Seven Weeks to Forever (Love / Romance)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Hey, come sit with us." Lauren, my yoga classmate, pats the floor beside her mat.

It takes me a second or two to realize she's talking to me. I wave at her from inside the doorway, then head in her direction. I've been sitting close to Lauren and a few other people who are usually in this spot for a couple of weeks, even talking to them sometimes, but this is the first time anyone has invited me to sit with them.

"Thanks," I say, rolling out my mat on the floor beside her. When I turn around to put my purse behind me, I see Selena sitting in the corner of the room, watching me. She turns her head away when I look in her direction.

I'm sure she must take classes if she works here, I've just never seen her in Amarleen's class before. She's usually working at the front desk. Her words from our conversation in the bathroom spring into my mind. If you hurt Riley even a little bit, you won't be coming back here. I wonder if she's talked to Riley since then and knows that he took me to see John's band. Maybe she's here to keep an eye on me.

"You're just in time," Lauren sings from beside me. The glee in her voice is enough to distract me from Selena.

"In time for what?" I ask, bringing my legs out in front of me. I lean over and grab hold of my toes with my hands, trying to bring my nose down to touch my knees. Not quite. I'm halfway there, though, and that's progress from a couple of weeks ago.

"We're making plans for the yoga retreat. You should come with us."

"Retreat?" I echo. "I haven't heard about it."

"You'll love it." Lauren's face lights up. "It's the most fun weekend of the year. You should definitely come if you can."

"When is it?" I ask.

"It's not for another four weeks, but you get the discounted rate if you sign up now."

Four weeks. I won't be here then. I try to keep a smile on my face while I wrack my brain for something to say, since it sure can't be the truth.

"I think I'm going to be out of town. I'll let you know if that changes, though." It's not really a lie. Out of town means I won't be here, in L.A. The Life-After counts.

The classroom gets quiet then. I turn my head to the stage to see Amarleen bringing the microphone closer to her.

She smiles at all of us. "Sat Nam. Good morning." We return her greeting, sitting still on our mats.

She reaches for a piece of note paper that's in front of her on the stage and reads it silently. Then she looks out over the class. I follow her eyes and see them land on a girl who sits on the opposite side of the room from where I sit with Lauren. I hadn't noticed her until now. I would have, if I'd been paying attention to the energy in the room when I walked in. The girl's energy is weak, and I can see that it's the color of grief. Her face is etched with sadness.

"A man close to someone in this room passed away just a couple of nights ago," Amarleen says, still looking at the girl. "When a soul leaves their body, we often chant the word 'Akal' three times. It's a way for us to help send the soul home and help them transition to what's next." She turns her head to look at the rest of us in the room, her eyes stopping for a moment to hold mine. "Can we do that?"

I nod, watching most of the people around me do the same. The room fills with the sound of our voices, echoing from floor to ceiling and bouncing across the walls. The girl's eyes fill with tears when we've finished. She reaches for a tissue and uses it to wipe a teardrop that rolls down her cheek.

I want to tell her that the man she cares about is fine and that his life hasn't ended, but only just begun. If I could, I'd tell her that I'll be joining him soon, but she can talk to him any time she wants to and he'll hear her. That he knows she's here, and he knows we're sending him blessings. Most of all, I want to tell her that he's happier now than he ever was in The Before, because that's just the way it works in The Life-After.

I can't, though. So I connect my energy to hers for just a few moments instead, hoping it will strengthen her energy and help her heal. Amarleen turns her head to me just before I pull my energy back, giving me a small nod.

"Come talk to me after class?" she says, keeping her eyes on me. I nod. She turns back to the microphone and explains the first warm-up exercise. When I move to lie down on my back, I see Selena watching me again.

Selena leaves in a hurry once class is over. She doesn't look at me when she brushes by, instead keeping her eyes fixed on a spot in front of her. I linger, waiting for everyone else to leave the room so I can talk to Amarleen. Lauren rolls up her mat, touching my arm as she stands up.

"A few of us are going to have brunch outside on the patio, if you can stay."

I see Amarleen watching us. I nod at Lauren. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

She smiles and heads for the exit. Once she's through the doorway, I stand up and walk over to the stage. This is probably about the energy I sent out at the beginning of class. I can't tell if Amarleen approves of what I did, or if I'm in trouble.

"Can you close the door?" Amarleen asks.

I nod, backtracking to the door. I close it and then turn around again, making my way back to the stage.

"Come sit by me," she says. I do as she asks.

"You're doing really well, you know," she begins.

"Thank you," I say. I can't say I'm as confident about that as she is.

"It looks like you've found some friends here in class," she continues.

"Kind of, I guess." I'm not sure if I can call a few conversations and an invitation to a yoga retreat an actual friendship. It might be the beginnings of one, but it won't get very far and that's good. Lauren won't be hurt when I'm gone.

"Enjoy your friends here," she tells me. I start to speak again, but she's not finished. "I really mean that. Enjoy them, and enjoy your time with them. Don't be afraid of getting close. They can handle it, even if you don't think they can."

I blink hard. I realize then that she knows I'm leaving here soon. That shouldn't surprise me, I guess.

"The young man, too," she says. "Don't be afraid of getting close to him, either."

"The young man?" I repeat.

"You call him Riley when you think about him. Which is a lot, by the way."

I don't have anything to say to that, because I know it's true. I look down at my legs.

"You keep yourself pretty distant from most people, don't you?" she continues. I know it's an observation, not a question. She's been paying attention. I clear my throat. She waits for me to find my voice.

"I—I can't let people get close to me," I stutter. "It's not good for them." I hope she won't ask me why, although I sense she already knows.

"Or you can't let yourself get close to them." Her voice is gentle.

"Have you been talking to Noah?" I ask. That sure sounds like something that would come from him.

"No, I've just been watching you. I can tell you're afraid of what getting close to someone will do to you. Like with Selena."

My head snaps up.