The Runaway Bride

5 mos.|18 days

Barry

Ever since that night, Caitlin and I have been going back to how we were before slowly but surely. Not as a couple but as good friends and right now, that's all I'm asking of her for I know it'll be the first step in asking for forgiveness.

Although we had established a harmonious dynamic around each other, I can feel that she still has reservations when it comes to our interaction. Or maybe that's just the way it seems in my point of view.

I'm so used to her being unfiltered and unapologetic whenever it's just the two of us together and now that everything changed, I guess I couldn't just expect her to act exactly like she did before. Seven years was a long time, not to mention that the last time we saw each other, I hurt her real bad so I have to deal with what I could get.

And being this close to her once again is more than what I could've asked for.

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Caitlin

After that night, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was able to do as I please without having to worry about anything. It's a liberating feeling - being free of anything even my own personal dilemmas for once.

I never knew I'd say this but being stuck in this island has turned out to be some kind of a blessing in disguise. It had me trapped in an illusion that my problems won't be getting anywhere near me when I'm here.

All the people's expectations and all the pressure the world has weighed down upon me felt so irrelevant here. My time in here is a like a personal limbo - making me forget what I'm supposed to be like at all times.

Even when I had to deal with being stuck here with Barry, I knew that this is somewhat the vacation I needed for once in my life. Not the most ideal and definitely not what I had in mind but surprisingly, I have found solace in here.

I was interrupted in my musings when I heard a triumphant scream from Barry. He had spent the last few days working on a spear to catch some fish with but he always ended up empty handed.

I would always persuade him to reserve his energy and just rest rather than do a tedious activity but him being his usual self, had taken it up as a challenge to prove that he can and he will be able to catch some fish.

Some part of me felt guilty knowing that he started obsessing over fishing when he heard me groaning about missing seafood. I never meant to say it out loud as well as I didn't mean for him to act upon it but here he was, going all out just to please me and knowing him, he won't stop until he accomplishes the very thing he put his mind into.

"Cait, look! I've finally caught one!" He stumbled through the water excitedly, holding the spear proudly with a wide grin on his face.

I can't help but smile upon seeing the sight before me - Barry's pants were long transformed into shorts while his undershirt was turned into a makeshift bandana over his head. His cheeks had been tinted red from the sun but he paid no mind as he came running to me like a child who just won a ton of candies.

"You did?" I asked, even when I can clearly see the fish he caught. Sometimes, he's just so adorable when he's like this.

"Yeah, I did! I can't believe I actually caught one. Now, we can eat something other than fruits and vegetables." He exclaimed, coming close to me so I can take a much better look at his catch.

"Wait, can I see that again?" I asked as he handed me the fish. "Oh, this one's actually poisonous, we can't eat this.

His face quickly lost its glow, shoulders slumping as he frowned at me. "We can't?"