Edge of the Water

For the first time since she arrived on the boat, Zoey spent the entire morning looking forward to instructing yoga class, and had even gotten to the studio early. It wasn’t that she was excited to spend the morning teaching; she was happy to see Patrick for the first time since their night on the beach a few days before.

She was proud of herself for obeying the ship’s rules and staying away from him, but she wanted so badly to see him, and the boys’ time on the ship was almost up. She had very little time left to spend with Patrick, and just seeing one another in class wasn’t going to be enough for either of them.

When the boys filed into the room, saying hello to Zoey and Belle as they walked in, Zoey kept her eyes open for Patrick. He was one of the last ones to enter, with Jon right behind him.

Blush crept onto Zoey’s face the instant her eyes met Patrick’s, as he gave her a soft wink that was coupled with his charming smile. They wouldn’t be able to talk much in class, but she planned on giving him quite the show, as she had put on the tightest pair of yoga pants she owned.

Belle stood in the front of the classroom, directing the boys on what to do, even though they had already learned most of it. Belle hoped that they would continue their yoga even when they got off the boat, but Zoey doubted that most of them would. It was easy to practice yoga when a pretty girl was showing you what to do, but it was harder when you were in a room full of guys or by yourself.

While Belle instructed from the front of the room, Zoey wandered through the boys, straightening their legs when needed and telling them to watch their feet. She was careful to avoid Patrick, as he watched her pay close attention to each of his teammates. She imagined it was driving him nuts, and by the scowl on his face, she was almost certain it was.

When Belle switched positions and the boys followed, Patrick made as many obvious mistakes as he could, while still making it look like he was doing the same pose. He had his hands turned the wrong way, his knees bent, and all the millions of other little things that Zoey would have to show him how to fix.

He caught her eyes for a second, admiring the light smile on her face as she walked towards him. He wandered if his teammates knew what he was doing, but he didn’t really care.

Zoey walked from one side of the room to the other, headed straight for Patrick, with her tiny feet barely making a sound against the studio floor. She walked right past Patrick, whose form was just horrid, and told Jon to make sure to flatten his feet on that particular pose.

Beside her, Patrick pushed his foot out just a little, so it would be right in Zoey’s way. He knew what he was doing was risky, but he knew Zoey was toying with him and he wanted to toy with her right back.

When she took a step forward, her foot snagged against his, and she stumbled, before catching herself. She looked down at Patrick with a scowl, knowing he had planned that, and that was when he groaned in fake pain that was about as believable as a preschooler’s play.

“Is everything alright, Patrick?” Belle asked, as she pulled out of her pose to look back at them.

He bit his lip, before feigning a grimace. “I think I hurt my ankle.”

“Did you?”

It was obvious by Belle’s tone that she didn’t believe him, and she simply rolled her eyes as she got back into her pose.

“Zoey, why don’t you take Patrick and make sure he’s alright?”

Zoey simply nodded, as Patrick stood up, still doing his horrible impression of someone in great pain. They walked slowly out of the studio, with the entire team’s eyes on them, and it was obvious that none of the players believed his little stunt. Jon and Keith even shared in a light chuckle as the two stepped out of the doorway.

“Do you think it’s sprained?” Zoey asked, as she shut the door behind her.

Patrick put on his best pouty face, as he looked down at her. He was so good at it that it looked like fake tears were welling up in his eyes.

“It’s probably broken,” he said, as he set his foot to the ground and began walking normally again. “I might even need to amputate it.”

Zoey chuckled, as she smiled at him. “Well, there goes your career.”

“And all for some girl,” he joked, as he placed his arm on her shoulder. He went back to his fake limping, pretending that he was using her for balance. “I might as well skip the nurse’s office. There’s no hope for me now.”

“Where would you like to go then?” she asked, and the second the question fell from her lips, she knew they were going to get into a mess of trouble.