chapter 6: christmas

Thanksgiving had taken its Toll on Mikes gut, which was now protruding slightly at all times. I wondered why he still seemed oblivious to his newly formed dad-bod, but I wasn't complaining. I thought he would notice when his belly poked out from under his shirt after a large meal, or when he came back totally exhausted from one of his now-rare jogs. But alas. Even when he struggled to fit into one of his tighter jeans, he managed to blame it on the face that it must've shrunk in the wash.

His eating habits stayed the same, if not accelerated since thanksgiving, and more than once or twice I noticed him bring home more than one carton of donuts after work.

Mid-December, he seemed to have given up wearing those jeans at all, and all of his other clothes were fitting him a bit snugly. During the week before Christmas, Mike had the idea for all of us to bake cookies and stuff, which I, naturally, approved of.

It was my first time baking cookies in a long time, and our first few batches came out poorly, but we quickly improved, and soon the house was filled with bowls and jars of Christmas treats, on which Mike seemed to be snacking non-stop. Every time I saw him he'd have a cookie in his hand, or his mouth.

Our families came together again when it was time to celebrate Christmas, and my parents prepared a big feast yet again. Mike and Tom came to our place in the early afternoon, and we spent some time playing "family games" like Monopoly. Tom and I went to my room before dinner, and we talked a bit about our favorite YouTuber. When we came downstairs, Mike was already sitting at the dinner table, and my sister and her boyfriend had also shown up. My sister had moved out a few years ago, and I didn't see her that often, so I was happy to see her. We introduced them to Mike, and they started a discussion about politics or something, I wasn't listening. (I'm trying to have some character development here and give them more personality and stuff idk)

But anyway, we started eating at one point, and Mike, once again, ate without abandon. He wolfed down several slices of Christmas ham, a large portion of potatoes with gravy and some salad, before starting a second, and then a third plate. About halfway through he undid his pants again, this time a bit more hidden, I think I was the only one to notice, and continued eating. By the time dessert arrived, his shirt actually looked tighter, giving his belly a rounder look. He definitely slowed down a bit during dessert, a large cup of chocolate pudding, but still offered to have a second portion, as there was still a lot left.

Nobody else seemed to have noticed how much Mike had eaten, partially because everyone else was stuffed as well.

He stood up and groaned as he settled in to a more comfortable armchair, where he stayed for the rest of the evening.