Bellflower Part 19 (Patreon)

In this installment, Rachel & Holly are joined on their morning commute by Courtney, who has been "working from home" for the past week, & completely at Penny's mercy. Plus Dawn seems to like pushing food on others.

So originally, this was going to be a very large part that also encompassed the Ladies' Night that followed. But I fell a little behind & don't want to put it off any longer so I figured I'd break things up & have that as a standalone as what I have for that is already a bunch. This seemed like the best chunk to break things up & I feel it works pretty well on its own.

I know folks tend to like Courtney. She is getting rather big. There's a lot of her here & in the next part. She might start popping up a little less frequently after, but I do kind of want to put it out there that we'll still catch up with her from time to time & that it's not like she's going away. So rest easy. Beyond that, hope you enjoy!

|||||

19

|||||

“Just a… second…” They heard in response. 

Rachel & Holly shot each other a look, but their expressions competed. Holly’s lips folded inward, but up at the corners, in what seemed to be an excited, but somewhat measured smile. Rachel, using that second to adjust her own snugly fitting top just a bit underneath her cardigan, felt a little like she should probably brace herself mentally & grit her teeth a little. 

Seeing tight close ups of her face on closed circuit doorbell feeds aside, it had been a whole week since anyone, or at least anyone human had last laid eyes on Courtney. In fact, it was the previous week’s Ladies’ Night actually, when her & Holly, Team Eclair were going toe to toe on seeing who could house the most. And after a binging session like that? That meant a whole week had gone by, with her sequestered in her condo, devoid of human contact. That meant a weekend, & then four full weekdays of “working from home,” presumably at Penny’s whim the entire time. And in Rachel’s mind, there was no way something like that could end well.

She assumed realistically, it probably wouldn’t be as cartoonish as that image from that nightmare she had a while back. The one where the door into Holly’s bedroom was just this bulge of flabby flesh bubbling through. On account of Holly having eaten so much, she had grown to take up her entire bedroom. And then some. But as it stood, Courtney was already probably the fattest person she’d ever met in person. And after a whole week of sitting on her ass, unwittingly stuffing herself with whatever that evil robot put in front of her? She imagined the results would be pretty bad. But truth be told, she didn’t know quite what to expect. She just started to realize that it had been a little more than a second.

“Is she…?” Was all she able to start, turning to Holly with the same measured, but now seemingly partially vacant smile plastered on her face. But she was cut off. The door hissed open without anyone needing to touch it.

“Good morning.” They heard a voice purr before it fully opened. The first thing Holly could really see was simply shadow. Something almost completely blocked out the light from the other side.

“R-r-ready t-to go?” She stuttered. She had gotten a glimpse first, but Rachel gently leaned to join her.

“Just about…” Courtney seemed to anticipate something they didn’t. She was already turned at an angle, the strategic way she had been turning to squeeze herself through door frames. It was just enough to seemingly get her through the tight bottleneck of her condo’s corridor, but still her sides seemed to be brushing, this time, pretty firmly. Her hands were spread out firmly against each wall, as if she needed every bit of help she could get pushing herself along. And yet she still, somehow, hadn’t seemed to consider the even tighter door frame she was still left to contend with. 

From the side of Holly, Rachel could only really see the poor girl’s front, wedged into the wall. Remembering the very same employee handbook handed out at the very orientation Courtney helped proctor, what she was wearing didn’t seem particularly up to office dress code. A black tanktop stretched just over her belly, & what seemed like sweatpants. She threw on a long, silky, open front, floral printed jacket over top as if to trick the eye, to try & make her seem a little more put-together. But with so much boob & belly poking through, it ultimately seemed to do very little. At the same time, Rachel imagined there was probably a very good reason for her wearing these things. It was probably a little insensitive to think, but she was actually kind of amazed they even came in such a size.

