Chapter 2 - day 1 (cont)

After her shift ended, a Lyft dropped Haley off at the steps of a swanky apartment building, the book nestled in her arms like a football being carried towards a touchdown. She hustled up the stairs and came up to a touchscreen innercom.

She tapped and swiped until she found: "M. Beckett - Unit F-47."

Pressing it a bit harder than she intended, Haley waited while the screen morphed into a calling screen.

A beep, then: "Yes?"

It was her. Haley would remember that voice for the rest of her life.

"Umm hi! It's me, Haley? From the library?"

A lengthy pause, then: "Oh, hello, dear. I don't mean rude but you've-"

"I found your book!" Haley interrupted, trying to get in before Moira turned her away.

Another lengthy pause. Did Moira hear what she said? Did she even care? As the wait went on, Haley's shoulders slumped in disappointment. She pulled out her phone, hoping she could get another Lyft home soon.

But then, a pleasant chime, and the latch clicked. Haley grasped the handle, pushed the door open, and the butterflies in her stomach drifted upwards to her heart. She jubilantly trotted through the lobby as the front door slowly closed behind her, sealing her in with a loud bang.

Her footsteps echoed throughout the vast and empty lobby. Large, ornate columns supported the structure; a tower of balconies tracking upwards to a glass ceiling. Haley saw a bank of elevators and tried not to speed walk towards it, both out of anticipation and an instinctual concern about being exposed for any period of time.

She hit the "Up" button too hard and held it down for too long.

With a sound not unlike a singing bird, the elevator door opened, revealing one of the largest, round men Haley had ever seen.

Stretchy gray skin-tight gym clothes were packed with blubber, accentuating his bulbous silhouette. His hands were on the northern hemisphere of his belly, rubbing it in circles in an effort to quiet it as it growled and groaned.

Haley felt her cheeks heat up as she found herself ogling this beast of a man.

Until, without warning, the fat man farted and a scent not unlike a fast food kitchen wrapped itself around Haley. Before she could hold her breath, she had to take a deep one in, and with it, she inhaled the hog's essence. She coughed and covered her nose. The fat man sighed in relief and wobbled off the lift, which gave its own sigh of relief once the weight had disembarked. He blushed and gave a meager smile as he avoided eye contact, waddling past Haley. Another roar of gas escaped the fat man and Haley fanned her nose.

She boarded the elevator and it immediately became apparent that the fat man had been breaking wind his entire ride to the lobby. The air was just somehow...thicker.

Haley was surprised to see that the elevator's panel was also a touchscreen. She hit the icon representing the floor Moira resided on and waited patiently, trying to breathe only through her mouth.

The door closed and Haley could sense the elevator rising. After a while, the odor left behind by the fat man began to smell like...food. As if Haley could see the Matrix code and guess the fat man's diet to a reasonable degree; a Rorschach test of flavors.

And it wasn't long before Haley was thinking about the last time she ate and how she had skipped lunch and the next thing she knew, the fragrance of the fat man was making her hungry.

Just then, the elevator chirped again and the doors opened. Haley was astonished to see that they opened directly into an immaculate living room.

"Wow," Haley whispered under her breath. She had never seen an apartment of such magnitude. And in what appeared to be the den, was Moira, spraying a can of air freshener towards the center of the room.

Moira noticed Haley and smiled and waved. "Come on in," she said, spraying another couple of bursts. Haley stepped off the elevator and was embraced by the fragrance of fresh laundry. Unfortunately, she was still left with the lingering hunger.

"Sorry about the smell," Moira said, feigning lamentation. "I was just entertaining a rather gluttonous visitor."

"No problem! I hadn't even noticed. I'm sorry to barge in unannounced. I tried calling but I couldn't leave a message," Haley over explained.

"I admire your tenacity but this could have waited," Moira said and it came off a little like she was scolding Haley. Maybe she was frustrated Haley interrupted her date. Or maybe Haley was overthinking it and everything was fine. After all, Moira could have told Haley to come back. If she's going to be upset, it shouldn't be at Haley.

Haley shook her head of contradictory anxieties and recentered herself on the moment.

She handed Moira the book and Moira took it as if she was being given the Ark of the Covenant. She cradled it in her arms and slowly opened the large cover. She ran her fingers down the paper, feeling the rough texture of old parchment. Moira closed the book back and her gaze rose up Haley's body.

"I've searched for this book for so long," Moira longingly reflected. "Will you let me make you one of my award-winning milkshakes to show my appreciation?" she asked.

Haley's heart sank. She wasn't ready to deny this lovely woman in any capacity, and yet, milk was off limits for her.

"I uhh..." Haley began, looking for the words to let Moira down gently. "I'm not really a 'milk person,' unfortunately," she explained, as clearly and respectfully as she could, while still maintaining a smile indicative of an anxious person apprehensive of uncertainty.

"Oh," Moira said, her joyful features fading. But her smile returned at the prospect of an idea. "How about a smoothie?"

Haley processed this and tried to foresee any issues with the new offering. "Can you make it without yogurt?" she asked, hopeful.

"Oh, honey," Moira began as she turned towards the kitchen excitedly, her eyes staying with Haley a bit longer than the rest of her body. "I have this rare fruit that's so juicy and pulpy, yogurt is completely unnecessary. Please!" she said, sweeping her arm over the general seating area: "Make yourself at home,"

"I have it imported from an island near Fiji!" she explained as she walked, speaking loud enough that her voice would carry across the apartment.

Haley smiled to herself, thrilled. She took a seat on the corner edge of the nearest couch. "That's really cool. That must cost a fortune!" she said, trying to spur conversation.

Water droplet notification.

Haley's stomach jumped into her chest and she reached for her phone.

"After you taste this, I think you'll find that you will only want more," Moira's voice called from the kitchen.

Haley swiped and tapped her screen to get to the update.

Her heart froze.

It was an Instagram post from a fat guy Haley wasn't currently following. But she immediately recognized him as someone she had crossed paths with before...

...in the elevator.

It was a low angle shot of mostly belly pushing out of those gray sweats which were stretched by a mound of moobs resting on top. A hand, small in comparison but thick with chub, sank into one of the belly's flanks, while the other hand shoved a fork full of penne and red sauce into his open mouth, eclipsed by his massive form.

And perched on his shoulder with a devilish grin, another familiar face: Moira.

Haley's grip on the phone tightened. Her eyes were fixated on the image of slender, beautiful Moira, resting her fingers and chin on the rounded edge of this massive man, but she began to wonder why she had been alerted to this update of a feedee she didn't even follow. That's when she saw it.

#madamebigger

Moira was the Madame.