off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ forty nine

Taerae had never expected he would one day end up at Audrey's house at eight in the morning, wearing sweatpants and sitting on a yoga mat. But when she'd invited him to do a pilates session with her after he'd complained about some pain in his back, he'd found himself, once again, unable to refuse. He'd never done anything like yoga, or even worked out in his entire life, but if it was Audrey guiding him... Well, it couldn’t be so bad.

When Narae had heard about this, she'd gone hog wild on insisting that this was his moment. His moment to confess, that is. He'd hesitated, saying that this was really not enough of a special occasion for that, and that Audrey deserved a bit of a grander gesture, but Narae had heard none of it. So... Apparently, today was the day Taerae would confess to Audrey. Great.

The patio of the Shen's house was bigger than Taerae's entire first floor. Audrey had said this was where she liked to do her morning exercises, greeted by the cool and energizing breeze of dawn, accompanied by the chirping of birds. Maybe he would have exercised a bit more if he had lived in such a magical environment. Probably not.

"And now you want to twist your spine to the side, until your upper and lower body are almost facing opposite directions," she instructed, effortlessly executing the move.

He attempted to replicate it, but the way his muscles stirred knocked his breath away. "Ugh, this is too hard."

"When was the last time you exercised?"

Great question. "Um... High school?"

Judging by the light laughter she let out, Audrey had assumed it was a joke. It was not. Even at school, Taerae had always been more of a theoretical guy, dreading PE just as much as the next nerd would. So as soon as he'd graduated, he'd given himself one rule: no sports ever again. That wasn't supposed to apply to basic walks and exercise, but years later... Well, let's just say Taerae hadn’t turned out to be a very athletic guy.

"Okay, now let's just lie down on our backs."

He followed her, pressing his back against the yoga mat. "And then?"

"For now, I just need you to focus on your breathing," she murmured as she closed her eyes. "Even, slow breathing. With your stomach."

Although a bit embarrassed, Taerae also closed his eyes, and started to breathe deeper than he had been. But his focus went right out the window in a matter of seconds. Right beside him, he could hear Audrey inhale and exhale soundly, slowly. With his eyes closed, forgetting about the patio and the yoga, it almost felt like the way it would if she was sleeping next to him... That simple thought made Taerae's heart race, and his breathing quickened, instead of slowed down. Even the refreshing wind of morning was not enough to keep his cheeks from turning warm.

Audrey interrupted his train of thought, thankfully so. "Any neck pain recently?"

"Ah, totally," He kept his eyes closed, trying to stay in this illusion a bit longer. "Probably 'cause I'm always at the computer."

"Well then, slowly stretch your neck to your right, without moving the rest of your body. Make sure to do it as you exhale."

Following her gentle words, he took a deep breath before letting it out, and turned his head to the side. His eyes opened, only to be met with Audrey's beautiful face, way closer than he'd expected. Her doe eyes widened, and a strand of honey blond hair spilled out of her bun and over her forehead.

"I said to your right." She chuckled, her hand going over her mouth.

It seemed he'd gotten a bit too distracted by her presence to pay attention to which direction she'd instructed. But could you blame him? God, Audrey was so gorgeous. Even early in the morning, with her hair not yet styled, and her makeup not yet done, she looked straight out of the cover of a magazine. Her lightly sunkissed skin glowed under the rising sun, so plump and smooth and, he imagined, soft. Her head turned towards him, he could see the delicate line of her neck, a few strands of hair decorating it like a necklace. Even the way she covered her smile, one finger pushing against her flushed lips, was alluring in a way that was simply out of this world. He'd never seen a girl like her. He doubted he would ever see another one.