Not So Hot Girls Summer

10

Having had a pretty awful start to our trip, we decided that it was the perfect opportunity to slow down time, opting to go for a poolside yoga class and cycle on the coast. Whilst neither were particularly Jordan's thing, he was willing to take part in the relaxing activities just for one day.
Reason number one for me to stick around.
The sun was in full blaze when we arrived poolside and it was busier than expected. But similar to the previous evening, much to my confidence's annoyance, it was busy with beautiful women who not only radiated in the full sun but were also clearly experienced in the yoga session we were about to partake in as they flaunted past us in their tight cycling shorts and sports bras, exposing almost every inch of their toned, tanned bodies. Unlike them, being a complete novice, I had borrowed an oversized t-shirt of Jordan's to cover my torso and the majority of my buttocks, so this time, I stood out like a sore thumb.
Jordan caught me looking around before capturing me and sniggering in my ear.
''Don't worry Ame, I don't have a clue what I'm doing either.''
I smirked in response before rolling out my matt at the back of the group, even though I did suddenly feel incredibly awkward.
I had positioned our matts at the back of the group, initially a positioning that I thought was perfect- out of sight and out of mind. But my god, was I wrong.

The group were instructed to start with some light stretches but the poses escalated quickly as we were told to position ourselves into down dog. I rose onto my tiptoes with my arms stretched on the ground in front of my head before deciding to take a quick glance and check the posture of those around me. What I was greeted with was a carpet of perky arses that rose into the air, complimented by sea of beautiful faces that drooped between their legs.

What had I done?

I quickly looked away in order to avoid making eye contact with the girl in front of me to catch Jordan peeping from his own down dog position and smiling to himself.
I now fully understood why he had accepted to come to a yoga class with me and understood the mistake I had made.
The charade continued as we went through a range of poses, many that accentuated both the upper and lower half of womanly body parts, all of which I knew caught Jordan's attention.
''Great shout Amelie,'' he whispered to me, before winking in my direction.
I couldn't help but laugh quietly under my breath, despite my slight annoyance at the other women's subtleness. It was quite the turnaround on yesterday, even if Jordan's attention had wandered elsewhere.

After what seemed like eternity, we were instructed to lower ourselves to the ground into a mantra position before closing our eyes. At least Jordan would have nothing to look at now. But after a few minutes of welcomed silence, the instructor began to chant. Simultaneously, as the noises continued to leave her mouth, we both opened one of our eyes and glanced at each other before signalling it was probably best we left before bursting into a fit of laughter. It was clear Jordan was probably ready to leave anyway having already experienced the best bits. Finally, having got back in touch with our immature sides, we quietly climbed off our matts and tiptoed across the back of the pool to escape without being caught.

Our day resumed an hour later. Feeling more energised and refreshed, we went to the cycle hut to collect our bikes and with Jordan knowing my desire to try and live a little, we decided not plan a destination, but to simply head for the coast.

As we pedalled out of the hostel gates, we ended up taking the same route as I had with Christian the night previously. We glided down the hill, and as we did, my memories from the evening before began to flood back. It might have been the wind in my hair that was adding to my feeling of relief, but it began to occur to me that although I knew I suffered from overthinking and anxiety, perhaps it was the people that I had spent my life with that had caused me to become the 'sensible', and in Maddie's words, 'boring' person, I was perceived to be. But the last couple of days away from them, I had done more and stayed up later than I had ever done before. I had no fears of the unplanned and no fear for my safety. I trusted myself and the people I had been with. It was only with Frankie and Maddie I had always worried how and when the night may have ended, but possibly this was just because I never enjoyed myself with them. Not only was I the outsider, but I had always acted like their mother. Everything felt so different away from them.
I looked over to Jordan who caught me looking at him. Maybe I didn't need to go away to experience freedom. Maybe this was it. I had already begun to experience it.