Rosa took a moment. It had to be less than five degrees. It was snowing. She could feel it in her hair, on her face, in her feet.
Quickly, she kicked off the slippers, dropping the robe down on top of Billy's and entering the water.
It was blissful. The heat immediately warmed her feet and ankles, inch by inch, the rest of her skin warming as she walked deeper into the thermal pool.
"Oh, okay…this is…" She laughed.
"Good, right?" Billy laughed too. "I told you."
Rosa sank down until her shoulders were under the water, steam rising all around her as warmth seeped into her bones.
"Right now, this is heaven," she admitted. "And you win bonus points…but when we get out…"
"I'm going to be in trouble again?" Billy laughed again as they floated beside one another. For a brief moment, the gentle ebb of the water pushed them closer together and their fingers touched.
They didn't speak. When it happened again, neither pulled away. But on the third time, Rosa put her feet onto the floor.
"I think I might swim," she said, pushing off into a breaststroke before Billy could answer. Her skin tingled, vibrating with a sensation she hadn't felt in years. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, and nerve endings that were usually a private matter to deal with were pulsing between her legs.
"No, no, no,"she said to herself as she swam and put distance between them.
Billy watched her, a smile tugging at her lips. Rosa didn't try to make sense of it. Some moments were better left unexamined.
For ten long minutes, she glided through the water in slow, aimless circles, never drifting too close to Billy. Occasionally, someone would smile or try to strike up a conversation, but her French was all but forgotten and she'd never learned German, so she politely nodded and continued on.
Every now and then she would chance a glance at Billy, still just floating where she'd left her. Her eyes were closed, face relaxed, unlike Rosa, who was the proverbial swan—all serene above water, kicking like mad to stay afloat beneath it.
The snow began to fall in clumps, no longer just gentle flakes. One by one, people moved out of the water and into robes and inside.
"Do you think we should go in?" Rosa asked Billy when she made her way around the pool once more. "It looks like this is getting worse."
Looking up at the sky, Billy agreed, "I think we should. We can make a dash for it and then warm up in the sauna?"
Rosa nodded. "Sounds like a plan." She swam under the water as long as she could before having to stand and let the cold air shock her body. Her teeth chattered as they made a quick exit from the pool, sliding wet feet into slippers.
Billy picked up Rosa's robe and held it open for her to slide her arms in.
"I could have done that. You're getting cold," Rosa said, but it didn't stop her from accepting the gesture and putting it on. "Thank you."
"No p-p-problem." Billy grinned, snow covering her dark hair. She made a grab for her own robe, pulling it on and tightly tying it at the waist. "Come on."
She reached her hand out for Rosa to take. Without thinking, Rosa's fingers closed around Billy's. Then reality crashed in and she pulled away.
"Sorry," Billy said. "Old habits."
"It's fine. Shall we? It's freezing."
The sauna seemed to be a good idea for many people and most of the spaces were taken. An older couple said something in a language neither woman understood, but the movement across to make room for them was clear.
Billy smiled and said, "Thank you," sitting herself next to the older woman and giving Rosa the space against the wall.
Thighs and arms rested against one another. Eyes stayed front and centre, staring at the wall opposite.
"The girls should be back from their first run soon," Rosa whispered.
"Yep," Billy said.
"Bet they'll have worked up an appetite."
