The sun reflected off the water. Small clouds decorated the blue sky. The oars glided smoothly along the surface of the water. Don’t stroke too often, he thought. We don’t want to end this trip too soon. We don’t want to end anything too soon. She lay down her oar in the boat and picked a sandwich out of the cooler.

“You want one?”

“No, thanks,” he said.

“What’s the matter? You’ve been quiet all day.” Don’t be scared, she thought. Everything is safe.

“I don’t know,” he said. Row on the right, row on the left. He looked at her over his shoulder. “It just seemed so far away, and now it’s here. I guess I’m just a little scared.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll always be there for you.”

“I know.” He faced forward again. She smiled. His shoulders showed a little bit of sunburn, she noticed. Just like every other time they spent the day outside. She’d say something, but he never listened. Don’t say useless things, he told her once.

“Can you get me a sandwich?” She reached into the cooler and pulled one out for him.

“Let’s pull over to the side and eat.”

They found a spot in the shade. She sat cross-legged, leaning back on her hands. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders. He looked at her and thought of how much he would miss this place. An ant crawled up his leg, and he thought about killing it. Instead, he brushed it off and watched it wander through the grass. He smiled as the ant moved out of sight.

“What are you smiling about?” she asked with a laugh.

“Dying sucks,” he said and pointed to the ant.

After they ate, he dove into the water to cool off. He always heard that you would get a cramp if you swam right after eating. He didn’t care. He’d heard lots of things that he didn’t care about. He bobbed up and down in the river as she stood on the shore.

“Come on in,” he yelled. “Don’t be a sissy.”

She took off her shirt and shorts. Good thing I wore a bathing suit, she thought. She waded in until it got too deep, then slowly swam toward him. He watched her arms glide through the air and cut the water with graceful force. They met halfway and kissed deeply, just like when they first met. The water felt good around them and even better between them. They twisted and danced together in the soft current. After a while, they got tired and swam back. When they got back to shore, he handed her a towel from the boat.

“Are you OK?” he asked. He knew he asked her that too often.

“Yeah. That was fun.” Her face glowed in the sun.

This time, they faced each other in the boat. He faced forward and rowed faster than before while she watched him. The sun beat down harder on their skin, his so rough, hers so smooth. Alternate, left, right. Smooth easy strokes. Nothing at the end except for the end. No hurry when you know what to expect. He looked at her and wondered if she would change after he went away. Nothing ever stays the same, he thought. She looked deep into his eyes. He smiled and looked up at the sky.

“It won’t be that bad,” she said.

“It won’t be that good.”

“I guess you have to do it.”

He nodded and memorized her beautiful brown eyes. He usually never noticed eyes, but you couldn’t miss hers. He needed to remember so many things. He rowed downstream. They talked and sang as the sun moved lower in the sky. A cool breeze came, and he put his shirt on again. They found the spot and rowed to shore. They lifted the boat out of the water and set it on the ground. He closed his eyes and wrapped his aching arms around her as tight as he could. She arched her back and threw her arms around his neck.

“I wish I could run away with you.” She kissed his nose lightly. “Does it help to know I want to?”

He didn’t say anything. He closed his eyes. She kissed her on the lips, nose face. He thought of what they had done. He thought of what they had to do. He still didn’t say anything. He opened his eyes. Her smile had disappeared.

“Nothing to say and everything to do.” He waited for her to glow again.

“Show me.”

He tried to match the power of her smile. They kissed, and he pulled her closer as he looked up into the eternal blue of the sky.