Autumn (Chapter 6) (Patreon)

Chapter 6

Autumn awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring on the nightstand. She rolled over wearily and turned it off. She wanted more than anything to stay in bed and go back to sleep as waking up early seemed to be getting more difficult as of late. The door to her apartment opened, and she could see Mike’s silhouette in the darkened entryway. He turned on the bathroom light then walked her way.

“Here you go babe,” he whispered, placing her latte and hot breakfast sandwich on the table next to bed. He leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. “Just one more day to go.”

She sat up a little, stretched her arms and yawned as the wonderful smell of espresso and crispy bacon hit her nose. “Thank you baby, yeah I can’t wait.”

“Okay, gotta run. Have a good day.” He kissed her again, this time on her neck while running his hand over her hip and giving it a squeeze. “I love you.”

She yawned again, gazing at the outline of his face. “I love you too.”

He smiled then went out the door and off to work.

She cuddled with her cat Samson for a few moments then flung her legs over the side of the mattress and turned on a light. After using the restroom, she grabbed her warm beverage and toddled over to the breakfast nook in the kitchen and lit up her first cigarette of the day.

She took a sip of her drink. It was a creamy and delicious 16 ounce triple shot vanilla soy latte. Mike was so sweet. He’d been going to the cafe across the street nearly every morning during the past month and buying her a coffee and a bacon egg and cheddar sandwich. Autumn appreciated it, as she was a big believer that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

Mike had practically moved in with her by this point, but she enjoyed having him around. She wasn’t the type of girl that needed a man to be happy, but she had to admit living with him was quite nice. When she was single she had to fend for herself and make her own breakfast, usually something like a bowl of oatmeal with yogurt and berries on top.

She flicked ash into the mug on the table and took another sip of her beverage. It was sweet. She hated to think about how many calories it contained, and she kept thinking she should tell Mike to just get her plain soy lattes instead of vanilla, but it tasted so good she kept putting that off.

She sat up straight and tugged downward on her white camisole. The skimpy top was a bit skimpier than it used to be. She placed her hand on her stomach and felt the roll of fat that was protruding over her underwear. She sighed. All that wining and dining with Mike, the stress of working a demanding job, and the complete lack of exercise during the last few months were taking their toll on her figure.

After finishing her cigarette she went to the bathroom, jumped in the shower and got ready for the day. She slipped on a clean pair of panties that felt way too tight as the elastic fabric dug uncomfortably into her belly and hips. She gazed into the mirror.

She was gaining weight again.

She stepped on the scale.

172.8.

Shit.

She knew she had put on a few pounds, but she wasn’t expecting to be over 170. It was frustrating because she had done so well over the summer. The last time she weighed herself was in August when she’d gotten back down to 157.

It was now late November.

Did she really gain almost 16 pounds in 3 months?

She investigated her reflection. She had never seen her body look so voluptuous before and she wasn’t used to it. For most of her adult life she had stayed within the one hundred thirty to one hundred forty pound range, and when she was a cheerleader in high school she was in the 120’s.

Looking at herself now she was amazed by the sight of her boobs and hips. She had never been this curvy, nor had she ever been this heavy.

It was too much.

With a naturally petit figure and bone structure, a number like 172 was alarming.

No wonder none of her clothes fit.

She went to her dresser and squeezed her topless body into another camisole that clung to her like a second skin. She didn’t feel like wearing a bra, they were all too tight anyway.

She went back to the bathroom, fixed up her hair and makeup, then crawled back in bed with her laptop. She unwrapped the sandwich that Mike brought and the smell made her mouth water and also seemed to somehow erase the depressing memory of stepping on the scale just moments prior.

She took a big bite.

It was still warm and was like heaven on an English muffin. So cheesy and buttery and toasty and greasy. She knew it must be packed with fat that she certainly didn’t need, but it was so early in the morning that she felt justified in eating it. After all, breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

Around noon she set her laptop aside and forced herself out of bed. She was hungry again. She went to the kitchen and looked around for something to snack on.

God.

Why did she let Mike do all the grocery shopping?

The man ate like a 14 year old boy.

There was a pack of blueberry muffins, a whole thing of jumbo sized croissants, a family sized bag of potato chips, a tray of black and white cookies, three slices of cake in the fridge and half of a cherry pie on the counter.

