Page 103 of The Sidekick

I shift in discomfort and glance around. No one is back this far with me, and for once, it feels like a bad thing. I can’t pretend that he’s looking at someone else.

“Today, we’re going to try a few advanced techniques.”

There’s a lot of shifting up front, my discomfort spreading over the whole class. I frown in confusion at their reactions because there’s some grumbling going on.

One woman raises her hand, and he nods for her to speak. “How advanced?”

“Nothing too far out of a comfortable zone,” he says calmly and places his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. “We don’t want to get too crazy.”

The light tease eases a lot of tensions up front.

I feel a little cheated. I like the advanced stuff. It gives my muscles a pleasant burn that helps take me out of my own head for a lot longer than the regular stuff.

I shouldn’t judge, though. This is probably just a way to let off steam and get an eyeful of a hot guy for some of them. There’s no shame in that. I’m doing it too. I can do the harder stuff at home.

“I’ll be walking around to help with posture for any that need it, so there’s no need to worry. If the pose feels forced or difficult, feel free to skip it.”

I don’t know if they’re excited because they get to pass on any strenuous moves or because he might have his hands on them.

It’s kind of adorable at this point. There’s a comradery up at the front as they unite and tell him they’ll do their best.

I look down to hide my wide smile and cover my mouth with a hand, just in case. It feels disrespectful that they’ve gone from professionals to puppies in a snap of time. But I don’t have to share that with anyone, either. These are my thoughts, and I’m not required to tell anyone.

I think I have this all wrong. I’m sure this guy is used to his effect on women if they’re all being so obvious. My face practically caught on fire from one look. What if he’s looking for someone?

I could be witnessing someone’s happily ever after in progress. I don’t want to miss it.

As we warm up, I look around the room, trying to pick out who the most likely candidate would be. Maybe the adoring blonde? The brunette that blocked the door? She seemed nice. I hope it’s her.

We go through the familiar poses first, and I try to pay attention, but I’m devoted to finding his future wife, so it’s a wash. When we get to the harder positions, he demonstrates what he wants and then lightly steps down to help where he’s needed.

My body automatically falls into it, but my eyes are wandering, trying to see if he spends more time with one girl so it will be easier to pick out. Sadly, they all seem to need his help, so I’m still stuck guessing.

The moves get a little harder bit by bit, and the pleasant burn I was waiting for hits me. It forces my attention away from the group in front of me. I’m starting to get into the headspace I’m supposed to already be in. I’ll make more guesses later.

I zone out, using his voice as my guide as the burn gets more intense. I’ve waited too long to do this again. I’m wondering why I stopped in the first place.

When he calls a halt to it, cooling down to ease the muscles before the meditation, I open my eyes. I didn’t realize I had closed them. I notice several people glancing back at me. When they start whispering to each other and continue looking, my anxiety starts to kick in.

It gets so bad that when we reach half lotus, I can’t get back into the relaxed space I was in a second ago. I can’t help but look at the door a few times, counting down the seconds in my head until I can escape. I can feel their attention on me, and my breath is starting to hitch.

Five more minutes, Tera. You can do this. They don’t matter. They don’t know you. You were just judging them, and they’re doing the same thing. Getting upset is ridiculous.

Despite the inner monologue when he says Namaste, I rush to get up and roll my mat, eager to get out of here.

“Show off,” one girl mutters under her breath just loud enough that I know she wants me to hear as she grabs a water bottle from the cubbies behind me.

My stomach clenches, nausea welling up as tears start to fill my eyes. I keep my head down and do my best to ignore her. When I slip on my shoes, I run for the exit, leaving this place far behind.

Asher

Earlier

The weekend was torture, wondering what she was doing. Who she might be with. If she was safe. Seeing her bullies on Monday didn’t help.

I have her number right in front of me, with no reason to call her. I saved it on my phone because I’m clearly unwell. Maman had it right. I have lost my mind to this woman. I just hope she can handle my crazy ass because I don’t think I can make myself walk away. The time away has cemented that she’s the elusive ‘right one.’

To distract myself, I came up with a plan to get closer to her. It isn’t foolproof by any means, but I’m willing to give it a shot. I want everything to go as smoothly as it can before she realizes how fucked up I am. I just want her to talk to me, damn it.

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