Page 6 of Broken As Puck

I checked that I had my keys, and together, we left the apartment. We took the elevator down to the street and walked the two blocks to the gym. There was a class in progress, so we joined the group outside waiting for it to end.

It was mostly women, although there were a couple of men who regularly attended and a handful of others who turned up every now and then. Layla winked at one of the regulars, a handsome Black man with a great smile. She’d been buttering him up for weeks, and at this point, I wasn’t sure whether she actually wanted a date or if she just enjoyed flirting with him.

“Ooh, he’s new,” Layla murmured, tilting her head toward a buff redhead with a man bun and full tattoo sleeves. “He’s looked over here twice already. I think he likes what he sees.”

I laughed and made a subtle motion toward the Black guy. “I thought you were interested in Sam.”

Layla rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean he’s looking at me. He’s got his eyes on you.”

I glanced at the redhead again. As far as I could tell, he was completely unaware that I existed. “Uh-huh.”

Layla gave my shoulder a little push. “You’re so oblivious.”

The doors opened and we shuffled to the sides of the corridor as the participants from the last class filed out. The group around me surged in, everyone racing for the mats in an effort to claim spaces to the rear and sides of the room.

As usual, Layla and I were among the last to enter and ended up near the front of the class. I didn’t mind that. Yoga was the one sport—if you considered it that—that I was any good at, and Layla didn’t care who looked at her, regardless of how well she could hold the poses. Sometimes, I wished I could borrow her blasé attitude.

We unrolled our mats and laid them out lengthways. I sat in the center of mine and crossed my legs.

Layla flopped onto the one beside me and wriggled closer. “Ginger hottie is right behind you. I think he did that on purpose.”

My cheeks heated, and I pretended not to hear her. I highly doubted that anyone as buff as that guy would be interested in me. He probably wanted someone slim and toned. I was fit, in my own way, but I’d never have visible abs or a tiny waist. My thighs were thick, my ass had plenty of heft, and my boobs might knock me out if I ever tried to run without them strapped firmly into place.

That was me, and I liked myself, but I wasn’t for everyone.

The instructor called the class to order and led us through a sun salutation. From there, we progressed into standing poses and then lowered ourselves onto the mat.

When she announced that it was time for us to try crow pose, Layla muttered something and shot me a look. I grinned back. I’d worked hard over the years to be able to do crow pose and I enjoyed being able to go straight into it as the instructor talked the class through the stages.

Hands on floor, tuck knees up behind elbows, shift weight onto hands, lift feet from the floor. Most people got stuck before they were able to lift their feet, but I’d perfected my balance and positioning and flowed into the pose without any trouble, supporting myself fully on my hands.

“Just like Chelsey,” the instructor said, beaming at me like a proud mama. “Excellent demonstration.”

I flushed again, but this time with pleasure. I enjoyed sports, but I’d never been particularly good at them, so it was nice to have found at least this one place where I could excel.

The class finished with a meditation. I was pleasantly warm and relaxed as I rolled my mat up afterward and returned it to the box near the door.

“Hey.” The muscular redhead was hovering behind me, smiling hesitantly.

“Hi,” I said back.

He rubbed the back of his neck and the corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile deepened. “You were amazing at that crow pose. I’m totally lost with it.”

Someone tried to get to the box, so I stepped aside and moved closer to the wall.

“Most people are at first,” I assured him. “It’s partly about arm strength, but I’m sure you have plenty of that. The rest of it is just about finding your balance and getting your legs in the right place. You’ll get there.”

He grinned and it brightened his face. “Maybe you could help me?”

“I’d be happy to, if you ever want to stay late after class. There are a few spots where we’d have enough space to practice.”

Layla tugged on my arm, and I waved to the guy and let her drag me away.

“What are you doing?” I asked when we were far enough away that he wouldn’t hear me.

She narrowed her eyes. “I think a better question is, what are you doing? He was trying to ask you out, not legitimately wanting advice on a yoga pose.”

I frowned. I hadn’t gotten that impression. “He wants to work on his crow.”