Enlightened End

by Audrey Carlan

  Luna gasps. “Sweet Shiva! You’re having a girl!” She claps and then rushes to hug the blonde.

  “Hey, man, I remember you.” Trent holds out his hand, and I shake it, smiling. “We took a class together not long ago. How goes it?”

  “Good, good. Grant Winters. I’m Luna’s boyfriend.”

  His eyes widen. “Yeah? Cool. Trent Fox, and the gushing, frustrating, gorgeous preggo is my wife, Genevieve. Viv for short.”

  Genevieve backs away from Luna and wipes at her suddenly teary eyes. “I know. I thought for sure his testosterone would overcome any possibility, but nope, we’re having a girl.”

  “Already bought a shotgun.” Trent lifts his chest with pride.

  I chuckle, knowing what he means.

  Luna frowns and shakes it off. “Genevieve, this is Grant Winters, my boyfriend.”

  I shake her hand. “Congratulations.” I don’t know what else to say.

  “Thank you. Now, back to the matter at hand…”

  “Red, please knock some sense into her. All I’m asking is that she slow down on the more advanced practices in her second trimester. She’s a hop, skip, and a jump away from her third.”

  “I’m fine!” Her voice rises, and those hands of hers go right back to her hips.

  “Gumdrop…it’s dangerous.”

  Luna lifts her hands between them. “If I may.” Both quiet down and look at her. “Technically, as long as Genevieve is feeling well and not having any pain, she should be able to continue her practice as normal until she becomes uncomfortable….”

  “See!” Genevieve cuts her off, and Trent visibly bristles.

  “However…Viv, if it were me, I would start to ramp down my practice choices to those more suited to a pregnant woman’s body and the welcoming of the new little life. Your beginning classes are fine, the prenatal, and of course, meditation. I’m certain Mila would agree. It’s not that you have to stop; you should start to think about the positions and level of advancement that best suit your pregnancy at this stage and into the next.”

  “Thank you, Red,” Trent announces with a huge smile.

  “And, Trent, I’ll say to you that Genevieve knows her own body. She’s been pregnant once before. Now is the time to celebrate, but be considerate of her feelings and perhaps a bit gentler with your approach to her. You might consider making suggestions when it comes to her body versus demands.”

  “Her body is my body.” His gaze goes straight to hers. “It’s my job to protect you.”

  Genevieve turns into a pile of mush right in front of us, moving into her husband’s arms. “I love you, and I don’t want you worrying about me or our girl, so I’ll stop doing Vin Flow…if you make me pancakes for dinner.”

  He chuckles, dips his head, and kisses his wife. “My girls want my famous pancakes, you get my pancakes.”

  Luna beams with happiness watching the two exchange their apologies and vows of love.

  I wrap an arm around her waist and whisper in her ear. “Maybe we should find our spot and leave them alone?”

  She nods and curves her arm around me as we turn away and walk right into Dara McKnight. Her mocha-colored skin is a majestic contrast to the Caribbean ocean blue of her eyes.

  “Hey, girl,” she says but then glances at me, her lips compressing into a thin, flat line.

  “Dara, I believe you have something to say to my boyfriend, Grant.”

  Dara’s gaze narrows. She looks me up and down and then tips her head. “I see your battle has changed.”

  “You see what?” I’m confused.

  “Well, for one, you’re clearly in love with my best friend. It’s written all over your green aura. Though there are flickers of silver, which prove you’re skeptical of me, of this class, or the situation at large.”

  “Dara, you said you wanted to talk to Grant. Clear the air.” Luna’s tone has become guarded.

  Dara looks Luna up and down and points her finger from Luna’s head to her toes. “Don’t go all muddy red on me with your anger coming to the surface. I’m just stating it like it is.”

  “What are you stating exactly?” I ask, still lost.

  Luna sighs. “Dara is reading our auras. It’s like her personal litmus test.”

