This is part one, so there is quite a bit of set up. It's a slow burn, but the next chapters should heat up nicely.
*****
The sun was low on the horizon as the yoga class finished. The small resort hotel had a dedicated yoga studio, a small house really, with one wall completely open and overlooking the nearby ocean. Tall palm trees framed the view, turning dark and gold in the setting sun. Behind the studio, unseen, rose the steep and jungle covered hills of Bali.
John had made the terrible mistake of taking a yoga class, a decision he cursed himself for as he held painful pose after painful pose. His joints creaked and his muscles screamed, sweat pouring down his face. His only consolation was that, as the only man in a class filled with women, he had plenty of eye candy to distract him.
They were all around him, middle aged women in tight outfits, bending and stretching, moving from pose to pose as the yoga coach lead them through the routine. John had no choice but to stare at the teacher as he tried to mimic her moves. She stood at the head of the room, a tall and thin red-head, calmly and gently guiding her sweaty flock. Her hair was flaming red, fire-engine red, nothing natural about it. Her sharp features were accented by a pair of blue rimmed rectangular glasses that matched her blue eyes. She was dressed in a tight tank top that hugged her small high breasts and a knee-length pair of yoga pants, revealing to John a pair of distractingly tight little buns.
A thin little smile was on Marie's lips as she watched John struggle through his poses. This class was meant to be for the women in a weekend seminar, but the hotel had insisted that the class be open to any guest in return for the use of the yoga studio. She knew all the women in the class, gently guiding them as she walked around the room, calling them out by name with words of encouragements. And there was this man, middle aged, greying at the temple, dressed in shorts and t-shirt, covered in sweat, grimacing with pain. It was almost adorable.
Finally the class ended. Marie reminded the assembled women to check their schedules for the other scheduled event for their seminar. John simply collapsed, his body on fire. The women gathered their stuff, talking excitedly with each other about the other classes they wanted to take. They all left, leaving John on his back in the middle of the room.
He laid there for a while, contemplating the ceiling, letting his body slowly return to normal. The room around him grew dark as the sun touched the sea. He turned his head to watch. The view was spectacular, yet profoundly calming. He felt oddly present, which was a change from the last several months of his life.
"Are you going to be ok?" Came a voice from the dark.
John turned his head. Marie was standing there, sipping at a water bottle , watching him or the sunset, he couldn't tell.
"Yes. Just getting my breath back. And the sunset is pretty amazing. I guess I'm not really motivated to move," he replied, chuckling. "do I need to leave? Are you locking up?"
"Nope. Not my job." She replied. "Ever do yoga before?"
"No. That was my first time," he said, craning his head so that he could see her while remaining on his back.
"You did pretty good then, I'm impressed." Said Marie.
"I do other stuff, but it's been a while. Your class really kicked my ass." John said as he pushed himself up, sitting cross legged.
He moved his head around, loosening his neck. Marie noticed that he was sitting in a full meditation cross legged sit, with his knees on the ground. That required some serious training. He was not some accountant on vacation, she thought to herself. She was immediately intrigued. He looked rather normal, handsome maybe, with wavy brown hair turning slightly grey, his body solid rather than buffed or toned. Sitting there, outlined by the setting sun, he looked grounded. Marie had the sudden urge to sit next to him, to share this sunset.
Marie turned away. "Nope, nope, nope," she thought to herself, "noping out of here before I do something stupid."
"Enjoy the sunset," she called out before turning and leaving.
"See you..." said John, letting his voice trail off as he watched her step through the door and out of view. Had he missed a chance? He had lost the habit of talking to pretty women, lost the ear for hints. "Oh well,..." he thought, before getting up as well and heading for his room and a nice warm shower.
The following morning John rented out a moped from the front desk. It was time to hit the beach, he had thought as he woke that morning, the sun streaming through the gauze curtain.
While he was standing in the lobby, waiting for the moped to be brought to the front, he noticed Marie sitting in a chair by herself, reading a book.
After hesitating for a moment, he called out to her.
"Hello. Not teaching today?" He asked.
Marie looked up from her book. She was pleasantly surprised to see John standing there.
