Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 5
CALLIE
The man shows up for yoga class the next morning, and I wait for the charm and flirting, but it never materializes.
He's back in grump mode, maybe because I didn’t return his flirtations at the sandwich shop yesterday. Or maybe his hormones sleep in late, like I wish I could.
There are two other fairly new attendees in class, so I keep the routine on the easier side, and Mr. Hot & Cold does pretty well. He’s still stiff as a board, but he doesn’t fall over, so that’s a big improvement.
He may not speak much, but he still spends a lot of time checking me out, even when I’m not demonstrating. Multiple times, I catch him watching me as I walk around the room, but I ignore the looks.
He’s back again the next day for his third class in a row. The room is more crowded than usual, and several of the women are huddled in pairs or small groups before it’s time to begin. They talk in low voices and frequently cast glances at our sole male student, giving me the idea that they’ve brought friends purely because of his presence in class.
That evening, I mention this in passing to my roommate, Marissa, while we’re making a simple dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Some comforting carbs, and then I’ll be off to bed.
She’d seemed tired herself, but she perks up at this bit of news. “You think women are coming to class just so they can check this guy out?”
“It seems that way. I’ve never had so many students in one session, and there were a lot of heads swiveling and even some giggling.”
“What does he look like?”
“What does who look like?” Our other roommate, Ana, comes into the kitchen, fresh from a shower, her long hair wrapped up in a towel. It’s not often that all three of us are home together for dinner. Usually, it’s just me grabbing something quick before I crash. She stretches to look over Marissa’s shoulder to see the soup heating on the stove. “Mmm, smells good. Thanks for making dinner.”
“We’re talking about a guy who’s been coming to Callie’s yoga class all week. Apparently, he’s a real hottie.”
As I peek under the edge of the sandwich that’s currently cooking, I feel both sets of my roommates’ eyes on me even before I turn to see them. “Yeah, he’s good looking, but he’s an odd one.”
Marissa steps back to lean against the refrigerator, giving me room at the stove. “How so?”
“He’s barely verbal in class, never cracks a smile, and seems to be suffering through every minute of every pose.”
“That doesn’t sound odd for a guy. Sounds like a classic grump. Yum.” Ana binge reads romance books, and they have definitely informed her opinions on men.
“But earlier this week, he came into the sandwich shop in the evening, and he was a big flirt. Full of charm, very chatty.”
“He was flirting with you?” Marissa’s voice bubbles with excitement. “Wait, I need to picture this. What exactly does he look like? Tall, dark, and handsome?”
I check the sandwich again before flipping it over. “Very tall. Several inches of him are always hanging off the yoga mat in one direction or the other.”
“Several inches?” Ana asks with a purr. “Just how many inches is he packing?”
“Oh my god, Ana. You need to lay off the smut you’re reading!”
“You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. Now, you can’t tell me his tight yoga pants haven’t given you a good measure of the man’s bulge.”
I shake my head, and can’t help but laugh. “No tight pants. He comes in looking like he’s ready for a game of basketball.”
“Mmm. Gray sweats, then? That’s even better. Any stretching going on in his pants while you’re stretching him into bendy poses?”
Marissa shoves a glass in Ana’s hand. “Here. Get yourself a glass of ice water. You need to cool off.”
My roommates have me genuinely smiling for what feels like the first time today.
Earlier this year, I didn’t even know these two women, and when everything went down with Rick, and I suddenly needed to share my living space with strangers in order to keep a roof over my head, I was resentful. I thought my roommate days were behind me when I was living with Rick, but I was wrong. I was wrong about so many things.
But I lucked out when these two responded to my ad.
“So he’s tall…” Marissa prompts me as she holds a plate out to receive the perfectly-browned sandwich from my spatula.
“He’s tall and lean, but really nicely built.” I side-eye Ana, expecting her to insert a double entendre, but she’s in the middle of sipping from her glass. “Thick muscles, golden-brown hair, closely-trimmed beard. If I had to compare him to a celebrity, it’d be Ryan Reynolds—when he’s all bulked up for an action role.”