With a bit of a heave, Courtney propelled herself into the tight frame. Holly’s eyes went a little wide as she seemed to make it only so far. With a lot of her left to go. Rachel & Holly both took something of a concerned half step but a hand went up to preempt them. The dark haired young woman struggled for a second, trying to rock. Her face clenched a little, the harder she attempted to push. No luck.

“Ech, Penny…?” Courtney had craned her chins towards the shoulder more inside the condo to let out a soft wince she hoped the sisters didn’t hear. She couldn’t see it, but she felt it. One of the ceramic-encased mechanical arms obliged, & she felt its cool surface against her expansive rear. Using its whole lower extension almost as a broad “bar,” it gently began to push into her. As delicate as it tried to be, Courtney’s plump lips disappeared in a strain of determination, as well as maybe a slight bit of concern she was truly stuck. But as the force of the arm behind her slowly intensified, she still let out a tiny “hmmmph” of a grunt. One that made at least Rachel flinch slightly.

Fortunately, albeit very slowly, more of Courtney started to come through the door frame. While it might’ve been touch & go for a second, it looked like she was going to make it. This time. Even if only just. But as more of her seemed to pour through the narrow threshold, Rachel had a harder & harder time trying to stifle her knee jerk reaction.

“Almost… there…” Holly seemed to wince, as Courtney’s belly seemed mostly through, just a bit more of her hips. And ass, given the angle. She grit her teeth too, hoping her friend wasn’t scraping anything to make it. But also a little shocked there was still more of her coming.

“Yeah…” Courtney sighed. It seemed a bit frustrated. And maybe a bit regretful of her decision all of a sudden. But at the same time, it almost seemed like there was no turning around at this point. She was mostly through. Just the widest part of her extra wide hips. And ass.

“Maybe turn to your side a slight bit more, Miss Courtney.” Penny softly seemed to suggest from inside. It was barely audible to Rachel but she thought she could make out a slight bit of reluctance in its tone. Almost like the thing didn’t want her to leave either. Then again, the more she could see of Courtney, unimpeded, the more she sort of wanted to agree.

“I’m out!” She almost cheered. “Clear!” The last of her bulk brushed past the door & into the hallway, as she took a wobbly few steps to get her footing. But free of the hall & the doors, unimpeded, the sisters were finally able to see her in full. And what a week of not leaving her unit had done to her.

As her thick fingers tugged at the fabric of her tank top & jacket, trying to adjust & make sure none of her all-too-close-from-poking-out belly wasn’t poking out, even Holly, who always tried to be ambivalent about this stuff, seemed stunned. Rachel couldn’t believe she was still able to stand.

Standing there, in her flowy silk jacket & even trying to wear a slimming black, her belly was a soft gargantuan bulge that both pressed her bust, which was already spilling a bit out of her tanktop on its own, up nearly into her round cheeks while hanging most of the way down her thunderous highs. From straight on, Holly realized her friend’s hips were way wider than the door. If it wasn’t for strategic bit of turning & the fact that the flesh was so soft & plush, it almost seemed like she had just done the impossible by somehow making it through. 

As she tried to smooth out her top, Rachel got a brief glimpse of lovehandle. She imagined that together, just the two of them, bulging out to the side, almost probably weighed as much as her. Or at least as much as she had. But they were almost  foothills in comparison to her butt.

Holly, who even in her legit athlete days always had something of a large rear, had a hard time imagining carrying around that much weight behind herself the way Courtney seemed to be managing. In her mind, she likened it to elementary school. Field Day? The “Hippity-Hops?” One for each cheek?! And heavy. Luckily her legs seemed almost as thick, able enough to support the weight. But still! She started feeling really, really guilty. For ever even having thought about coaxing Courtney into doing this. But at the same time, as with the door, it seemed like there was no turning back at this point.

“Have a pleasant, productive day, Miss Courtney!” Penny chimed, slightly more put-on than usual. The chime called Rachel & Holly from their stunned stares before it went on to acknowledge slightly softer. “Miss Holly, Miss Rachel.” The door to Courtney’s unit hissed shut, & her outfit seemed adequately adjusted to as much of her liking as possible. She had even taken a pair of sunglasses from out of her purse, but was holding onto them until they got outside.

