Jason Pt. 1

His name is Jason, and he's just my type. He's funny, polite, and intelligent, not to mention absolutely gorgeous. Due to some scheduling issues, I'm running on a different night this week which just so happens to be his. I don't know anyone, and I feel completely out of place, but then I meet Jason and my heart leaps up into my throat. This is the best night ever. He shows me some of the equipment and even helps me cook dinner. He's talking more to Grant, his doofus of a best friend, than to me, but I could care less. Everything he says is either followed by a wink or a smirk, and each time I feel my pulse quicken. We don't get to interact as much as I would have liked because I am swamped with homework and he is busy acting stupid with Grant. I am completely floored by my night; I don't remember a single thing that happened, other than meeting him, of course. I leave wanting more.
~*~
As I sit in front of my computer in my dorm room, typing away at my Spanish paper, I receive an instant message. Thinking it's just another friend of mine from the hall wanting to hang out, I unenthusiastically read it. But I'm surprised; this isn't from someone I recognize. The screen name is rescueboy20; I must know him somehow, but his opening message of "hey, what's up," doesn't give me many hints.
We talk for a bit and I quickly realize it's Jason. The butterflies in my stomach resume their fluttering, and I am clamoring to sound witty, smart and flirty all at the same time. Somehow, it works, and he asks me out for dinner tomorrow night. While we talk, I manage to learn a little more about him. He's twenty years old, and he's an EMT-I. He's in school right now to become a paramedic, and he's lived in Clearview all his life. It becomes apparent that he has a bit of a god-complex about him, but I ignore it in hopes of finding something better behind the facade. We finalize the plans for dinner and he signs offline, leaving me to my paper. As of now, no quiero escribirlo. Spanish is the least of my priorities.
I talk to Drew and another friend of mine from the rescue squad, Matt, telling them of my good fortune with Jason. Both of them give me the wholehearted "don't you dare pursue anything with him," that I dreaded I would hear. I can see that they are acting with my best interests at heart, but it doesn't feel like it. They give me reason after reason: Jason's a player; rumors will fly around the squad; Jason is going to break my heart; Jason is nothing but trouble. For about fifteen minutes, I listen to Drew explain to me exactly why Jason is the wrong man for me. I also get to hear what he will do to him if he should break my heart. I stop paying attention and start fantasizing that the reason Drew doesn't want me going out with Jason is because he wants me all for himself. "Sam, you're like a little sister to me," snaps me out of it. Christ, there goes that dream.
Despite their words of warning, I decide to go for it. What can I lose? He's single, I'm single, and we're just going out for dinner. Besides, he didn't even call it a date. We're just a couple of friends hanging out, right?
Wrong.

[[After some thought, I've decided to put this post (and part 2) back up effective 4/2/2008. I'm not quite sure why, but I've just decided to do it. So it was gone for a while, and now it's not.]]