Before anyone arrived, I lit a Japanese-style incense stick to infuse the room with the calming blend of ginger, lavender, and clove. The colossal box of summer clothes I’d meant to take upstairs remained in the middle of the floor, so I lugged it to the bottom of the stairwell. Next, I hit “Play” on “The Light” by Sol Rising and dimmed the lights. The spicy incense’s faint aroma quickly permeated the room, so I snuffed the stick out in water.
While I stacked foam blocks in one corner, a tap on the slider behind me made me glance over my shoulder.
“Eli?” I jumped, unprepared to see him. Lightweight gray Nike joggers hugged his slim hips. A navy short-sleeve shirt fitted snugly around his biceps. I rolled the door open, aware that my grin gave so much away. “This is a surprise.”
“Your invitation was hard to resist.” He stepped inside, a cautious smile playing on his lips. “Is it okay that I didn’t make a reservation?”
“Sure! Only three women are coming today, so it’ll be intimate.” The word lingered between us.
Eli cleared his throat and scanned the basement. “Cute house.”
“Oh, it’s not mine. I grew up here. Moved back in this week—temporarily—thus the moving boxes.” I gestured toward the box by the stairs. “My mom’s been under a lot of stress and acting a bit off, so I’m keeping an eye on her.” To avoid creating bad karma, total honesty was required. “Plus I’m a little low on cash and couldn’t pass up free rent.”
“Hopefully, things will improve for your mom and you.” He sucked his lower lip beneath his teeth, but his eyes remained fixed on mine.
My body temperature rose like mercury in a thermometer. I didn’t particularly welcome this feeling, and yet it was a nice break from all the tension in my life. “Thanks.”
Eli’s lips twitched when he glanced at my Nicolas Cage yoga pants. He seemed amused, in a good way.
A man’s attention didn’t normally faze me, but our awkward pause made me blurt, “Can I get you some water?”
“Sure.”
As soon as he answered, Jessica London came through the door. “Hey, Erin. I’m so excited you’re doing this.” She took in the surroundings and smiled at Eli. “I could never afford Give Me Strength, and this vibe’s much better.”
“Thanks, Jess. This is Eli.” The way her eyes lit up when she extended her hand toward him made me edgy. “Eli, Jess.”
I handed him a paper cup to break up their handshake.
While he drank and Jess found a spot, I took a Sitali—or cooling—Pranayama breath before Lucy and a woman named Christie Bell wandered in. After everyone unfurled their mats, I started class, reminding myself to make eye contact with everyone, not only Eli.
“Thank you all for sharing your morning with me. For this flow class, you might need some yoga blocks, which you’ll find in the corner. As always, if at any time something doesn’t feel right, adjust or take child’s pose to rest. There’s no contest. It’s your practice. And remember, where the mind goes, energy flows, so focus on your breathing and position. Now we’ll start in mountain pose while we set our intention for the practice. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Close your eyes and face your palms forward, fingers extended. Draw your first ujjayi breath—the ocean-sounding breath—in through the nose, out through the mouth, full and expansive.” I drew three as examples. “Send that breath to the spaces inside that are depleted as we come to the mat . . .”
Teaching class was never as meditative as practicing on my own, but the focus on breath and body did take me out of my head. Oxygenation and stretching shook loose the tension carried in my shoulders and back. Deep focus on deepening a position cleared stray thoughts.
Tons of people could get themselves off Xanax if they’d give themselves the gift of yoga. Maybe I could create a tagline around that idea.
Class continued for the next fifty minutes with me leading a series of poses, occasionally walking among the students and tweaking their bodies to prevent injury. Touching Eli and having him watch me move around the room made me unusually self-conscious.
The end of class brought a sigh of relief. “Namaste.”
Jess, Christie, and Lucy rolled their mats and handed me cash on their way out. Eli lagged behind, having stayed in Savasana longer than the women and then taken his time preparing to leave.
“You’re a great instructor.” He lowered his chin, flashing another shy smile, which in turn made me the richest woman in Potomac Point despite my empty pocketbook.
The subtle flirtation prompted me to tease him. “Been to many yoga classes?”
“Define ‘many.’”
“More than one?”
His eyes twinkled. “More than one, less than twenty.”
“Can I entice you to make it a regular practice?” He had the right body for it—long and lean and flexible. He also possessed the patient and calm temperament required. Mostly I thought it could help him work through whatever weighed on him.
“Done.”
My heart squeezed. Were we flirting? I thought so, but his subtlety made me less certain.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.
“No way.” I clamped my hands beneath my armpits. “If you read my note, you know you’re getting free classes to alleviate my guilt about taking my albums back.”
“But they were your albums . . .” He hesitated, then tucked the bill back into his pocket. “By the way, thank you for the soaps.”
“You’re welcome. Did you like the scent?” A person’s body oils and odors altered a fragrance, so my products would never smell the same on someone else as they did on me.
“It’s great.” He raised his forearm under my nose.
One quick sniff proved it was a winner on Eli. Our gazes locked again. “I’m so glad.”
We stood there frozen in another awkward pause. Normally, I’d bulldoze right through this stage, but Eli’s hesitant manner and my personal goals made me cautious.
I bent to roll my mat. “Will I see you again in my class?”
“Chances are good.” He watched me until I stood again. “So where’s my buddy, Mo?”
“Likely upstairs lounging on the back of the sofa like the king that he is, staring out the front window to track all the neighbors.” Mo loved lazing around in the sun’s warmth while keeping guard.
“Ah.” His wandering gaze landed on the abandoned moving box. “May I carry that up for you?”
“Hard up to see my dog?” I teased, recognizing his excuse to hang out longer. My mom wouldn’t be happy for Eli to traipse through the house, though—especially if she actually did walk around in her underwear. But I couldn’t think up a nice way to turn him down, so like always, I’d beg for forgiveness later. “I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Eli set his mat on top of the box before hefting it and following me up the rather dimly lit, narrow staircase. Mo must’ve heard us coming, because he and his wagging tail were eagerly waiting in the kitchen, where he jumped on my legs.
“Little Fluff, did you miss me?” I lifted him to my hip to get some kisses. “Do you remember Eli?”