CHAPTER 7
Teagan
I zipped up my duffel bag and finished getting dressed for the day ahead. I just double checked my bag to make sure I had everything I was going to need during my stay in the wilderness.
I was so wired. Hell, I should have been totally exhausted after my late night and the fact that I barely slept when I got back to the hotel, but I felt like I could run a marathon, and then do some rock climbing.
Last night had been perfect. There was just no other way to put it. What started out to be a night relaxing and getting out of my room had turned into the kind of passionate affair that Hollywood movies were made of.
Cort was perfect. He was sweet and handsome, and the sex was beyond intense. I’d never known sex could be that good. I had always dreamed about having mind blowing sex like that, but it seems that I had just settled for mediocre guys. And when it finally happened, what did I do? I quickly left him before I could get more wrapped up in him.
What was she thinking? Why didn’t I just ask him to come back to my room? He was a gentleman and offered to walk me back to my hotel, but I told him no. I still wasn’t sure why. What was the thought process behind that decision? Oh god, what did Cort think about the way I left? He must have thought I just wasn’t interested, or that I didn’t enjoy myself with him. Maybe he thought I was just using him for a good time.
But that was the farthest thing from the truth.
I grabbed my phone and checked, hoping that he’d called. But no. I knew that he wouldn’t call. Why would he? After how I left the way I did, I’d be surprised if he ever did call.
I had to call him. I had to explain herself. I opened up my phone again and searched through the contacts. As I scrolled through, I remembered that I had given him my number, but I hadn’t gotten his. Shit! I didn’t even know his last name. And it wasn’t like I could look him up somehow.
Ugh! How stupid am I?
Cort was an amazing guy. Could I have blown us having something together?
I let out a long sigh. I was getting ahead of myself. We only had one night together. No relationships actually formed from one-night stands did they? And how would we even be able to have a relationship. He lives here in Ronovia, while I live all the way back in San Diego. It would never work out. I would just have to think about this for what it was. An amazing night that I would never forget.
I left my room and grabbed a quick breakfast downstairs and then headed out to meet the group. Outside the hotel, a bus was waiting to take us to the location at the base of the woods where they would hike to the final camp. Anticipation started to bubble up inside me. This is why I am here, I thought. To build on my yoga practice, not be hung up on some guy that I met the night before.
When the bus arrived at the edge of the woods, I was glad to see that there was an actual trail for us to take, so we wouldn’t just be walking through the trees. Back home, I was more of a beach person, so the idea of hiking through an unknown forest had made me more nervous than anything else.
Everyone walked off the bus and there was a lady waiting to meet us at the edge of the woods. She was petite, but I could easily see how years of yoga helped tone and trim her small frame.
“Hi everyone,” she said. “My name is Diane. I am here to guide you to our camp site for the next week. We will hike up this trail, which should take us about an hour. From there everyone will get settled and we will go over the classes and schedule for the week.”
Diane then grabbed a box, and stood in front of us.
“But first all electronics must be given to me,” Diane said.
My head shot up. Was this woman serious?
“Why?” a French girl asked reluctantly.
“Because this is a retreat. A big part of this journey is to find a deeper understanding of yourself and you can’t do that when the world is connected to you through artificial means. So, all phones, laptops, etc. Any electronic devices need to be given to me. I will place them in this box, and of course, you will get them back at the end of the trip.”
I felt a moment of panic soar through her. That meant I would have to give up my phone. So, on the remote chance that Cort did call me, I would miss the call and not be able to get back in touch for the next week. A sickening feeling began to grow in the pit of my stomach. I contemplated refusing, and I thought about hiding the phone somewhere.
But then I knocked some sense into myself.
Cort was just a guy I met last night. Sure, we had a good time, but that was all that it was. It was me finally letting myself lose for one night. Now it was time for me to focus. This retreat was something I had been dreaming about for so long. I needed to get myself together and focus on my practice rather than be lovesick over someone I just met.
With a groan, I reluctantly handed over my phone and other electronic devices. I watched as everyone else placed their items in, and I felt slightly comforted when I saw a slight panic on their faces too. Good, I thought. I am not the only one that was a bit scared to give up my connection to the outside world.
“Ok, let’s go,” Diane said as the group grabbed their bags and started the hike through the woods.
As we started to walk, I felt as though a weight on my shoulders started to lift off. There was something about walking through nature that helped to alleviate stress from the body and the mind. The exercise felt great, the fresh air, the sights, the smells… it was all about going back to the roots of humanity, the sources of life.
I was seeing the benefit of giving up the electronic devices already. When I thought about it, those things were vices, they were crutches, and they were invisible shackles. They kept us dependent on a false reality that denied everyone the real purpose of their lives in a lot of ways.
By the time, they reached the camp site, I was hardly even thinking about Cort.
Hardly…