What happens when you find your One True Pair + 1?
Recent college grad Lexie Cambridge is *notoriously* indecisive. Gifted with a luxurious two-week cruise with her crush, she enlists her down-to-earth best friend for help determining when and how t...
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Another languid stretch, and the high-thread-count white sheets caressed my bare legs. I wanted to remain nestled in the mountain of fluffy pillows forever. I had a jaw-dropping view of the seascape beyond the balcony. The ocean was cut glass. The sunlight struck the waves in a visual assault, and the light stung my eyes and warmed my face, but I couldn't look away.
Last night had been like that.
Yoga with Devon had delivered, as advertised, a bonding experience. From the moment we stepped into the spa, the blissful aroma of exotic oils and perfumes seemed to transport us to a tropical paradise for two. I wasn't sure how the cruise organizers kept managing to schedule private sessions for all the competition participants, but each one was intimate, and I loved that. Dev and I were left alone in a room with a large television and an instructional stream walking us through basic poses.
"Welcome to your Three's Company yoga class bonding experience," a chipper young instructor spoke from the screen. "We invite you to move through these twelve poses in whatever way is most comfortable for you and your partner. Please feel free to also enjoy a private conversation guided by the topic prompts associated with each pose. Thank you for choosing Three's Company. Prepare for your first pose. . ."
"Find your center," Devon gently corrected me halfway through the tutorial. I was trying to keep from falling from the Chair pose. He smiled encouragement. "You can do this. Keep those palms together above your head."
Giggling, I let his capable hands rest on the flat of my tummy. "This is insane," I said sheepishly. The burn in my knees kept forcing me to rise to my full height. And even though I felt the textured blue mat beneath my bare feet, staring at Devon felt like riding a rollercoaster. My toned and fit companion demonstrated the proper way to do the pose as I shook my head. "How do you know so much about yoga?"
"How else do you think big burly football players stay so graceful?" he teased. "No, but seriously, I've been doing yoga ever since my dad got diagnosed with cancer. One of his doctors suggested Mom and I get into mindfulness to help us through this." His dark eyes, full of boundless wanderlust, came home to mine. "He was right. I started a gratitude journal and everything, but don't tell anyone. I have a reputation as a skeptic to protect."
"Of course, not! Why would I tell anyone?" Why was I feeling like a nervous schoolgirl with him? Embarrassing. It didn't help that the scent of his cologne filled the air around me like some kind of bait.
"It was a joke," Devon chuckled. "I don't mind people knowing what I'm into. They tend to get my personality wrong anyway."
Right. I certainly had. I stepped back and swept my hair from my face as the instructor onscreen transitioned to another pose. I nodded my chin in the direction of the television. "Looks like we have another conversation prompt. Want to try this one? 'What is your fondest early memory from our relationship?' Well, friendship, in our case."
