Chapter 18 #2
Hips were not supposed to do this. I was certain of it.
Humans had not evolved to torture themselves this way.
How the hell were the people around me not tearing ligaments?
Was it the heat? I guzzled more water, and when I was finished, wiping at my mouth with the back of my wrist, I discovered Jess watching me with a concerned look on her face.
I looked over at Sully, who was wincing, his face red as he sank into pigeon pose.
“You okay?” I whispered. The tendons in his neck were tight, his eyes squeezed shut as he extended one leg behind him, the other bent in front of him, stretching his groin in an unnatural way.
He shook his head. “Tell my wife I love her,” he whispered as he slowly tipped onto one side, like a felled tree.
I stifled a laugh as he flopped onto his back and stared.
But I was determined to push through. I peeled my soaked T-shirt off and wiped my face, then rejoined the sequence. I would not disgrace myself any further. I was on the wrong side of forty, but I wasn’t dead, for Christ’s sake.
Jess guided us through a few seated poses that were twisty but doable, then brought us back to child’s pose, which was becoming my favorite.
“Well done,” she said, her voice somehow soothing and energetic at the same time.
“Now we’ll move into shavasana. Also called corpse pose.
This is how we end our practice. While you focus on relaxing, letting go of all the tension in your body, I’ll come around with cool cloths infused with essential oils for your foreheads. ”
I lay back on my mat in what felt like an inch-thick puddle of sweat, my muscles burning.
Fuck, I’d certainly never underestimate yoga again.
Soothing music played while Jess guided us through cleansing breaths. And then it was just me and my thoughts. Eyes closed, breathing deeply, I worked to recover physically and emotionally from that experience.
As a cool cloth was pressed to my forehead, the calming scent of lavender infiltrated my nose. I opened my eyes and peered up at the angel come to comfort me.
She crouched beside me and adjusted the cloth. “You did great, Counselor.”
I closed my eyes again. Primarily because the view down her sports bra was too tantalizing. I breathed deeply and tried to relax, since that was, after all, the whole point of this corpse on the floor thing.
But all I could focus on was how pretty Jess was. How magnetic. How the sound of her voice and the sight of her in that outfit had given me more energy than I’d had in years.
Lying there, sweaty and wrecked, I discovered that I’d been overcome by the peace that Cal was always going on about. Jess’s presence grounded me. It pulled me out of the chaos in my head and made even this physical torture feel good.
A chime rang, and the room slowly brightened. I sat and surveyed my friends. Cal and Lo, who didn’t really look worse for wear, were making moony eyes at one another. Sully was chugging water like he’d just returned from a week in the desert and shaking his head in disbelief.
After cleaning our mats and putting the other equipment away, I made my way over to the front, where a group of what I assumed were regulars were chatting with Jess.
“You survived.” She bounced over to me, her pristine ponytail bobbing and her skin glowing with a light sheen of sweat. She looked incredible. I, on the other hand, looked like a swamp monster and probably smelled like a dumpster in August.
“Barely.” I huffed. “Remind me never to underestimate yoga again.”
“It will be easier next time.” Her wide smile was half amusement and half challenge as she took a step closer.
With that small move, it was as if she’d crossed an invisible barrier. This close, the air between us crackled, the heat it caused was much more enjoyable than the heat of the yoga studio.
We both knew I’d be back, and it wasn’t because I’d suddenly fallen in love with yoga.
“Great class.” Cal elbowed me out of the way and hugged Jess.
“Your crow was fantastic,” she said to him.
He bounced on his toes like a little boy. “That trick you showed me last time really helped.”
Jealousy flared within me. I wanted to be her star student with the perfect crow pose. God, what was wrong with me?
Lo and Sully appeared, waving goodbye to Jess, and suddenly, I found myself rushed out the door.
“Gotta get home.” Cal explained, giving Jess a friendly wave. “Bubbles has been looking pale again and I’m worried about him.”
Lo’s eyes widened. Shit, I’d had such a good feeling about Bubbles the Ninth.
As we walked home, my mind raced. That wasn’t unusual, though I was typically thinking about legal briefs. But this time, I was consumed by thoughts of how painful it felt leaving her.
And then, as if summoned directly from my nightmares, Madame E appeared, blocking me on the front steps.
“Ah,” she said, clapping her braceleted hands together. “The fool card appears.”
“Um. Is that me?”
She nodded and patted my shoulder. “Every day. But I wanted to tell you. I had a dream about you.”
I braced myself, last time she had a dream about me, it involved me pantsless with plungers. She claimed it was because I was spiritually and emotionally blocked.
Patting my face, she smiled. “A courtroom. And a feline judge.”
Great, this couldn’t be any fucking weirder.
“Two giggling children as the jury. And the verdict.”
I looked at her expectantly.
“Undecided,” she replied, shaking her head. What in the ever-loving mystic fuck was she talking about?
Desperate to end this conversation, I asked. “Was I at least wearing pants in this dream?”
She stared at me for a beat. “Not emotionally.”