Olivia
It took a full week of morning yoga for Olivia to finally remain awake during Savasana. The odd tear was still shed here and there, but overall, she felt incredible. She had energy now, and not the frenetic caffeine high that she had spent so long believing was normal. From the moment she woke up until the second she laid her head on the pillow at night, she felt invigorated. However, it wasn’t just a physical transformation. The niggling, gnawing, continuous angst that had made itself at home in the back of Olivia’s heart had eased somewhat. Tracey had been right: yoga really was healing stuff.
And so, life had settled into a steady and comfortable routine. Yoga in the morning, breakfast or a coffee with Cece afterwards, followed by sunbathing, reading and, of course, the odd excursion to a church. Yoga may be powerful, but it couldn’t erase thirty years of incessant organization and activity overnight. At the end of the day, she was still Olivia Jackson, and a few downward dogs and cleansing breaths weren’t going to change that.
Not entirely, anyway.
She checked the time and felt her stomach plummet.
‘Shit.’ She jumped out of bed. ‘Cece is going tokillme.’
Grabbing her T-shirt from the previous day and shoving it over her head, Olivia slipped on her sandals and made a dash for the studio. Thankfully it was close by, and nobody cared what anyone looked like, because a fleeting glance in the mirror before she left told her that her hair needed a brush, and her clothes needed a wash. However, she was praying that Cece still lived by her mantra ‘it’s not about what it looks like, it’s about what it feels like’.
As she approached the little shack, she could see her friend waiting for her on the steps.
‘Sorry! I am so sorry,’ she called, stumbling across the warming sand.
‘That’s OK’ – Cece waved her in – ‘I thought you might have overslept.’
‘No, I had plenty of time and then suddenly, I didn’t!’ She kicked off her shoes and ran inside. ‘I don’t know what happened.’
‘What happened was, you finally adjusted to Goa time.’ Cece laughed, closing the drapes behind them and following Olivia into the space.
The class was quite full, with only two spare mats available. Olivia knew Cece would make a comment if she didn’t choose the one in the front, so she picked her way across the platform, smiling and whispering hurried hellos to familiar faces.
‘Good. Now that everybody is here’ – Cece smirked – ‘I think we’re ready to begin.’
Olivia took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herracing heart. Running to yoga probably wasn’t the best idea she’d ever had. Beads of sweat gathered along her hairline, as she desperately tried to cool her body temperature. How was it already roasting in here?
As ever, the chorus of thoughts chattered inside her head, and it took Olivia a moment to realize Cece had stopped midway through her routine introduction.
‘Hello? Can I help you?’ she asked, walking past Olivia to the back of the studio.
On cue, everyone turned their heads, eliciting a synchronized rustle of bodies. Olivia kept her gaze forward; she was having enough trouble willing her armpits to stop gushing water, without any further distraction.
‘Hey.’ A man’s voice drifted through the studio, causing every cell in Olivia’s body to contract. ‘I didn’t mean to interrupt.’
If Olivia’s body was hot before, it was now on fire.
‘That’s OK – are you here for the class?’ Cece’s voice was quieter now, but Olivia could still pick out every word.
‘If that’s all right?’ the man spoke again, louder now. ‘I know I’m a bit late.’
It can’t be.
But Olivia knew that sound. A sound that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, and the ends of her fingers tingle. A sound that sent a rush of shooting stars flying through her centre. A sound that she never thought she’d hear again.
‘That’s fine. Come in and take that mat at the back – we were just about to get started.’ The padding of Cece’s footsteps grew louder. ‘What’s your name, by the way?’
Olivia didn’t dare breathe.
‘I’m Jacob.’
At that, she finally caved, whipping her head round to lock eyes with his, liquid liquorice piercing through her.
‘Hey,’ he mouthed at her.
But she couldn’t respond. Her brain had gone into full meltdown, the world pulled like a rug beneath her feet, throwing her off kilter completely. There were now so many thoughts in her head that it was simply white noise.
