Page 57 of Body

What’s wrong?

A sound between a laugh and a sob spills from my lips as I trace the letters. The man can read minds through a text. Strong. Be strong. Ignore it. Let it go. Don’t make the situation any worse. After twenty minutes my phone rings again. It’s him. I don’t pick it up. Instead I turn it off. I don’t want to hear him call again; it’s like a knife through the heart. I pull the covers over my head and fall into a fitful sleep.

Morning doesn’t bring any new conclusions other than the fact that I’m still miserable. I grab my phone and turn it on. It loads and I hear a litany of pings. I scroll through the notifications. Chase called again and left a voicemail message. Two texts from Kat. Another text from Chase. A text from Ria and a text from Bree. Holy hell, last night was chock full of activity. I start reading Kathleen’s texts first.

To: Gillian Callahan

From: Kathleen Bennett

I’m here at Chloe’s showroom. Where are you?

Regret slams into me. Shit! I totally forgot. With the horrible morning, I wallowed in my own self-pity all day and forgot that I was supposed to meet Kat at Chloe’s designer showroom. Kat is going to be livid. I check her next message.

To: Gillian Callahan

From: Kathleen Bennett

I can’t believe you no-showed on me! Are you okay? What’s going on? You’re so lucky I love you. Chloe is amazing. I’m on Cloud 9. Call me ASAP. Besos

At least someone had a good day. I skip down to Chase’s text message.

To: Gillian Callahan

From: Chase Davis

Chloe said you didn’t show up at her showroom but Kathleen did. I’m worried. Call me whenever you get this.

Hold strong Gigi. No way in hell I’m calling him. I’m sticking to my guns on this one. I need time to sort this all out. I will however call Chloe and apologize for no-showing. That was just plain rude. I’ll also have to do damage control with Kat. One thing me and my girls don’t do is blow one another off without an explanation. I’m sure she got ahold of Maria and found out that I was fine, otherwise I would have had a pissed off friend at my door late last night. The next text is Bree.

To: Gillian Callahan

From: Bree Simmons

Thank you for the hook up with Phillip. We had a great time on Sunday. He’s taking me out this weekend! Woot woot! Oh and your ass is going to need its own zip code if you don’t get it to class soon. Besos

I laugh out loud. Oh, Bree, you’re just what I need right now. I’m definitely going to attend class tonight. The mental relief and peace yoga provides is exactly what I need. For me yoga has always been a form of moving meditation. I quickly text her that I’ll be there tonight for class. Kat is next. I call her and get her voice mail. Score! I leave her a detailed message telling her a little about what happened yesterday and that I was in no mood to see Chase’s family. An apology coupled with kiss noises is the icing on that apology. She’ll forgive me. Soul sisters don’t hold grudges and the unwritten rule book states when one sister is flipping out, the others have to accept that the current sister may be out of her mind and not to take offense.

Ria’s text was just to see if I was okay, but I slept through it. She knew where I was when she came home, and I was asleep in the same position she left me in hours before.

I walk around my empty apartment. It’s Wednesday morning and I’m not at work. I’m not sick, though I feel as though I could toss my cookies at any moment. I decide to hit the gym. A nice long run on the treadmill will help clear my head.

A couple hours of cardio later, I’m still no closer to figuring out what to do about work and Chase. After eating a quick lunch I decide to hit the Yoga studio early in the evening. No reason to wait around doing nothing at home.

I arrive at I Am Yoga and the five o’clock class is just getting settled on their mats. Bree sees me and looks up at the clock then back at me and frowns. She walks over and gives me a hug.

“Hey, everything okay?” Concern fills her gaze. I shake my head and take a deep breath. “Are you sure you want to be here right now?” She holds my hand and squeezes.

“I need to be somewhere right now,” I confide.

She nods. “Well, it looks to me like you need to center your Heart Chakra. The Heart Chakra is your heart’s power station. It connects you to your emotions. It is the center that allows you to love and give unconditionally. The heart governs your relationships. It is the energy center that integrates one's physical reality to one's spiritual connection.” She smiles and continues. “Are you having trouble with Chase?”

“Sort of. It’s hard to explain right now.” I gesture to the room of individuals sitting quietly waiting for class to start.

“Okay, but we will discuss this after class.” She quirks a brow leaving no room for argument. “Now, get ready to fill that chakra full of love again!” She smiles and saunters to the head of the class. She has a raised step where her mat sits and situates herself into the lotus position. There’s track lighting above her shining on her form. She practically glows with her shiny blonde hair reflecting the light. You can almost feel the ephemeral zenful vibes she exudes.

Behind her is an entire wall of mirrors so that patrons can see their positions and adjust accordingly. The lights in the large open room are dimmed and candles are lit throughout each corner of the room. She has middle-eastern music softly pumping through the surround sound. It’s just loud enough to have something to focus on when you’re holding a position. The room smells like Valor, an essential oil that Bree burns in the corner of the room to help heighten the senses. It’s meant to help people calm and find their own personal center. Along the back wall are a total of five, six foot tall and several feet wide brushed metal symbols. The one in the middle represents the “Om” symbol. The only reason I know that is because Bree has it tattooed on her wrist in the same position I have my trinity. The other four are pictorial symbols of the words “Mind, Body, Soul, and Happiness.”

I set my mat down and start to breathe deeply. I feel myself starting to dissolve into my headspace, otherwise known as my happy place. Nothing can hurt me here. Everything is calm and peaceful and there are no worries to be had. I focus my full attention on the sound of Bree’s melodic voice bringing us into one asana or pose after another. My body reacts naturally to the instructions, seamlessly moving from position to position without problem. When my mind tries to muddy my happy place I just breathe deep and focus on my breath and the pose I’m in. All thoughts are drowned out by the pure essence of the experience.

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