Time blanketed us while we floated across the water in easy silence. I began to feel cold with the chilly lake stinging underneath me. However, I didn't mind the bite. Comfortable, I felt, while my heart and body focused calmly on this moment, on this time Simon and I had together.
Occasionally, I looked over to find him with his eyes closed. And I wondered again what went on in his mind—selfishly hoped I belonged in his thoughts the same way he consumed mine. I hoped he was enjoying our time together, just as achingly as I yearned for it.
After a couple of hours in the water, Simon's skin tightening with soft wrinkles and my ears cold, we returned to the lakeside. We sat in the grass for a while, talking and laughing about various things while we waited for the sun and wind to dry our bodies. Then, we got dressed. Behind Simon, I walked on our way back to the home.
He slapped his nape with a hiss and inspected his palm.
