Page 54 of Knot Your Sunshine
"How much farther?" I ask, stepping carefully over exposed roots.
"Almost there," Keanu calls back, practically vibrating with excitement.
The trees thin. The sound intensifies. Then—
"Oh my God."
We're standing at the edge of what looks like the earth opened its mouth to yawn. It's a massive cavity in volcanic rock, maybe fifty feet across. Three veils of water tumble gently from different ledges, sliding down rock walls into a pool so clear I can see smooth, rounded stones scattered across the bottom despite standing twenty feet above it.
"This is impossible," I breathe.
"Highly improbable," Josh corrects, adjusting his glasses. "Volcanic activity, plus centuries of erosion, plus the specific mineral content—"
"Josh." Noa's voice holds gentle amusement. "Let her enjoy the magic."
Keanu's already stripping off his robe. My mouth goes dry watching his back muscles ripple as he tosses it aside. "Even better? Perfect jumping height."
I peer over the edge again. Twenty feet. High enough to make my stomach flip but not terrifying.
"Ladies first?" Keanu grins, standing at the edge in just swim shorts.
"Nice try." I cross my arms. "I want proof of survivability first."
"Fair." He backs up, gets a running start, and launches himself with a whoop that echoes off the cave walls. The splash sends ripples all the way to the edges.
"Show off," Josh mutters affectionately, then unties his robe.
Sweet mother of—Josh is ripped. Lean muscle definition that his usual polos completely hide. He executes a perfect dive that barely disturbs the surface.
Noa turns to me, and his eyes darken as I let my robe fall. I catch him biting his lip, gaze traveling down then snapping back to my face. When he drops his own robe, it's my turn to stare. Every inch of him is perfectly sculpted.
"Together?" His voice is rougher than usual.
My heart does a little skip. "Together."
We jump.
The fall is pure adrenaline, wind rushing past, then impact. The water embraces us, cool but not cold, perfect in this weather. I surface laughing, the sound amplified by the natural acoustics.
"This is insane!" Water streams from my hair. "This whole day is insane!"
"The absolute best kind." Keanu swims over, hair slicked back, grinning.
We float on our backs, looking up at patches of blue sky above while the water veils create constant, gentle music. After a moment, Josh settles on a ledge with his legs dangling in the water, and Noa starts swimming laps. Meanwhile, Keanu wrestles with one of the water veils, tilting and shifting as he tries to find the perfect angle where the flow massages his shoulders without drowning him.
"Harder than it looks," he sputters, wiping water from his eyes.
"Like most things you attempt," Noa says dryly, gliding past.
Keanu retaliates with a massive splash. Noa splashes back. Suddenly we're all twelve years old, shrieking and dunking each other. Noa wins by diving deep and yanking people under by their ankles. I get revenge by using him as a launching pad to jump onto Keanu's shoulders.
"Chicken fight!" Keanu yells.
"We need even teams," Josh protests.
"You're tall enough to be your own team," I tell him, then immediately get dumped backwards.
When we finally exhaust ourselves, we sit on a circular rock in the middle of the cenote, breathing hard and grinning like idiots.
