“No, I know. It’s just—”
“What?”
“I don’t fucking know… okay fine, let’s just do this,” I say as she comes over and sits down on the mat in front of me.
“Right, so this first pose is quite challenging, but I think it’ll be fun for you two. Tillie is a pro at yoga, so it should be okay to manage. It’s called the Buddy Boat pose. I want you guys to face each other, grip each other’s forearms, place your feet against each other’s, then raise them until your legs are between you,forming a triangle. Your arms holding each other will stop you from falling backward. This is a good test of core strength and trust.”
I raise my eyebrow as it sounds completely ridiculous, but Tillie looks excited, so I figure I’ll give it a go. I reach out, grabbing her forearms, and feeling her silky skin under my calloused hands sends a wave of warmth straight through my very soul. It surprises me, causing me to clear my throat of the lump that has formed there.
“You ready?” Tillie asks. The smile on her face accentuates the little dimple on her left cheek, and for the first time, it makes me want to study every inch of her face. Her glasses are off, and while she looks pretty with them on, she is striking without them. I’m a little alarmed about the way I’m thinking of her right now as my bare feet touch hers, and we struggle with equal smiles, pulling our legs up between us. It’s hard, and I’m not this flexible, but after a bit of maneuvering and some slight help from Tillie, we’re positioned as we’re supposed to be. Bums are on the ground, legs in the air, hands gripping on for dear life so we don’t fall. The achievement has me smiling wide, knowing I can do anything with a bit of help and some self-confidence.
“We’re doing it, Ryan,” she calls out, and I chuckle.
“We are. We’re awesome,” I call back, my hands sweating slightly. They slip on her forearms, and our balance topples, sending us flying to the side. We collapse onto the mat, legs tangling around each other’s, and we both laugh as she falls on me. It seems the tension from earlier is gone as we lay on the floor, laughing at each other.
Tillie unwraps herself from me and lies next to me as we look up at the ceiling.
“Wanna do another one?” I ask.
“That’s the spirit,” she says with a smirk, jumping up and pulling me with her.
“Okay, so for this one, Ryan, we’ll have you lying on your back. Tillie, you stand over Ryan as he braces his knees against his chest. You’ll lay on his feet, which will be placed on your hips, and, Ryan, you’ll grab Tillie’s arms for extra support. When you feel like you have her weight, you will extend your legs almost like Tillie is flying.”
I take a deep breath. Tillie will be completely over the top of me. One wrong move, and she falls right on me. The realization causes my cock to twitch. With another deep breath to settle myself, I situate myself as Lara directed.
“Oh, fun,” Tillie chimes, and I purse my lips as I lie on the floor. Tillie gets into position, and I grab her arms as she lies down on my feet. Taking a deep breath, I lift her, wobbling and shaking. It’s not that my legs aren’t strong enough to hold her. It’s more that I do not want to drop her.
“You can do this, Ry,” she encourages, looking directly at me. Unlike the first pose, I see her face perfectly this way. Even though she’s a distance away from me, this feels more intimate. She’s looking right at me and smiling.
It’s distracting, and her beautiful smile is doing something to me. My insides are shaking, and I can’t seem to focus on anything as my mind becomes a jumbled mess. I hate her, but something in me at this moment is making everything in me want to drop her, so she lands on me, and I can wrap myself around her, and it has nothing to do with my dick.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it, and I’m done for. It’s the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen her do, and my knees go weak. She plummets toward me, and my body reacts before I can even think about what I’m doing. She falls with a squeal, so I grab her, rolling us over, my hand swooping under her head so it doesn’t hit the floor as I spin and land on top of her. I’m panting hard while I stare into her eyes, andshe’s looking at me, furrowing her brows like she’s wondering what the hell just happened. Her chocolate eyes bore up at me, sending sparks through the room in all directions. My heart is racing so fast I feel nauseous as my stomach flips and my pulse races frantically. Electricity surges between us, sparking off in all directions, igniting the room in an inferno of epic proportions as my chest squeezes tight, making it harder to breathe.
This can’t be happening.
Not now.
Not with Tillie!
A lump forms in my throat as she looks at me through her hooded lashes, and I break free from the trance. My heart rate is sky high, and my blood pressure must be through the roof as I jump up, leaving her on the floor while I pant rapidly, trying to catch my damn breath.
“Time’s up,” Lara says, bringing me back from my panic.
As I turn, Tillie slowly gets up off the floor and avoids looking at me. I take the moment to thank Lara and turn, walking out of the room. I know we have to share a car ride back to the office, but right now, I can’t look at Tillie. I need to get away from her so I head for the car and jump into the driver’s side to wait.
Tillie arrives not long after, and I start the car without a word, pulling onto the road in a silence that feels heavier than before. The tension is thick, clinging to the air like fog. Both our shoulders are rigid, squared forward, refusing even the slightest turn that might risk a glance. Every breath seems to echo in the confined space, amplifying the discomfort that presses in on us from every angle.
The quiet on the way to the gym felt different—tense, yes, but bearable. Now, it’s like the silence has changed its shape, morphing into something harsher, more unforgiving. Whatever was left unsaid before is now screaming between us, lingering like a cold shadow that neither of us can shake.
“So… that was fun,” Tillie finally breaks through the stillness, her voice quiet and soft.
I look at her and manage a smirk. “Yeah… it was better than I thought it’d be.”
“See, you shouldn’t close your mind to new things. Sometimes something new can be wonderful.”
“Are we still talking about yoga here, Tillie?”
