Passing by the gym to turn around another corner, Gawain searched around with a subdued but hopeful gleam in his eyes. His steps slowed down, until Alex's drowned out voice came from the front and snapped him out of his daze:
"Stop looking already. She must be in the shower right now, preparing to go to work. Unless you want to take that shower with her."
The teasing edge in the voice made Gawain feel some fire on his cheeks for a moment, before he turned around as if nothing happened, and advanced to catch up with Alex, offering no word in response. He ignored the smile thrown his way, and focused forward.
Alex's smile lost its amused and teasing edge and became a true smile for a moment, before he shifted his gaze away. Stepping out of the corridor, the front opened, as a brighter light took over from the dimmer light of the corridor. His eyes lit up, as he did not focus on the indoor rock climbing walls, but on the women who were in the hall instead.
His eyes darted around, appreciative gleams flashing through them, as he made his gaze roam over the different figures and shapes around.
There was a reason why he liked coming here despite being able to easily afford a private gym. His heartbeat picked in speed, his body warmed up, and his smile gained what seemed like megawatts of charm.
From the plumper ones on the beginners' side to the firmer and more toned figures in front of higher difficulty walls. Who would even bother with art galleries now?
Alex regretted not having his sunglasses with him. He would have lowered them to make his actions more obvious, and express his appreciation even more clearly.
There were rarely shy people in this kind of setting, and he was not looking like a lecher, so some girls even returned Alex's smile as he looked at them.
Gawain shook his head helplessly, but as Alex did not stop to ogle and flirt, and kept walking, he said nothing until he arrived at his destination:
"I will take this wall."
It was only then that Alex pulled his attention back. He looked at the wall Gawain had chosen, and raised an eyebrow:
"V9? It seems that you are getting back into shape."
Gawain smiled slightly:
"Without the touch, it is difficult, but not impossible."
Alex looked at the last group of wall further away, then smiled at Gawain:
"Then let me play with you. Without harness."
Before Gawain could reply, Alex had already walked to the wall, and taken his first step. The blond could only helplessly look at his reckless friend, before he signalled the staff to ready measures in case of an accident.
Despite not having any harness secured for safety, Alex climbed without any hesitation in his movements. He even smiled, enjoying it as his actions attracted attention, and many stopped to look, including some women whose attention had failed to leave Alex after the exchange of flirtatious glances.
The crowd held its breath as Alex showed his dexterity, but also his endurance, as he did not take any rest along the way. As he approached the top, cheers and applause started coming, making his smile grow even bigger.
He accelerated, the muscles of his calves and his sweaty forearms displaying their beauty and captivating the attention even more. With one final breath, he reached the top, and changed his position to face the crowd below.
"Ohhh!!!"
"Incredible!"
"Splendid!"
"Woooo!!!"
Alex's chest heaved as he received the cheers, the applause, the admiration. The men appreciated the daring and the technique, while the women, at least most of them, seemed to be appreciating his sweaty body more.
But he didn't mind. If anything, he enjoyed that attention, as he showed his white teeth with a wide smile.
Gawain shook his head, and decided to try the V10 wall at the side instead.
Even though prosthetics made it difficult, he would rather challenge himself than wait for Alex to finish recklessly showing off.
_ _ _
_ _ _
*Ding*
The elevator stopped in the underground parking lot. Gawain came out, his sunny blond hair seemingly lighting up the surroundings as it reflected the light, and he turned around to nod calmly:
"See you later."
"Yeah, see you."
Alex was looking refreshed as he nodded, and watched Gawain walk away. He pressed on the button of the last floor, and the door of the lift closed again.
While waiting for it to arrive at the destination, he looked at his reflection on the wall, and used his hand to style his hair and adjust the look he had adopted for the day.
*Ding*
The last floor was emptier than the second, but there were still some coming and going, visiting shops or simply window-shopping.
Alex turned to the right, and walked to the light shining down from the round hundred meters wide skylight in the dome above before being refracted into different spectra of soft light around by the big tower of transparent crystal it was shining onto below.
Alex traversed the corridor and went to hold onto the railing at the edge. He smiled with a soft gleam of pride on his face as he looked at the beautiful tower, and the crowd coming and going in the mall. He murmured softly to himself
"'K World'..."
It was indeed like a world, a world for shopping, modern, full of technological conveniences, as if to hint at the future. And it was just a start.
Alex's smile deepened, before he restrained it in a flash, and returned to his usual trademark grin. He turned and walked away, making a beeline for the cafe in the prime location right in front of the escalator not far, and easily spotted from most parts of the external corridor on the last floor.
'Remembrance Cafe', with the name written in a large and beautiful calligraphy, was also already opened, like most of the shops. Alex stepped inside, and greetings flew his way:
"Good morning, boss."