Page 83 of The Love Position

‘Are you worried about what people might think? Your guru?’

‘Yes.’

‘Don’t be. Don’t let other people dictate your happiness.’

‘But I don’t even know if Sophia likes me that way.’

‘Then ask her! You’ve got nothing to lose.’

‘I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. Anyway, I’m her teacher, so it’s completely inappropriate. And I’m too old for her.’

‘What? You’re… Eight years older? I’ve got five years on Jack and neither of us care. Honestly, if we all went around following the so-called rules to the letter, then we’d be miserable. You’re a man of the utmost integrity. I know you’ll only say something to Sophia if you feel she might be receptive. And if you’re concerned about what people in Foxbrooke are going to think, the only person who might have been a little disgruntled with you getting a girlfriend, is Estelle, but she’s now madly in love with Sophia’s brother.’

Isaac’s insides twisted in turmoil. For the first time in his life, he understood temptation. His rational mind told him to stick to his life script, but every other part of him craved Sophia more than his next breath.

‘Isaac?’

‘Yes?’

‘Allow yourself to be happy, and please, also consider this. If Sophia likes you as much as you like her, shutting down any possibility of a relationship will hurt her just as much as it’s hurting you…’

After his conversation with Eveline, Isaac sat on the beach and mulled over her words as the stars faded and the pale edge of dawn glimmered on the horizon.

Whether through the cruel and unnecessary actions of others, family circumstances, or accident, Sophia had already been through enough for one lifetime. The thought he might be causing her pain made Isaac feel sick.

To his left, at the edge of the beach, the dark shapes of people were moving into the temple. Standing and turning away from the sea, he faced the private villas and a choice he never thought he’d have to make. Each morning and evening, whenever he was with his guru, Isaac was the one who escorted him to Satsang.

But now there was someone else his thoughts went to first—Sophia.

Torn with indecision and doubt, he forced his feet towards the far end of the beach and Swami Vishnu’s house.

As he drew near, his guru came out onto the deck.

‘Namaste, Hanuman.’

Isaac dipped his head in deference. ‘Namaste Guruji.’

Swami Vishnu proffered his arm. ‘Shall we?’

Isaac took it, and they made their way along the path in front of the villas.

‘How’s Sophia doing?’

‘Okay, I think, considering the circumstances. She’ll need time to rest and heal, and the bruising will come out more over the next few days.’

Swami Vishnu chuckled. ‘Not so pretty now, is she?’

A sudden bolt of anger struck Isaac’s chest, so fast and furious he lost all sense of the man he’d worked so hard to become. An icy wind of fear followed on, chasing the anger away and rattling the cages that held his darkest memories.

Am I still that person? Dangerous? Unhinged?

His guru seemed to take Isaac’s silence as agreement.

‘See, I was right. Youth and beauty are a transitory illusion. The soul is eternal.’

Isaac’s jaw clenched. Yes, Sophia was beautiful, but his attraction to her wouldn’t have grown into what it was now if she hadn’t also been such a lovely person.

As they approached her small building, the door opened, and she hopped out unsteadily.

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