“Shall we…?” Courtney asked after a deep, slightly flushed breath.

“A-af-after you!” Holly stumbled a little, raising her hand in the direction of the elevator. Courtney awkwardly reached around herself to hoist her purse a little higher onto her mound of a shoulder & took a first step. Slowly. 

From behind, Rachel couldn’t help but fixate on how much horizontal movement Courtney’s gait seemed to require. It was almost like her thighs were so thick she had to step around them with each step, making her rock back & forth nearly a foot & a half, easy. But to her immense credit, all things considered, Courtney seem undeterred, & managing. As they made their way toward the elevator, another, unsuspecting tenant was coming in the opposite direction. A shorter woman with darker brown, slightly reddish hair, dressed in a corduroy skirt & a tight dark sleeveless shirt, but her attention mostly pointed into her phone. Rachel assumed it was a cat video, given the weird cooing, but almost laughing expression on her face. While she was certainly… “of the Bellflower” herself, she was maybe just a bit slimmer than Holly in comparison.

“It’s… It feels... good… to finally get out of… the house.” Courtney announced. It drew the girl’s attention away from feline follies. And her expression said it all. Seeing Courtney, she suppressed a gasp, but her jaw went lax & nearly hit the floor. 

“I’ll bet.” Rachel replied, meaning it genuinely, but trying to call her attention away from the girl’s reaction. But somehow it still got something of an elbow from Holly. Behind Courtney’s bulging back, the sisters mean mugged at one another. Rachel didn’t mean to be rude. But answering so quick, maybe it sounded that way. 

In turn, the girl squeezed & clung herself as tightly to the side wall as possible, giving Courtney a large berth to get by. She was staring.

“It’ll be good to… see everyone.” The tone was a little less enthused. Like she had noticed the girl as she swayed passed.

“They all missed you. This week.” Holly’s voice still stammered. “A major bummer without you there, really.” To Rachel, the way she sounded a little unsure, & almost distracted? Trying to find the right words? That seemed more rude than her honest answer meant to distract. But after a side-eye, she let it slide. At the same time, she pulled out her own phone to spy the time.

“You know what,” She started. She timed the swing in Courtney’s gait to start going towards the left while she ducked around her right. “You know how the elevators can be, I’m just going to run up & hit the button. Get it up here a little sooner.” Holly’s eyes shot wide before digging into a scowl. But Courtney responded positively.

“That’s… that’s a great idea.” She offered a thumbs up, a bit feebly. 

“Yeah. Good thinking.” Holly went along with, but it was still drenched in a bit of contempt. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be... right there.” Courtney waddled.

When Rachel started putting things together about the Bellflower, the extra large elevators made more & more sense. But this was the first time she seemed to see it in practice. Her & Holly flanked round Courtney. If all the girls were honest with themselves, they had all spotted the sign of “Max Capacity 3 Tons,” did a little math, & were still a little leery about the trip. It started off a little quietly before Courtney broke the silence.

“Do you think there will be… donuts?”

At the sheer mention of the word, Rachel suddenly realized that she wanted donuts more than anything right now. But then, that thought was followed up with her own awareness coming in. It meant that being so close to both Courtney & Holly, with their Penny Apps, was taking its toll on her too right now. She’d probably feel ravenously starving all morning now at this point, just being in close proximity to them like this. Still, she couldn’t just get off & take the stairs at this point. No. She had to ride this out, & deal with her grumbling tummy.

“Should we stop…?” It seemed like almost more of a suggestion on Holly’s part than a genuine ask. But she saw the intense eyes Rachel threw at her around Courtney, & didn’t seem to want to press further than that.

“No. It’s… It’s fine.” Courtney sighed, a bit listlessly after a second of internal deliberation. “I feel like I’m holding up us enough as it is already.”

