. She'd swapped the robe for a soft sweater and jeans; the change made her look casual in a way that felt deliberate. Neha was setting up a wooden crate of pastries on the landing, offering a sample to Mr. Rao who approved with a theatrical nod.
"Kavya," Arjun called, trying for casual and landing somewhere between breezy and eager.
She tilted her head, the small curve of amusement returning. "Morning, Arjun. You look dangerous," she said, and the comment landed like a playful coin.
"Dangerous enough to accept the System's challenge," he said. "Flirtation Relay. Care to be my teammate?"
She laughed, the sound quick and delighted. "I thought you'd run. Fine. But I warn you: I take compliments very seriously. They must be creative."
He tried to think of something creative that did not sound like a rehearsed pick-up line. "Your…strategic use of scarves shows exceptional spatial intelligence," he offered lamely.
Kavya's eyebrows rose. "Spatial intelligence? That is unexpected." She examined her scarf as if it might be a badge of honor. "Okay. Round one: Compliment — you get points if you make me genuinely surprised."
A ping from his pocket made them both glance down. +1 Flirtation Point — System: 'Round One Complete — Creative Compliment Awarded.'
Arjun felt a small, ridiculous victory. The System encouraged him like an overenthusiastic coach. "Your laugh is the kind that makes burglars second-guess their career choices," he improvised, and was immediately grateful he'd thought of something slightly absurd. Kavya actually laughed — a genuine sound that made the fountain clap lightly in applause.
"Fine," she said, mock-huffing. "You pass. Now, shared snack."
Neha had set out a tray of samosas and a box of flaky, sugared puffs. The building's unofficial market blossomed on Saturdays, neighbors trading gossip and small culinary contraband. The System's mission insisted they pick something to split. Kavya chose a dense chocolate pastry that looked like a moon with a secret, and they settled on a bench, the jar of community tea steaming between them.
They ate with the casual intimacy of people who discovered they liked the same things. The pastry was dangerously good, and at one point their elbows bumped. The contact sent a quiet signal through Arjun's body — a short, delighted jolt — and the System responded dutifully.
+3 Flirtation Points — System: 'Shared Snack: Hands Touch. Reward: "Shared Bite" Badge.'
Mr. Rao, who had the modest but exhaustive knowledge of every exchange in the building, ambled over and planted himself with the gravitas of a benevolent judge. "You two look like trouble in a tasteful scarf," he announced.
"We aspire to tasteful trouble," Kavya replied.
He nodded solemnly. "Good. Keep it tasteful." He offered them a plate of biscotti as if dispensing blessings. "And Arjun—if you don't know how to toast bread yet, I will teach you. Life skills, boy."
Arjun bowed, which Mr. Rao took as gratitude and Neha took as a cue to charge him with the important task of delivering pastries to 1A. He left with two boxes balanced like a stack of small, warm promises and a System notification wooing him back into game focus.
"Round Three: team task," Kavya said, brows cocked in challenge. "We have five minutes to convince Neha to sell us a mystery box of pastries at half price using only puns."
He blinked. "Only puns?"
"Only puns," she confirmed. "If you fail, you must perform a public declaration of appreciation for the building's broom cupboard."
He considered the broom cupboard — a humble, respectable place — and shivered at the theatrical humiliation. He squared his jaw. "We will win."
They approached Neha like conspirators. Arjun started with a low-commitment joke: "Neha, your pastries are absolutely…bake-iful."
Neha's expression was a study in patient skepticism. "That's the kind of line a man would use if he had spent too much time reading puns on a weekend."
Kavya, swift as a cat, replied, "He's just getting doughy with his compliments."
There was a pause, a tilt of a head, and then Neha laughed so hard her samosa nearly fell. "Fine. Half-price mystery box," she declared, "but only if you promise to use these puns responsibly."
They won. The System trumpeted their success with a fanfare that sounded vaguely like a kazoo and rewarded them with +10 Flirtation Points and an unlocked badge.
+10 Flirtation Points — System: 'Community Challenge Victory. Reward: "Rendezvous" Badge unlocked. Bonus: "Community Favor" Coupon (one small favor from a neighbor).'
Kavya looked at him, amusement and something like warmth curling in the corners of her eyes. "A rendezvous badge," she mused. "That sounds dangerously romantic for a Saturday."
"It sounds like a word the System uses to make us blush," he said.
They walked back to the building, sharing the mystery box and trading puns with a low-grade determination that made them both grin. The afternoon felt like a private film, scenes stitched together by shared laughter and the oddities of the app that orchestrated their lives.
Back in the courtyard, the System pinged again with a side quest: TEMPTATION SYSTEM — BONUS MISSION: "Neighbors' Night" — Volunteer as event hosts and partner for the evening. Reward: +15 Flirtation Points and "Close Companions" badge. Note: Spontaneity rewarded.
Kavya cocked an eyebrow. "Neighbors' Night? That's tonight."
"It's tonight," he echoed, tasting the excitement like a new spice.
They looked at each other. There was the small, honest agreement of two people deciding to step into a tiny, deliberate chaos. "We'll do it," she said.
Neighbors' Night arrived with the unassuming grandeur of a potluck. The hallway smelled of curry, cardamom, and baking yeast. Strings of fairy lights went up like stars that were not required to impress anyone but did anyway. Mr. Rao brought a tray of his famous spiced tea; Neha supplied an array of pastries; someone in 3A contributed a baffling but impressive salad involving pomegranate seeds and an attitude.
Kavya and Arjun stood behind a makeshift table, adorned with a sign that read — in Kavya's clean handwriting — "Kavya & Arjun's Curiosity Corner." The System, never one to miss a promotional opportunity, sent a cheerful banner across their phones: HOST MODE ACTIVE — Earn double points for creative engagement.
