The Lockdown

2

The next morning Andy felt much better, the absence of a hangover miraculously improved his mood and he thought that there was a miniscule chance he would survive the lockdown with his sanity intact. He poured himself some cereal and sat down on the sofa next to Cam who was browsing on his laptop.

"So what do you do when I'm not around?" Andy asked the younger man.

"I usually start the morning working out a little while you are still asleep. I normally go for a run or exercise in the park or if the weather is bad I just do some yoga or I use your equipment." Andy had a small exercise bike and a collapsible bench with a couple of barbells set up in the corner of his living room which he occasionally used when he did not feel like going to the gym before heading to work. When Cam moved in, Andy told him to use them freely as much as he wanted to, but he was surprised that Cam actually did as the machines were always in an immaculate condition, clean and stored properly whenever he woke up. That should have been a clue though because Andy did not habitually keep anything in a meticulous order, he just thought Cam must have put everything back into its place if anything was in his way when Andy was not at home. "Running and the park are probably out for a while," Cam continued, "and I can do yoga in my room to not disturb you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Andy glowered at his roommate which made Cam flinch warily. "This is your home as well; you can do your exercise wherever you feel comfortable. Besides your room is tiny, physical activity in there has to be way too restricted."

"You'd be surprised," joked Cameron blushing adorably at his forwardness. Andy looked up surprised since he was not aware that the youngster brought anybody to the apartment before. When Cam moved in, they discussed the possibility and they assured each other that they would not have a problem with the other having friends over or even with overnight guests in their rooms. To his knowledge Cam never had any visitors, and while Andy occasionally brought a date home, since their rooms were across from each other with the living room in between, noise was not really an issue, plus Andy usually managed to keep it down and get her out shortly after their hookup. 'Well, that's another thing out of question for a while,' Andy thought gloomily as lockdown rules expressly discouraged random meetings between strangers.

"We could exercise together," Andy suggested. "Just give me a few minutes to change and you can teach me that yoga if you like."

"That would be fantastic," enthused the younger man, "I even have two mats, one for home, the other one for the park when I go out to do some yoga there with my friends. It is so much more fun when there's somebody else to do the poses with."

Andy vehemently disagreed with that statement as he was struggling to emulate even the most basic yoga poses Cam was showing him. He was amazed by the flexibility and ease of the youngster as he effortlessly transitioned from one position to the next. Andy was at least eight inches taller and much more muscular so he felt a bit intimidated that he could not keep up with the youngster. "This is ridiculous," he mumbled after Cam insisted he hold a pose for a full minute sweating all over the mat. "It's going to get easier if we do it regularly," Cam assured him. "Regularly?" Andy protested. "I don't think I will be able to lift a leg by tomorrow you torturous evil tyrant."

Cam chuckled at his discomfort. "Go take a shower and I will make something for lunch." He patted Andy's shoulder as he was lying face down on the mat. Andy perked up immediately. "What are we having?" he asked suddenly famished. "I thought I will make some pansit or just a sandwich maybe if you are not too hungry..."

"Pansit!" shouted Andy enthusiastically, "I love your Filipino dishes. You should teach me how to cook that instead of this stupid yoga." He jumped up and rushed into the bathroom. When he returned ten minutes later after a quick shower, Cam was chopping up some cabbage and carrots to go along with the sliced-up chicken already roasting in a pan on the stove. Water was bubbling in a pot waiting for the store-bought noodles Cam pulled from the cupboard. He explained every step to Andy, telling him a story how his grandmother taught him the recipe when they visited her years before and how disappointed she would be that he was not making the noodles from scratch. Andy lost track after the fifth spice Cam added but did not interrupt him enjoying his enthusiasm and the apparent fondness he had for his grandmother whom he must have been missing tremendously. Soon the dish was ready, Andy set the table and proceeded to eat every single morsel Cam served him. After cleaning up Cam went into his bedroom to start work despite Andy insisting that he would not bother him in the living room. Andy figured that it would probably be him disturbing the youngster's work and resigned himself to spend the next hours alone. Someone working next to him would have at least provided company.