Page 47 of A Heart to Find
She had always been the idealistic one. He didn’t want to live in a world where Keira was jaded.
She deserved to believe in magic. And fairies. Heck, he wanted her to believe in the biggest mythology of all time—that men could change.
He wanted her to believe that he could be the man to deserve her.
And yet as dawn turned into day, the necklace remained elusive.
He didn’t want to stop. He owed it to her to keep looking. But he had a founder-recommended couples meditation date with her in less than an hour, and he needed to change out of last night’s formal clothes before seeing her again.
And coffee. He needed coffee to face the new day.
Especially a day that involved something as ridiculous as couples meditation.
But later, after what he hoped would be another day of growing closer to her and convincing her they could make this thing work, he would return to the search.
He would find that necklace if it killed him.
Because seeing her heartbroken face would hurt him worse than death.
Chapter 11
Jared nearly fell asleep in the shower, but he hoped the triple espresso he grabbed on the way to meeting up with Keira (after retrieving his fixed phone) would get him through the first part of the day, anyway.
Keira didn’t look much better. Gorgeous as always, but her eyes bore shadows beneath them, and her face held evidence of crying-induced splotches, though they were mostly faded away.
He never thought he’d say it or think it, but maybe a meditation day was actually a good idea for them today. Calm, relaxing, connecting.
Neither of them spoke a lot on the walk to the spa where the meditation was being held.
The instructor directed them to sit in two chairs that faced each other. Keira hesitated before settling into position. Jared wondered if all the other couples in the room felt as out of place as he did.
“Have you ever meditated before?” Keira whispered.
He shook his head. He didn’t generally like to stay still long enough.
“Me neither. But I’ve always wondered if it would help.”
He was about to ask what she hoped it would help with, but the instructor hit a gong and the resonant sound had the whole class quieting down immediately.
The instructor lectured them on the importance of connectivity with your partner, and something about how listening to one’s own breathing could help bring about world peace. Or something like that. He couldn’t focus.
But Keira seemed to be taking the process seriously, given the way she closed her eyes and placed her feet flat on the floor with her palms on her lap. He tried to follow the instructions, but he kept peeking to see if Keira was, in fact, loosening each part of her body and inhaling deeply as they were told to. He expected her to burst into a fit of giggles at any moment, and he didn’t want to miss a moment of it.
“Now that you’re fully present in the moment and fully aware of every inch of your body, pay attention to what you sense. What sensation in your body is most pleasant? What does your chest feel like when you take in a breath? What do your nostrils feel like when you exhale? Pay full attention to what you feel.”
Jared felt like he wanted to grab Keira’s hand and bust out of the place, but if he had to participate in the process, he would admit that he felt his heart thudding at the thought of grabbing Keira’s hand and busting out of the place.
But he hoped he didn’t get called on to answer, because he was fairly certain the instructor wouldn’t appreciate his frankness.
“Let’s all reach to the sky and inhale.”
He hesitated, but as soon as Keira’s arms went up, he followed suit. Where was her fit of giggles?
“Good. Now exhale, paying close attention to what your breath sounds like as it exits your body.”
How much more of this would he have to sit through?
“In a relationship, it’s important to remember how to find your center. Before you react, think back to your breathing. Think back to the way your chest expands. The way your nostrils receive the air. The way your feet ground you to the planet. Once you’ve had time to breathe and to clear your mind, then allow your thoughts to turn to the issue at hand. Remember the feeling of awe you had when you first started falling for your partner. Rejoice in the realization that there are multiple ways to approach a situation, and that your first instinct isn’t necessarily the most appropriate one for that moment. Look at things in a new light and from a different angle, and then come back to your partner to find a solution that meets both of your needs and maintains balance and care in the relationship.”
