Page 43 of Vacation with the Ice Queen

The formality stung, but Lila kept her smile steady. Two could play at professional distance if that's what Serena needed right now.

"Let's begin seated then," she said, lowering herself onto her mat in a cross-legged position. "Eyes closed if you're comfortable or softly focus on the horizon."

Serena settled onto her mat with characteristic precision, back perfectly straight, hands resting on her knees. She kept her eyes open, gaze fixed on the ocean before them. The message was clear: she would participate but not surrender control.

Lila began guiding their breathing, keeping her voice steady and calm despite the churning beneath her professional demeanor. "Deep breath in through your nose, filling your lungs completely. And exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing any tension you're carrying."

The sea breeze played with loose strands of her hair as they breathed together in the brightening light. Three feet of sand separated their mats—a careful, appropriate distance that felt like miles compared to the closeness they'd shared just last night.

"Notice any areas of tightness or resistance in your body," Lila continued, watching from her peripheral vision as Serena's shoulders gradually lowered from their defensive position. "Without judgment, just awareness."

As they moved through the initial stretches, Lila sensed Serena's focus shifting from deliberate avoidance to something more present. Her movements, initially stiff and calculated, gradually flowed with more natural grace. Whatever walls she'd rebuilt since last night, her body remembered the release it had found.

The sun cleared the horizon fully now, casting long golden rays across the cove and transforming the water into brilliant turquoise. Light surrounded them, making shadows impossible—a fitting metaphor for the moment, Lila thought.

"We'll move to standing poses now," she said, rising with fluid ease. "Mountain pose first. Feet grounded, spine tall, shoulders relaxed."

Serena followed, her expensive yoga attire catching the morning light as she stood. Despite her obvious reluctanceto engage beyond the physical practice, her body had natural poise—the strength and flexibility of someone who demanded perfection in all things, even exercise.

Lila demonstrated the first proper heart opener—a gentle backbend with arms extended overhead. "Expand through your chest as you reach, creating space where we often hold tension."

She watched as Serena mirrored the movement, the curve of her back creating a graceful arc against the beachy backdrop. Something tightened in Lila's chest at the sight—not just physical attraction, though that remained undeniable, but recognition of the trust implicit in Serena's willingness to continue these sessions despite last night's encounter.

"Now warrior two pose," Lila guided, stepping into the wide-legged stance with arms extended. "Strong foundation, open heart."

As they flowed through the sequence, Lila found her professional focus returning. This was familiar territory—guiding bodies through movement, creating space for release and renewal. Her training took over, helping her navigate the emotional complexity of the situation.

Serena moved with surprising grace for someone so naturally guarded. Each pose revealed a different facet of her: strength in warrior, precision in balances, unexpected flexibility in forward folds. Her face remained composed, but her body told a different story, gradually shedding the tension she'd arrived with.

"As we move, notice the rhythm of your breath," Lila instructed, demonstrating a twist that opened across the chest. "Often we hold our breath when facing a challenge, a physical response that creates more tension rather than less."

Serena's eyes flicked toward her at this observation, something like recognition flashing across her features before she returned her gaze to the horizon. Her breath visiblydeepened in response, ribcage expanding more fully with each inhale.

Another small victory.

The practice continued as the sun climbed higher, warming their skin and casting shorter shadows across the sand. Lila guided them through poses specifically designed to release the tension patterns she'd observed in Serena's body—the protective tightness across her chest, the habitual elevation of her shoulders, the subtle tucking of her pelvis that spoke of constant vigilance.

Throughout, neither mentioned last night. The silence around these subjects expanded until it became its own presence on the beach with them, a third party in their careful dance.

When they finally moved back to seated poses, Lila noticed a significant change in Serena's physical presence. The rigid armor she'd arrived in had softened, not into vulnerability exactly, but into something less defended. Her movements had a fluidity that hadn't been present at the beginning of practice, and her breathing was deeper and more natural.

The body often surrendered before the mind was ready to follow.

"We'll finish in a comfortable seated position," Lila said, lowering herself cross-legged onto her mat. "Take a moment to notice how your body feels compared to when we began."

Serena settled opposite her, close enough that Lila could see the subtle flush exercise had brought to her cheeks, the slight dampness at her temples where hair curled against her skin. Despite the designer workout clothes and perfect posture, she looked more human than corporate in this moment—a woman rather than an icon.

Their eyes met briefly across the space between mats. Something unspoken passed between them, a current of awareness that neither seemed ready to voice.

Lila was the first to look away, focusing on the ocean beyond Serena's shoulder. "We'll close with three deep breaths together," she said, her voice steady despite the tightness in her throat. "Inhaling fully... and exhaling completely."

They breathed in unison, the simple act creating connection despite the careful distance between them. On the final exhale, Lila brought her palms together at her heart center in the traditional close. "Thank you for your practice."

Serena mirrored the gesture with surprising grace, her usually sharp blue eyes holding an unfamiliar softness. "Thank you," she said, the words simple but weighted with something beyond mere courtesy.

The formal end of practice created a new awkwardness—the structure that had carried them through the session suddenly gone, leaving them to navigate the uncharted territory between them.

Lila busied herself by gathering her things, using the familiar routine to ground herself. "Would you like some water?" she asked, offering a bottle from her bag.

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