Jason got up once he was sure he and Sylvia's mother were alone in the cabin, showered, dressed, and went downstairs.
Karen was at the kitchen table, putting things into the knapsack they'd used the two other times they'd gone to the pool and smiled at him when he walked into the kitchen. "I thought I was going to have to come up and get you," she said.
"I just figured I'd wait until Sylvia and Brenda were gone," he replied. "Looks like you're planning on spending the whole day at the pool."
Karen smiled at him, nodded, and said, "As much of it as we can. Are you ready to go?"
"I sure am," Jason replied.
They left the house and walked slowly up the road to the path that led through the forest to the hidden pool. Jason was excited about going to the pool, and what he knew would happen when they got there, but he was almost as sad as he was happy. After all, today could very well be the last day he and Karen would get to spend together for a while, maybe even for a long time. He noticed she was quieter than she usually was and wondered if she was thinking the same things he was.
She was wearing a pair of snug-fitting faded blue jeans, a white T-shirt with a wide neck opening, and she had a denim jacket on over that because the morning air was a little chilly.
Jason's outfit was a lot like hers, jeans, T-shirt, and instead of a jacket, he had on a sweatshirt.
And, for the first time since their trips to the pool had begun, Karen held his hand as they walked up the road behind the cabins. It was almost as if she didn't care if someone saw them acting like lovers. Of course, since it was Thursday, there were few other people there to see them, so the risk probably wasn't as great as it could have been at other times.
"I hope it warms up," Jason commented. "It's pretty cold for skinny-dipping."
"It is kind of cool this morning, isn't it?" Karen agreed. "Isn't water usually warmer than air in situations like this?"
"I think that applies to standing bodies of water, like lakes and the ocean," Jason said. "With the way the water flows into that pool, I'd guess it changes entirely every hour or so."
Karen laughed. "You do know a lot about a lot of things, don't you?" she chuckled. "Well, if we can't swim because the water is too cold, we can at least have our picnic."
"We should have brought a sleeping bag or something," Jason said. "At least then we'd have something warm to snuggle up in."
"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" Karen replied and gave his hand a squeeze.
The sun was out, though, and it was growing warmer. By the time they reached the pool, Jason had shed his sweatshirt and Karen had taken off her jacket. They found a spot, took out the blanket packed in the knapsack, and spread it out, then they sat down next to each other and stayed there for a while, watching the waterfall, not saying anything.
"We're both thinking the same thing, aren't we?" Karen said softly after a while.
"You mean we're both thinking about how this might be the last time you and I get to come up here, don't you?" Jason said.
Karen turned and looked at him, her gray eyes filled with sadness. "Yes, that's what I was thinking," she said softly. "And I was also thinking that I really don't want it to be our last time."
"Me, either," Jason replied.
"I...I wish I could tell you what will happen once we leave here," Karen said, "but I can't. I know what I want, but I don't know how to..."
Jason stopped her in mid-sentence by pulling her face to his and kissing her. The kiss, as all their kisses seemed to do, immediately grew wild. They clung to each other desperately and their hands began to roam over each other's bodies while their tongues entwined.