It was pitch dark around the pool. The late night crickets chirped in the nearby bushes. The lapping of the water intertwined with the hum of the farm at night. The lights in the pool cast an eerie and pale glow in the water, which created such harmony against the moonless night.

 2:00 in the mornin’. It was quite late. Roger and I had been the first ones to go to bed, which was quite surprising because we usually stayed up late. But we had each had five margaritas and were ready to call it a night. John and Veronica were shortly behind us, going to bed about a half-hour after we did. The only reason I knew that was because Roger and I heard John fall up the steps. Brian and Chrisse had gone to bed after John and Veronica. The only reason I knew that? Well, we shared a wall, as they were in the room beside us…and Roger and I had already been woken…twice.

 Freddie and Mary were still up. They were the only ones. Even Greg, Norma and Vivienne were long since asleep at this point. Poker and taco night had gone something like this: Freddie won the first hand and so John pushed him into the pool. Roger won the second hand and so Vivienne, already being drunk off three margaritas, threw her arms around him and told him she would 'so sleep with him'. John won the third hand and Freddie pushed him into the pool. Mary won two hands and she and I celebrated by pouring more margaritas. Brian won the next three hands and…well, that’s about the time he and Chrissie went to bed….taking the pitcher of margaritas with them.

 Now, in the silence of the night Freddie and Mary were relaxed in the pool. Freddie was resting his hands and arms on a float, leaned over slightly on it. “Oh my goodness! Look, Mary! A barn cat! Oh, isn’t that just wonderful!” Freddie let go of the float and paddled himself over to the edge of the pool to do his best to coerce the cat to come to him. Mary laughed.

 “Oh! Freddie! Please! Leave that thing alone! You have no idea where he’s been!” Mary cautioned him as she swam toward the float Freddie had left behind.

 “I know where he’s been! On a farm!” Freddie said still trying to get the cat to come see him. He had been successful.

 “Well, he is pretty cute.” Mary said grabbing on to the float and resting her elbows on the side of it as Freddie had done.

 “I want at least four of these!” Freddie said, grinning all over and looking at Mary. She laughed at him.

 “Freddie!” she sighed. “Well, if that’s what you want, that’s just alright.” Freddie was petting it sweetly, as Mary had expected he would.

 “Mary! He just loves me!” Freddie said, more than pleased with himself as he turned around and looked at Mary.

 “I’m sure all cats would.” Mary told him as she floated around on the edge of the float. Freddie was overjoyed at the fact that the cat started purring at him. Mary looked up to moonless sky, stars dotted around sporadically. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes as she exhaled. Freddie was still infatuated with the cat as she tiled her head back into the water up to her ears. Mary opened up her eyes again and stared at the sky as Freddie continued to dote over the cat. The pool was so peaceful tonight. Freddie fawned all over that cat until it decided it had had enough and slowly walked away from him. Once it had decided to groom itself near the lounger away from the edge of the pool, Freddie swam back over to Mary and did as she; resting his elbows on the edge of the float. Mary pulled her head up out of the water and was now positioned across from Freddie. She smiled.

 “I’m so glad you wanted me to come with you here.” Mary admitted as water dripped from her soaking wet hair and down the front of her neck and shoulders. “I like your friends, Freddie. I really like them.” That tickled Freddie tremendously.

 “And I know they just love you, Mary. I can’t believe that you and Veronica, Chrissie and Lydia threw tonight together! You girls are really somethin’!” Freddie assured her, interlacing his fingers with hers. “I knew you would take to them quickly.  Isn’t Veronica just the sweetest of the sweets, dear?” Mary laughed.

 “She’s very sweet and sarcastic…I love that!” Mary laughed again. “I could be the best of friends with all of them.” Freddie leaned forward and kissed her, his lips lingering on hers for a moment. It was an innocent kiss that turned much deeper Freddie pushed the float away between them and took Mary in his arms. She dug her fingers into half-wet half-dry dark hair. Her lips lingered on Freddie’s and the gentle current of the water caressed them. Freddie pulled his lips away from hers and pushed his nose against her.

 “When we get back to Kensington…move in with me.” He said softly. To Mary, it had come out of nowhere and it caught her off guard. She perked up, looking at Freddie peculiarly.

 “What!? What did…what!?” she exclaimed.

 “You heard me!” Freddie kissed her again. His face lit up as the light beneath the water of the pool illuminated his features. Mary stared at him, her arms still around his wet shoulders.

