The palms of her hands were flat against the wood of the park bench, posture straight as her back barely leaned against the seat.
"You want any?" he offered his water bottle, the outside blue and opaque, concealing the contents of what was inside.
"Sure," she took it from him, taking a swig, the liquid burning gently as it slid down her throat. She handed it back to him, watching the way his hand lingered around the sides as he took it out of hers.
The beach in front of them could have been on a postcard, the way it looked almost too perfect, manufactured. The lake water was see-through, letting the patterns of the pebbles, sand, and fallen trees reflect back brilliantly in the sun. A couple of boats meandered lazily in the heat of the afternoon. The breeze brushed through the trees, merely rippling the surface of the water. She took a deep breath in and out as the liquor reached the pit of her stomach.
"I think I'm going in," he said, breaking the long pause between them.
"You coming?" She shrugged in response, the heat from the day made the water tempting. The backs of her legs were sticky with sweat against the bench.
"Well, I am," he smiled back at her, egging her on. He got up from his spot, shimmying out of the sleeves of his shirt until it fell in a pool beneath him. Making his way over to the brim of the water, he tiptoed into the edge of the shoreline, carefully stepping over the rocks beneath the surface. His body began to sink further under the surface until his body had disappeared up to his chest. He knelt down, lowering the rest of himself into the lake.
"You sure you're not coming in?" he called back to her. He must have been cold the way his arms began to wrap around his chest as he held his core together, shivering slightly. But he smiled up at her anyway.
Come on, don't leave me hanging." She shook her head, folding her arms over her shoulder, pretending to be stubborn.
His back was turned to her, but he gazed back at her over his shoulder, chuckling. She met his eyes for a brief moment.
A draft of lightheadedness hit her from the alcohol. Looking away quickly, her breath hitched, feeling a pulsating sensation through her veins. She grabbed his water bottle once more, taking a small sip, placing it between her thighs, the metal of the container, now wet from the condensation feeling cold against her skin, almost painful.
She sat for a while longer, watching as her friend bobbed up and down in the lake, not too far out from the shore. The chill from the water must have gone away as he seemed more content, moving easily now along the bottom terrain of the lake. He was a bit distant now, yelling back to where she remained on the bench.
"Come on, it's not fair to keep me waiting like this," he hollered.
"Ok, ok!" A smile crept up on her face. It felt good the way he kept insisting for her to join him.
She took the first steps from the bench where they had sat, his shirt laying on the ground now. The water was ice as she put her first foot in, not quite ankle deep, just enough to cover the tops of her feet. Moving gingerly through the rocks, the chill of the water crept around her ankles, her skin now goosebumps as she became more and more engulfed.
He waded close to her, his arm outstretched above the surface. She took it, his fingers now wrapping around her own.
