You Found Me |Sam Winchester| [2015 Wattys Winner]

2. A Blast From the Past

2. A Blast From the Past

"No," I gasped, feeling hyped. "No way. Sam Winchester?"

"The one and only." He said it a bit reluctantly, but I didn't read too much into it.

"Wow. Small world. What are you doing here?"

"I'm in town for a few days, nothing major."

I felt heat rush into my cheeks as my stomach yelled at me. "Sorry, it's obnoxious."

"That I do remember. You were always hungry."

"Some things never change." I pulled my arms tighter around my stomach.

"Have you not eaten, Dakota?"

"Not recently."

"Define 'recently.'"

"I can't remember when."

"Here, let's head inside and get you something."

"Oh, no, Sam, you don't have to," I waved him off. "Really, I can make it until I get home."

"No, no, seriously. I'm not in a rush to get back to the motel. Come on. Nobody's going to bite you in there."

Pft, you're not aware of what could possibly be in this town, I wanted to say. After a coaxing stare from Sam, I followed him inside the diner. The smells kept my panic at bay. We got settled in a booth and got our drinks taken care of. My eyes scanned the menu. Everything sounded so delicious.

I flinched when my menu was touched. I looked up at Sam with a scowl. He failed at a smile, which only made me curious about his intentions of being here more.

"You starve yourself?" he asked.

"I try not to. I have a big appetite. You remember that too, I'm sure. I always ate whatever leftovers you gave me at lunch."

"I never gave you anything; you snuck food off my tray."

"You never complained." I cleared my throat. "Anyway, last I heard from you, you had plans for college. I think you mentioned Stanford."

"Yeah, I ended up there."

"Good for you! Did you graduate?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Why not?"

"Family issues."

Right. I remembered Sam slipping me details about his family. How his dad was always on jobs, bringing his two sons cross-country with him. How his brother, Dean, had to step in as his father figure since their real dad wasn't around most of the time. I also remembered what other details he mentioned, especially about the "family business" he desperately wanted to stay out of. He'd told me that was the big reason why he wanted to head to college so badly.

"I'm guessing you never went back," I mused.

"Couldn't."

"I see."

A waitress interrupted my thinking long enough to take our orders. My fingers rapped against the table as I sipped on the Pepsi in front of me.

"What are you doing out here? Walking home?" He nodded to my backpack.

"Oh, yeah," I lied. "I like to go on long walks, admire what Maryland has to offer. You know, the things a usual twenty-five-year-old would do." I usually got a rouse out of Sam when I joked, but I didn't even get a twinkle in his eyes. I pursed my lips. "Something wrong?"