A young man

You start at the interruption actually rising a few inches out of your chair and swallowing hard. The sudden movement jolts a piece of tomato into the back of your throat and you start to ****. Your eyes go wide as you realize what's happening. You clutch at the table struggling to draw a breath. Your vision swims, black spots crowding in until, just when you begin to think you may really be in trouble the quick-thinking young man thumps you hard on the back. That does the trick clearing your airway and leaving you coughing and gasping as tears run down your face.

"Thank you," you wheeze taking a sip of soda "I know hospital food can be pretty bad but it never tried to kill me before!"

It's a weak joke but the stranger still laughs at it. His blue eyes sparkling with amusement as he sits opposite you.

"No problem," he says with a shrug "I wasn't about to pass on an opportunity to rescue a pretty girl."

He says it lightly but his casual compliment still makes your stomach clench.

"He thinks I'm pretty," you think to yourself "a pretty girl. I mean, I am, on the outside anyway but... Oh fuck, what if he asks me out? What if he wants to kiss me!"

Abruptly you realize you are staring at him. At his soft slightly smiling mouth in particular. A rebellious part of you wondering if he would be a good kisser. You take another sip of soda trying to cover your embarrassment as you feel your face getting hot again. No doubt your freckled cheeks are turning a fetching shade of pink. You really are going go have to learn to control that.

"Oh, I'm sorry" the stranger apologized looking abashed "I didn't mean to embarrass you I just meant..."

He takes a deep breath clears his throat and tries again.

"Hi, I'm Jared and you are?"

"Nice to meet you Jared I'm Sam."

Introductions made you both relax a bit and spend some time making small talk. Despite your initial apprehension at talking to a total stranger you soon find it's nice just to chat with someone without any baggage . No fussing about your health. No poking with needles. Just sports and the weather a long overdue slice of normality. But more than that there's something about the sandy-haired boy that relaxes you. His warm baritone releasing tension you hadn't known you were carrying.

"I'm sorry, was that a personal question," he asks "it's just that thing you said about the food, It sounded like you've had some personal experience?"

You are nonplussed for a moment. You had been so enraptured by the sound of his voice you hadn't actually been listening to what he was saying. Hurriedly you think back, he'd been expounding his theory on the designated hitter rule which had somehow segued into asking about your reason for being in the hospital.

"Oh, I'm sick or I was anyway," you tell him honestly "They've got me on this new treatment and it's fixed the problem but the side effects are pretty wild."

"That's great!" Jared says just a little more emphatically than you'd expect considering you just met "Ahem, I mean, it's nice. That you're okay. That is I'm sorry you were sick but it's good you're doing better now."

Okay, that was weird. You wonder where this renewed awkwardness is coming from when he had seemed so selfassured. He seems to be building up to something but you can't for the life of you think what...