Autumn (Chapter 5) (Patreon)

Chapter 5

Mike was in his own apartment fingering his guitar when he glanced at his phone and realized he was almost late for the softball game. He threw on some hiking boots and a sweatshirt, grabbed his glove and headed out the door.

The game was at a city park only about 4 blocks away, but running short on time, and perhaps wanting to make more of a dramatic introduction to Autumn’s friends, he took the motorcycle.

He parked between some cars on the side of the street and hopped off. A few heads turned beyond the chain link fence and Mike scanned the faces until he saw Autumn, sitting next to someone in the dugout. It was late July and the day could not have been more beautiful. The whole city seemed to be out and about. Couples were having picnics, moms were pushing strollers, and a few homeless men were sitting in the park bleachers, passing a bottle around, hoping to catch a glimpse of some eye candy, as well as a softball game. Walking toward the field Mike saw a few people playing catch just beyond the first base line. He entered through a gap in the fence. He had arrived just in time.

Autumn turned and leaned forward in her seat. She was dressed in capri style blue jeans, white Chuck Taylor hightops, a t-shirt with three quarter length sleeves and a Seattle Mariners baseball cap. Mike was surprised about the jeans because he didn’t think she had any left that still fit, but apparently he was wrong, well, sort of. “Hey look who it is,” she said. “Thought you were going to flake out on us.”

Mike smiled and shrugged. “Sorry, I lost track of time.”

Autumn shifted her hips around on the bench and gestured to the guy sitting next to her. “Okay, just a few quick introductions. This is Corry, one of my best friends.”

Mike stepped forward and looked down. The guy was in his mid to late twenties, right around his age if not younger. He had a slim build, and a dark beard shaved clean at the neck. They shook hands. “Hi Corry, I’m Mike.”

Corry smirked arrogantly. “Nice to meet you.”

“And this is Sydney,” Autumn said. “Mike Sydney, Sydney Mike.”

Sydney smiled, her eyes beaming with kindness. She was about the same height as Autumn but she was round and chubby and looked to outweigh her by a good 50 pounds. “Nice to meet you,” she said.

Autumn, still seated, continued as another friend entered the dugout. “And, there’s Tabitha.”

Tabitha stepped forward and adjusted her flowery trucker hat. “Hi you must be Mike, I’ve heard about you. Good we can finally meet.”

Mike remembered Autumn mentioning Tabitha before. She was the gym girl with the abs and she certainly looked the part, wearing high waisted leggings and a loose top that flattered her well-defined arms and tiny waist. She was very attractive, but when compared to Autumn she looked quite plain. “Yeah likewise,” Mike said.

An umpire in a baby blue shirt, which he wore over his chest pads called out from home plate. “Visiting team ready?”

Autumn stood. “Yep, we’re ready.”

Mike watched his girlfriend with extreme pride and admiration. Damn she looked good in jeans; and nobody could pull off that cute and sporty baseball-cap-look the way she could.

“Okay, let’s play ball!” the umpire said.

The game went on as expected. No one was very good but some were more competitive than others. When it was Mike’s turn to bat, he felt the need to show off his skills and do something impressive.

“So are you serious about this guy?” Tabitha said. She was sitting next to Autumn on the bench, watching as Mike stepped into the batter’s box.

Autumn shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe.”

“He’s super cute.” Tabitha gazed over her shoulder at the street behind them. “Cool motorcycle too.”

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Let’s see if he can hit.”

The pitcher delivered the ball with a slow underhand lob. Mike geared up, swung with all his might, but struck nothing but air.

Tabitha smirked. “Oohh, strike one. Literally.”

Mike gritted his teeth, embarrassed. Even Corry had been able to put the ball in play, and Mike refused to be shown up by the likes of him. Whether he was really one of Autumn’s best friends or not, Mike didn’t like the way Corry had been eying her, and it caused a sense of jealousy to rise up within him.

He kicked his shoes into the dirt and tightened his grip on the wooden handle. Unlike most of the people there, Mike played ball in high school, and he was good, at least he used to be. Although, hitting a 40 mile per hour softball was a lot different than hitting a 90 mile an hour baseball.

The pitch came in and Mike drew his elbows back, shifted his weight to his right foot, and swung again. This time he made solid contact right on the sweet spot and the ball jumped off his bat like a rocket. It sailed high in the air and it landed on a Honey Bucket just beyond the boundary of the field, a home run.

Tabitha rose to her feet. “Woah, nice!” She turned to Autumn. “Okay, maybe I approve of this guy.”

Autumn stood as well, but maintained that haughty look of indifference on her face, a look that she seemed to keep as the game went on.

In the 4th inning, a guy on the team had to take off early, leaving them a player short, and Autumn volunteered to take his place.

“You sure you gonna be okay?” Mike said.

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I can at least stand in the outfield.”

Mike smirked. “Okay, just take it easy, watch out for sprinklers and stuff.”

In the top of the 6th, Tabitha hit a ground ball up the middle and ran gracefully to first base. She was quick, agile and moved like a gazelle. Next it was Autumn’s turn. Although she was right handed, she batted from the left side and Mike had a clear view of her backside as she stepped to the plate.

