Logan got up and started taking things out of his bags. He took out clothes and put them in the small closet. He needed to do something with his hands to keep them busy while he thought about this mess.
There was one thing the system got right. He had seen Veronica.
Not just because she was beautiful, which she was, but also because there was something intriguing about her. Her combination of grace and tiredness, along with power and weakness, intrigued him.
She had been nothing but kind to him, but he could tell that she was keeping her distance and building walls around what was left of herself. Logan couldn't deny the curiosity that was eating at him, even though he had just said he wasn't a homewrecker and didn't want to pursue a married woman.
What would it take to get past those walls? What would she be like if she let someone in, really in, instead of keeping a polite distance?
"This is a terrible idea," he muttered as he shoved shirts onto hangers with more force than he needed to.
[Most interesting things are.]
"You're not helping."
[I'm not trying to. I'm a system that can help you make lasting memories and connections with people.]
[Veronica Johanson could be a link. It's definitely a complicated one, but it has potential. It's up to you whether or not you act on that potential. I won't tell you to do it or not to do it.]
[Unless the mission is really that urgent for you to be close with Veronica. Like really close.]
Logan finished taking his clothes out of the boxes and moved on to the kitchen supplies, which he put in the cabinets. A few pots, bowls, plates, and basic utensils. He had everything a minimalist life required and nothing more.
He couldn't stop thinking about Veronica the whole time. The way her voice sounded when she talked about her husband.
The way her eyes looked tired. That loose wedding ring meant so much more than just losing weight.
When he was done unpacking, it was night, and the courtyard below his window was lit by soft yellow lights. Logan sat on the floor to eat his simple dinner of chicken and rice, which was the same meal he had been eating for months.
He didn't have any furniture yet. He would have to fix that soon, at least get a mattress and maybe a small table.
A text message made his phone buzz. It was from Maya, the barista at the coffee shop yesterday.
[Maya: Hey Logan! I just wanted to say that it was a pleasure to meet you yesterday. You know where to find me if you ever want excellent coffee again. 😊]
Logan looked at the message and then at the wall that he and Veronica's apartment shared. On one side, a simple connection with no problems.
An attractive woman who was clearly interested and available. On the other hand, there was a married woman with problems he shouldn't have gotten involved in.
It should have been clear what to do. And it should have been simple.
He wrote back to Maya, "Thanks! I'll definitely stop by again soon. The coffee was very good.]
Logan listened for sounds from the apartment next door even as he hit send. Footsteps, music, or anything else that might help him learn more about the woman the system had marked as a difficult target.
He didn't hear anything. There was only silence, as if Veronica's apartment were as empty and quiet as his own.
[She is home. I can feel her pulse through the wall.]
[She is sitting on the couch and looking at her phone, wondering if she should call her husband, but in fact, she won't.]
[She doesn't do that anymore. She just holds the phone and thinks about what they should talk about, but she doesn't.]
Logan said, "Goddammit, stop it. I don't need a step-by-step account of how she feels."
[Got it. Unless you ask me to, I won't say anything.]
Logan washed the dishes from dinner and did some pushups, situps, and stretches. His usual evening routine helped him stay physically disciplined, but his mind wouldn't stop going back to the woman next door and the system's view of her as conquerable.
He lay on the floor and used a folded blanket as a pillow to look at the ceiling. He didn't have a bed yet.
He has to buy furniture tomorrow. He needed to get ready for classes that would start in less than two weeks tomorrow.
He needed to focus on his own life tomorrow and not let complicated situations with married neighbors get in the way. But tonight, lying in the dark of his new apartment, Logan couldn't stop thinking about Veronica Johanson and the sadness he saw in her eyes.
He could not even stop thinking about what the system meant when it said her marriage was basically over. He really couldn't stop wondering what kind of person she was behind those polite walls she put up.
He had worked for two years to become someone people would notice. The system had turned on because he had shown that he could change and get better.
But getting better didn't just mean changing your body or your social skills. It also meant being honest and making better decisions.
Going after a married woman, even one whose marriage was falling apart, seemed like the kind of thing the old Logan would have made excuses for and justified. The new Logan, who had worked so hard to respect himself, shouldn't even be thinking about it.
But here he was, thinking about it, feeling all curious and wondering.
"Isn't this a test?" Logan spoke in the darkness. "You're seeing if I'll go after a woman who isn't available just because you said she was."
[You can think of it that way if you want to. You could also see it as a chance to learn that life is more complicated than just being available or not available.]
[Logan, people are messy. Relationships are challenging. Sometimes the right choice isn't clear, and sometimes what looks wrong from the outside makes perfect sense from the inside.]
"That's a way to get out of it."
[It's a true answer. You wanted to find a way to connect with others, but understanding people can be challenging. This is what it's like to interact with other people.]
Logan shut his eyes and tried to calm his mind so he could sleep. Tomorrow would bring new problems, chances, and decisions. He just needed to relax tonight and stop worrying about something he didn't really understand.
But the last thing he thought about before he fell asleep was Veronica Johanson sitting alone in her apartment, staring at her phone. She was stuck in a marriage that had become a prison of distance and politeness.
He was worried and a little scared about what it would take to help her get away from it.