How the hell did he stay in such great shape with all of this food around?

Did he have the metabolism of a hummingbird or something?

She turned the fan on and lit up another cigarette. She really needed to stop smoking so much inside, but with the window cracked she could hear the rain falling on the street. It had been raining all week, and really all month come to think of it. No wonder she was gaining weight. With the dreary fall weather she rarely went outside, especially when she had a boyfriend that so happily ran around and got her everything she needed.

She looked at the plastic container of croissants as her tummy gurgled. She wanted one bad, but she couldn’t rationalize indulging in that amount of empty fats and carbs, especially with the knowledge that she was now over one hundred and seventy pounds.

After all, things were going so well, and having turned 27 in October, she was happier than she had been in a long time. In the past she thought all her relationships had been too one sided, always feeling like the guy was way more into her than she was into him; but with Mike it felt equal. She had no doubt that he adored her, just as she had no doubt she was in love with him. The last thing she wanted was for him to lose interest over something as stupid and trivial as her weight.

Mike finished responding to his last email, then ran down to the campus gym to blow off some steam. It was all part of his after work routine. 50 pushups, 50 pullups, 50 situps, and 2000 meters on the row machine. He could do it all in less than 30 minutes and he liked feeling all pumped up and ripped when he returned to Autumn in the evening. Although she would rarely say anything, he knew she appreciated his lean, strong, masculine physique, and the idea of being able to impress a woman like her, motivated him to be his best like nothing else in the world.

After a quick shower in the locker room, he hopped on his motorcycle and rode home. When he unlocked and opened the door to the apartment, he was greeted by the sight of his beautiful girlfriend, standing next to the bed, wearing nothing but panties and a tiny spaghetti strap top.

“Why hello there,” he said, smiling. He gazed at her longingly. He had of course been aware that her body had been going through some changes, but he was no less amazed looking at her now. He wondered if other guys in his situation would be cornered or distraught if they saw their formally classically hot girlfriend gain as much weight as Autumn had, so early on in a relationship. For Mike it was the opposite. Perhaps it was because he had never dated a curvy woman before, or perhaps he was simply discovering things about himself that he was previously unaware of, but whatever the case, and whatever was going on with Autumn’s weight, he was loving everything about it. “I like your outfit.”

She scrunched her nose in disgust, but in a way that he found incredibly cute. “Thanks but, it’s not like I have much of a choice.”

Mike tossed his gloves off, hung his rain dampened jacket on the hook against the wall then stepped towards her. “How do you mean?” He put his hands around her waist and drew her close, awestruck by how far her butt jutted out behind her.

“Because hardly anything fits me anymore!” She pushed him away and wiggled toward the kitchen. She held her hand up to signal that she wasn’t in the mood for any of his consoling comments. “Don’t even say anything.”

He followed her to the breakfast nook with his eyes tightly fixated on her ass. Her hips were significantly wider than her shoulders and he had never seen her butt look so full and prominent before. He couldn’t get enough of the way each oversized cheek wobbled and jiggled with every step she took. “I’ll go shopping with you if you want.”

She lit a cigarette and sat down. “Yeah I should probably bite the bullet and go up a size. I could use a wardrobe upgrade anyway.”

Mike lit his own cigarette and sat across from her. “No sales tax in Oregon.”

Autumn paused for a moment and blew thick grey smoke in the direction of the window. “Good point.”

He was hardly listening, as he was so distracted by her naked legs and the way she was so provocatively perched in her chair. He was astounded by how much wider her thighs and hips looked when she was in a seated position like that. She caught him staring and he turned away. He noticed the crumpled paper bag on the counter. “Potbelly for lunch again?”

“What?”

He pointed. “Potbelly sandwiches.”

Her long eyelashes fluttered expressionless. “Yeah, I just did Doordash for lunch because it’s so rainy out there.”

“You don’t need to do that you know. There’s plenty of food here, we should try and use it up, save money.”

She giggled abruptly with a cute and quiet femine snort. “Whatever, I make a lot more than you do.” She puffed on her cigarette and waved her arms as she spoke. “But also, I can’t just keep eating all the crap you get, that’s why my clothes are so tight.”