With a slight bend to her knees she reached back her arms and awaited the pitch. Mike clasped the chain link fence with both hands and watched her closely. Goddamn she was a sight. Her hips and thighs filled out those jeans marvelously and Mike had never seen her ass look so good. Was it really that big or was it something about those jeans? He was utterly enthralled by her. The whole concept that a hot girl could actually gain weight like that was new to him, and he found it fascinating. Autumn was just so much of a good thing, it didn’t seem fair to other girls.

After letting the first ball go by, Autumn swung at the second and hit a dribbling grounder down the third base line. She dropped the bat and ran towards first as the pitcher cut off the ball.

Watching Autumn run was something of a spectacle all to itself. To put it mildly, she ran like a girl. Her wide hips and bottom heavy figure jiggled and gyrated in a hypnotizing fashion, and despite the way she frantically swung her arms, it appeared she was moving in slow motion, as if her body could not keep up with her mind’s expectations.

The throw to first was high and floated clear over the fielder's head, hitting the fence behind him, allowing Autumn to trot into first safely. Corry was up next and was somehow hit by a pitch which loaded the bases for Mike.

Mike belted a line drive that was hit so hard it bounced off the wall in right center. Tabitha scored, Autumn rounded third and she scored and so did Corry. Mike flew around the bases with speed that was far superior than anyone else at the game, and with a wild throw to the plate, he scored as well. It was a base clearing, inside the park grand slam and the team cheered like it was the world series.

After a few high fives, Mike entered the dugout and found Autumn sitting back down on the pale aluminum bench, trying to catch her breath. Tabitha sat to her right and Sydney sat to her left.

Tabitha raised a fist in the air. “Way to crush it slugger!”

“Thanks,” Mike said bashfully. He turned to Autumn. “How’s your leg holding up?”

She fanned herself with her hand. “It’s fine, I’m just (pant) not used to running like that.”

“Don’t push it too hard, be careful,” Mike said.

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Noted.”

Tabitha grabbed her phone and started taking selfies. Mike observed the girls as he paced around in the dugout. He knew that all three of them were more or less the same height, but the shapes of their bodies were vastly different. Autumn’s hips spread out significantly wider than Tabitha’s, and they were actually almost as wide as Sydney’s, despite Sydney outweighing Autumn by quite a lot. Mike also noticed that Autumn sat higher than Tabitha, solely due to the fact that she carried so much more weight in her thighs and butt. Autumn was the prettiest one too, on either of the teams by far, and Mike found it refreshing that the prettiest one was also the curviest, and he felt incredibly lucky that she was his.

They all socialized after the game albeit briefly, while some other teammates loaded up the equipment, before going their separate ways.

“That was fun,” Mike said, turning toward Autumn as they made their way to the street.

“Yeah, you’re pretty good there with your home runs and everything.”

“Chicks dig the long ball right?”

Autumn glared at him. “Chicks?”

Mike swallowed nervously. “Sorry…umm, women appreciate the, long ball.”

She punched his arm playfully. “Okay stop it.”

He smiled. “You’re not bad yourself.”

“Ooooh, I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “I was in much better shape the last time I played.”

He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as they continued to walk. “You did great. You probably just haven't built back all your leg strength quite yet.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

They stopped in front of Mike’s motorcycle and Autumn fiddled with her purse.

“Are you hungry?” Mike said.

Autumn lit a cigarette. “Yeah, I could eat.”

Mike opened up the back storage container of his bike and put his glove inside. “Let’s get out of this place, go somewhere fun.”

She took a short puff from her smoke. “What, like take an Uber?”

“No way, we’ll take the bike.” He smiled, placed her glove next to his, then pulled out a black, faceless half-helmet. “Still got an extra one.”

She bit her lower lip and gave him a look that just about made his heart melt. “Okay.”

He let her finish her cigarette, then mounted his bike and she climbed on behind him. His motorcycle was an Aprilia 850, and though it was a sportbike, it had room for two and a decent backrest attached to the storage case.

He had given her a ride on the same bike before, but that was a few years ago. Now, the suspension sagged beneath her weight, and the bike felt heavy in a way Mike wasn’t used to, but he relished in the sensation of her body clasping snuggly behind him. Her breasts pressed against his back, her thighs straddled his narrow hips and the feeling of her closeness sent a wonderful shiver up his spine.

He fired up the engine. “Okay, just don’t fall off.”

“Okay!”

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist as they rode away. With it being such a nice summer day, he took her on the most scenic route he could think of. They went through the highrises and skyscrapers of downtown, then across the West Seattle bridge all the way to Alki Beach. He parked in front of Duke’s seafood restaurant and they got off.

“This okay?” he said.

She unbuckled her helmet and brushed back her hair. “Yeah, looks good to me.”