"No, there's a day trip planned for everyone. I thought I'd skip it and catch up on some reading," she replied, motioning to her book.
"Well, I'm planning on going down to the beach and read mine," he said, pulling a book from his satchel. "They have hammocks for rent there, apparently."
"Nice," said Marie.
There was a brief pause. John heard himself blurt out a question before his brain had fully understood what was happening.
"So, would you like to come with me to the beach? I can give you a ride." He heard himself say.
"Do you have a car?" Asked Marie. Hammocks on the beach sounded perfect.
"Well, I rented a vespa..." Said John.
Marie laughed. "Okay, let me quickly change then. But just to be clear, this is not a date. I need to read my book, so I will be ignoring you for a couple hours. Don't expect any chit-chat from me. If that's what you want, feel free to go ahead without me."
John threw up his hands in mock surrender.
"I will not say a word to you, promise. I want to read my book as well, so we can can both sit quietly in our hammocks." He replied.
"Okay. I'll be right back" said Marie as she got up and ran to her room.
By the time she got back John was sitting on a vespa outside the lobby. Marie trotted over to him, dressed in cut-off jeans shorts and a flowery blouse, a small bag slung over her shoulders. The straps of a bikini were crossed over her neck.
Without hesitation, she threw a long leg over the back of the vespa and sat on the long seat, her body pressed against John's back.
"Hang on!" He called out, and gave the little scooter gas.
The little machine let out a metallic fart and with a wheezing effort launched itself down the street. Marie wrapped her arms around John's waist, holding on as the machine wobbled and shook as it picked up speed. She couldn't help but get a scent of his skin, musky but clean, male, matching the solid warmth of his back. John felt a warm tremor shake him. It was such a comforting feel to have this simple hug.
John guided the little scooter down the meandering street lined with palm trees as it made its way down the hill towards the small beach. A few minutes later they were there, a small and perfect beach straight out of a postcard, with rocky cliffs on either side of a crescent of pure white sand. The water was electric blue, a few waves chopping up the water with their white crests.
A few merchants were sitting under the shade of the palm trees, just some locals catering to the tourists. They sold sodas and snacks, or some local food specialties grilled right there on portable stoves. One local had strung some hammocks between the trees and rented them out. For a few dollars Marie and John had a hammock each and were soon swaying gently in the cool shade, reading contentedly.
Eventually John dropped this book on his lap. He looked up at the trees swaying above him, the blue sky beyond...He felt content, relaxed, almost sleepy. But the sea whispered to him, cool and vast, a different calm from the cozy cocoon of his hammock.
He glanced over at Marie. All he could see of her was her feet, sticking up at the other end of her hammock. Her toenails were painted black, he noticed. She could be asleep for all he knew. He decided to remain quiet as he got out of his hammock and stood up. He pulled off his shirt and kicked off his sandals, leaving them in a neat pile under his hammock. With a final glance towards Marie's hammock, he headed towards the beach and the waiting sea.
He dove in the warm water, splashing about until he was past the cresting waves. He floated on his back, carried by the salty water, rocked gently by the waves. He looked up at the sky, taking in the vast emptiness held up by a few clouds. It felt good to finally let go of the tension he had been carrying for the last few months, release it into the water and the sky. There was nothing to do in this moment other than be carried and to be breathe.
There was movement at his side, which startled him. The first thought was of course, shark! He spluttered and flailed, attempting to walk on water and head for the hills. But he quickly recognized the bright red hair and the laughing face just a few feet away.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She cried out, laughing.
John clutched theatrically at his chest, gasping.
"I was so fucking relaxed I didn't see you coming!" He said, laughing.
"I saw you head for the water. I thought it was a good idea," she finally said, smiling.
"I didn't want to disturb you," he replied.
"Nah, this is fucking perfect," she said, laying back until she was floating serenely.
John couldn't help but glance across her body as it emerged from the water. A bright yellow bikini covered her small breasts, but left the sleek expanse of her belly free. John followed the curves of her hip bones across her thighs, across the bikini covered mound of her pubis. He thought he could see the shape of a pillow of curls under the fabric, but the waves kept covering and uncovering her.
