Isolation

Mike and River

Mike woke up rather abruptly when a cat kept rubbing her face on his, purring loudly until he finally was awake.

"Go 'way," he groaned, pushing the cat off of him. She didn't need much convincing. After the first few nudges, she got the message and jumped off of him. He closed his eyes again before they shot open. He jumped up quickly off the couch he had been on, staring at it. It wasn't theirs. The more he looked around, the more he realized he wasn't at the pad. He had no idea where he was. Before he even had the time to think, the doorknob clicked and began to turn.

"Suri, I'm home." A voice called out, and the cat ran over to the man who came in. Or rather, the kid who came in. He was about the same age as Mike, but he looked like he couldn't be over 21.

"Hi, Suri," he set his bags on the ground and crouched down to pet her, and she purred happily. He looked up for a second and accidentally made eye contact with Mike, who quickly turned away.

"Oh, hello." He said with a friendly smile. "You're awake."

"I guess I am," Mike said, looking down, still unsure of what to do with himself.

"Well," he stood and began searching through his stuff, "I brought you something."

"Me?" Mike was certain he had never even seen this person before. Why would a stranger get him something?

"No, for the cat." He deadpanned, rolling his eyes a little. "Of course for you."

He pulled out a box and held it out. Mike was hesitant to take it.

"Relax," the man laughed lightly, "it won't hurt you. It's just a sandwich."

Mike took the box and opened it. Inside was an untouched hamburger with a handful of fries.

"I didn't know what to get for you, so I really just guessed." He shrugged and walked over to the kitchen. "Then I thought, 'well, what's better than a good old-fashioned burger with fries'? It's plain so if you want lettuce or tomatoes or anything, I could get those out for you if you'd like."

Mike just stood in stunned silence.

Not getting a response, the stranger looked up at Mike, a little worried.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Fine," Mike said quietly, gazing down at the food in his hands.

"I got that for you, you know. You look like you haven't had a decent meal in forever. I bet that's why you blacked out earlier."

"Blacked out?"

He nodded, and they both slowly sat down on the couch together. They waited in silence for the other to speak up.

"I don't know you," Mike frowned, now facing the person. "Do I?"

He shook his head and held out his hand.

"My name's River. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Mike." He said, shaking the hand.

"Hey, Mike," River smiled. "Welcome to my humble home. Sorry about the mess. I would've cleaned up if I knew I had guests coming."

Mike looked down, unsure of what to say. River was quick to clarify.

"That was only a joke, you know. You're really not a bother. I'd much rather you be okay than anything else."

Mike nodded and closed his eyes, keeping his head down low. A migraine was forming, and he was beginning to feel sick.

"Hey, you don't look too good. I'm gonna get you some aspirin."

He opened his mouth to object, but River quickly stopped him.

"When you're in my house, you let me treat you. Those are the rules, you hear?"

He jumped up and rushed to the kitchen, scrambling through drawers, trying to find something that would help. He eventually found a small bottle of pain relievers and brought that along with a glass of water back to the living room. When he had arrived, Mike was awkwardly flopped on the couch, completely out.

"Oh, Mike," River sighed, setting the bottle and cup on the coffee table. "What're we going to do with you?"