Chapter 5

Isabella, still unaware of the reasons behind her tight jeans, immersed herself in her work, convinced she was wearing her usual attire. However, the absurdly uncomfortable tightness of the pants began to creep into her mind, generating a sense of profound discomfort that she tried to ignore. As she cut clusters of grapes and arranged them in crates, Isabella continued to notice the strange looks from other grape pickers. A feeling of embarrassment grew stronger, but she tried to brush it away with the idea that it was just her perception. Anna, a childhood friend of Isabella, approached as they worked in the vineyards. Anna's family also owned a farm and vineyards, but unlike Isabella, Anna had always had a more ample figure, overweight. Despite the tightness of her pants, Isabella observed Anna's backside and realized that the difference in size didn't seem as evident as she remembered, they seems equal.

Isabella's confusion grew as she tried to understand why she was wearing such tight jeans. Anna, intrigued by her friend's bizarre fashion choice, couldn't help but notice the situation and how uncomfortable her clothing was.

"Isabella, everything okay?" Anna asked, carefully observing her friend.

Isabella tried to appear calm despite the tightness of her clothes. "Yes, yes, everything's fine. It's just that... well, it seems like these pants have become a bit tight. But I don't know, maybe I didn't notice."

Anna looked at her with a gaze mixed with compassion and confusion. "Strange, they look like the same jeans you wore last year. Anyway, if it makes you feel better, I always find them a bit tight after winter."

Isabella nodded, trying to convince herself that it was indeed the case. Meanwhile, Anna thought to herself how evident Isabella's weight gain was and how she couldn't possibly be unaware of it. It was more than clear that something was wrong, and Isabella's attitude made Anna smile incredulously.

"Who knows, maybe it's just a weird phase," Anna said with a smile, but her look betrayed clear disbelief. "Anyway, you worry too much. We're here to harvest, not to talk about pants. We've just started!"

Isabella tried to smile, but the feeling of embarrassment persisted. She didn't know what to make of it, but something told her that there was something wrong, and the situation went beyond a pair of too-tight jeans. For the first time, she felt not being the Alpha girl she had always been, not that she ever had rivals, but being on par with Anna!

Isabella, despite the tightness of her jeans, continued her work, cutting grape clusters and filling crates with less agility than usual. The other grape pickers, perhaps unaware of the reasons for her slowness, exchanged perplexed looks, making crude comments about how there were now two Annas, enthusiastically noting that Isabella had let herself go too. Among isolated farmers, girls were always girls, and even if overweight, they still had attractive figures. Certainly, Isabella's clothing today was incredibly embarrassing for them as well. If you looked at Isabella, you could see rolls of fat bulging out of her tight clothers every time she moved and bent. The clothes weren't suitable, and this peekaboo effect was even more embarrassing than if she had been harvesting in underwear.

Anna, her childhood friend, approached with a smile while checking the filled crates. "Hey, Isabella, let's see how many grape clusters you've picked so far!"

Isabella tried to hide the fatigue, but Anna immediately noticed the difference. "One... two... three," Anna counted, her expression becoming increasingly playful. "And you, how many do you have?"

Isabella, not used to being surpassed in grape harvesting, felt a knot in her stomach. "Uh, wait a minute..." she replied, trying to pick up the pace. "Four... five... s-six!"

Amused, Anna laughed. "Six? Oh, Isabella, I've already beaten you! Look, I have eight!"

Isabella felt her wounded pride, but tried to maintain composure. "Well, today is a particular day, I have some issues with these jeans..."

Anna interrupted her with a mischievous look. "Is it the jeans' fault? I always saw you push through everything. What's happening to you today? I never managed to keep up with you, and now I've even surpassed you!"

Isabella suddenly felt uncomfortable. "N-nothing, I'm just a bit tired..."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Just tired? You don't seem okay, my friend. Is there something else?"

Isabella tried to smile, but inside, she felt growing frustration. "Anna, really, it's just an off day. Maybe I had a heavy breakfast..."

Amused, Anna seemed to tease. "Oh, I see. And how come you're so tired if your usual personal chef, your brother, prepared breakfast for you?"

Isabella blushed slightly, trying to maintain control. "Maybe he felt like trying something different..." Isabella thought about the large slice of cake she had eaten in generous portions before getting ready for the grape harvest, reproaching herself. Did she really need to eat two large slices of cake with that big cup of milk?

Anna stared at her intensely. "Isabella, since when do you have breakfast with just six grape clusters? Something doesn't add up here, and I don't think it's just your jeans."

Isabella, increasingly embarrassed, tried to change the subject. "Enough about me, how's your work going?" Isabella thought that Anna completely misunderstood; she wasn't tired from a light breakfast, quite the opposite—she felt like she was about to burst and struggled to digest the calorie-loaded meal.

Usually, after breakfast, Isabella would lounge around, having plenty of time to digest before facing lunch. Lately, however, she had become too lazy for farm work; maintaining the garden was nothing compared to running the estate.

Anna smiled mischievously. "Okay, but we'll continue talking about your jeans later." Anna looked at her friend's backside and the love handles that spilled over the belt when she awkwardly bent to fill the crate, Isabella is so FAT! It almost seemed like she was out of breath from the compression of her belly in her tight pants. "For now, maybe you should focus a bit more on grape harvesting. You wouldn't want to let me win so easily, right?"