With one final wave, she dashed inside the studio, relieved to see that several other students were still checking in and that class hadn’t started quite yet.

Tessa only hoped she’d have enough willpower to focus on yoga instead of counting the minutes until she would be back in her lover’s arms. And especially back in his bed.

***

Sasha Fonseca glanced up from the conversation she’d been having with one of her students as half a dozen others filtered inside the already packed yoga studio. It was nearly time for her Sunday morning class to begin, and the popularity of her grueling Vinyasa practice never ceased to amaze her.

She nudged the petite woman standing next to her. “Isn’t that your friend over there? The pretty blonde in the purple top? You brought her to class with you a couple of times.”

Julia McKinnon looked in the same direction that Sasha was pointing, and was more than a little taken aback to see who her teacher was talking about. “Yes, that’s definitely Tessa. I had no idea she was going to be here today. I’d better go say hi.”

Because the room was so crowded, Julia didn’t dare move her mat for fear she wouldn’t be able to find another spot. As it was, Tessa seemed to have nabbed one of the very last spaces, stuck back in a corner of the jammed room. She looked more than a little flustered as she rolled out her mat, her cheeks flushed and wisps of blonde hair escaping her rather messy braid.

“Hey, it is you,” greeted Julia, dropping down into a squatting position. “I didn’t know you were planning to come today. You should have called me and I would have picked you up.”

Tessa’s gaze flew up to hers in alarm, and she looked almost guilty. “Oh, Julia, hi. Um, sorry, I - I was running really late and didn’t even know if I’d be able to make it here in time. And I thought you were in New York.”

Julia nodded. “I was, trying on wedding gowns and going quietly insane finding a bridesmaid dress that my sister would actually approve of. But I got in late yesterday and really needed some yoga to decompress.”

Tessa seemed unnaturally distracted and merely nodded, offering up a nervous smile. Tactfully, Julia patted her on the arm and stood. “Well, class is about to begin so I’ll catch you afterwards, okay?”

As tough as the class was, demanding that her powers of concentration be at their peak, Julia still couldn’t help but wonder what had brought Tessa here this morning. She knew her friend was on a really tight budget, and was surprised that Tessa had been able to afford the class. SF Flow was pretty much the top yoga studio in the city, and the cost of even a single class was pricey.

At Sasha’s instructions, everyone turned to face the back of the room for the next sequence. Julia glanced in Tessa’s direction, noticing for the first time the stylish new yoga apparel the blonde was wearing. The gray cropped pants and purple racer back tunic were from the new Prana collection the studio had just received in less than two weeks ago. Julia frowned, knowing that the outfit would have cost well over a hundred dollars, and recalled how Tessa had fretted over spending too much on her Christmas party dress.

Julia temporarily forgot about Tessa as the class got progressively tougher. During the time she’d spent in New York, she had admittedly overindulged in food and alcohol, and hadn’t been able to squeeze in even one yoga class. Combined with her jet lag, she was really feeling the burn as Sasha pushed her students harder and harder. Sweat poured down her forehead and trickled along her spine, and she kept telling herself it was good for her, a way to detox all the poisons she’d ingested on her trip. With each sun salutation, each arm balance, and all the twisting poses, she visualized making up for every bite of cake, every spoonful of cream sauce, and - damn her - every shot of tequila that her twin Lauren had dared her to bolt.

By the end of the ninety minute class, Julia felt wrung out, but definitely in a good way, and resolved to drink a ton of water, and subsist on salads, grilled fish, and veggies for the next week. Especially if she hoped to fit into the gorgeous Badgley Mishka wedding gown she’d decided on.

She hurried over to Tessa, anxious to chat her up a bit. But the blonde was already rolling up her yoga mat - which Julia recognized as the most expensive brand the studio sold - and stuffing it into a chic purple-print carry bag.

“Hey, do you want to get coffee?” offered Julia. “Nathan should be waiting for me outside and I know he’d love for you to join us. We can give you a ride home later.”

“Oh.” Tessa looked rather disconcerted by the offer. “Um, normally I’d love to but I, ah, I’m sort of meeting - someone.”

Julia grinned. “You little devil. You have a new boyfriend, don’t you?”

Tessa’s cheeks were already flushed pink from the exertion of the class, and they deepened to a much brighter shade at Julia’s frank question. “Ah, I - I guess that’s what - yes, you’re right. I do.” She looked down at her bare feet shyly. “I’m just - it’s pretty new, so…”

“You can’t really talk about it yet,” finished Julia. “I get it, honey. But I think it’s great. You really deserve some happiness. So, go meet your new guy and we’ll have coffee another time.”

Tessa looked relieved. “Okay, thanks. I’ll give you a call this week.”

Julia watched her friend dash out of the studio hurriedly, wondering who this new boyfriend was and hoping that he was treating Tessa right. But at least the existence of a new man in her life explained why she was suddenly able to afford yoga classes plus the new clothes and equipment. Julia hoped he wasn’t some sleazy creep who was just using Tessa, dazzling her with nice gifts and expensive dinners. She knew Tessa was rather naïve about men, despite the fact that she’d been married for seven years, and kept her fingers crossed that she wasn’t in over her head.

Julia spent a couple of minutes chatting with Sasha before grabbing her things and heading out to meet Nathan. Her gorgeous fiancée was lounging against the side of the building, his thick dark brown hair still damp from the laps he’d just swum at his health club’s indoor pool. Nathan had played water polo during high school and college, and still liked to get a vigorous swim in a few times a week.

“Hey, baby.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick but still semi-dirty kiss.

“Hi.” She snuggled close as he took her yoga bag from her, slinging it over his own shoulder as they walked down the block to one of their favorite cafes.