jamie and eric-27-losing his mind

And then he realized that he hadn’t remembered any of this. Hadn’t remembered that moment, the moment when he had first bonded with Jamie, before this lunch. The memories were his. The knowledge, the knowing. Were natural in his mind. It felt more real than the bumming around the campus he did for five months. Real, but fuzzy.
Real, but fuzzy. Eric shook himself a little. He would ask Jamie about it later. He hadn’t been talking to Jamie. Jamie left his sandwich. Eric still had a lot of food, but it was cold and it wasn’t meant to be cold. Eric switched the plates around and started eating Jamie’s sandwich. He was surprised that his host family was away. Harnet was such a small town that if anything was happening Eric should’ve known and probably would have been there too. Maybe they had gone out of town to visit relatives and Eric had forgotten about it. Jamie should have finished dinner before going back to the library. Eric could feel Jamie’s presence. Feel it like a gentle tug that he could follow, could always find Jamie.
At least Eric though Jamie was at the library. The thought didn’t feel quite right. Maybe Jamie was talking with some of the processors at the college. Eric’s thoughts paused mid-bite. This was tuna fish. Jamie hated tuna fish. Why would he get a tuna fish sandwich?
It must have been a mistake. And then Jamie decided it wasn’t worth it to get something else, so he left to do whatever it was he was doing…
Which felt really high up. Eric didn’t think Harnet had any buildings this tall. Eric swallowed uneasily and the bite stuck in his throat. He coughed a little bit and grabbed the water to help him swallow. Eric could feel his body demanding food, but eating was starting to feel like a chore.
Eric pushed the sandwich away from him. His head felt clouded, heavy, and tired. He felt a little disoriented. Eric kept imagining Jamie soaring above Harnet. Far higher than Eric would ever levitate him. Well not that he couldn’t.
Jamie? Eric called out mentally across their shared bond. But the thought echoed back to him shattered, J- J- J- Ja- -mie -ie. Each syllable hit him like bullets and sent shivers through his body. He didn’t know how a thought echo was possible, but worse, Jamie hadn’t answered.
Eric stood up leaving the food on the table. Staring down at the full dishes Eric wondered whether the customers were supposed to bus their own tables here. He rubbed his arm, fear still rippling through him. The need to find Jaime overshadowed such a small task. So he left it. He left it, but guilt creeped into his gut. He should ask someone and not just leave. Had he even paid? Eric edged towards the exit, watching the wait staff out of the corner of his eye in case they made moves to snag him.