Page 100 of The Love Position

‘You can relax, you know,’ his guru said, flopping down in the larger chair opposite Isaac then letting out a contented sigh. ‘My bones aren’t like they used to be, and I’d forgotten how intensive the TTC is.’

Isaac nodded. He and Swami Vishnu were now teaching most of it. Isaac wasn’t sure why they were involved and was concerned it was so that his guru could see how he interacted with Sophia.

Sophia.

Isaac’s eyes briefly closed as desire pulsed in his chest. It had been nearly a week since she’d given him an experience to rival all others and altered him down to his DNA. Sophia had not only flipped a switch inside him, she’d permanently ripped it from the wall and thrown it away.

He was no longer Isaac, the yoga teacher. He was now Isaac, the eternally devoted acolyte to the goddess Sophia Hunter-Savage.

The only problem was that he’d had neither the time, nor the opportunity, to truly worship her…

Swami Vishnu reached forward and patted Isaac’s knee. ‘I’m glad my plan worked.’

Huh? ‘What plan?’

The older man smiled benevolently. ‘Sophia. Not so enamoured now, are we?’

Isaac stared blankly at Swami Vishnu as every part of him screamed that he loved her. The word no longer held any fear for him. He had changed. He wasn’t the man he was over a decade ago, and attachments weren’t to be avoided.

For weeks now, he’d hidden at the back of his mind the truth of his feelings. Now Sophia had told him she wanted a relationship, the floodgates had opened. His love for her was as natural as his next breath and as permanent as gravity. Before he’d met Sophia, he’d grown dissatisfied with life. Now he was excited about the future.

Swami Vishnu chuckled. ‘You’ve forgotten about her already?’

Isaac rubbed his face as if to scrub away the heat rising in his cheeks. He knew he’d have to tell his guru he was breaking his vow to be with Sophia, but now didn’t feel the right time. What they had was so special, and Swami Vishnu clearly didn’t understand. Sharing that news with him felt like it would soil it somehow.

‘Even after how much time you’ve been spending together? Or has one of the other students caught your eye? They are a pretty bunch on this course and you’ve been very attentive to them in asana class.’

Only because you keep pushing me towards them…

Isaac bit his tongue as anger needled his stomach. Swami Vishnu had a much more hands-on teaching style than he did, and instructed Isaac to follow his lead.

Isaac always asked permission before touching any of the students, however they always said yes, then constantly called him over for more adjustments. Over a matter of days, some women had gone from adept yoga bunnies to incompetent yoga giraffes who’d lost all bodily awareness after a night on the tequila.

He gave what he hoped was a nonchalant shrug. ‘I’m not interested in any of them like that.’

‘Well, you’re certainly giving them more attention than Sophia. It’s like you don’t notice her anymore.’

Isaac wanted to laugh. He did nothing but notice Sophia. Even if he deliberately kept his eyes averted, his body hummed with awareness of her.

Her time at the ashram had been tough enough, and he didn’t want any more eyes drawn her way. When they were cleaning the temple together, they were technically alone, but they kept their distance in case anyone spotted them.

It was a torture like no other not to touch her.

Swami Vishnu adjusted his robe and smiled. ‘Well, I’m glad the infatuation has taken its natural course.’

That’s exactly what Eveline is going to say…

Isaac tensed his jaw to stop a wry smile from escaping. Eveline would be ecstatic when he told her what had happened.

‘And now you can devote all your attention to more important matters… I want to share some news about the organisation.’

‘News?’

‘Yes.’ Swami Vishnu interlaced his fingers, clasping his hands in his lap. ‘Swami Saraswati is moving on.’

‘What?’

‘It’s time for a change.’