He gave her a crooked smile and his eyes drew towards her thighs again. She really did have an incredible body. “What’s wrong with tight clothes?”

“Stop it. You have no idea how easy you men have it. You can probably just buy the same size jeans over and over on Amazon and never have any problems.”

He leaned in and touched the bare skin of her knee. She was right of course. He had been buying the same Levi 501’s with the same size 30 waist for years. “That’s because a man’s body is just for working and getting around and stuff. Your body, on the other hand, is a work of art.”

She quivered pleasurably from his gentle touch. “A work of art huh?”

He drew his hand back and nodded while maintaining eye contact. “A beautiful work of art.”

She shifted her hips in her seat, causing the chair to creak and groan beneath her. She smiled cooly. “Mmm, I kind of like it when you put it that way.”

There was a moment of romantic silence, as they both stared at each other lustfully.

Mike cleared his throat. “I’m starving. We should eat before I take the bike up to mom and dad’s.” He stood and stabbed his cigarette out. “Little Woody’s alright with you?”

She sighed. “Yeah, that’s fine. But you don’t need to get me fries, I really think I need to slow down with all the eating.”

His head spun toward her. “What? Thanksgiving is tomorrow.”

“I know! All the more reason I need to watch it.” She took another puff on her cigarette. “I haven't even met your parents yet and I’ve already gained like the relationship 15 or whatever.”

“Well you’ll meet them this weekend.”

Mike stopped in the kitchen’s doorway as if the last thing she said suddenly registered in his brain.

The relationship 15?

He turned and spoke without thinking. “Did you weigh yourself?”

She gave him a death stare and pointed her cigarette at him. “Don’t even think about asking me.” She put her smoke out, but quickly lit another. She glared at him, still standing there like a little kid waiting for some sort of approval. “Aren't you supposed to be getting food?”

After dinner Mike made the 30 minute ride north in the dark of night to his parents house in the suburbs. He parked his motorcycle in their four car garage and exchanged it for his Dad’s Honda CRV. The next morning he drove with Autumn down interstate 5 to Beaverton, a town just outside of Portland, where Autumn’s parents lived.

Mike met Autumn’s dad, Gary, who seemed to be doing better after his health scare earlier in the year. He was a fairly large man in his late 50’s, just over 6 feet tall and at least 200 pounds. He was soft, clean shaven and overweight, with a substantial beer gut protruding over his belt. Autumn’s mom Patty, was small, mousy, and slightly chubby, but also very pretty like her daughter.

Autumn was one of two children, as was Mike, and her older brother Steven had also made the trip to Oregon for Thanksgiving. He was married and brought with him his wife Julia, and their two small children, Lily, age 4, and Noah, age 2, all the way up from their home in Los Angeles. Steven was handsome, slightly built, and somewhat nerdy, but he bonded effortlessly with Mike as did his wife and parents.

Autumn made it through the family holiday without receiving any comments about her weight, other than her mom telling her several times that she looked very happy. Her parents seemed thrilled with Mike, and Autumn was thankful that she didn’t have to answer a million questions about her love life for once.

On Saturday, Mike and Autumn drove back north, and she finally got a chance to meet Mike’s parents, John and Debbie, as well as his younger sister Megan, her husband Kevin and their two kids, Liam and Willow.

For Mike, the meeting of the parents was a big deal and it was good to get it out of the way. His mom and dad loved Autumn, just as he knew they would, and, coming from a similar upbringing, she fit in with his family seamlessly.

The month of December had never seen Mike and Autumn so happy. Their love for each other had not wavered in the slightest and if anything, it was getting stronger by the day. They began to talk more about the possibility of getting a bigger apartment and moving in together officially. The eight month lease on Mike’s place expired in January, and Autumn had the option to renew her lease in February. Getting rid of Mike’s studio was a no-brainer, as he hardly used it, but for Autumn, giving up her apartment took more convincing.

She had lived there for almost the entirety of her adulthood, and she was grandmothered in with a cheap fixed rent that was hard to let go of. On the other hand, even she had to admit that her place was far too small for two people, not to mention it was a ground level unit in the heart of the party district that was becoming increasingly noisy and even potentially dangerous as Seattle’s homeless population swelled.

