Faye stares into the water. She’s naked in the winter cold except for the coat she wrapped back up in, watching Chloe break up the ice refreezing over the hole. It will be just like a bath, she thinks, only instead of a steaming hot tub scented with oils and perfumes, it is an ice-cold pool of dirty old rainwater.
This must be madness. Faye has never been colder, never thought of doing something so foolish, never considered anything like this. And yet, here and now, it feels like the best thing to do. She shrugs the coat off her shoulders and presses her hand into Chloe’s and forces her legs to jump despite everything in her brain that tells her not to.
The moment her skin touches water she gasps, but she manages to control herself and take a breath before her head goes under. The water is shockingly cold but Chloe’s hand squeezes hers reassuringly, and she feels more awake and alive than she maybe ever has before.
Chloe surfaces first, bounding out of the pool and up over the ice with a practiced ease before she reaches down and hauls Faye out. Their campfire is roaring when they get back to it, and the little rock nook of their campsite is warm to the touch. Chloe throws her blanket around herself and sits down in front of the fire with a dreamy smile on her face.