“Oh, no!”

“Wha…?! Pssh!” The sisters tried to pawn it off each in their own way, but in unison. Even though they were already about ten minutes late. The silence fell again for a brief second. 

“Next time.” Courtney seemed to purr,  leaning with a smile & definitely craving a glazed. Rachel didn’t quite know what to make of her optimism. Given her struggles with the door, she secretly had to wonder to herself, would there even be a “next time?”

Getting her loaded in the car was no short order. Rachel was completely doubtful she’d fit. She thought they would have to fold down seats & somehow load her into the back, up over the tailgate, like a piece of furniture or something. Or that load of eclairs that partially got them into this mess. But her sister knew her SUV a little better than she did from her one solo excursion in it.

“You want to take shotgun?” Holly asked. Somehow, using the handle, Courtney managed to cram herself into the front passenger seat. Albeit after about a minute or two. And when it seemed like she was mostly in, Holly was still a little skittish about trying to shut the door for her.

“Are you in?” Holly was afraid she was really just going to hit her with the door. 

“I’m in!” Her much, much fatter friend insisted.

“Are you su…?”

“I’m good!” Courtney insisted again, almost a little short with her reticence. And lo & behold, the door seemed to shut. But not without Courtney letting out something of a micro grunt. She was packed in tight.

From her spot in the back, Rachel could see she probably would have had a little more space, but there was just no way she could get past the door.

Still, as wide & as plush as the seats were in Holly’s upmarket SUV, the entirety of Courtney still managed to spill over. Like there was no way she was going to be able to wrap a seatbelt around herself, meaning the onboard warning was probably going to make an annoying beep for most of the ride. But that was if Holly was even able to shift gears, seeing as the stick was partially poking Courtney in the ass.

“Good thing we’re friends!” Courtney blushed, when Holly did what she could to put it in reverse. She tried to lean more of her weight towards the door, but it made the whole vehicle shift & sway & creak on its shocks. Rachel grit her teeth in the back.

“Sor...ry…” Holly winced. Courtney just seemed more embarrassed.

“It’s… I’m the one that’s sorry! I’m over as far as I can I just… Can you…?”

“I think I can… there!” The car was in reverse.

“Sorry!” Courtney was bright red at this point, but tried to fumble her sunglasses on to hide it.
“No! No!” Holly tried to insist. “Good thing it’s automatic though. Just… need to get it in… drive…”

“Ooooph.” Courtney winced softly. Where the gear shift was poking into her posterior right now wasn’t really that comfortable. Good thing it was a short ride. 

“Courtney! My… goodness.” Deidre stammered. She seemed more shocked & maybe even slightly concerned than happy, but it seemed like she was trying to play up the happiness. “S-so great you could… join us.”

“I missed everyone!” She mustered a smile as she waddled into the department first. “Had… had to leave the house at some point… right?”

“Oh. Yeah!” Camille nodded, mousily filling in an unintentional silence the room seemed to leave.

“You good…?” Rachel asked leerily, peeking in from the door to HR offices. She & Holly had just had to give her a bit of a shove to get through the doorway again. But now, she was about to break off & head to hers. She just wanted to make sure they could get their much larger friend situated first.

“I… think.” Holly winced, still holding the door. She turned to Rachel, her expression softened. Her eyes almost a little glassy.

“Rach, I just want to say…” Rachel put up a hand. She assumed it was going to be some sort of “thank you” or possibly maybe even another “you were right.” Either way, Rachel wasn’t really up for it at the moment. She still slightly frazzled by everything this morning. & it wasn’t even 10am yet. Speaking of which, she was seriously late.

“I-I gotta be going…” She settled on.

“Oh. Totally.” Holly said, seeming to catch herself. “But thanks. And…” She looked back at the reception Courtney was receiving that sounded both joyful, but worried & concerned. 

