Chapter 1 - winter

January


-
Our first date was at a breakfast place. It seemed innocuous enough, if a little strange. I was annoyed to be up so early and to miss my time at the gym, but our mutual friend told me Heather was a great girl; perfect for my rebound after my last ex.



I had to admit, she was cute. Heather had brown hair in the bisexual bob that framed a healthy face. She smiled as she walked in and gave me a little wave. She was on the rounder side, someone who clearly was comfortable indulging. Strangely, I think the strongest emotion I felt when I first met her was welcoming.


“I just love this place so much,” she said as we sat down. “I come here like, at least once a month.”


“Mhm,” I said, scanning the massive menu. The amount of options was a little overwhelming. I was about to default to oatmeal and fruit, a trusty favorite, but Heather took the menu from me and flipped to the pancake section.


“This is your first time right? You have to try this. It’s unbelievable.” She tapped her finger on the pecan pancakes.



“Pecans, huh?”
-
She giggled. “It’s pronounced ‘pecan,’ not ‘pee-can,’ silly!”



Her smile was infectious. When our waiter came, I couldn’t say no to the suggestion. I didn’t expect the stack that came to be so huge though. My plate was loaded with 5 cakes, each as thick as a thumb. My eyes widened. “Isn’t it great?” Heather said, digging into her own flapjacks.


I sighed and dug in. I knew it’d be futile to try and finish, but at least I’d have leftovers for the rest of the week.


As we ate, we got to know each other a little better. Heather was almost as sweet as the syrup on my pancakes; a girl who really seemed to have nothing but love for her friends. She talked a lot and she talked fast, but that wasn’t a problem for me. It was nice having someone direct the flow of the conversation and she never seemed to be talking at me. We shared favorite movies, what we did for work, how we liked living in the city, and all the nice pleasantries of a first date.


As we chatted, I went to take another bite of my pancakes, but my fork only hit porcelain. I looked down and saw only syrup and crumbs. “Wow!” Heather said, “Someone was hungry!”


The magnitude of what I’d eaten only hit me once I’d finished. My stomach felt bloated and my belt needed to loosen a notch as soon as I got back to the car. I sighed, this time out of weariness and nodded in agreement. “I guess you were right, those pecans were good.”


February

-
I’d seen Heather twice more since our date at the breakfast place. We went for ice cream and caught a movie. After the movie, we’d advanced to our first kiss. She respected the slow pace I’d wanted to take, but I was ready. I really liked her.



The morning after, Heather was gone. I was disappointed she’d walked out on me. Had I done something wrong? I thought she was ready too. Before my worries could overcome me though, I heard a crash from my kitchen. I got up, threw a tank top over my bra, and went to investigate. 


Heather was cleaning a spill on the floor. She gave me a sheepish grin and shrugged. “I figured I’d make breakfast. Take a seat!”


I watched her mix together the pancake batter from my kitchen table and thought about how lucky I was. I had a girl in briefs and a tight tee shirt (my tee shirt actually) making me a delicious meal. Heather’s curves rocked as she started frying the batter and bacon. When she was done, she heaved a stack of flapjacks in front of me and covered them in syrup and butter. “Eat up!” she told me. How could I say no?


By the end of our meal, we were both stuffed. She’d made way too many pancakes (“I thought I’d be fine to double it!”) and I didn’t want to refuse her cooking. I ended up having to lay on the couch, my stomach taut and rounded. I groaned and Heather looked over. She smiled and sat on the floor beside me.


“You didn’t have to eat all those just for me,” she said.


“I didn’t want to be rude,” I said with a heavy breath.


Heather smiled sleepily and put her fingertips on my stomach. The gentle touch made me gasp. She hesitated a moment and blushed. I hadn’t seen her flustered before. I smiled back and nodded. “I think that might help,” I told her.


Heather smiled once more and traced her fingers across my stomach. “Why don’t you just take a nap and let this digest. I’ll stay until you wake up, alright?”



I nodded and drifted asleep.


March

-

By the end of March, two big things had changed in my life. Heather and I had officially started dating. We saw each other almost every other day now and I loved every moment of it. We went to wonderful dinners, introduced each other to our friend groups, and just enjoyed the glow of each other’s company.



I had also stopped going to the gym. I didn’t cancel my membership and still tried to stop in at least one a week, but my free time was taken up with my beautiful girlfriend and not with my routines. To be honest, I’d lost a bit of my resolve as well. I started working out halfway through a break up, before I’d even known that’s what it was. Heather made me feel comfortable. I didn’t think I needed to prove how capable I was anymore; I could relax a bit.


“Perhaps you’ve relaxed too much,” I thought to myself as I struggled to button a pair of shorts. I hadn’t worn them since last year and they were always a little tight then too. They were more of a goal pair than a viable wardrobe item, but I still looked good in them. Or I would have a few pounds ago.


When I finally got them buttoned I looked in the mirror. They cut into my sides and made my midsection pool into a small squished ball, while my thighs poofed slightly outwards. As I turned to see my profile, my middle swayed slightly in a motion that made me shiver. I’d put on weight. Not much, not even enough to notice without the shorts squeezing me, but it was something. I’d never had real abs, but a few weeks ago you’d only be able to describe my core as a stomach. You could still say that, but now I wouldn’t be incorrect to refer to it as my belly. I’d lost my toning and replaced it with… softness.


I switched the shorts for a skirt, something with a little more give to it. I could have worn them, but I decided against the uncomfortableness. In the skirt I could breathe a bit easier and looking in the mirror my midsection seemed a bit flatter. I closed my eyes and sighed. Moments later, something warm wrapped around me as fingertips danced around my waist.


“We’re going to be late for breakfast,” Heather cooed in my ear, “I’m hungrrryyyy.”


“I’m almost ready, hon,” I told her.


Heather giggled. Her fingers fiddled against the hem of my shirt, touching my new and softened flesh. They stopped at my skirt line and flirted there. “We need our pancakes you know… It’s important to have a big breakfast before starting any physical activity.”


“Oh?” I smirked and grabbed her hands. “Planning on doing some ‘activity’ today, are you?”


“If I’m lucky,” she said. “And I normally am.”