Chapter 164: Energy For Energy
After the phone call with her mother, Emily had been unable to fall asleep. She had tossed and turned until she decided to spend the time coming up with a plan on how to move on.
She woke up the next morning with a surge of determination. Although her limbs felt stiff from the tossing and turning of the night before, her heart felt lighter.
Her mother’s voice still echoed gently in her mind — calm, comforting, and full of love.
She rolled out of bed, tying her hair into a messy ponytail before slipping into a pair of navy blue yoga leggings and a snug sleeveless matching tank top. The fabric clung gently to her skin, and she glanced at herself in the mirror with a little nod of approval.
Padding barefoot to the center of the room, she stood with her feet hip-width apart and took a deep breath in. Her arms rose above her head, stretching toward the sky. The movement pulled the tightness from her shoulders, the tension from her spine.
She moved through the stretches slowly—Mountain pose, Downward Dog, Cat-Cow, Warrior. Her feet pressed into the smooth floor, and her palms slipped a little when she reached forward in a low lunge. She sighed.
"I need a mat," she mumbled as she made a mental note to get herself a yoga mat for the duration of her stay in Husla.
By the time she was done, her back was damp with sweat and the front of her tank top clung lightly to her skin. Her throat felt dry, her mouth parched.
She rose from her final stretch and walked toward the door, fanning herself with one hand as she stepped out into the hallway. Her bare feet padded against the tiles as she headed toward the kitchen.
The sound of clinking ceramics met her ears first. And then she stopped.
Callan stood by the counter, tall and clean-cut in a grey t-shirt and joggers, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the coffee machine. The scent of rich roast filled the room, warm and bitter.