Page 128 of Sixty Meters Under

Liam fell silent, and Edvin added, “Well then we’ll have to wait a bit more to be sure the radiation levels dropped.”

Liam put the mic down and looked at Edvin and Anna who shared the same enthusiasm with him.

?

Ryosuke opened his eyes sleepily, and the images from the previous night flooded his hazy mind right away. Heat enveloped his naked body, when he realized Lennart had his hands wrapped around him. He softly snored against the back of Ryosuke’s head; his face buried in his hair blowing the ticklish air.

Butterflies had spread their fluttery wings in Ryosuke’s belly and his heart picked up its pace. Ryosuke wished for this moment to last, but no matter how perfect Lennart’s embrace felt, he had to move his sore muscles. His arm became stiff, and his fingers started tingling.

His movements interrupted Lennart’s slumber. Lennart stirred, yawned, and wished him good morning.

“Good morning to you too. I apologize for waking you.” Ryosuke smiled but felt nervousness creeping in, and a dark cloud forming above his head.

“I don’t mind being awakened by you.” Lennart smiled and placed a kiss on his shoulder. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Me too. I haven’t slept this well in a long time.”

Ryosuke as well, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it out loud. It was time to face reality, so he cleared his throat and said, “I need to tell you something… before we go on with our day.”

“I’m all ears.”

“I want us to keep a secret… of, um… What happened last night.”

Lennart’s face turned serious and he sat up. “Of course,” he said. “No problem.”

Ryosuke still had a hard time accepting he’d slept with a man. He inhaled sharply and looked away.

What would my parents say? I don’t even want to think about it.

Ryosuke knew his parents were very traditional people, and expected him to give them a grandchild one day.

They would be so disappointed. They can’t find out about this.

Lennart noticed Ryosuke’s inner conflict.

He might be planning to reconcile with his fiancé. He probably still has feelings for her. We men find a solace in sex. I can’t hold up my hopes that it wasn’t one-sided. He probably even regrets it.

Lennart had a hard time getting up from the bed. He felt numb emotionally, and his muscles were spent and aching. His empty stomach protested, so he had no other choice but to get to his feet. Ryosuke remained sitting on the bed, looking at his lap.

Lennart picked up his scattered clothes and dressed. He opened and closed his mouth thinking what to say.

“Wanna go eat?” he tried.

“Don’t wait for me. I’ll come later.” Ryosuke avoided looking at him.

“Okay,” Lennart declared as he put his t-shirt on.

It was logical to do so in this situation, Lennart realized, so he turned and left the room alone. His heart ached as he thought about their shared moments.

→

When he entered the canteen there was an unusual commotion in the room. The smell of food was so distracting that he didn’t catch right away what all that fuss was about. He guessed it was just a busy morning.

“Here he is!”

Lennart walked past the tables and looked at the man who pointed his finger at him. He narrowed his eyes and looked around, seeing all the residents’ faces turned to him. It made him stop in his tracks.