Page 128 of The Love Position

Isaac stood and held out his arm, but the older man shook his head. ‘I will make my own way back.’ He flicked his fingers at the abandoned buckets of water and gauze strips on the floor. ‘Ensure this is cleared up.’

Repositioning his robe across his shoulder, he walked off.

Isaac let out a breath. It was done. The worst was over, and he could focus on the next phase in his life: a bright and blissful future with Sophia.

22

‘Burger and fries, jerk chicken, chocolate fudge sundae, piña colada and a beer,’ Jessica said to Sophia as they went through the ashram on the way to their next class. ‘And that’s just for the appetiser. For my entrée, I wanna find an all-you-can-eat buffet and smash it.’

‘Can we look for some local food as well?’

‘Sure. In two days from now, you and I are gonna gain twenty pounds in less than eight hours.’

Sophia’s hand moved reflexively to her stomach. Like most women she knew, she’d always wanted to lose a bit of weight. However, she didn’t like the aching feelings of hunger she now felt so much of the time, nor the dizziness.

Jessica lowered her voice. ‘Have you spoken to Hanuman at all since kriya day?’

She shook her head. Isaac had been taken off teaching most of the TTC, now only leading one asana class a day with Swami Vishnu. The older man kept him on a tight leash, making Isaac demonstrate the poses, then correct the pretty women who appeared to have forgotten how to even stand upright without hands-on help.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Sophia was now cleaning the temple with Ganapati, the surliest yogi she’d ever met, and Isaac had been moved to helping the other women with their chores.

‘I swear to god, something’s not right in paradise,’ Jessica muttered.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Swami Saraswati still comes to Satsang, but she never gives the lecture or leads the chanting, even though she’s meant to be the boss of this place. Mohan and Anisha don’t seem to be talking at all, and Anisha looks like she spends half the time crying. And as for the rest of the staff? They seem even more miserable than we are. The only person who appears happy is Swami Vishnu.’

‘I really don’t like him,’ Sophia whispered.

‘He’s a grade-A asshole and I don’t understand why your man thinks the sun shines out his butt.’

Unease coiled in Sophia’s stomach. From how Isaac had talked about his guru when they’d been back in Foxbrooke, she’d imagined him to be a cross between the Dalai Lama and her childhood teddy bear.

She loved and trusted Isaac, but how did he not see how creepy Swami Vishnu was? The kriya day was still giving her nightmares. What kind of person expected people to torture themselves?

Sophia’s limbs and brain were moving slower than normal thanks to the combination of a sleep and calorie deficit, and her anxiety had gone into overdrive. She desperately wanted to talk to Isaac, but there hadn’t been an opportunity.

It wasn’t just the reassurance she needed that things between them were still okay. She needed to have a harder conversation about his guru’s behaviour. She’d considered sending Isaac an email, but there had been no time to give it proper consideration and she wanted to speak to him in person.

Jessica linked her arm with Sophia’s. ‘Ten days to go, that’s all. We’re on the home straight now.’

Sophia nodded. She was counting the hours.

‘I’m gonna get some water. Does your bottle need a refill?’

‘Yes, but let me do them.’

‘No, lady. You’re still on a crutch. I’ll see you in class.’

Before Sophia could protest, Jessica took her bottle and strode off.

The asana hall was a few yards away, slightly hidden under the trees. Taking a deep breath, she made her way carefully towards it and up the steps.

‘Sophia!’

Tyger was beckoning her forward from her position in a huddle with Fearne, Khloe-Narcisse, Paisley, and Grace.

‘Take a seat.’

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