It wasn’t until Mike’s dad offered to sell him the Honda for a family rate that Autumn became more serious about moving. As much as she loved riding on the back of Mike’s motorcycle, she could only do that for a few months out of the year, and the idea of having full time access to a car sounded nice. Of course, that meant that they would need parking and that was not an option if they stayed put.

“Did I hear that right, you guys are moving to Belltown?” Tabitha said as she sat down next to Autumn on the sofa.

Autumn took a sip of champagne. “Yeah, Mike found a really nice place, seems too good to pass up.”

It was December 31st, and Mike and Autumn had gone to Tabitha and her boyfriend’s apartment for a new year’s eve party. There were about 20 people there, including Sydney and Corey, as well as a few others from the co-ed softball league.

“Where is it exactly?” Tabitha said.

Autumn slid her butt toward the back of the couch. She looked exceedingly beautiful that night. Her skin-tight long-sleeve beige bodysuit was tucked beneath high waisted white jeans and the outfit highlighted and worked in perfect harmony with the alluring feminine contours of her body. “Over on 2nd and Wall, right near The Whisky Bar and Rocco’s, it has a view of the Space Needle too.”

“Ooohh, Rocco’s pizza!” Tabita leaned forward and put her hand on Autumn’s forearm. “Better watch out, that could be dangerous.”

Autumn looked at her curiously. “Why would that be dangerous?”

Tabitha jolted backwards, smiling wide in her bubbly sort of way. “Are you kidding? That’s the best pizza in the city, I’d probably be going there everyday if I lived that close.”

Autumn rolled her eyes; the glitter of her earrings clashed on the surface of her face. The notion that living next to a pizza joint would be dangerous for her size 2 friend was laughable to her. “Well, Mike and I are getting a gym membership.”

“Omigod yay! I’m so excited your leg is finally better and we can workout together again. What gym is it?”

“Just Anytime Fitness. It’s actually right on the bottom floor of the building so I’m going to have no excuses.”

“Good for you.”

Autumn looked down at her thighs, feeling a little self conscious sitting next to her friend who was obviously much smaller than her. Her mind wandered for a moment as she remembered a time, not too long ago when her and Tabitha were the same size.

Despite good intentions, the month of December had not done Autumn’s waistline any favors. It was just too busy and hectic, with too many temptations in the form of delicious Christmas treats, decadent desserts and lavish holiday meals. Instead of losing weight as she had hoped, she ended up gaining an additional 6 pounds since Thanksgiving. She could feel it too. Her size 12 jeans had been slightly loose around the waist and snug at the hips when she bought them a few weeks ago, and now they already felt uncomfortably tight all over.

“I know,” Autumn said, running her hands over the sides of her hips. “I definitely need it. I’ve been gaining weight lately.”

Tabitha shrugged, unsure of what to say at first. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Autumn was looking a little fuller and curvier than usual. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just relationship weight and you look great. I mean really, you look so happy you’re like glowing.” She froze for a moment and her eyes suddenly widened. “Wait, you guys aren't pregnant are you?”

“Oh my gosh, no! I’m drinking aren't I?” Autumn was abhorred that Tabitha would even think such a thing. Had she really put on so much weight that people thought she looked pregnant? It wasn’t like she had a belly or anything, well, not really. She gulped the remainder of her champagne as if to drive the point home. “We haven't even been together for a year and you know I don’t have interest in having kids anytime soon.”

“What about Mike?”

Autumn glanced at her boyfriend. He was over near the kitchen chatting with his friend Cameron. She smirked and lowered her voice to a whisper. “He seems to agree with pretty much anything I tell him.”

“You got him wrapped around your little finger don’t you.” Tabitha turned her head toward Mike then looked back at Autumn and giggled. “You did good, he’s definitely a keeper.”

“I know.” Autumn was beginning to slur her words. Wanting to feel skinnier than the way she thought she looked, she’d been abstaining from consuming anything other than champagne all evening, and it was finally catching up with her. “Don’t ever tell him I said this but, he’s like perfect.”

Tabitha sat up straight and animatedly fanned herself with her hand from the sexual undertones of her friend’s last remark. “Is it getting hot in here or something?”

Autumn playfully pushed Tabitha’s arm. “Stop it.”

