Topher frowned. “Yoga? I’m not exactly the flexible type.”
I grinned. “You don’t have to be a human pretzel. I’ll just teach you a couple of simple poses that don’t need much space. We can do them while we’re waiting for the food to cook.”
He gave me a dubious look. “So, I’m supposed to strike a pose in the middle of the kitchen?”
“Exactly. It’s easier than you think. Just trust me, you’ll feel better.”
He looked at me like I was crazy, but went back to chopping vegetables. “Okay, enlighten me. How exactly is this going to help?”
“Because these poses are great for relaxing, and you can do them anytime or anywhere. Imagine this: a stressful board meeting, things aren’t going your way—boom, you hit them with a Tree Pose.”
“Tree Pose?”
“Watch.” I stood on one leg, placing the other foot against my calf, and raised my arms above my head. “This is Tree Pose. It’s all about balance. You try it, while I chop.”
He raised an eyebrow but lifted one foot, wobbling as he balanced on the other. “This feels... unstable.”
“Exactly!” I laughed. “Welcome to my world. Now focus. Find your center.”
To my surprise, he actually tried. His face shifted from skepticism to concentration, and I could see him getting into it.
“Am I doing this right?”
“Not bad for a beginner. Now, let’s try Warrior Pose. Take a wide stance, bend your front knee, and stretch your arms out. It’s about feeling strong and grounded.” I demonstrated, and he followed, though a bit clumsily.
“Strong and grounded, huh?” He looked at me sideways, but something about it must have clicked because he looked more relaxed. “Okay, I can see why this might be useful.”
I smirked. “Told you. Now imagine doing this in the middle of a board meeting. Total power move.”
“I don’t think my board would know what hit them.”
After that, he seemed more at ease, slicing the tomatoes with a jaw more relaxed than I’d ever seen it.
But then, when he was stirring a pot, his shoulders hunched, drawing up into his ears.
“Here, let me show you something.” I stepped behind him and gently placed my hands on his shoulders, guiding them down and back. “Relax your shoulders, like this.”
The moment my fingers made contact, a subtle jolt passed between us. He stiffened at first, but then melted into the touch, letting me ease the tension out of his muscles. His body was warm under my fingertips, and I could feel his breath catch before he exhaled.
“Better?” I tried to keep my voice steady, as if I wasn’t suddenly hyper-aware of how close we were.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Better.”
Trying to shake off the moment, I moved to the oven, focusing on the chicken as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Once it was grilled to perfection, I tossed it into the salad bowl and grabbed the vinaigrette.
“Alright, mix it all together.” I handed him a spoon.
As the fresh, tangy smell of the vinaigrette filled the kitchen, I caught him giving the salad a slight, approving nod.
He shot me a begrudging smile. “Well, it’s no protein shake, but I guess it’ll do.”
“Not bad for your first time.”
For a moment, I forgot all the reasons why he usually drove me up the wall.
Just then, we heard Josephine call from the living room. “Is dinner ready?”
Topher and I quickly plated the salad and brought it over to the table. Together, we helped Josephine ease into her chair.
