13. Eliza
ELIZA
Lily
Can you bring an extra yoga mat today?
Me
Yeah, no problem. Did something happen to yours?
Lily
Nope!
Me
You just need an extra?
Lily
Yes! I have a friend joining class :)
Me
I don’t think Gabe would be very happy to find out you’re referring to him as a “friend.”
Lily
Oh! Yes, he’ll be there, too.
Could you bring two extras, actually?
Me
Lily…what are you planning????
Gabe coming to yoga was suspicious.
Lily asking for two mats was extra suspicious.
I had a hunch what my best friend was up to, because she wasn’t exactly subtle.
You’d think after having someone meddle in her love life, she wouldn’t meddle in mine, but she simply couldn’t help it.
Not that I had a love life. I’d made it clear that it wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t fault her for it and her sunshine heart, though.
Either way, I was going to play it cool today. If Leo showed up, so be it. I’d teach my class like normal and move on with my day. Maybe he wouldn’t even show.
My purple yoga mat was already set up at the front of the room, and the rest of the studio quickly filled up as people arrived. Jules and Lily took their spots toward the front, along with Gabe and an empty spot Lily was reserving. She grinned at me when I noticed the extra mat.
A few of my grandma’s friends were here, as well as other locals.
Maybe Leo wouldn’t show after all.
Just as I was going to exhale in relief, Leo came sauntering in wearing a black sweatshirt and athletic shorts. Like everyone else, he’d slipped his shoes off and left them by the cubbies near the front door.
“Leo!” Lily called, waving him over.
I stood there, mouth open like a fool, because Leo Rivers had a thigh tattoo. A freaking thigh tattoo!
I wasn’t close enough to know for sure, but it looked like a line drawing of a city skyline. Chicago, if I had to guess.
“Are you okay, dear?” my grandma’s friend, Donna, asked, about to get up from her mat to come check on me.
One thing I loved about Donna was that she was in full glam regardless of where she was going, including yoga.
Makeup, sparkly nails, and a workout outfit that was all sequins.
Donna was that girl—absolutely fabulous.
“Yes, I’m great!” I said cheerfully, or at least I hoped it came off that way and not like I was malfunctioning. “I think this is everyone today, but let me go double-check.”
I walked out of the room and checked the list of people who had signed up for today’s class. Once I made sure everyone had made it, I locked the front door and returned to the studio. Leo had ditched his sweatshirt and was now in a black T-shirt. As if he wasn’t distracting enough already.
Great.
“Good morning, everyone,” I greeted. “I’m thrilled you’ve joined me this morning, where for the next sixty minutes, we’ll be rooted in our breath, body, and mind.
When you’re ready, join me at the back of your mat.
You can have your knees together or open them apart.
Then walk your hands forward and lower yourself down.
We’ll take the next five breaths in child’s pose,” I instructed while demonstrating the motions.
I ran my classes a little differently depending on the season and who attended.
When Golden Falls was a little quieter, most of the people who joined class were regulars, like Lily, Jules, and Donna.
With summer right around the corner, there would be new faces joining, whether it was tourists, college students returning home for the next few months, or a local looking to switch up their workout.
If it was someone new to my studio, I tried to talk with them before class to get an idea of how comfortable they were with yoga so I’d know whether to give them modifications to make poses easier or more challenging.
I didn’t have a chance to talk with Leo before class started, but I knew Gabe hadn’t done yoga before, so I made sure to offer modifications both that eased some of the poses but also kept it challenging for my regulars.
I wanted my yoga studio to be a safe space for anyone and everyone, and I also tried to offer discounts or free classes when I could, especially for high school kids who needed a place to just be.
I was always professional in my classes, but right now? There wasn’t anything professional about how I couldn’t keep my eyes off Leo, watching as the muscles in his arms and legs rippled and flexed. How his thigh tattoo peeked out from the bottom of his shorts.
Leo was strong. No doubt about it. I had no clue if he’d done yoga before or not, but he was keeping up, carefully following my instructions.
In my defense, I wasn’t the only one staring. I caught Donna distracted and wobbling a few times, and that lady was normally still as a statue. Lily nearly toppled over one time, mouthing a sorry to Jules, who giggled.
That made me feel better.
I didn’t think a man who I was seeing ever came to one of my yoga classes or a yoga class in general with me. Colin certainly hadn’t.
But…here was Leo, someone who had nothing to gain by showing up to class.
I tried not to think too much of what that stirred inside of me, shoving it to the back of my mind and trying to follow my own advice of being present in class and not letting my thoughts wander.
We ended class on our backs in savasana, or corpse pose, for the final minutes.
“Start to bring your awareness back to my voice,” I instructed gently.
“Wiggle your fingers and toes. Reach your arms overhead, take a deep breath in, and exhale. Hug your knees into your chest and roll onto your side. When you’re ready, join me back in a seated position.
” Instead of facing the mirror, I sat so I was facing everything, keeping my eyes closed for now.
“Rest your hands on your knees and sit up tall. We’ll finish by taking a deep breath in to fully take in the benefits of our practice and an audible exhale out.
Open your eyes when you’re ready.” I opened my eyes and paused, letting everyone catch up.
“Thank you again for joining me. I can’t think of a better way to start my day than with you.
” I smiled at the group, and it always brought me joy to see how relaxed everyone looked.
