The golden haze of evening bathed the room in soft warmth, casting golden stripes across the floor and walls. The quiet hum of life outside—birds settling in the trees, the occasional honk from a distant street—mingled with the soft clatter of boxes and wires as Shruti and Arjun knelt side by side in the living room, setting up the new gaming console.
"Careful," Arjun said, reaching over to steady the console as Shruti tried to peel the plastic cover off its shiny black surface. His fingers brushed hers, and she shot him a mock glare.
"I can handle plastic wrap, thank you very much," she teased, tugging it free at last and holding it up like a trophy.
Arjun smirked. "Debatable. Took you long enough."
Shruti huffed and turned to untangle the wires. "Then you do it, Mr. Expert."
"Oh no," Arjun said, already wrestling with the HDMI cable. "You've started it. Now we suffer together."
Across from them, Kiran and Pragathi sat cross-legged on the carpet, watching like eager kids waiting for cake to be served.
"I feel like we're watching a couple assemble IKEA furniture," Kiran quipped. "Bet you they'll be arguing over which wire goes where in five minutes."
"We're not arguing," Arjun said without looking up, trying to force a cable into the port. "We're—"
"Struggling," Shruti finished for him, giggling.
Pragathi leaned forward, grinning. "This is better than TV. Arjun, I thought you were some tech genius?"
"I am," Arjun muttered, finally clicking the cable into place. "This console is just being dramatic."
Shruti gave him a playful nudge with her shoulder. "And here I thought I was dramatic."
"You are," Arjun shot back, eyes twinkling.
Kiran clapped his hands. "Oho! Fireworks already. Now I'm really hyped for this game night."
Finally, with one last beep, the console came to life, the soft glow of the logo lighting up the screen. Shruti plopped onto the sofa with a triumphant grin, while Arjun sank beside her, pretending to wipe imaginary sweat from his brow.
"Victory," he declared.
"After a heroic battle with wires and plastic," Shruti added.
Kiran rubbed his hands together. "Alright! Enough foreplay with the console. Let's play already!"
Arjun chuckled as he handed out the controllers. But as Kiran took his, he glanced around. "Hey, where's your old console anyway? The legendary one you bragged about in school?"
Arjun opened his mouth, but Shruti was quicker. "Oh, that? He broke it."
Arjun's head snapped toward her. His eyes widened comically, and he subtly raised both hands in a silent please no gesture, mouthing don't tell them that.
Shruti tried to smother her giggle, biting her lip. "I mean… it stopped working. You know. Old age. Console retirement."
But Kiran had already seized on the moment. "Broke it? What'd you do? Lose to Shruti and throw it out the window?"
Arjun groaned, leaning back. "It betrayed me at the final boss. I reacted. Badly."
Pragathi laughed, nudging Kiran. "See? Temper issues. Just like he'll have when I beat him in the first round."
"Ohhh, bold!" Kiran said, picking up a controller with exaggerated flourish. "But don't get too distracted by my pro moves, okay?"
Pragathi raised a brow, smirking. "Distracted? The only thing distracting me is the thought of how easy this will be."
Shruti and Arjun exchanged glances—the kind of wide-eyed, what have we unleashed look that said they knew they were in for chaos.
"Maybe teams would be safer," Arjun muttered.
But there was no stopping them now.
They launched into game after game—racing, shooting, even a clumsy dance-off game Shruti discovered hidden deep in the menu. The room was filled with button mashing, dramatic yells, and laughter.
"Careful, Pragathi," Kiran teased as he sped past her avatar in a race. "Fall for me on screen, and real life might follow."
Pragathi didn't miss a beat, swerving to crash his vehicle into a wall. "Why fall for you when I can make you crash?"
Shruti burst out laughing, nearly dropping her controller. Arjun looked at the two of them like they'd grown extra heads.
"Oh, savage!" Kiran cried. "Okay, okay—you're feisty, I like that. But when I win, ice cream's on me. Deal?"
Pragathi smirked, eyes still glued to the screen. "Spend that money on gaming lessons first. You'll need them more."
Shruti doubled over, gasping with laughter. Arjun just leaned back, shaking his head. "I feel like I need to record this. No one's going to believe the amount of flirting happening over a racing game."
"Hey, don't act so shocked," Kiran said, grinning. "Romance blooms in unexpected places."
"Yeah," Arjun said dryly, raising his brows. "Like on my living room carpet during a gaming night I planned."
By the time they paused for snacks, the floor was littered with empty bottles, half-eaten chips, and controllers abandoned mid-battle as the banter took over completely.
Shruti nudged Arjun, her eyes sparkling. "Best evening we've had in a while?"
Arjun looked at her, warmth softening his features. "Definitely. But next time? Headphones. For those two."
They both laughed, the sound blending with Kiran and Pragathi's ongoing mock-arguments as night wrapped around them like a soft, familiar blanket.
To be continued...