Chapter 4

“What were you doing with Eric?” Bridgett asked me for the twentieth time since I got back.
“For the last time, we were just talking! We didn’t do anything. Just talked.” I was fed up with this inquisition. I hadn’t even been alone two seconds in my tent before Bridgett came to solicit information.
When Eric and I cleared the tree line to the beach back to camp, it felt like there was a spotlight on us. Everyone seemed to turn and watch us walk to our different tents. We exchanged goodbyes quietly to each other and left with a quick handshake.
“Okay then, what did you… talk about.” She was enjoying this.
“Just our families, what we did for a living, you know, the basics. It was interesting.”
“Sure… interesting…” She was so annoying at times. “So… do you like him?” her voice burned with curiosity.
I didn’t answer. I knew that I was playing a little with her, but it was my turn to hassle her a bit.
“Is that a no?” She asked again.
I still didn’t answer.
“Oh come on Brooklyn! Please tell me!” she wailed.
“Okay, okay. Sure I like him. He is a cool guy.” I confessed.
“No, I mean, really like him.”
“I don’t know yet.” I answered quietly. He was a bit older than me. But that shouldn’t be a problem. We were stuck on a freaking island for heavens sake. What did it matter that he was a couple years older than me. Okay, a couple was a lie. He was ten years older than me. He was 34.
“You know he is 34 right?” Bridgett asked mirroring my thoughts.
“Yeah…” I said, grimacing. “But does that really matter?”
“Umm…” She hesitated making a face that was contemplating around trying to lie to me or telling me the honest truth. I was wishing that she would lie. “I think it does. You need to have something in common. And age is something that really matters when it comes to maturity in a relationship.” She said rapidly.
“Wait. Are you saying that I am not the one that is mature enough? Because I am the younger one?” I was stunned, speechless.
“Well…” She looked down sheepishly.
“Are you really implying that I am not established enough to have a constant relationship with an older man?” My temper was growing heated every second I looked at her.
She could tell and got defensive. “Now wait. I’m just saying that he may have had a lot of other relationships in the past and you haven’t really gotten serious in your whole life. I don’t know if you know how to do this at all. And knowing how good-looking he is…” she trailed off.
I had to admit she had a point. I really hadn’t had the experience that he had. I hated it when Bridgett was right.
“So where does that put me?” I asked.
“Well it seems that you have a three choices. You can tell him that you can’t have a relationship right now, that you aren’t ready. You can ask him about his previous relationships and try and decipher what you can from that. Or you can be completely honest with him and tell him your problem strait up. You were always good at being honest.” She smiled.
I had to smile back. She knew exactly what to say to me when I needed it. I wanted to tell him. Like she said, I had always been good at being truthful. I was raised that way.
“I guess I have made my decision then.” I sighed.
And there it was; what I needed to do. Tell him the honest truth.

“Knock, knock,” A quiet voice said from behind the curtain door of my tent. A hand moved it to the side and I was surprised to see Bowen stick his head in.