Page 60 of The Love Position

Her lips parted in a perfect ‘o’ shape, but no sound came out.

What a mess.

Even as his heart thumped in his chest with awareness of her, Isaac knew nothing about it was right and nothing was going to happen.

He’d taken a vow of chastity. He was her teacher. They were in an ashram. And if that wasn’t enough, she’d given no sign she liked him more than as a friend and was also processing a terrible breakup.

‘I deeply regret how I’ve treated you, Sophia. I’ve tried very hard over the last twelve years to be a good person, yet with you, I’ve failed spectacularly. I’m sorry.’

‘You haven’t.’

Unable to meet her eyes, he shook his head.

Silence filled the space.

She swallowed. ‘So, er, what do we do now?’

He shrugged. ‘We clean the temple and I make more of an effort to be less of a dick.’

11

As soon as Sophia entered the dorm, Paisley was in her face.

‘How did you get out of karma yoga?’ she demanded. ‘Grace has been in tears all morning because she’s now doing your job cleaning toilets.’

Side-stepping Paisley, Sophia went to her bed, heart pounding.

‘We have a right to know,’ Khloe-Narcisse added. ‘Have you slept with Mohan? Is that it? I’ve seen you checking him out.’

Sophia shook her head.

Fearne and Tyger were also in the room, their arms crossed as they stared at her.

Jessica was nowhere to be seen.

What could she say? Well, here’s the thing. Know Hanuman, the hottest guy on the island? The one you keep shaking your arses at? He’s my yoga teacher from back home and wants to break his twelve-year vow of celibacy with me. You know, cos I’m so hot and all that. But because he’s trying to be a good yogi, he’s doing his best to ignore me, so the head honcho is forcing us together to prove I’m not worth his time. Such fun!

She cleared her throat. ‘I don’t know why and I didn’t ask. Please don’t get angry with me for something that isn’t my fault.’

‘Bullshit,’ Paisley retorted. ‘You must have done something.’

The four women’s eyes flicked up and down Sophia’s body as if scanning to determine how someone like her managed the seemingly impossible. It was like being back at school, the mean girls wanting to know why the super-hot Blaise Ponsonby-Urquhart was spending time with her, even though it was only because she allowed him to copy her homework.

Sophia’s breath quickened, adrenaline rushing into her blood.

‘Well?’ Khloe-Narcisse spat.

The door opened, and Jessica entered. ‘What’s going on?’

Paisley glanced over her shoulder. ‘Sophia got out of karma yoga and won’t tell us why.’

‘And you think bullying her will get you an answer?’ Jessica replied, her tone sharpening. ‘Get the fuck away from her. Now.’

The women reluctantly moved.

Sophia sat with a thump on the bed, her head spinning.

‘And she hasn’t got out of karma yoga. She’s swapped with Grace.’

---