“Okay okay, don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” She shot Mike another quick glance. “But seriously you two are so cute together, you’re like the best looking couple I know.”

“Thanks.”

“Omigod what time is it?” Tabitha peered at her phone then sprang to her feet. “Quick, we need more champagne!”

Autumn rose as well, but at a much slower pace than her agile and limber friend. She calmly sauntered toward Mike in the kitchen with her empty glass in hand.

Corey was in the other corner of the kitchen standing next to his friend Landon, watching Autumn’s every move from a short distance. “Damn,” he whispered. “Is it just me, or is Autumn starting to get thick.”

“It’s not just you,” Landon said. His eyes darted back and forth like he was paranoid of someone overhearing. “She’s so hot though. If they break up, she’s mine.”

Corey scoffed. “In your dreams.” He continued to gaze lustfully at her and the devastatingly gorgeous outfit she was wearing as her healed knee-high Italian leather boots clicked across the laminate wood flooring. Despite weighing 178 pounds, she didn’t look fat, but rather just slightly soft and ultra curvy. Her legs were poured into those pristine white jeans, and together with her tucked-in body suit, they had a shapewear type effect, shrinking her waist and pushing her boobs up and out in a spectacular fashion. “Jesus. If she farts them boots gonna fly right off her feet.”

Landon laughed, but the idea of a woman as beautiful as Autumn actually farting was somehow mind boggling to him.

His laughter was quickly drowned out by Tabitha yelling to the entire room. “Okay everybody! It’s 11:58, make sure you got enough champagne!”

Autumn, who was oblivious to Corey and Landon on the other side of the kitchen, looked at Mike seductively and held out her glass. “Refill please.”

Mike smiled and grabbed the open bottle of Taittinger Brut from the counter. “Yes ma’am.”

Autumn watched as he filled her clear chalice nearly to the brim with the golden liquid. “You got your Martinelli’s?”

He held up his cup. “Yep.”

“Okay, come on, I want to see the show.” They locked elbows and she pulled him in the direction of the living room windows.

Tabitha’s apartment was in the lower Queen Anne neighborhood, not far from the Seattle Center and the traditional fireworks display that was about to shoot out of the Space Needle. Mike and Autumn leaned against the glass and looked up in anticipation.

“This is going to be a great year baby,” Autumn said after taking a small sip of her drink.

Mike put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I think so too.”

Autumn loved the way her body seemed to meld and dissolve so easily into his. His broad shoulders, narrow hips and v-shaped torso fit like a puzzle piece against her more bottom heavy hourglass figure. They were by far the best looking people in the room, and even though Autumn was now slightly heavier than Mike, they really did look like a perfect pair that was meant to be together. Tabita wasn’t kidding when she said they were the cutest couple she knew.

Autumn gazed up at Mike with love beaming from her eyes. “I’m excited about getting a new apartment.” She placed her free hand on her hip and stuck her butt out a little. “I’m excited we’ll be able to go to the gym together too and I can lose some of these holiday pounds.”

Mike gave her a half-hearted smile. Her words were delicious yet unswallowable. His eyes went from her beautiful hair, which she wore down, to her breasts, which looked as large as he had ever seen them, to her still relatively narrow womanly waist and the way the top front button of her jeans seemed to be hanging on for dear life against the softer flesh of her lower belly. She looked so attractive and voluptuous he could hardly stand it. “You know you don’t have to workout or lose anything to impress me. I think you’re perfect just the way you are.”

She smiled, pressing softly into him. “You’re really sweet, you know that?”

“I know.”

Tabitha started yelling out a countdown for all to hear as the final seconds of the year ticked away. “5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!”

Everyone kissed their significant others, let out their celebratory cries and clanged glasses in a toast to the end of 2019, and the promise of 2020, but something was off.

Mike stared at the Space Needle. It was still and quiet.

“Where the hell are the fireworks?” Corey said from across the room.

Tabita pressed her face against the window. “Did something go wrong?”

Autumn turned to Mike. “Check your phone, see if there's news.”

“Shit,” Mike said. “We’re only seconds into 2020 and already we got problems.”

“Bad omen?” Autumn said.

Mike smiled in his calm and comforting way. “Don’t know. Could be bad, could be good, we’ll just have to wait and see.”