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“Triss, I really don’t know about this. Can’t we just skip it and go to lunch instead. I saw a really nice tapas place on the way here.”
Triss gives Yennefer a stern look before handing her a spare yoga mat. “Oh no! You’ve been trying to get out of this for weeks. You promised you would come with me to one yoga class and I finally managed to drag you to the studio. We are NOT skipping it.”
Triss has been badgering her to try yoga ever since Yennefer mentioned her constant back pain. She’d promised to go to a class, hoping that Triss would eventually forget all about it and stop nagging her. Unfortunately, she’d underestimated her friend’s persistence. So here they were, at Aretuza Yoga Studio, taking off their shoes and waiting to check in for the 11:30am Hot Vinyasa Flow class.
The blonde behind the desk looks up and then smiles. “Hey Triss. You doing Tissaia’s flow class again?”
“Hi Sabrina. Yes I am. I brought my friend Yennefer along as well. It’s her first time.” Triss beams, leaning forwards over the desk towards Sabrina and sharing a conspiritorial wink. Yennefer sees the blonde’s face flush and suddenly feels like a third wheel. Yennefer fake coughs to break the awkward silence and Sabrina finally looks over and acknowledges her.
“Well welcome to the studio. You’ll just need to fill in this health and safety form as it’s your first time.” Sabrina says, handing Yennefer the form and a pen.
“Tissaia is one of our most experienced instructors so you’re in good hands. Do you have everything you need? Mats, towels, water?”
“Yes, thanks. We’re all set.” Triss answers, still grinning like a schoolgirl with massive a crush.
“Great. Changing rooms are down the hall, to the right. You’ll be in studio one. Enjoy the class.”
Triss takes Yennefer by the arm and guides them down the hall to the ladies changing room.
“So, what was that?”
“What was what?” asks Triss, feigning innocence.
“Oh don’t give me that Triss. You totally wanna bang the blonde behind the desk!”
Triss blushes and then punches Yen in the arm, “Stop it Yen. We’re just friendly. That’s all. Now hurry up and get changed so we can get a good spot.”
Yen rubs her bruised upper arm and sighs as she pulls out her tank top and shorts and stats to get changed. She’s going to have to do some meddling to try and hook up her best friend with the blonde receptionist. There is obviously a spark there, whether Triss wants to admit it or not.
As they enter the studio, Yennefer feels immediately out of place. She’s never seen so much multi-coloured spandex in one place before. It’s a little intimidating, and now she wishes she hadn’t worn her ‘Fries Before Guys’ tank top and her old gym shorts from high school. Also, it is like forty degrees in here and her curly dark hair has already started to go poof. She lays her mat down next to Triss and her towel on top of the mat like Triss does, then sits, copying her friend’s cross-legged position. She looks around the room and notices they’ve placed their mats right at the front of the class. She stares at herself in the floor length mirrors and frowns. They haven’t even started the class yet and she already looks like a hot, sweaty mess.
She’s about to suggest that she and Triss move their mats and hide in the back row, when suddenly the studio door opens and a petite brunette strolls in. She takes her place at the front of the room, right in front of Yennefer.
Just when Yennefer thinks it can’t possibly get any hotter in here, this woman in brightly coloured leggings and a floaty green tank top turns her enchanting blue-eyed gaze on Yennefer, taking in her scruffy appearance. Yen squirms a bit under her intense scrutiny until the woman cracks a smile, then leans in and whispers, “I like your top.” Suddenly, it is as if someone has sucked all the air out of the room and Yen feels like she can’t breathe.
For the next hour Yen finds herself panting, and groaning, and sweating profusely, as she tries to follow Tissaia’s complicated sequence of yoga poses. Tissaia's body flows gracefully from one posture to another, making it look like a graceful, intricate dance, while Yennefer is sure she looks more like an ungainly piglet sliding through mud. Although she struggles through the whole class, Yennefer realises that she has actually enjoyed the yoga session. Tissaia’s voice is calm and soothing as she delivers precise instructions about alignment and breathing. Yennefer can’t help the shiver that runs through her when Tissaia’s hands gently press into her lower back, drawing her tailbone down towards the mat while lengthening her spine in child’s pose. It feels incredible and she yearns for those hands to touch her in other places.
At the end of class, she lingers behind with Triss as the rest of the students file out.
“You did well for your first time.” Tissaia praises as she places a hand on Yen’s shoulder and squeezes gently.
Yennefer blushes. “Was it that obvious?”
“Well you’re not one of my regulars.” Tissaia smiles at her and Yen thinks she might faint.
“Thanks Tissaia. Great class as always. Yennefer, I’ll see you in the change room.” Triss smirks at Yen as she leaves the two women alone in the studio.
“I noticed you have quite a bit of tension in your lumbar spine. I do offer private one-to-one sessions as well as myofascial release if you are interested.”
Yen has no idea what any of those words mean so she just nods mutely.
“Good. Well I hope I will see you in the studio again soon Yennefer.”
Yennefer curses Triss as she heads to the changeroom for a cold shower. She knows she’ll be sore tomorrow.