Let’s face it, an age gap of 5-6 years would be unremarkable if they were in their 30s. The problem is anyone, of any age, making the moves on a prepubescent girl. That’s where the ick is coming from. I was willing to tolerate it as long as it was just infatuation from a distrance, but the let’s-pretend-this-isn’t-a-kiss was a bridge too far. I don’t think I would be comfortable with it even if they were both 10 or whatever age she said she was.

Overprotective male relatives are doing a piss-poor job of actually protecting her.