The lobby smelled faintly of sandalwood and lavender, which was supposed to be calming. For you, it only made your nerves worse.

You had agreed — reluctantly, mind you — to attend this mindfulness-and-partner-exercises workshop. Alone. At a tantric yoga.

You had thought you could sneak in quietly, get through a few stretches, and leave without making a fool of yourself.

That was, until you saw him.

Across the room, leaning casually against the wall like he owned the place, was the last person you wanted to see in your life. Him. Your nemesis.

Your “how is it possible we are in the same class and why is he here” nightmare. Your first instinct was to turn around and leave. Run. Pretend you’d never signed up. Anything to avoid being anywhere near him.

But before you could make a graceful exit, a gentle bell chimed, and a voice floated over the room.

“Welcome, everyone! Let’s gather in a circle. Today, we’ll be exploring partner connection exercises. I’ll be assigning partners, so please don’t choose — just relax.”

Your stomach sank. The group formed a loose circle, everyone murmuring quietly, stretching arms or rolling shoulders. And then the teacher — a serene-looking woman with a smile that made her seem unshakable — began reading names from a small notebook.

“…And for the exercises, you will be paired with…” your heart stopped. “…you two.” You turned toward him. He looked at you, eyebrows raised, mouth twitching like he was holding back a smirk.

“No,” you thought. No no no. There is no way. But the teacher’s calm voice left no room for negotiation. “Take a deep breath and face your partner,” she instructed.

And just like that, the circle seemed to shrink. Your worst nightmare was now standing a mere arm’s length away. You couldn’t leave — the class had officially begun.

The retreat, your anxiety, and him — it was all inescapable. You swallowed hard, your heart hammering. This was going to be… interesting.