chapter 5

“Alright, fuck it,” Dani said, hurrying back into the living room where Josh had zoned out, “I’m going like this.” Dani wore her white Adidas Ultraboosts with tall white socks which ran up to her black yoga pants. On top, she wore her pullover, wet hair tied in a bun.

“Must be nice to pull off that effortlessly-looks-like-a-model look, D.”

“Aww, cute!” she beamed, kissing him on the forehead. “Now, can we finally leave? Gosh, I’ve been dying to go all day!” she joked.

“Don’t push your luck!” Josh jabbed back.

At the grocery store, Josh grabbed a cart and led the way.

“I know you had a few yucky cooties girly things you wanted to pick up, did you want to split up and I can get started with what’s on our list?”

“It’s that yucky girly stuff that keeps this hair so luxurious and skin so soft, you know.” Dani joked, batting her eyelashes. “Try not to get lost out there, kiddo.” she finished as she headed towards the beauty aisle.

Josh made his way to the back corner of the store where the frozen foods and dairy aisle were. As he walked with relative haste, he felt his budding belly bounce with every step. His heart pounded, and he took deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves. He stopped and pulled out his phone to look at his list and almost shivered as he again read the top two items:
Heavy cream
Boost weight gainer

He opened the freezer, placed 3 frozen pizzas into his cart, and crossed it off his list. A few steps down at the dairy section, Josh looked around and took one more deep breath. Heart pounding, he slowly unzipped his windbreaker and let it fall to the side. Exhaling, he let his potbelly fall forward. It poked out out from under a tight t-shit which was already snug at the peak of his fitness.

His eyes darted around the dairy section until he found the oatmilk. He picked up two cartons and placed them in his cart, crossing it off his list in his phone, nervously making sure his belly stuck out in the open, between the zippers of his opened windbreaker. Looking around again, he found the heavy cream. He picked up 4 pints and put them in the cart.

Working his way down the busy aisle, he fought the urge to zip his jacket back up to hide his gut; the urge to do so excited him as much as it made him anxious. As if the feeling that everyone was staring at his potbelly wasn’t enough, the refrigerated air gently kissed the rippling flesh as he walked, which kept him ever-aware that his belly was out on display. He continued to load his cart up with various other items from his list, stopping to cross off each item along the way.

As he turned the corner to a much less-crowded health and vitamins section, he felt his shoulders relax. He reached for the chocolate Gold Standard whey protein Dani had grown fond of, using it to ensure she was getting enough protein in her diet. A bit further down the aisle, Josh’s heart again raced as he saw the Boost weight gain boxes. Shaped like the Hi-C juice boxes Josh used to drink as a kid in the Summer, across the top read “Very High Calorie”, with each box packing 530 calories in just 8 ounces. He bent over to pick up a case of 12 and flinched as he felt the cold button and fly of his jeans dig into the overhang of his little belly. Excited by the feeling, he picked up another case and placed them in the cart next to his haul of heavy cream.

Entering the next aisle, he spotted Dani down at the end where the snacks were located. She smiled and waved, both hands full of products. As he approached, her smile fell from her face and her cheeks flushed. She glanced down quickly at his gut, and again locked eyes.

“Hi!” she mustered.

Josh roared in laughter. “Hello!” he responded.

“How ar--did you...ah. Did you get the, some stuff...so far?” she continued.

Josh’s laughter continued. Dani took another peek at his belly; the pooch below his belly button exposed in the open air, the rest clearly visible packed behind a shirt she recognized from years ago.

“Yeah,” Josh carried on, “I got some stuff so far.”

“Good! That’s good.” Dani stumbled. She choked on a dried throat once she noticed the Boost and heavy cream. “I didn’t know...these items were on the list?”

“Well yeah, I saw them and they looked good to me, so I thought, what the heck, throw ‘em in. I’m sure they won’t go to waste!”

“Excuse me,” an older woman interjected, pushing her cart by.

“Okay! Good! That’s goo--that’s really great.” Dani continued to stammer. “And so, but, so, the cream, that’s for a recipe? What’s that for?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Josh smirked as he pushed the cart forward.