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I looked up, read where we were, looked back at Zia and couldn’t help but smile an enormous smile that was at least holding back a laugh. Then I actually started laughing. “Yoga?”
I was afraid I was going to offend her, but I just couldn’t help it. I didn’t even know why it was so funny, but it was even better when Zia started laughing right along with me.
“Alright, I can try yoga,” I acceded with a genuine smile, and I could tell it made her happy. Score one for me.
“I want you to decide for yourself who you want to talk to tonight,” she told me. “Consider it the next step in the process.”
I had a feeling this was going to be a test of some sort, so I figured I had better put some of the training she had given me so far into play.
The room was already pretty crowded when we walked in, and Zia helped me get a yoga mat that the studio provided before we took our places on the floor. Zia took a spot in the back and I found one a few rows up ahead of her toward the middle of the room.
I had never actually tried yoga before. It was more of a girl’s sport, but I knew the importance of stretching during and after a workout, and I thought of myself as a fairly limber guy compared to most. Not that I could brag or anything, but I held my own surprisingly well during the yoga class.
I made a little small talk here and there with a couple of the girls right there around me, but for the most part, there was not an opportunity to really talk to any of them until after the class was over.
At that point, my best bet was just to go with the girl who was stationed right next to me during the class. We at least had that small connection of proximity going for us.
Her name was Moira, and she was another first-timer that night. I asked her how she liked the class and offered to walk her out as she told me about some other classes she had attended before, including barre and pilates.
Once we got outside, I noticed it had gotten considerably darker in the hour we were in the class, observing the clouds moving in overhead. I wondered where Zia was, and if we should hurry back to her apartment or if we should stop somewhere and wait out the storm that was inevitably coming.
“So are you seeing anybody? Maybe we could go out sometime,” Moira asked pointedly.
I grimaced as I hesitated to answer her, knowing I had already given her a certain impression. “To be honest, Moira, it’s probably not a good idea. I’m already kind of seeing someone at the moment,” I explained, wishing the words were more accurate than I knew them to be.
About that time, Zia came out of the studio, gave Moira and me a sideways glance, and kept walking. I told Moira it was nice to meet her and I’d see her around. Then I jogged to catch up with Zia who had already made it several feet down the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment.
Catching up to her, I smiled and said, “That wasn’t bad.”
“Any luck?” she asked as we continued down the sidewalk.
“I guess we’ll see.” I shrugged, initially thinking I was making her proud, but seeing her darkening mood as a sign that maybe I’d done something wrong.
Then again, maybe she was worried about the weather, and I looked around for a nearby store or restaurant we could take shelter in if it didn’t look like we could make it back before the rain hit. Across the street was a diner. “Hey, have you eaten yet?”
“No, not yet,” she admitted.
“Come on. I’ll treat you to a burger,” I told her as I looked at her and smiled, angling toward the diner and reaching for her hand.
Zia paused for a moment in contemplation before deciding against it. “I should probably get home and work on some homework,” she said.
“Yeah, I have a few assignments I should probably work on, too.” I tried to hide my disappointment. “So I guess I’ll see you this weekend?”
“Oh, yes! I almost forgot. Clara, my roommate, asked if we wanted to go with her and this guy she’s been seeing to the Thunder Lounge this Friday. It could be a good place to try out your new skills and maybe apply some of what you’ve learned so far.” Zia smiled with raised eyebrows, letting me know she was waiting to hear what I thought.
“Okay, sounds great. What time?” I asked.
“How about ten?” she suggested. It would be early considering the usual time that place really started picking up, but it would be good to have time to talk before it got too crowded. I agreed.
“Cool. I’ll pick you up and we can ride over there together if that sounds good to you,” I offered. That way I could drive her home alone once the night was over. Maybe that would give me an opportunity to take Sarah’s advice and just be honest with her about what I felt and what I wanted.
“Yeah, sure. That sounds great. I’ll see you Friday, then,” she said as we got to the front entrance to her apartment building. I didn’t know what to make of it when Zia continued inside the building as she waved goodbye to me without a hesitation, just before the rain began to pour down in sheets around me.
CHAPTER 7: ZIA
On Wednesday night, I got ready at a leisurely pace, since I had plenty of time between my last class and the time I had agreed to meet Becker at the Daylee Grind. I didn’t work on Wednesdays, and I was worried that all the free time I had would cause me to feel nervous the longer I waited, but thankfully nervousness never came.
When I arrived at the Daylee Grind a few minutes before seven-thirty p.m., Becker was already there with a table toward the back of the room. I had never met him, but I recognized him from the selfie he had sent me the night before while we planned our meeting. I smiled as I approached him, and he stood from his seat and pulled my chair out for me.
