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depend on, was each other.
    I look over at T.J. He shows no emotion on his face, and I’m not sure what he’s thinking. Is he remembering how different our first few weeks were? I reach over and grab his hand because right now at this moment I need to
feel
our connection. When he squeezes my hand I squeeze back, the way I always do.
    And then I turn my attention back to Owen, because as hard as it is to deal with these memories, I want to listen to what he has come here to say.

Chapter 6
    Owen
    I was waiting on the beach when the seaplane landed in the lagoon. Relief flooded through me when I heard the sound of the engines and spotted the plane in the sky. Though I was getting closer to it every day, I hadn’t been on the island long enough to become one hundred percent comfortable with cutting ties to the outside world. I still needed to know that a connection to it existed. That it was there for me, and I could count on it if I needed it.
    I’d stuffed my dirty clothes into my duffel bag and battened down the rest. I stored everything inside the tent and made sure to drive the stakes as far down into the sand as I could so the whole thing wouldn’t blow away if it stormed. I was planning on spending only one night on the mainland and would return early the next morning once my supplies were loaded on the plane. I put all the garbage I couldn’t burn into a plastic garbage bag and I hoisted it over my shoulder.
    Barefoot, I waded out to meet Captain Forrester. I hadn’t bothered with a shirt, but he didn’t seem the type to mind. I tossed my duffel and the garbage bag in first, and he smiled at me when I hauled myself through the cabin door.
    “Wow,” he said. “That’s one hell of an impressive suntan.” He reached out to shake my hand and clap me on the back. “How’re you doing, son?”
    “I’m doing great,” I said, returning the smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”
    “I’ll be honest, I half expected you to call me after the first week to ask me to come and get you. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d lost your shit a little. Glad to see you handled the solitude well.”
    “Yeah. Solitude was exactly what I was after.”
    “I think you found it. You can sit up front if you’d like,” he said, once he’d shut the door and settled himself back into his seat.
    “Okay.” I sat down in the seat beside his and fastened my seat belt.
    “So, tell me what you’ve been up to,” he said once we’d taken off. “You ready to pack it in and go home for good?”
    “Not yet,” I said. “I kinda have a routine. Met some dolphins.”
    “I’ve always thought that animals make the best company. As long as you don’t pose a threat to them, they’ll keep coming around.”
    “Yeah. It’s awesome, actually. It’s like they understand what I’m saying.”
    “I wouldn’t be surprised if they do,” he said. “How are the supplies holding up?”
    “I’m low on water. I drink more than I thought I would because it’s so hot. Food’s okay, though. I’ve been fishing a lot.”
    “Nothin’ tastes better than fish you catch yourself. Too bad I prefer mine deep-fried and covered in tartar sauce,” he said, laughing.
    I laughed. “Yeah. Me, too. But they still taste pretty good the way I cook them.”
    “Have you tried the coconuts?”
    “Yes. They’re not easy to get into. I almost sliced my hand open the first time I tried.”
    “The coconuts make you work for their meat, there’s no doubt about it.”
    “Did you know there are wild chickens on the island?”
    “Yep. Most islands have a few running around.”
    “Do you know if the spiders are poisonous? The big brown ones?”
    “Those are brown huntsman. They’re creepy looking, but harmless.”
    “What about sharks?
    “The whale shark is the most common, but they pose no threat. There are hammerheads here, which could do some damage, I guess. Reef sharks for sure, but they don’t usually bother anyone. I imagine most of the