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“Weak and watery, but we won’t notice if we save it until the end of the night.” He steps back, nodding once. “See you in a few.”
In a pair of sliders, Max jogs back to his cabin. I let my eyes linger on his leanly muscular physique for all of three heart-thumping seconds before I shut the door, yelling, “This is T minus three minutes, ladies! Three minutes!”
Tabi loiters by the kitchen sink in her dry suit, drinking a glass of water. Earlier, she apologised again for last night, and after giving her a final piece of my mind, she promised to be more thoughtful.
A few minutes later, after gathering by the patio, all eight of us race to the lake’s edge. Logan barks excitedly alongside us, his coat glossy and recently groomed. Two beach towels are wrapped around me, one at the waist and another around my chest, but the cold air slices me in two all the same.
The dark blue lake is still, just a gentle ripple disturbing the surface out in the middle. There’s a tiny beach with gritty stone, and to our delight, a little wooden shelter like those remote bus stops.
“Look, there are lights!” Tabi flicks a switch, a string of golden fairy lights illuminating the cloudy morning.
“We need to get this on video,” Josie remarks, setting up her phone on the bench in the shelter.
We dump our belongings. When she presses record, we run in, linked together by our hands, not daring to second guess ourselves or test the water. If I do, I know I won’t get in.
“Oh, my God!” I yelp, the icy water biting through every layer of skin and I’m only knee-deep. It’s so immediately pervasive, so shocking and jolting that I’m quickly numb to the bone. Meanwhile, the boys hang back, amused at our squeals, watching us brave the water first.
Tabitha stumbles, pulling me down with her, and I end up dragging Jen with me because we’re still holding hands. Submerged entirely, the freezing water envelops all of my senses. I can think of nothing else but the cold. Finding my footing, I manage to stand, the water sloshing at my breasts. I spot Josie swimming so I follow her lead, hoping it will generate some much-needed warmth.
My breath ghosts over the top of the lake as the boys run in at great speed, all bravado and shouts and curses. Watching their reactions amuses me; they’re fun to hang around with.
Max swims out to the middle of the lake, a hat on his head and goggles over his eyes. Every now and then I see the flash of red and black swim socks as his feet propel him forwards, his strong arms arcing, dragging him further out. Ankle-deep in water, Logan watches Max swim further away, across the lake. Sensible dog; even he’s not jumping in.
“How long are we staying in?” I yell at Josie.
“A few more minutes?”
Ben swims closer, his heartbreakingly bleak eyes finding me. “Whose great idea was this?”
“Not mine, that’s for sure.”
We tread water, sharing laboured breaths. “It’s supposed to be good for our mental health and circulation, but I don’t see how—I can’t feel anything below my neck.”
A reflexive smile emerges. Maybe I misjudged Ben. “I’m looking forward to the hot tub.”
With his hair slicked back over his head, Sam swims by, saluting us as he does. “Lovely swim!” he jokes.
The others are all swimming short widths. It seems better than treading water. “I’m going to swim a bit,” I say, edging away from Ben and wondering if we can call it a day yet.
“Are you getting warmer?” Jen asks, her face tight with the cold.
“Not even close.”
“Does that mean it’s time to get out?”
“Yes! Please, yes!”
Delighted, we race to shore. Getting out of cold water into another cold environment is just horrible; there are no other words to describe it. My nipples are puckered, my skin is like goose flesh, and my lips are probably blue. Grabbing my fluffy towels, I wrap one tightly around my waist and huddle my arms and upper body under the second. Depressingly, even the towels are ice cold to the touch.
Quickly, the others emerge, throwing on robes and towels. Max is visible in the distance but Ben says, “We should go on without him. He’ll be a while.”
When Laurence and Sam agree, we hustle towards the patio, my body stiff. With excessive eagerness, Josie removes the cover from the hot tub. There are jets and moulded seats lining the interior and we all pile in, the boys hopping over the side rather than using the steps. On account of removing her drysuit to reveal a very daring swimsuit, Tabi is last in.
I groan in satisfaction, easing my shoulders under the hot water.
“That was fun, but I’m not doing it again,” I say to Josie.
“I might,” she muses.