Mike put his name in at the restaurant but it was busy and there was a 20 minute wait time. They went out and sat on a bench that overlooked Puget Sound and smoked cigarettes as they waited. Ferries gilded slowly along the water and people on the beach began staking out campfire spots. It was a warm evening, but that didn’t stop Mike from holding Autumn tight and close to his body. The sun calmly sank just above the Olympic Mountain range in the west and highlighted the city’s skyline to the east while wandering wisps of breeze stirred romance in the air.

Autumn tilted her head up from Mike’s shoulder. “Still nothing?”

He glanced at his phone. “Not yet.”

She stood up and put out her cigarette. “I’m just gonna go check.”

Mike watched as she went so confidently toward the restaurant just on the other side of the paved bicycle path. He loved the way she walked. Shoulders back, head high, with a little wiggle in her hips as she so elegantly and dramatically did something as simple and mundane as place one foot in front of the other. Even in her jeans and baseball cap, she had a way of standing out in a crowd, and the heads of strangers turned as if the spell of passing beauty was too strong to ignore. Just moments after entering the restaurant, she came back out and waved at Mike to come in.

He sprang up and scurried toward her.

“Is it ready already?” he said, surprised.

“Yeah, come on.”

“How’d you get a table so fast?”

The corners of her lips turned upward seductively. “I have my ways.”

“Right.” He knew exactly what she meant. He had forgotten that doors open up a little quicker and tables become miraculously available when in the presence of a gorgeous woman.

She ordered fish tacos and clam chowder with a glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and Mike got the fish and chips and a cup of coffee. He watched as she so expertly crushed oyster crackers into her bowl and listened to the way she analyzed and judged her tacos like a professional critic. Despite her denunciations, she was hungry and finished off her entire meal well before he did.

“I hate it when I eat everything and the other person still has lots of food on their plate,” she said. “I need to get better at slowing down and savoring each bite.”

“You can have some of my fries if you want.”

She smiled. “No, that’s my problem. Everything tastes so good I want it all at once and I end up eating too much.”

Mike set his coffee down. “I like that you’re not afraid to eat.”

As he finished speaking, a grossly overweight woman squeezed her massive body directly behind his chair, then carefully navigated herself toward her table in front of him. Autumn couldn’t help but notice the way his gaze drew toward the woman’s massive hips and billowing breasts.

Autumn locked eyes with Mike, then gestured toward the woman. She leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Can you imagine being that big?”

Mike was taken aback, as he knew she had caught his wandering eye in mid wander and he was anticipating a scolding. He was unsure how to respond. “Um, no, but I’m not a woman.”

Autumn took a few fries from his plate. “I mean like (munch, chew) what do you see when you see someone like that?”

Mike looked at her curiously. “I see a woman, who clearly enjoys food.”

Autumn smiled, much to Mike’s surprise. “Yeah, me too.” She leaned in closer, still whispering. “I know it sounds terrible, but when I see someone who’s really hugely fat like that, I don’t think…like, oh, that’s too bad...” She bit her lower lip as if deep in thought before she continued. “I think more like, how…delicious, it must have been, to get there.”

Mike’s face erupted in an ear to ear grin, as the words she was saying conjured up a million thoughts in his brain. “I like the way you think.”

She shrugged sheepishly before stealing a few more fries. “I don’t know, (chew, munch) food is definitely my biggest weakness. I eat when I’m depressed, I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m bored.”

Mike chuckled. “That’s better than being the type of person that’s always on a diet, treating their body like it’s some sort of enemy.”

“I guess so.” She took a sip of her wine. “You don’t mind that I drink, do you?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. Just because I don’t drink anymore doesn't mean I can’t enjoy it through you.”

He stared into her eyes. Her hat was off and her beautifully layered hair was tied back in a messy ponytail that was somehow both chic and wildly sexy. If his relationship with Autumn was budding before, now it was blooming and becoming solidified. He met her friends, she had ridden on the back of his motorcycle, and he had yet to find anything about her that he didn’t like. He never met a woman who could be so casual and unassuming, yet so severely fememine and elegant at the same time.  He had a feeling that the face staring back at him was a face that he’d be seeing again and again, for a long time.

Autumn ended up finishing the rest of Mike’s fries and after he got the check, they rode back to her place in the magic hour of the setting sun.

They were almost always together as the summer unfolded, and spent a lot of time outside, taking advantage of the long days and perfect weather. With her injury healed, she tried to make a conscious effort to get more physically active, and at least get her body back to a place where she could fit into her jeans comfortably. Mike rented a canoe a few times and they had fun paddling around Lake Washington, and they even went on a couple of short hikes in the Cascade mountains. She also participated more in the softball games and by the time August ended, she was able to button her pants with ease and had gotten her weight back down below 160 pounds without having to sacrifice dinners out, or any of her favorite foods.

However, all good things must come to an end and so too did the weather as August became September and September became October. The morning air turned crisp, and the melancholy of the fall season harmonized life with nature like a second spring where every leaf becomes a flower. The sunny Saturday motorcycle rides and the warm evening walks were replaced with pumpkin spice lattes and movie nights on the sofa with soul warming comfort foods, and Mike got the feeling that Autumn’s days of being able to squeeze her hips into her size 10 jeans without difficulty, might be short lived.