chapter 3

“Give me a minute”, Zach said as they both got back into the car.

Zach was typing away with on his phone while they both sat in silence. Riley’s mind began to wander a little, surely this was some sort of joke, why would a guy that looks like this be saying such strange stuff, like why would someone just pay a person to get fat. There was no way Riley could do this, she couldn’t get fat.

“Okay here, read this”, Zach said abruptly.

“What is it?”, Riley asked nervously.

“Just read it”

In a new note document on his phone it read..

*If you choose to accept this offer you will stay at my house in LA for 6 months, starting September 1st 2021(less than 2 weeks), and ending March 1st 2022. You will be paid $30k per month which you will receive at the end of the 6 months, a total of $180k. You will only receive this money however if you manage to gain on average 5lbs per month, 30lbs in total. For every 10lbs you gain over 30lbs you receive a bonus of $100k. I will provide you with a debit card that you can you use to buy everything you need during the 6 months, food, new clothes etc.*

As soon as Riley stopped reading Zach’s voice broke the silence, “The house you will be staying at is worth $8.7 million, it has an outdoor pool, an indoor pool on the lower level of the house, it has a cinema room, home bars filled with alcohol, you name it. Also I won’t be living there, I will try to stop by around once a month to check in on you but I will be between Dubai and Tokyo for business in the coming months.”

Zach spoke with such confidence almost as if he knew at this point Riley would never reject this offer. She remained silent while thinking it over in head.

She eventually spoke up, “so to sum up, all I have to do is go and live in LA 6 months, all expenses paid, and if I gain 30lbs I’ll get 180 grand?”

“Exactly”, Zach confirmed.

“This is some weird shit but I guess I’m in, I’ll lose 30lbs easily anyways when I’m back home”, Riley said with confidence.

“Brilliant, we will go back to my place and I’ll get a real contract written up for you to sign”

***

As Riley was about to sign the contract she noticed at the bottom it said she cannot tell anyone about the agreement, “how am I supposed to explain this to my friend Amy, we have been best friends since high school and live together, where am I supposed to tell her I am going for 6 months”

“Tell her the truth to an extent, say I’ve invited you to stay at my house in LA for 6 months, but tell her that I’ll be there with you so it actually makes some sense, she can even fly out to visit you, because I won’t be there just tell her I left before she came so you both could just hang together”

“What about my half of mines and Amy’s rent while I’m away, she will struggle to pay it on her own”, Riley asked.

“I will take care of that”, Zach had really thought of everything, Riley still couldn’t believe what was happening was actually real, it made no sense to her.

I’m flying back to England tomorrow so the next time you see me will be in LA, I’ll send you your flight details and I’ll have a car there to pick you up in LA”

“Come on, I’ll take you home”, Zach added.

***
“HONEY I’M HOME”, Riley yelled to announce her arrival.

“Soooooo, how was it?”, Amy asked with an eager look on her face.

“It was amazing, probably the fanciest restaurant I have ever been to and will ever go to again, the food was great, and Zach is just dreamy, and such a really nice guy too, so easy to talk to”, it killed Riley that she couldn’t just tell Amy everything, but this was as much for Amy as it was Riley, this money she will make would help them both so much, they could even take a few years off work.

“I do have some bad news tho”, Riley said while sticking out her bottom lip.

“Oh no what?”, Amy asked with genuine concern.

“He asked me to go and live with him in LA for 6 months, I fly out Wednesday the 1st, but you don’t have to worry about anything when I’m gone I’ll still be paying my half of the rent”

“Wow, you must really like this guy. I’m seriously gonna miss you but it sounds like a lot of fun, you enjoy yourself out there, you better be right back here after the 6 months tho or I’ll have to come and get you”, Amy laughed with tears in her eyes.

“You can come and visit me he said he would pay your flights”, Riley said with enthusiasm.

“That would be awesome but the only problem is I used pretty much all of my holidays at work, I only have October the 1st, 2nd and 3rd left as holidays, but I could come then I suppose it’s better than nothing”

“I hate that hospital they always have you working shitty hours and your holidays suck, but I guess coming for a few days is better than nothing, anyways let’s not be too sad about it right now, I still don’t leave for another week and half, let’s enjoy it”, Riley said while her eyes were tearing up now as well.