  “Why not just ask what you want to know directly?” I skate right over the aura reading because I don’t know anything about it, nor do I give it any credence either way.

  “I can’t help what I see. Besides, what I see is good. He clearly is head over heels in love with you. Every time your hand gets close or you look at him, his green aura brightens, glowing like a brilliant emerald surrounding his entire form. Means his heart is filled…with you.”

  Luna gifts us both a cheesy smile, totally taken off her grumpy tone and back to being happy-go-lucky Zen hippie. “I love that.” She sighs.

  I chuckle and put my arm around her shoulder and nuzzle her forehead. “Don’t need an aura reader to know I love you.”

  Her cheeks blush so prettily I want to kiss them, but I don’t while under the watchful eye of her best friend, whom I haven’t exactly won over yet.

  “I love you more.”

  Dara butts into our little love fest. “Okay, okay. I can see the two of you are in deep. I’ll make this short and sweet, Grant.”

  “Appreciated.” I wait for her to respond.

  “Luna is my best friend. She’s important to me and my family. As is this facility and my bakery—frankly, the whole damn street. And you are the man who could be taking all of it away.”

  I could stop her right there, but she continues.

  “Now Luna tells me you’re working to figure out a solution, and she explained the details behind the decision. I get that your hands are tied, and I’ll be over the moon if what you’re working on saves the street and our businesses. More importantly, though, I don’t want you breaking my friend’s heart.”

  I tighten my hold on Luna’s shoulder. “Not going to do that. In a very short amount of time, Luna has become the most important thing in my world. Her heart is safe with me. And as she mentioned, I’m working on doing what I can for Lotus House and the street. Still, she will not go without a home or a place to work. That I can assure you.”

  Dara’s lips form a small smile, and her eyes continue to assess me. “I can see the truth in your statement, and I’ll accept that…for now.”

  “Much obliged.”

  She nods and looks at Luna. “You’re right. He’s ridiculously hot.”

  “I know!” Luna says with apparent awe. “And you’re seeing him fully clothed. Naked, he’s… I can’t even,” Luna admits.

  “You both realize I’m standing right here.”

  Luna grins and rubs her face against my chest. “You are.”

  Dara chuckles. “Get set up.” She glances at Trent and Genevieve as other patrons start to roll in. “Need to set some mental balance up in this place. Dang. Emotions and shit flying all over the place.”

  “I’m glad we talked. I hope to get to know you and your family better in the future,” I offer, mostly because it’s true. If she’s important to Luna, then I’m willing to make an effort.

  Dara winks. “Come have some treats sometime at the bakery. I’ll hook you up. All the people I care about come in and out of my shop on a daily basis. You’ll get to know everyone very quickly.”

  Luna leads me over to a spot to the side where we can see the riser but also lean our backs up against the wall behind us.

  “Okay, for meditation, you need to get as comfortable as possible while sitting,” she instructs and then hops up and heads over to a closet, where she pulls out a few cylinder-shaped pillows and then comes back over.

  I cross my legs, and she places one pillow under each of my knees. When I rest them on the pillows, I’m much more comfortable. She grabs both of my hands and maneuvers them palms-up on both of my knees.

  “Having your palms up and open allows you to be open. Energy can flow through your palms and into your form
as you meditate.”

  “I don’t know how to meditate.”

  She grins. “Which is why you’re here. Tonight’s class is guided meditation. All you have to do is follow her instructions and listen to her voice. I’ll be right next to you. As a matter of fact, I’m going to press my knee up against yours so our energy can circulate between us.”

  I smirk. “You just want to touch me.”

  “This is true.” She winks and gets settled next to me, putting the bolsters in the same position she did for me but under her knees. Then she scoots right next to my side so that our knees touch. She rests her hands up and open and then closes her eyes.

  “All right, class, thank you all for coming. To start, I’m going to dim the lights even more and come around with some essential oil. The oil will activate your sense of smell and help you breathe into your mediation more easily.”

