A bare arm thrust the clothes through the curtain at him. Bas took them and tucked them away. He waited another moment, then decided to go in to the sauna.
“I’m going in now. Have to make sure Adam doesn’t fall asleep. If you knock when you come in, we’ll both look away so you can take a seat. Okay?” No answer. He waited another moment, then made his way into the small room. The hot, humid air hit him hard. The winter had been long and cold. He’d been fighting the battle against dry skin for months. This would definitely help.
Bas took a seat next to Adam, leaning against the wall and sighing deeply.
“This is heaven.”
“I don’t think I’ve been this warm since last summer,” Adam replied sleepily. “Ru and I need to do the sauna more, but the one at the community center is always packed.”
There was a soft knock on the door.
“Don’t look at him,” Bas instructed Adam.
“’Kay. I’m just gonna keep my eyes closed. Wake me when it’s time to move on to the next thing.”
“Come in,” Bas called, turning to look at Adam instead of at Dane when he entered. Dane sat opposite from them, almost as far away as he could get. He had a towel around his waist and one clutched to his stomach. Bas did no more than glance at Dane.
“Relax. The timer will go off like an elevator ding when we’re done in here. Just let the steam do its work. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Release all the stress. Think of this as a breathing exercise with all the benefits of warm humid air.”
It took a few minutes, but Bas could feel the tension leave the room as Dane began to relax. Adam dozed beside Bas, and Dane finally let the second towel drop to his lap as he leaned back and rested his head against the wall. The steam surrounded them like a familiar blanket of warmth. Bas hoped they’d be easy to wake when their time was up if they both ended up dozing.
