Page 44 of Sixty Meters Under

As they stopped at the counter the woman placed both volumes side by side. Ryosuke looked at the front pages which were pretty suggestive of their content. “Good choice,” he said even though he hadn’t read such books; he just didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah, they’re quite saucy. I figured they would help me pass the time since we are going to be stuck here for a while,” the woman said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Unless you have a better idea on how my time should be spent.”

Ryosuke looked at her, amused and at the same time bewildered by her comment. He ran his hand over the book’s barcode while he kept his other hand rested firmly against his lips to conceal his restrained smile.

When he was done the woman collected the books and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m Scarlett, by the way,” she said and stretched her hand.

“Ryosuke.” Even though his name was written on the name tag, Ryosuke still thought it would be better to introduce himself. He took her hand in his and shook it.

“What an interesting name; it suits you very well,” Scarlett said and added, “Walk me out Ryo. A lady can’t be too careful these days.”

“Umm, thank you.” Ryosuke tried his best not to look embarrassed as he walked around the table to escort her. Scarlett followed behind him making him wonder why she would feel unsafe. As they approached the exit she turned to him with a grin and said in a seductive tone, “Thank you, Ryo, you’resucha gentleman.”

“You’re welcome,” Ryosuke said, his eyes on her face level, not getting distracted by the view under her chin.

“Have a pleasant night.”

“You too, Scarlett. And have fun reading.”

“Oh, Iwill. Trust me.” She winked.

Ryosuke laughed and shook his head.Well, if I was indeed such a man, I might even fall into her trap.

?

The alarm clock went off at six in the morning. Lennart groaned, rubbed his eyes, and stared at the white ceiling. Today he was alone in his bed, not that he minded; Leticia stayed with her sister who was having trouble coping with the changing situation.

He was glad to be alone. Although Leticia was a good company, Lennart had no intention of becoming emotionally attached. He’d wanted to bring it up a couple of times, but he never got the right opportunity. It wasn’t his intention to give her false hope, but the days somehow passed by quickly.

Lennart stretched his muscles before leaving the comfort of the covers. When he came out of the bathroom, he pulled on a white t-shirt and baggy shorts, grabbed a fresh towel, bottle of water and left his room.

The hallway was chilly, but Lennart wasn’t overly bothered by the cold. When he arrived at the gym, he saw that one resident who was always present, a young woman he didn’t know personally, but who always seemed to be working out when he was. She was running on the treadmill with her headphones on and smiled when she noticed him. Lennart waved and walked towards an exercise machine.

Lennart had the urge to stretch his muscles and tire his body to its maximum to ease tension from the last few days. While he stretched, more people arrived. He took a short break after a few sets and wiped the sweat from his skin with a towel. He took a couple of sips of water and moved to another machine. As he faced the ceiling a familiar face entered his field of vision.

“Good morning!”

Lennart experienced déjà vu, recalling how Hugo had informed him that the Third World War had begun.

“Liam.” Lennart paused and looked at him.

“Yup, it’s me!” His friend grinned.

“What time is it?” Lennart asked, pushing the bar intentionally to force Liam backwards.

“Mm, almost seven? Probably.”

“And you’re already awake?” Lennart asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been sleeping quite poorly lately,” Liam admitted.

“Tell me about it.”

“I guess all this mess going on is getting to me too.”

“We’re all affected one way or another. It manifests itself more on some people, on others less.”

“Yeah. By the way, when is Gunnar’s Birthday party?”