  Dara comes around the room and stops in front of me. “Do you like this scent?”

  The woodsy smell immediately reminds me of the oil Luna used on me when I had a bad headache and first slept with her. “Very much.”

  “You should. Luna made it for me.” She winks and then puts a fingertip just under my nostrils and above my lips.

  She doesn’t ask Luna about the scent, just places it under her nose and then pushes her hair off her forehead in a loving gesture. Luna smiles but doesn’t open her eyes. They really are best friends. I mean, I can’t image Clayton touching me so tenderly, but he does clap my shoulder, pound on my back in greeting. I guess that’s the male version of the sweet gesture.

  “Close your eyes, everyone, and breathe in the scent. I want you to start by imagining you’re standing in the center of a forest. Trees all around you. The wind is blowing softly around your skin, making the branches above your head tinkle and sway. There is a dirt path under your feet. You are comfortable, calm, and know you are in the exact place you are supposed to be…right now. Breathe in the serenity. Exhale any unwelcome thoughts that come into your mind.”

  I imagine exactly what she says. A forest building all around me, and I’m standing in the center of a wooded path. I can smell the trees and hear the branches moving around me.

  “Before you are two paths. One is dark, almost pitch black. The other filled with sunlight and chirping birds. Take the path that is light. The dark is your past. Everything you don’t want to relive. Stay in the moment. Walk in the warmth of the sun.”

  I move to the right, the lighted path. The sun is shining through the leaves, making a myriad of interesting shadows on the dirt path. Even so, the dark path is calling to me, making me curious about what lies at the end.

  A sensation of unease slips through my form, and I grunt, my body feeling heavy and weighted. Out of nowhere, a sense of calm fills the air, a soothing energy flowing over me, and I realize Luna put her hand into mine, connecting our energy in the physical plane, which connects our souls in the mental one. With her energy surrounding me, I turn right and start to walk the lighted path.

  As I walk, I forget about Dara’s voice. It seems to blend into whatever I’m seeing, which is nothing but beauty. The tree-lined path comes to an opening, where a fifty-foot, pristine waterfall plunges into a clear pool below. I walk toward the water and see my reflection in the rippled surface. In it, I’m happy, smiling, my face free of stress.

  A noise startles me, and I look to the right of the pool, and there Luna stands on a giant rock, her naked body ethereal against the sun and rushing water. Her red hair flows in waves behind her as the wind blows.

  She blows me a kiss and dives into the pool.

  “Wow,” I say to myself, waiting with bated breath to see her form pop up from the crystal clean surface of the pool.

  “Big man, wake up.” I feel my body jolt, and I open my eyes to find I’m back in the yoga room. Luna’s pretty face hovers in front of me, her hands on my knees. “You fell asleep.” She giggles.

  “Damn.” I run my hand through my hair.

  “Did you at least see the forest?” she asks, removing the bolsters as I shake off the images.

  “Oh yeah.”

  “The waterfall?” she continues as I stand up and hook her around the waist, pulling her to me.

  “Totally.”

  “The deer in the meadow?”

  “What?”

  “The deer in the meadow near the waterfall.”

  I curl my fingers into her hair and tilt her chin up with my thumb. “No.”

  She frowns, her nose crunching up prettily. “Then what did you see when she said to imagine a majestic creature, like a deer?”

  I kiss her forehead and then focus on her gaze. “Lamb, once I got to the waterfall, I saw you. Nothing but you. Naked. Stunning. Diving into the water. The most perfect image. I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”

  “You imagined me?” Her voice shakes when she reiterates her question.

  “To me, Luna, there is nothing more majestic than you. Your body, your heart, your essence is my happy place.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Individuals led by this chakra tend to experience extreme clarity and enlightened wisdom above those who are not in tune with their crown chakra.