“Oooh! Donuts!” They heard Courtney coo. “I was hoping…”

“I guess… I’ll see you tonight then. After?” Holly turned back.

“Sure. See you tonight.” Rachel smirked. “Yay Ladies’ Night.”

In comparison, Dawn, as large as she was, almost seemed skinny, after spending the morning with Courtney.

“If you were any less of a writer, I’d probably give you flak for being late most of the time.” She shook her head in joking disapproval over, looking over her glasses. Rachel adjusted her snug outfit a bit sheepishly.

“Um. Sorry, I know I’m still new, but I thought it was sort of like… flex-hours?” Rachel tried to contest, albeit sheepishly.

“Oh. No. You’re not in any actual trouble.” Dawn laughed. “But I’d still give you flak for it. Just for the sake of giving you flak for it, honestly.” Her chubby fingers handed Rachel a print out with some scribbled notes on it. “And like I said, I WOULD give you flak if you were mediocre. Luckily for you, you’re good at this.” She smiled. “These are the tweaks from their marketing in-house. Nothing too major, right?” Rachel scanned it. Nitpicks. Annoying little things she’d have to reword to better match the way they “wanted their brand reflected by the public,” but nothing massive or super structural. After the morning she was having, she was relieved her workload seemed a bit light.
“I mean, I could probably have these out to you in the next hour, hour & a half?”

“You’re godsend, kid!” Dawn, turning her attention back to her emails. Rachel always bristled a little at the “kid” remarks she got from her boss. Today, maybe a little more than others, given her mood. Dawn talked like she was much older, but there was no way she was over 40. Though her weight made it a little tough for Rachel to tell exactly. Still, she wasn’t that much older. And not old enough for it to come off as a sort of compliment. She waved the paper before turning to go back to her desk. “By the way, it’s Friday.”

“Yeah…?” Rachel stopped.

“Oh right!” Dawn laughed to herself before looking up from her laptop. “You took off on your own so well, I forgot this is still your first week. Fridays around here? We do pizza.”

“Oooooh!” Rachel cooed giddly. It came out of nowhere! Like, she was still feeling hungry, maybe even slightly famished after hanging around the likes of Holly & Courtney all morning, & now Dawn. But for her, of all people to let out something that sounded that unironically giddy & almost childishly excited “Oooh?!” Fuck! Was she becoming just as bad as the rest of them?!

“What do you want on your pies?” Dawn followed up with a nonchalant, sing-song of a question.

“Pie-Suh?” Rachel’s eyes went wide. “Plural?!”

“Yeah. Nadya, god bless her, started the tradition a while back one day when she couldn’t make up her mind & the rest of us were dying of starvation. So now, we usually each do two.”

“But like… personal pan…?”

“What?! HAH!” Dawn chortled. “No way! Honest to god Pizza.” There didn’t seem to be a shred of self-awareness in her tone. “Trudy usually does a barbecue chicken one which, eh, not my thing, but I get it! And then also, the place we go to does a steak & mushroom. I don’t fuck around. I just get two supremes. Though sometimes, I’ll do a white pie. Hold the sauce.” She whispered. “I get a little reflux-y from time to time.” She returned to her normal, just short of boisterous tone. “What are ya feelin?”

“I mean… I’m safe with one.” Rachel actively struggled to restrict herself. “Plain.” Despite an inopportune tummy growl. She took another step towards the door of Dawn’s office.

“Wow. Cheap date! I like you, kid!” Dawn laughed. “You know what? PLAIN?! I’m going to get you two.”

“Ech…” Rachel spun on her heel. She didn’t want to get into an argument with her boss already over a week in. Especially over something THIS dumb. But two was a bad idea.

“Whatever you don’t eat, you bring home! Leftovers all weekend! You’re welcome!” Dawn then did a sort of dismissive wave away. Rachel’s lips folded in on themselves as she tried to fight the urge to protest. Then again, deep down, her hunger didn’t make it THAT hard to not want to fight.