Dinnertime, second day of your five-day intensive yoga retreat.
In the ten seconds it took you to read the ad and to understand the layout of the sleeping area, your plan had popped into your mind unasked and fully formed. You had simply amazed yourself - things like this were unknown territory for you. You were convinced that if you had actually TRIED to come up with this plan, you simply could not have done so. Therefore HOORAY for the unconscious mind!
So far the plan was working to perfection. As part of it, you managed to sit next to HIM at meals both yesterday and today. And also to spend all of each daily eight-hour yoga session right beside him. But there is a small problem - HE is being just too damned much the perfect gentleman, despite months (actually, years!) of mutual gentle (almost but not quite secret) ogling in class. It never occurs to you that maybe HE could actually be a little shy?! How on Earth could that be? HE's so much older, more experienced, more worldly than YOU!
The shivery feeling in your belly finally convinces you - if there is to be any action, you must start it. You spend precious minutes getting your courage up, waiting... then (hooray! finally!) the others at your table rise together and leave en masse.
You are momentarily alone with him for the first time in the retreat. Heart in mouth, and working at the very outermost limit of your courage, you lay a hand atop HIS and say, very softly, "Can I come visit you? After the lights are out?" It is hard to believe that you actually got the words out. HE is startled into speechlessness - that pleases you immensely.
Even better is HIS hand squeeze and HIS eventual reply - "I'd love it." Then, "I've wanted that since the day we met." That meeting was four years ago: and you have had no idea that he might actually (as in 'serious, not just mild flirting') be interested! You are stunned, pleased, find it hard to breathe.
You're an immigrant, been here for two decades. As you slowly absorbed your new culture, you grew disgusted at the hypocrisy of your old one - especially about sex. Their 'official' teaching was that sex was bad, nasty, evil and to be avoided β yet fucking went on at all times and in all directions. And if sex was genuinely bad, it was DOUBLY bad -forbidden- for a "respectable, nice" woman to get any pleasure from it. And TRIPLY forbidden for her to take any initiative in sex.
Eventually your years of thinking about this sad state of affairs had produced tonight. All that THINKING was a big part of what brought you to this moment... but of course the quivering, shivering, wide-open full-throttle lust you feel for HIM has certainly helped things along! In fact, it is a huge victory for you just being able to
admit
to yourself that you have such feelings for HIM! You also admit that you hope and feel there's that there's at least a CHANCE that something else might develop - a 'relationship' perhaps? That would be too wonderful for words... but for the moment lust must be enough.
The triggering event leading to this adventure happened six weeks ago - you have identified it, and you wonder if HE has any idea? Maybe later you can ask him - it would be nice to know. After yoga class, HE initiated a conversation that had strong, obvious overtones of sexual interest - showing HIS interest in YOU! A first! You were flabbergasted, especially when HE told you in no uncertain terms, in very plain English, that HE thought your body and face were extremely attractive, quite extraordinarily sexy. It had never, ever occurred to you that any man could say such things about you - and mean them... but it was clear from HIS face that HE meant every word.
The whole idea of yourself as sexy, the idea of your flat-chested and asian-butted self as SEXY, had floored you. In fact, it took you over a week of HIS gentle daily reminders to understand just how sincere HE was. It was amazing, almost scary...and liberating. All at once. Revolutionary! And OMG what a flood of lust it had set loose inside you!
Then came the ad in the yoga magazine, and then came your plan. It was you who suggested this outing - almost trembling at your own boldness - and OhMyGod HE had accepted the idea.
Instantly, enthusiastically.
And here you are. Together.
Wow.
Sleeping arrangements are primitive ... twenty-four students, some couples, some singles, in this big old wood-floored gymnasium, the space divided into cubicles by blankets hung on ropes. Futons on the floor. Not romantic or ritzy, just barely adequate. Almost black-dark at night, when lights are off. Bits of white tape on the floor mark streets and doorways, and a path to the bathroom. Blankets hung from overhead clotheslines for walls, hence no sound privacy at all. How quiet can a couple be? You wonder if just maybe there might be another couple or two out there with similar intentions?
HE asks, "What time?"
Your insides have now turned to jelly - this is an absolute first for you. YOU! The shy little immigrant girl all grown up and declaring her independence! And things seem to be going well! "Ten" you say, barely breathing - "It's eight now...lights go out at nine."
HE nods, grins. After two long days of intense high-level yoga, everyone else is going to be deep in sleep by ten: HE understands. Good planning. In fact, even your body's cycle is cooperating, for once! The grin turns your pussy into a swamp.
HE asks, "You know my cubicle?"
Of course you know! It happens to be (more good luck!) at the far edge of the little village. You just nod: even doing that takes real effort. HE squeezes your hand - hard - and says "Until ten. Sharp!"