  LUNA

  Two weeks have flown by, and no word from Greta. With each passing day, Grant is becoming more and more agitated. It took him a while to come to terms with the possibility that he had a sister, and when it was confirmed and he reached out, he expected her to follow up with him. However, this has not been the case. To say that her lack of response has surprised us would be putting it mildly.

  I’d looked into Greta’s eyes at the restaurant. She wanted a relationship with Grant. I could see it in her gaze and straight down to her very soul. Which is why her ignoring his attempt is so strange.

  “I just don’t understand why she hasn’t returned either of my calls. The first time, I waited a week before leaving another message. And still, no call back.” Grant paces back and forth in his office.

  Everything is monochromatic here too. I make a mental note to add some color to this space as well. Bring in a couple pictures, another couple sets of toss pillows. Liven it up a bit. He loves the changes I made to his apartment, but more often than not, he’s sleeping in my bed.

  I reach out on his tenth pass and grab his wrist. He looks down at me where I sit, his expression filled with sadness. It guts me straight down to my bones.

  “Maybe I angered her when I didn’t believe her originally?” His words are thick, filled with an emotion I only hear when we’re alone, usually with our arms and legs wrapped around one another after one of our epic lovemaking sessions.

  “Not sure, but I got the distinct impression she wanted a relationship of some sort with you, regardless of how upset you’d been at the restaurant. Besides, it was the first you’d heard of having a sister. She had to know it would cause a bit of an outburst on your part.” I try my best to assuage his frustration.

  He inhales, fully and deeply, and removes his hand from mine so he can place his hands on his waist. His blazer fluffs out behind him. “It’s strange. I didn’t know she existed before, and now I can’t get her out of my head.”

  I hate that my big man is feeling defeated and less than. It hurts my heart and wounds me on his behalf. There has to be something I can do about it.

  Just when I’m forming a plan, Grant’s desk buzzer rings.

  “Mr. Walters is on his way back. He refused to let me escort him.” Annette’s cool voice slithers through the line, betraying her irritation at whoever is coming to see Grant.

  “Excellent!” Grant claps his hands. “This is why I asked you here this morning.”

  I smile and lean back in the chair. “And I thought you just wanted me here because you like having me close.”

  He dips down and puts his hands on both sides of my chair, caging me in. “That too.” He nuzzles my nose and then kisses me briefly. “It’s a big moment, and I wanted you to be the first one to hear the news an
d see the plans.”

  I frown. “What plans?”

  “You’ll see.” The door opens, and a tall young man enters. He’s wearing a pair of khakis and a polo, his dirty-blond hair tousled every which way. Over his shoulder is a black cylindrical carrying case, the contents of which I can’t begin to guess.

  “Brando! Thanks for coming down, man.” Grant reaches his hand out to Brando, his architect and close friend, whom I was told about recently.

  “Always love to give Annette a run for her money. She gets prettier and prettier every time I’m here. I wish she wasn’t so icy, though.” He pretends to shiver.

  I grin, remembering back when I first met Annette. His observation is dead on. Except now that I’ve gotten to know Annette, she’s a lovely woman with a staunchly professional work ethic. However, she can be friendly when given a chance.

  Grant smiles. “She has to get used to you. She’ll warm up.”

  “Guess I need to start a fire under her hot ass,” Brando jokes.

  Grant just shakes his head and chuckles before glancing at me. “Brandon Walters, this beautiful creature is my girlfriend, Luna Marigold.”

  Brandon smiles wide and checks me out from head to toe the moment I stand up. “So, this is the beauty who has wrangled my buddy, positively domesticating him.” He winks.

  “Good to meet you,” I offer, enjoying his good-natured smile and personality. I hold out my hand for him, and he shakes it with an easy smile.

  “Yeah, you always did have a sweet spot for redheads. Looks like you’ve chosen the prettiest one this time.”

  Grant’s chest lifts with what I can only hope is pride. “Damn straight. Now get your hands off my woman. I believe you have something to share with us?”