Gaining for You

Month 3

It's been three months since Genesis started gaining weight and she's surprised at how fast the groceries are going now.

It feels as if she just stocked the fridge the other day; she couldn't possibly have consumed two weeks worth of groceries in one day.

She decides to make a trip to the grocery store but before she leaves, she needs to make a trip to her closet.

It's only as she rifles through the clothes in her room that she realizes just how much weight she's gained. Nothing is fitting her. Genesis squeezes into a pair of pants and goes to stand in front of her full length mirror.

She watches herself struggle to close the front button. She turns around and, peering over her shoulder, inspects the tight fabric suffocating her butt. She turns back around, placing her hands on the front of her stomach and then on either side of her waist. Her reflection smiles back at her; she's elated. Genesis can barely contain her excitement. All those late night snacks, the second and third helpings at dinner, and her lethargic state have paid off. She was finally beginning to see results.

Her goal was to change out of her pyjamas into something a little more presentable (in case she ran into someone from work) but she just ends up basically back to where she started; just in a different set of pyjamas. It'll have to do because she literally doesn't have anything else.

Genesis arrives at the grocery store in a good mood, debit card in hand. She is ready to buy out the entire store, or at least as much as she can shove into her cart.

She makes her way through the bakery first picking up cheese buns, baguettes, bagels, muffins, and cookies. On her way out of the bakery she grabs a pack of powdered donuts to snack on while she shops. The crinkle of the packaging is loud when she tries to open it and it feels like everyone is staring but she doesn't really care. It's been forever since she's done this. Genesis remembers how her parents would let her do this when she was a child. They'd get up to the register and hand the empty package to the cashier for them to scan the bar code of whatever she had devoured.

In the next isle, Genesis picks up some crackers and a few family sized bags of chips. She stares pensively at the shelves trying to decide whether to get Nutella or peanut butter when someone tries to get her attention.

"Gen! Hey, Genesis!"

She turns to her right and sees a man approaching her. Genesis lowers the arm that was reaching for the Nutella and finds that her shirt gets caught on her side. She pulls it down and squints in the mans direction, trying to figure out who's calling her name.

When he approaches Genesis, he reaches over her head to grab a jar of Nutella. This man is so close to her that she can feel the heat radiating off of his body. The smooth scent of his cologne wafts by her face and she's hypnotized for a second. He hands the jar over to her and their fingers touch; Genesis quickly drops it into her cart.

"Thanks." She says meekly, slightly embarrased about how her torso was exposed just a second ago. 

Genesis finally recognizes the man towering over her; they work together. He has a degree in computer science and works in the IT department. At least that's what she remembers from the small talk they've had. He's even come up to her office a couple times to save her from computer issues. The small details are beginning to return to her now but she still can't recall his name. 

"How are you?" He finally says.

"I'm good! I've been good. How are you?"

"That's good! Yeah you look good." He looks her up and down briefly. His reponse isn't inherently sexual. He says it in rather a friendly manner actually but Genesis can't ignore the slight under tone to his comment there, "I'm good. Still working in IT. Getting panicked calls from Doris and then telling her to turn her computer off and then on again."

"Doris!" Genesis laughs, remembering the old woman downstairs in finance who can't work her phone let alone operate a computer. He's funny. Whatever embarrasment or nerves she was feeling previously have slowly started to disipate, "You're a saint for that."

He shrugs sarcastically and puts his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, well. What can you do? Someone has to help Doris navigate modern technology. She seems to like me the best. Won't let any of the other techs help her. I've heard that if she calls when I'm not in, she'll just wait to call back on my next shift."

Genesis untwists her arms infront of her stomach, "Sounds like she's attached. I mean, how could she not be." Genesis surprises herself with this witty remark. Was she flirting with him?

"Probably. I mean with all this raw male testosterone and charisma how could she not be." He says it with a straight face but she can obviously tell he's being hyperbolic. They both laugh.

Before they get too far into the conversation she says, "Remind me of your name again?"

"Carter." Carter takes his hand out of his pocket and extends it out towards her. She reaches hers out to meet his. Her hand is so small in comparison to his that her hand almost disapears when they make contact. His palms are warm and soft.

"Right." She offers a delayed response.

The pair get nervous and retract their hands from one another. Carter runs his through his hair.

He's the first to break the silence, "Hey, we should have lunch together at the office sometime."

"Yeah, sure."

Carter pulls out his phone and hands it to her. He steals constant glances at her as she types the numbers into his contacts then she hands it back.

"Thursday?" Carter's voice is deep and sort of soothing.

"Thursday."

He turns to leave but hesitates.

Pointing to the top shelf he asks, "Was there anything else you needed from the top shelf?"

"Yeah, I could go for another tub of Nutella."

Carter moves forward and Genesis almost forgets to get out of his way. He gently places a hand on her waist and moves her aside. Genesis' hand rests on his wrist briefly. Carter brings down four containers of Nutella and drops them into her cart.

"See you thursday." Is all he says as he turns to leave. 

Genesis is unable to say anything back in response and just watches him walk down the isle in silence.