2. Ash

CHAPTER 2

ASH

Bodhi Studios was surprisingly a quick drive from my condo. I'd expected Austin's notorious traffic to drag the commute as it always did, but like a miracle that was pushing me closer to Jaydan Cobb, the roads were clear and the traffic lights were all green.

That was how I found myself twenty minutes early to my yoga class. I parked, turned off the engine, and rested my arms over my steering wheel as I stared inside the tall windows of the studio.

The inside looked serene, full of Zen. It was the state I was supposed to be in. It was the entire reason my stupid best friend had signed me up for this class, wasn't it? Well, he obviously didn't know left from right 'cause all I was feeling was my blood rising in anticipation of catching a glimpse of Jay.

I hadn't seen Jay since Howie and my high school graduation. I'd gone over to hang out at the Cobb's childhood home countless times since then, but Jay had never been there .

At one point, I'd suspected that he'd been avoiding me but had quickly pushed down that idea since the world didn't revolve around Ashley Sanders. Jay was busy at school. He had his own life, and so did I.

It wasn't like I had endless free time to ponder about all things regarding Jay, either. Football had kept me busy. Playing ball was my life's purpose. That was a fact I'd known since the first time Dad handed me a neon green, kid-sized football when I was five and tried to teach me how to throw it.

Throwing had never been my strong suit. And while Dad's dream of me becoming a star quarterback would never come true, I knew he would be proud that I was playing pro for a team in our hometown.

That familiar pang of the fact that he wasn't here to witness it shot through my heart again. Dad had passed unexpectedly the year I'd started high school. One day he was there, celebrating me making the school's football team and excited about attending my first practice. And, well, he'd never gotten the chance.

I'd wanted to quit playing ball right then and there, but Mom hadn't let me. She'd threatened to escort me to every single practice if that was what it took. The woman had just lost her husband and instead of letting herself grieve, she had worried about everyone else around her. That was what had kicked me into gear and was one of the reasons I'd never quit football .

I'd thrown myself into the game. Pushed myself hard with only one goal in mind, and all the work had paid off with a shiny new contract straight out of college with a team that kept me close to my mom and little sister.

I'd kept my personal life clean—so what if my best friend had hit the mark about my dead sex life? The Draft—a beer and football themed podcast—seemed to have more than enough to say about me already without adding a potential scandal for the paparazzi to go wild over.

The podcast was co-hosted with Kingsley Black and Juan Carlos Oliveira. With Juan Carlos being our coach's nephew, I would like to say that the commentary against our team was slightly calmer, but even the familial relationship didn't exempt us from their critical remarks regarding our play and our lack of making the playoffs.

The football world had eyes on us, which was exactly why I needed to have my focus on the game. No distractions…

Then a head of fluffy black hair walked past the wide windows inside the studio. The tall, lean man turned around, and there was Jay. Ten years later, and he still took my breath away. His features had matured from my memories of him from high school. His angular face looked more defined as well as his sharp eyebrows.

He leaned against what I'd assumed was the reception desk and chatted with the handsome man standing behind the desk. The stranger said something that caused Jay to laugh. His sharp expression relaxed, and the way his face lit up had my heart drumming a little too hard against my chest.

The two of them continued to chat, looking so chummy that I had to wonder if there was something happening between them. Even though I'd only seen him date women in the past, the chance that he could be into men sent a tiny flicker of hope through me. Not that the possibility of me and him could ever be a thing, because I didn't have time to focus on anything but football.

They continued to chat by the counter, and a few minutes later, I'd realized that I was now acting like a creeper by observing them from my car. They hadn't looked out yet, but them catching me watching them was not the first impression I wanted Jay to have of me for our reunion after this many years.

I bit the bullet and left the safety of my vehicle to head inside. The sound of a bell announced my entrance. Both men turned to me. I didn't get intimidated easily, but hell if I didn't feel like a kid walking into the principal's office right then and there.

Jay appraised me for a few seconds, a professional smile on his face before it turned more genuine. "Why Ashley Sanders, is that you?"

"It's me," I said with a nervous chuckle. My gaze quickly flicked around the room almost automatically after hearing my name. I wasn't vain enough to think that I was a household name, but one could never be too careful of a sudden ambush from fans or paparazzi .

Jay must have caught sight of my actions and said, "Sorry, I probably shouldn't be yelling your name now that you're Mr. Big Famous Football Player."

"Mr. BFFP, for short," the man behind the counter added, teasing clearly in his voice.

Jay grinned and walked over to me. The last time I saw him, he was taller than me, but now he stood half a head shorter than my six-foot-five.

"But don't worry. We're the only ones here, and I can assure you that Sam is more interested inogling your ass in those tights than who you actually are," he said, thumbing over his shoulder at the other man.

"Mhmm-hmm," Sam hummed in agreement, his eyes roaming down my body to the black leggings I had on. The gesture was flattering, but it had shocked me since I wasn't used to being checked out so obviously in public by a guy. Sam chuckled again and turned to Jay. "Alright, we should stop teasing the man."

"Who says anything about teasing? Those tights really will serve him well." Jay paused and eyed the tight fabric over my legs.

My heart skipped. Was he flirting with me? Did that mean my earlier assumption was correct, and he did swing for men now?

Before I could come up with answers for any of the questions, Jay's blue eyes returned to mine. "For yoga, I mean. I forgot to have Howie mention what you should wear for yoga, but it looks like I was worried for nothing. You sure this is your first time doing this?"

And just like that, I was once again proven that my overactive brain struck once more. That happened a lot around Jay; me thinking too much into the things he'd said or did and turning it into an interest in me when it wasn't. If I was going to spend an hour a week doing yoga with him, then I needed to calm the fuck down with the delusions.

I gave a few seconds for my heart rate to even out, then put on my camera ready smile and flashed it at him. "I made sure to do my research so that I was prepared for the class, teach."

Jay's lips curved up in what looked like amusement. "I love diligent students. Let's head to the counter and get the pesky official things out of the way," he said, leading me to where Sam was waiting with some forms for me to fill out.

The switch to his professional mode almost gave me whiplash. I was in awe of the change as he explained to me the general safety rules they had at the studio. Jay took me on a quick tour of the place, then brought me back up front to start his sales pitch.

Five minutes later, I had a brand spanking new yoga mat in hand and a membership at the studio. Jay was all smiles as he led me to one of the rooms. The studio had changing rooms with lockers for our items, but Jay said we could also leave our stuff in the cubbies in the back of the classrooms if we preferred, as long as our cellphones were on silent.

I looked around the rest of the room. Besides the back wall lined with short cubbies, the other three walls had floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Jay said it was so we could see if we were doing the poses correctly. Other students had already arrived. Some were sitting on their mats with their eyes closed in a meditative state, while others sat together and chatted quietly. There were a total of ten of us all together. I'd expected the class to be mostly women, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the ratio closer to even.

"Oh, I forgot to mention one thing," Jay said after I'd found a spot by the left mirror. He still had on the professional air as he leaned in close to me. "I like to make sure everyone is doing the poses correctly so that you don't accidentally injure yourself. That being said, if I see you do need correction, I'll need to place my hand on you. Is that okay?"

God, Jay's hands on me? Even though I knew it was purely for the sake of the class, and it wasn't like this was something new—it was something my physical therapist did often—and yet this felt completely different. Because it was Jay. I gulped, questioning if I could keep up this indifferent act if I had his hands on me. I wanted to. I had to. I needed to.

Before I could register anything, I was already nodding.