It happened so quickly that at first I wasn't sure that it was real. He was in front of me, talking about the evening's class, and he just leaned in for a kiss.
"Thank you," he said. "I've really missed coming to your class. It's good to be grounded again"
I was shocked. I blinked my eyes repeatedly as my mouth just sort of hung open in disbelief.
"N-n-no-n-n-n-n-no-n-no," I stammered like a character from The Vicar of Dibley. It was just a peck, but he lingered just long enough for me to realize that he wanted to break that tension that existed between us. The tension that had existed between us for so long.
"I can't," I finally forced out. "You're a student in my class. That's an ethical boundary I have to respect. It's fairly well understood in yogic circles that teachers..." I rambled on. He said he understood. His body language told me he was lying. His shoulders were slouched and the sparkle in his eyes had dimmed. The post-yoga glow that had surrounded him had begun to fade. I grabbed two teas as we exited the studio and asked about his recent adventures and escapades.
We sat on a bench outside and chatted, discussing his recent travels. His statements seemed strained and forced. He seemed tense, like he was unsure about what to do, what to say. And then, just as quickly as before, he did it again. I didn't stop him. The kiss deepened as he touched my arm, causing goose-bumps to rise on my flesh. The tension that had existed between us for so many months just broke. There was such an overflow of energy that consumed the two of us, sitting on that park bench, that I felt light-headed. I felt like I couldn't hold the kiss any longer, but I was afraid of what would happen if I was the one to break it.
A large crack of thunder brought me out of my daze. The kiss was broken. It was raining. Hard. I opened my eyes, and my pillow was wet.
