She gave him a quizzical look. “I think yoga seems great and all.Like the stretching part and relaxation. But I can’t even fathom comparing it to going to church.”
His heart sank. Was she judging him? He’d be the first to admit he wasn’t the type of man her father would probably want her to date. For one, he wasn’t a devout Catholic. And Enrique hated toxic masculinity and machismo. He saw women as equals and cared as much, if not more, about his mental health as he did his physical health.
Maybe he was just a novelty for her, and she would soon realize shedidwant a man more like her papá. Sometimes those things were ingrained in you since childhood, no matter how hard you tried to fight them.
Or maybe, now that she’d had a taste of the joys of sex, she would want to explore them, maybe find another partner. He couldn’t fault her for that, either. But the thought of another man touching her, fucking her, made his skin prickle. He hadn’t expected to have such an emotional connection to her so quickly, but he allowed his feelings in and sat with them.
But the biggest difference that was apparent to him was that she didn’t want to get married and have kids, and he did. It was early in their relationship, but this was definitely something he wanted in his life. He would never pressure a woman into starting a family if she didn’t want to. He wanted to have a family with someone who wanted that as much as he did.
They sat side by side, waiting for the teacher to begin.
The instructor sat in lotus pose and started some chanted Kirtan meditation.
Enrique followed the yogi, repeating her words. He exhaled and tried to center himself.
He looked over at Carolina. She was not chanting, and that was okay. Hopefully, she was enjoying herself.
After a few deep breaths, he was in the zone. He loved the slow yin style of practice. Relaxing into each pose, stretching his muscles. He was completely at peace and in the moment.
At the end of class, the teacher made the gesture of no fear. She ran the sound bath. The calming noise vibrated in Enrique’s soul.
“Namaste. I honor the light in you and me.” She thanked the class. Then they were dismissed.
Around them, people began rolling up their mats, slowly moving out of the class. Enrique turned to Carolina.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
She shrugged. “It was okay. Not really my thing. But thanks for bringing me.”
“That’s okay. We can try again tomorrow. I usually go every day when I’m in town,” Enrique said, smiling. “We can probably get a discount on your membership with my pass.”
“Enrique, slow down.” Carolina was smiling, but her voice shook. She sprayed her mat with a disinfectant and wiped it down with a towel. Then she rolled it up and stood, her shoulders shaking.
“Sorry. It’s totally okay if you don’t like it. I can go alone.”
They left the class and walked down the street toward his house. He led her to a bench overlooking the ocean. The salty scent of the air enlivened him. He saw surfers in the distance but didn’t dare ask Carolina to try another new hobby today.
He exhaled. “So, have you thought about what you’re going to do? Did you get any clarity with your aunt?”
“A bit. But I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
“You could move to San Diego. You have your aunt here? And me?”
“Move to San Diego?” she repeated.
“Yes.”
“In with you?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said again, and damn, he’d been expecting a happier look on her face than this. “Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to. I just thought given the situation with your family and everything...”
“That’s sweet, Enrique.” She placed a hand on his thigh. “But I think we’re rushing in a little too soon. I have dreams of my own. I can’t just become a housemistress—even if it would be fun to do this all the time.”
Regret consumed him. He shouldn’t have asked her that. Not yet. It was way too soon. “Totally understand. Forget I asked.”
“No worries.” She kissed him on the forehead. “I hope you don’t mind, but I—I’m going to take a walk alone in the park. I’ll call you later.”
“Carolina, wait, I—”