Their tasks were delightfully low-stakes: organize icebreaker games, pair people for a "truth-or-dare-lite" (no dares requiring removal of clothing), and keep the mood light. They succeeded spectacularly.
Arjun chaired a particularly earnest round of "Two Truths and One Tiny Lie," where Mr. Rao admitted to once sneaking into a cinema to watch a film he'd once called scandalous and Neha confessed she had once attempted to bake a croissant shaped like a star. Kavya led a game where neighbors swapped the strangest compliment they'd ever received. The air filled with stories, and occasional laughter made the fairy lights seem like they were in on the joke.
At one point, the System whispered something mischievous into Arjun's pocket: BONUS: "Secret Swap" — Exchange a handwritten note with someone you find intriguing. Reward: +5 Flirtation Points.
He looked at Kavya. "Do you want to do the Secret Swap with me?"
She considered his question with a theatrical seriousness that made everyone else think they were witnessing a high-stakes negotiation. "Yes," she said finally, and the word was soft with permission.
They wrote notes on small cards — hers neat and economical, his messy and earnest — and exchanged them under the table like spies passing secret maps. His felt warm from her fingers when she handed it back. He unfolded it later and read: You laugh like a plot twist I want to reread. He kept it in his pocket like contraband.
As the evening softened toward midnight, someone suggested music. A phone connected to a small speaker, and a playlist of easy songs filled the corridor with gentle rhythm. People danced in small, careful ways — knees brushing, ankles tangling. Kavya and Arjun stayed close to the table, watching the small parasols of conversation bloom around them.
At one point, a cheeky neighbor proposed a "compliment relay" on the balcony: whisper a compliment into your partner's ear without being heard by others. The winner received a small jar of Mr. Rao's prized lemon marmalade. The crowd cheered.
Kavya turned to him, eyes glittering. "One more game?"
"One more," he agreed.
They stepped onto the balcony together. The night air smelled like jasmine and wet concrete. The city made a distant, polite roar. He leaned in and whispered, half-challenge, half-truth: "Your presence makes small rooms feel like they could hold novels."
Kavya's response was a soft laugh and a whisper back that made his name sound like a bookmark: "And you, Arjun—you're a person I would trust to keep the pages."
Their lips were not near each other in any formal way; what happened instead was a collision of proximity and intention. The System, obeying its comedic timing, chimed with a flourish.
+5 Flirtation Points — System: 'Subtle Whisper: Successful. Reward: "Intimate Echo" Badge. Bonus: Party Favor — Mr. Rao's Marmalade (You must accept).'
Arjun accepted the marmalade like a prize and nearly dropped it in the excitement. The crowd cheered for them in that fond, neighborly way that made the heart feel small and delighted.
They lingered on the balcony after the party wound down, the fairy lights now half-sleepy. His phone vibrated with a new notification that felt less like a game prompt and more like an accidental dare.
SYSTEM: 'CONGRATULATIONS ON "Rendezvous" PROGRESS. REMEMBER: THREE CLOSE PROXIMITIES SCHEDULED THIS WEEK. SECRET: A SPECIAL REWARD AWAITS AT THE THIRD PROXIMITY. CAUTION: REVEAL MAY CHANGE STORY ARC.'
Kavya read it, and for a flicker of a second her face revealed a sliver of mischief and calculation. "Three close proximities," she echoed, tasting the words like an amuse-bouche. "We've done a few already."
"We have," he agreed, feeling a pleasant heat like someone who'd just been offered an extra slice of pastry. "Two down?"
"Two down," she confirmed. "One to go."
They sat in companionable silence. The city murmured; the palm tree in the courtyard seemed to applaud with a single, contented leaf. The System, perhaps sensing the chapter needed a proper cliffhanger, delivered one last notification, crisp and theatrical.
SYSTEM: 'FINAL NOTE: THE THIRD PROXIMITY REWARD REQUIRES A CHOICE. WILL THE PLAYER ACCEPT A RISK IN ORDER TO REDEEM A REWARD THAT COULD ALTER THE LANDLADY'S CIRCUMSTANCES? REDEEM? Y/N.'
Arjun's thumb hovered. The note felt like a puzzle wrapped in velvet. He could say no and keep the pleasant anonymity of flirtation. He could say yes and step into something that might complicate everything in the most interesting way.
Kavya watched him, eyes steady and bright. "Whatever you choose," she said, "I'll be honest with you about what it means."
He blinked at the offer of honesty like a thirst quenched by a small, thoughtful cup of water. He smiled, the kind of smile that had accumulated points already from earlier tasks and from the way the building made him feel less like a spectator in his own life.
He tapped Y.
The System responded with a drumroll that sounded suspiciously like Mr. Rao clicking his tea cup in approval.
SYSTEM: 'REWARD CONFIRMED. NEXT MISSION: "CHOICE NIGHT" — DETAILS REVEAL TOMORROW AT 8 PM. CAUTION: INVOLVES PERSONAL EXPOSURE. ENJOY.'
Kavya squeezed his hand lightly, a contact small enough to be private, public enough to mean something. "See you tomorrow at eight?" she asked.
"See you tomorrow," he said.
They parted on the landing, the building smelling for a moment like sugar and mint and possibility. Arjun walked back to his flat with the marmalade tucked under his arm like a trophy and the System humming a lullaby of anticipation.
Tomorrow at eight, the System would reveal its terms. For tonight, he had a ribbon of warm victory tied around his chest and a note from Kavya tucked into his pocket. The night closed softly, like a book whose page had been turned with deliberation.
Outside, the palm tree settled in for the night. Inside, something in the building seemed to settle too, as if it were pleased by the idea of two people learning how to make small rules for themselves and then delighting in breaking them together.