 “You want to move in with me?” Mary questioned. She couldn’t hide her smile. “Are you sure that’s not the eight margaritas talkin’?”

 “I only had four margaritas! I would have had eight but Brian and Chrissie took the pitcher!” Freddie reminded Mary as he drifted backwards with her in the water. Freddie still had his arms around her and Mary clung to him as if he would drift away in the water. “No, of course it’s not the margaritas talking, love! Move in with me! We could find a place in Kensington so you can be close to the merchant district. Come on Mary. My god, Roger moved in with Lydia and if he can do that, anybody can!” Freddie encouraged her. “We could get John, Veronica, Chrissie, Brian, Lydia and Roger to help us move our crap! Oh, they wouldn’t mind to do it at all! What do you think!?” Freddie wanted to know. Mary was still unable to hide her smile but she hadn’t said anything.

 “What would this mean?” Mary asked.

 “It would mean that you lived with me! Why aren’t you saying yes?” Freddie wondered as he held her against him, leaning back in the water to the point where his necklace and the bottom of his hair were submerged. Black strands spread out underneath him, fanning out in all of its glory.

 “Because…I’m so very happy that you would want to live with me and I want to be sure you’re quite serious.” Mary put her hand on his cheek and let her other hand remain under the water, waving her fingers in and out of Freddie’s free-flowing dark hair. Freddie rolled his eyes.

 “You sound like Lydia when Roger asked her to move in with him! She panicked, she cried, and then she agreed. And they…are very happy. See? Follow her lead, Mary! I really want you to move in with me!” Freddie emphasized. He and Mary had drifted to the edge of the pool. Freddie tilted his head up, water chasing itself down Freddie’s slicked down strands and dispersing in beaded lines down the front of his chest. He outstretched his arms on the edge of the pool where the liner met the concrete. Mary put her hands on Freddie’s shoulders and sunk her lips into his.

 “I’d love to move in with you, Freddie.” Mary’s voice was barely above a whisper as she moved her lips against his. Freddie was positively giddy. He nearly squealed in excitement as he threw his arms around her in a collision of wet skin.

 “We’re gonna’ get a cat! We’re gonna’ get a cat! We're gonna' live in Kensington! And we're gonna' get a cat!” Freddie sing-songed to her as he bounced with her in the water. The cool night air hitting her shoulders as Freddie rose up and down in the water. Mary laughed at him, sweetly.

 “Okay! Okay! Let’s worry about where the hell we’re gonna’ get a couch first! Then you can get a cat.” Mary clung to him, trying to stay warm underneath the water. She looked deep into those dark brown eyes. “I really love when you hold on to me like this. The very idea of wakin’ up next to you each day is delightful to me. I want that Freddie. We can have tea on Sundays and laze around until the afternoon. Oh! And we’ll throw the grandest of parties!” Mary smiled.

 “See!? You’re just full of fanciful ideas!” Freddie kissed her neck as the drifted around in the water. “You taste like chlorine.” He said, kissing her again. Mary laughed.

 “Yes, yes that seems appropriate considering we are in a pool.” She said as they still held one another.

 “I have a marvelous idea. Let’s get out of the pool, get all dried off, make some tea, take it to bed and make a list of everything we want to take to our new place together!” Freddie couldn’t have been any happier.

 “Ah, love…that sounds wonderful but, it’s so very peaceful out here. Listen. It’s just us and the night, Fred.” Mary’s voice trailed off as Freddie gazed at her, listening to the silent world around them. Freddie sighed and put his hand against Mary’s wet head, tucking her head underneath his chin.

 “You’re right. We’ll wait and make a list later. We have time. We have all the time in the world, Mary.” He kissed the top of her head.

 “Yeah…we gotta’ stop and savor this.” Mary whispered as she ran her hands over Freddie’s shoulders and down his back. “Okay, on the count of three…come under the water with me. I’ll hold on to you.”

 “Alright.” Freddie said, putting his arms around Mary to her back. Mary grinned.

 “Okay…okay, ready….one…two…” Mary took a deep breath, as Freddie did. The water gurgled as they submerged themselves, still holding on to each other. Mary blinked under the water and made eye contact with Freddie. The water was a bright florescent blue as Mary’s long hair intertwined with Freddie’s in a mesmerizing underwater dance. He pulled her close into him, shoving his lips into hers as he pulled her straight up out of the water in a somewhat breathless kiss. They were standing on the bottom of the pool as the sound of sloshing and dripping water hit the surface of the pool. Freddie pulled Mary over with him, back into the comfort of the warm water; protected by the starry sky.