Their jaws unclenched, shoulders at ease, and gentle smiles on their faces.
There was something rejuvenating about taking an hour for yourself—no phones, distractions, or worries—and it made me happy to see others feel that too.
“Take your time getting up from your mat. I’ll see you at the front desk on your way out. ”
I got up from my mat to unlock the front door while giving everyone time to finish their practice. Slowly, they trickled out of the studio with their mats in tow.
“Great job, Donna, as always,” I complimented with a smile. “See you next week?”
“My favorite way to start the morning. See you next week.” She waved on her way out.
Next was Lily, Jules, and Gabe. I expected to see Leo with them, but when I looked over, he was still rolling up his mat.
“I feel like I can do anything after that,” Gabe said on an exhale, handing over the mat he’d borrowed.
I grinned at him. “I take it I’ll see you at another class?”
“Definitely. And next time Lily won’t have to trick—”
“I didn’t trick you. I invited you,” Lily interjected.
I playfully narrowed my eyes at her, and she innocently shrugged.
“Don’t forget we have our movie night this week,” Jules reminded us.
“I can’t wait,” I said, with Lily echoing the sentiment. “Have a good day!”
Everyone else had left, which meant it was just Leo and me. He came over to the front desk, setting down the rolled-up mat. “I take it this is one of yours?”
“It is.” I grabbed the mat and placed it behind the desk where I also had the one Gabe used. “So, Lily roped you into coming this morning?”
Leo chuckled as he sat on the bench near the cubbies to put on his socks and sneakers. “I wouldn’t say that. I’ve been meaning to come by for a class. She invited me.”
“Uh-huh. Just like she invited Gabe?” I teased as I rounded the desk, leaning my hip against it.
Leo’s smile slowly spread. “Gabe was roped in. That I’m not denying.”
At least I had that right.
He stood, putting his sweatshirt back on, and my eyes flicked to his thigh tattoo again.
I had two weaknesses—thigh tattoos and mustaches—and the world was out to get me, because Leo had both. What had I done to be tortured and teased like this?! My teeth sank into my bottom lip. What other tattoos did he have that I couldn’t see?
“My eyes are up here, Trouble,” Leo rasped, catching me red-handed.
My eyes widened as I met his gaze. I didn’t get embarrassed or caught off guard easily, but heat coursed up my neck to my cheeks. “I was just, um, trying to figure out the city skyline on your tattoo.”
Okay, not bad. I wasn’t denying that I was looking at it, but I also wasn’t admitting to gawking…except Leo’s expression told me he wasn’t buying my response for a second.
“It’s Chicago.” He reached for his shorts and did the most diabolical thing—he lifted the hem slightly to show the full tattoo instead of just the bottom half that was visible. “I got it before I left.”
“Right, Chicago,” I said, as if I hadn’t suspected that. “Do most of your tattoos represent the places you’ve lived?” I asked curiously, thinking about the mountain scape he said he’d gotten while in Portland.
“Some of them, yeah. I have a few random ones, too. Some related to cooking, but I want that aspect of my life to speak for itself.”
“You’ll have to get one for Golden Falls before you leave.” My mind immediately went to a couple of my favorite spots around here that took my breath away no matter how many times I visited.
“Huh, yeah, I guess I will,” Leo realized. He tilted his head to the side, watching me carefully. “Any ideas?”
“I might have a few, but they’re not spots I show just anyone,” I teased.
One spot in particular came to mind: one of the more secluded trails that led to a beautiful clearing and view of Lake Golden. It happened to be one of my parents’ favorite spots, too.
“Looks like I’ll have to earn it, then.” He spoke like he was a man on a mission, and I liked his determination more than I should have.
“Looks like it.”
Against my better judgment, my gaze dipped again.
This time, it wasn’t to his thigh but to his mouth, and I wasn’t sure which one was worse.
He’d only been in town for about two weeks, and I was already losing my resolve to stay away from him.
More often than not, I questioned why we couldn’t cross the line once. Just once.
Maybe that would fix my problems.
I’d break my curse. I’d stop thinking about Leo. And I wouldn’t have to replay our near-kiss, wondering what it would feel like to have his mouth on mine.
What I couldn’t figure out was if Leo was losing his mind as much as I was. From what I’d seen in the kitchen, he stayed cool under pressure.
I guessed he hadn’t thought about my text and his lack of response once.
If I was going to put myself out there, see if maybe once would get him out of my system, I wanted to know he’d say yes and not reject me…again. The first time I could handle, since he was on the other side of the country. Him rejecting me and staying in town? Not the best outcome.
I’d been so busy staring at his mouth that I didn’t realize he’d been staring at mine, too. His hand flexed at his side, and he cleared his throat, stepping toward the door.
That snapped me out of whatever fantasy I was living in, and I took a step back from him, toward the studio.
“I should—” we said at the same time.
We really needed to stop doing that.
“I should get going,” Leo finished.
I nodded in response. “And I should get ready for my next class.”
“I’ll, uh, see you at Lake Ridge.” He reached for the door but stopped. “And, Trouble?”
He really needed to stop calling me that—I wasn’t the one who was trouble. He was. “Yeah?”
“You’re really good at what you do. You should be fucking proud of yourself for opening this studio and creating a community. This town is beyond lucky to have you.”
Even after Leo had left, my throat clogged with emotion every time I thought about what he’d said. It was the best compliment I’d ever gotten.