Chapter 15 You're fascinating
Veronica's POV:
Theo rubbed his temples lightly. “I feel like I’m getting a migraine,” he murmured. “I should probably go do my pranayama.”
“Prana… what?” I blinked, tilting my head in curiosity.
He smiled faintly. “Pranayama. It’s a form of yoga—breathing exercises. I’ve been doing it for years.” He hesitated, his tone softening. “Actually… I’ve been deeply involved in it for a long time. Since I was a teenager, really.”
“I took my first Kundalini yoga class when I was sixteen. My father was… harsh, always pushing, always demanding perfection. Yoga was the only thing that helped me stay grounded. Helped me build everything I have today without losing myself.”
Then he continued explaining the stuff he did in his yoga routine, and explanation of ther various postures he did, and the chakras he worked on.
I found myself dissolving into nothing, listening to him. Theo's knowledge and his way of explaining was of other wordly... he was just too beautiful inside and out.
“So…” he said lightly, but I could tell the question carried weight. “You don’t think I’m boring, do you?”
I jerked upright, shaking my head quickly. “No! Not at all. You’re… fascinating. You’re intelligent… grounded.” I smiled softly. “Honestly, I could listen to you talk all night.”
Theo let out a quiet chuckle, the corners of his lips lifting. “You know, that’s a first. Usually, when I start talking about yoga or philosophy, most people — especially girls — find an excuse to run away.”
I laughed, feeling warmth rush to my cheeks. “Well, I’m not most people,” I said, playfully nudging his arm. “I actually like your stuff—I mean, the way you’re… steady. Calm. Like nothing can shake you. Trust me... I'm getting to know that yoga has this much depth and intensity. I was too oblivious to this stuff before."
“Maybe that’s why you and I get along, Veronica. You really get what I'm saying...”
And at that moment, as I admired the serene smile on his handsome face, I realized that his stability was all that I needed.
Then our lips met, gently at first... but it wasn't him... I was the one who initiated it.
Theo hesitated only for a heartbeat, as if silently asking for my permission, and when I didn’t pull away, and closed the distance between us... he kissed me back, gently, like french actor from 1970s.
His touch on my body was too careful, deliberate... he was making me feel seen, not claimed like a possession. His arms wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer until the world outside the quiet room faded into nothing but the sound of our breathing.
And just like that... warmth bloomed in my chest, spreading through me like bright rays of sunlight after a long dark night.
I was just… at peace, making all the anxiety I had like a foreign language.
This is what I was missing my entire life. This peace of mind...
When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads lingered close, breath mingling in the soft space between us.
His pretty green eyes glowed with a calm intensity that made my heart skip. He was just so divinely handsome to look at.
“So,” I whispered, a teasing smile tugging at my lips, “is this what pranayama feels like?”
Theo chuckled softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. “Why don’t I show you?” he said, smiling in that gentle, unhurried way that made my pulse quicken all over again. I felt too much overwhelmed!
I slipped into my yoga pants and top—the ones I’d packed without much thought, assuming I’d never actually use them.
Yet, here I was, barefoot on a soft mat, standing across from Theo Ashford.
Theo was already seated on his mat, his posture straight and effortless, the perfect picture of calm concentration. “Start by crossing your legs,” he instructed me. “Spine tall, shoulders relaxed.”
I tried, I really did to do what he said, but my muscles immediately protested. “This feels impossible,” I muttered under my breath.
Theo chuckled, making me almost forget the discomfort. “Don’t force it. Just let your body settle. It’s not about perfection, it’s about awareness.”
Easy for him to say. He has been practicing this for years, while I was a complete newbie who did only cardio and gym.
He was shirtless now, revealing his beautiful body that was both sculpted and graceful.
Every muscle of him moved in harmony when he shifted, like a symphony in motion.
“The thing with gym-goers,” he continued. “is that after building muscle, they lose flexibility. But I’ve always believed strength means nothing without balance.”
And then he demonstrated the most complex postures to me.
He flowed through a series of poses... one after another... as if his body was just made up of just water and light. He was moving very slow, but fluid... in a graceful way.
The muscles of his back were rippled with control; with his breathing, deep and steady, which filled the quiet room with a rhythm.
I couldn’t just look away from him. My gaze traced every line of him, every stretch, every flex.
He wasn’t just doing yoga... he was embodying it in a beautiful way, like some handsome instagram models did.
Theo noticed, of course, that I was literally drooling over him at this point. But he only smiled at it!
When he finally turned his head, a faint smile tugged at his lips, the kind that made my heart stumble a beat. “So,” he asked softly, “are you getting the basics?”
I blinked, snapping back from my daze.
“Of course,” I said quickly... far too quickly, partly humiliating myself.
My cheeks burned as I tried to mirror his graceful posture again... only to wobble slightly.
He laughed in a warm and teasing way. “You don’t have to pretend, Veronica,” he said, his green eyes glinting with amusement. “You can just… watch me for now.”
And God help me... that was exactly what I wanted to do. I just wanted to watch him.