Placing her small hands on my elbows, she raises them up halfway. “You can keep the pose here if you’re feeling any discomfort.”
“I’m fine,” I say, and push my arms up to where everyone else is posing. She gives me a hard look and walks back to her mat.
“Good. Now, let’s take this to Warrior Two, looking straight ahead, beyond your fingertips. Hold it here for three breaths.”
Again, Sage steps out of her pose and walks back to me. What could I possibly be doing wrong now? My arms are up, aren’t they?
She places her bare foot next to mine and her pink polish twinkles in the sunlight. Her foot is slender, and the tendons move as she brushes her heel to the inside of my foot. “Move this back an inch or so to keep it in line with the front leg,” she whispers next to my lips. It’s not intentional, and neither is the chill racing up my spine.
When I don’t move, she places her hands on my hips and pulls them back an inch. My foot follows. “There,” she whispers. “That’s very good.”
I wipe a bead of sweat before it trickles down my forehead.
Why is it so hot in this room?
Austin looks back at me and smiles. I ignore him and focus on the next pose. For this one, Sage drops her hand next to her front foot and raises her other arm straight to the ceiling. “This is a triangle pose, and it opens the chest up beautifully.”
I keep my eyes trained to the ceiling instead of checking to see what the pose does to her chest. I’m not a Neanderthal, after all. Man, it feels like I haven’t had a woman in months instead of days. But Sage’s lips and voice have me in knots.
Her gaze lands on my hips and I adjust my position to resemble hers as best as I can. She smiles when my movement pleases her and all I can think about is pleasing her again.
And again.
I close my eyes and listen to my breath. Focusing on my breathing helps narrow my monologue to my body instead of hers. It feels strange at first. I want to open my eyes and check if anyone is watching me.
A quick peek confirms that they are as Mrs. Green quickly looks away. She’s only ten years older than me, but in this town we always refer to our elders by their last names.
Her husband fixes cars and tractors. I took my first car to him for an oil change. I remember seeing Mrs. Green there. She was newly married then. She only had eyes for her husband. Looks like those eyes prefer more variety now.
Or maybe like everyone else she just likes the fact that I play baseball in the big leagues.
I’ve had women tell me they just want to sleep with me because of what I do. At least they’re honest about it.
Thinking of Mrs. Green has cooled the temperature in the room, and I follow Sage’s instructions to the letter. Her fluid movements remind me of a dancer, but there’s something more earthy to her than showy. Maybe it’s her big curly hair, or peachleotard. But I imagine her in a field of wildflowers instead of a club.
A little while later, when Sage tells us to lie flat on our backs and close our eyes, I drift into a semi-unconsciousness, listening to the soothing tone of her voice.
“Imagine yourself in a place that brings you joy and peace. Picture your body floating, without any weight holding you down, and now imagine the air beneath your back.”
Oddly, I do imagine it, just like she tells me to. I feel light and free as though I’m levitating. I inhale deeply and exhale loudly.
“Now picture yourself landing softly onto a bed of fresh grass,” she whispers, and her voice is like a beacon of light guiding my body to where she wants it to go. “Slowly, I want you to move your fingers and your toes, bringing awareness back to your body.”
The movement feels strange. As though I’ve awoken from a full night’s sleep.
“When you’re ready, open your eyes.”
The lines in the ceiling are the first thing I notice, and I blink.
Austin groans beside me and it’s jarring for a moment; I thought it was just me and Sage in this room. “That was amazing,” he says as he rolls onto his side and sits up. “What did you think?”
“It was different. But good.”
“That’s it?”
What did he want me to say? That it changed my life? “Yeah. That’s it.”
Sage walks over to us and flips her hair. “So, how do you feel?”
