Page 71 of Catch and Release

He looked around and noticed everyone else doing handstand hops, and a few of them were able to hold a handstand for a few moments. He glanced back to where Willa was standing with an arm outreached, giving him a playful smirk.

“Let’s try again, shall we?” she asked.

He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before allowing her to pull him up. Then he went back into downward facing dog. She grabbed his hips and pulled them up, and he tried not to focus on the way it felt for her fingers to brush against his body.

“You should bring your feet closer to your hands,” she said, still guiding his hips back. “Now, take a breath. Relax your neck. Relax your face, your jaw. Even your tongue.”

He shook his head, wiggling his neck and loosening the muscles in his face.

“How did you know my tongue wasn’t relaxed?”

She chuckled. “Just a guess. Now, don’t forget to breathe as you push into your handstand. Alright?”

He took a deep breath and nodded. She released his hips and went to stand toward the side.

“Whenever you’re ready,” she said. “I can spot you.”

He took a deep breath, then kicked his way up. He went up slower this time, but his legs still hit her arms as she held him in place.

“Good,” she said. “Now breathe.”

He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath. He sucked in a gust of air, then released it, repeating it over and over. His arms began to shake as she let go of him.

“Now can you hold it on your own?”

He focused on his breathing, willing his arms not to give out, then after a few moments, kicked down and sat on his knees. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he looked to her for approval.

“Amazing,” she grinned. “Not a lot of newbies could pull that off, but you’re a natural.”

Willa winked, and he basked in her praise as she headed back to the front of the class and led them in stretches to close them out. As Shawn laid in savasana, which was apparently a pose even though it literally just meant laying on your back and soaking in everything your body just did, he felt his body go limp and relax.

“Shawn?”

His eyes sprung open and he looked around, noticing everyone else had started packing up their supplies and chattering amongst themselves.

“I think you fell asleep,” Willa said, biting her lip to hold back a laugh.

“That was amazing,” Shawn responded, sitting up and airing out his towel. “Fucking hard. But awesome. You were right.”

“The three sweetest words in the English language,” she said, faking a swoon. “Say them again.”

He rolled his eyes, then stepped closer to her, cradling her cheek with his hand. “You. Were. Right.”

A throat cleared a few feet away from them, and Willa turned out of his grip to face a man who somehow appeared clean cut even though he was sweaty and shirtless from running on the beach. Shawn felt his body stiffen as she stepped out of his embrace and crossed her arms.

“Blake,” she said, a tight smile on her face. “Out for a run?”

He gave her a dazzling smile. “Thought about coming to yoga again, but I’m not sure it’s for me.”

“It can definitely be challenging to get started if you’ve never done it before.”

Blake stepped closer to Willa. “Maybe you could give me those private lessons we talked about.”

His voice was thick with meaning, and Shawn saw Willa’s body stiffen. Instinctively, he stepped forward and put his arm around her.

“This your boss, babe?”

Willa bit her lip and looked up at him beneath her eyelashes. Amusement and gratitude shone there.

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