Ellen stood barefoot on her yoga mat, trying to focus on her breathing as the instructor calmly guided them through the poses. The air smelled faintly of lavender, the kind of soothing scent meant to relax, but her mind was anything but relaxed.
Helga, to her right, had a determined look on her face as she followed the instructor’s lead. She’d convinced Ellen to come to this class, not wanting to go alone and claiming she didn’t want to be "bored" without a friend to keep her company.
Most of the participants were older women, all moving gracefully through their stretches and bends, seemingly in perfect harmony with the calming music playing in the background. Ellen had agreed, thinking it would be a good way to relieve stress, but now, standing in the middle of a downward dog pose, her thoughts were far from peaceful. Mason’s words from the night before played on a loop in her head.
Jealous. He’d said he was jealous.
She couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t stop replaying the moment when he’d leaned in close and told her that he didn’t like seeing Edrick near her. That possessive look in his eyes. The rawness in his voice.
Jealous? Him? Really? Ellen thought, her arms beginning to tremble slightly from holding the pose too long. Her gaze drifted to the floor beneath her, but her mind wandered far beyond the yoga studio. Was it real jealousy? Or had he just said that to tease her, to provoke a reaction? Mason had always been hard to read, and last night had been no different.
Ellen’s posture faltered, her arms dropping slightly, and that’s when Helga, standing next to her, gave her a sharp nudge.
"Psst, focus!" Helga whispered. "You look like you’re in another world. This is yoga, not daydreaming."
Ellen blinked, startled back into the present. She gave Helga a sheepish smile and quickly straightened her arms, trying to mimic the instructor’s graceful pose. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath.
"You’re thinking about Mason, aren’t you?" Helga whispered again. Ellen shot her a look but didn’t respond. Helga just grinned wider.
Ellen shook her head, her focus shot to pieces. She balanced on one leg, her hands reaching above her head in the tree pose, but her mind was far from the peaceful meditative state everyone else seemed to be in.
Jealous. Mason, jealous.
Ellen’s thoughts raced as she wobbled slightly, losing her balance. Thankfully, just as she was about to lose her balance for a second time, the yoga instructor called out, "And that’s it for today, everyone! See you next time!"
A wave of thank-you’s and a few relieved sighs floated around the studio as everyone began to roll up their mats and gather their belongings. Ellen let out a breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding and bent down to roll up her mat, grateful the session had ended before she could embarrass herself further.
As she wrapped her mat into a tight roll, a light tap on her shoulder caught her attention. She straightened up, blinking in surprise when she saw a familiar face standing in front of her. "Clara?" Ellen said, her brows lifting in surprise. Clara smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with recognition.
"I knew it was you!" Clara shouted, clearly thrilled. "For a second, I thought I was imagining things, but it’s really you."
Ellen returned her smile, feeling a little more grounded now. "Hey, Clara!" she said, trying to sound casual despite her lingering thoughts.
"I didn’t know you did yoga," Clara said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice warm and friendly. She glanced around the room as if to make sure it was real.
Ellen let out a small laugh, shrugging as she adjusted her grip on her yoga mat. "Honestly, I don’t. This is my first time coming here." She gestured toward Helga, who was now walking toward them with a wide, friendly grin. "Helga convinced me to join her. She’s my neighbor."
"Helga, huh?" Clara said with a playful smile, turning her attention to Helga as she approached. "So you’re the one responsible for bringing Ellen here. Good job!"
Helga laughed softly, resting her hands on her hips. "Well, I had to drag her out of the house somehow," she teased, giving Ellen a light nudge. "Can’t let her stress herself out all day."
Clara glanced between them with a knowing smile. "Well, I’m glad you did," she said, her voice warm.
Ellen observed the way the two women were chatting and figured they already knew each other.
"A few of us are heading to brunch after this. Would you two like to join us?" Clara asked.
Ellen blinked in surprise, and her initial instinct was to decline. She was about to say no when Helga chimed in, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "Of course, we’d love to join!" she said, beaming at Clara. "Brunch sounds perfect after that yoga session."
Seeing Helga’s excitement, she nodded along. "Yeah, that sounds nice," she added.
Why not? she thought to herself. It wasn’t like she had anything else planned, and brunch with Clara and Helga sounded far more appealing than going home to her spiraling thoughts.
Clara’s smile widened, clearly pleased with their response. "Great! We’re going to that little café around the corner—Clementine’s. You know it?"
Ellen nodded, recognizing the name. "Yeah, I think it’s a great spot," she said, tucking her yoga mat under her arm.
"Perfect," Clara said, clapping her hands together lightly. "We’ll meet you two there in about ten minutes, yeah?"
Helga nodded enthusiastically. "We’ll be there."
As Clara waved goodbye and walked off to join the others, Helga turned to Ellen, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "See? Aren’t you glad I dragged you here? And by the way, how do you know Clara?
Ellen let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "I have to admit, I am," she grinned as Clara left the studio with her group. "She... she’s my new friend."
This was the start of her new plan.