chapter 2

2.
The transition to country living was more than Tom had bargained for. His gym, practically his favorite place, was long in the rearview mirror, replaced by fields and corn. He hated running, and since he couldn’t use the gym at Anice’s work, he decided to take some time off to get settled. That uncovered more problems. Tom realized he had to drive everywhere, a fact his elderly car was not happy about. The grocery store was over a half hour away, and without a nearby place to get ingredients, take out boxes began to fill the trash, and not just Jasmine’s.

There were positives of his new arrangement course. Working from home was far easier in a house than a noisy apartment building with a hundred other people grabbing for the internet connection. Tom enjoyed peaceful walks by the fields, the nature he had been removed from since he was a kid. He found himself slowly easing into his new lifestyle. Anice was surprisingly a great cook, they were getting on better than ever. Without needing to drive back and forth to visit each other, Tom even had time back for his gaming hobbies, but that 250 pound problem kept rearing its head.

“Watch it, bud,” Jasmine growled as the two forced past each other in the kitchen. Tom thought he had squeezed through in time, but Jasmine’s oversized booty sent him thudding into the wall for the third time this week.

“Oof- me, watch it?” Tom said, struggling to hide his frustration. It seemed Jasmine had made it her mission to make him as miserable as possible. It was obvious how much she didn’t approve of him living here.

“How would I even get by that fat ass? You should watch those chips your guzzling- right into the trash! Why don’t you lose some weight, make it easier for everyone to get around?”

“These,” Jasmine pointed to the bag of extra-cheese potato puffs with an arrogant smirk, “are low-fat, and a gift from my dear sister. I couldn’t entertain the thought of throwing them away.”

“You should be doing jumping jacks, not munching! You don’t even try!”

“Oh, you think it’s so easy, string bean? If I could snap my fingers and be skinny, I would!”

Tom and Anice marched toward each other one glaring step at a time, until they were so close their faces nearly touched. Unperturbed, Anice strolled across the kitchen. She took Tom's hands in hers, looking down at her petite-in-comparison lover.

“Hey boyfriend,” Anice cooed, bending down and booping Tom’s nose. He blushed, and Anice grinned. “Gosh you’re cute. Is Jasmine giving you a hard time?”

Tom shrugged her off and sat on the couch, rubbing his temples.

“Your sister is driving me crazy! She’s always in the way or taking up half the couch with her big butt! How can she be this fat with an athlete like you around?”

Anice nodded and looked to her sister, then back to Tom. Her eyes crawled up and down him, which he thought was a bit odd. She froze for a second. It looked like she was far away. Tom pulled at his shirt reflexively and went to speak when she butted in.

“I have an idea!” the tanned, buxom elder sister declared. Both Tom and Jasmine cocked a brow in her direction. Whenever Anice had a plan, things usually became interesting.

“It will be an educational experience for all of us.” Anice shot Jasmine a mischievous look, one she returned with furrowed brows.

“It’s time you both went on a diet.” Tom giggled as Jasmine's face shriveled.

“I hate diets!” Jasmine cried. Tom grinned, stood up and rolled up his shirt. He poked the defined ab muscles there and chuckled.

“As you can see, I already take care of myself. Unlike her, it wouldn’t be good for me to lose any more.”

Anice let her smile widen.

“Who said anything about you losing?” Tom’s jaw slackened, eyebrow cocking further.

“Are you crazy?”

“No, not at all. I think I have the perfect compromise for both of us. Tom, oh-so-loving boyfriend of mine, wants nothing more than to help our dear young chubby Jasmine here get her body under control. A noble goal, but I think you’ve been a bit harsh, lover.”

Tom grunted as Jasmine nodded to her sister to continue. She looked like she wanted to hear where this was going.

“You’ve never had to lose more than five pounds sweetie, so I don’t think you really understand the struggle. And Jasmine, I do think you could put in more effort. So why don’t we make a bet out of all this? Put your mouths where your money is. Literally.”

“Get to the point, sis.” Jasmine complained. For once, Tom agreed with her. He was getting this strange queasy sensation in his stomach from the way Anice was acting, and looking at him.

“It’s simple. Whatever Tom gains in a month, Jasmine has to lose the next!”

Both Tom and Jasmine’s mouths were shocked to an ‘O’ shape. Anice giggled for a few seconds, but as she brought them to the couch and explained Tom realized she was actually serious. The rules for their little bet were simple. With October starting tomorrow, Tom would stuff his face and try to gain as much weight as possible in the month. They would weigh him the morning of November 1st, and Jasmine would have until the end of the month to lose the amount of pounds Tom had gained. Jasmine had always wanted to be the same weight as Anice, so they set the goal to a hundred pounds of weight loss. This cycle would repeat until either Jasmine couldn’t lose enough, or she lost the hundred pounds, with Tom gaining to match. She pointed to her white board, where a series of rules and conditions were written.


-For every pound Tom gains in a month, Jasmine has until the end of the next month to lose that amount
-Tom will maintain his weight in-between, and will need to regain any he lost before additional pounds count towards Jasmine’s loss goal
-Any weight he accidentally gains in off months won't count toward the next month
-If Jasmine cannot lose the amount of weight Tom gained in that month, she will need to move out and find her own place
-If Jasmine does lose the weight that month, the cycle will repeat and Tom will gain for the next month, and Jasmine will lose what Tom gained. This will go month to month until either Jasmine is down to 150lb, or she fails to lose the amount Tom gained
-After either Jasmine loses the 100 pounds, or fails, Tom will have the same amount of months Jasmine got to lose what he gained
-If Tom can’t lose what he gained in the time Jasmine had, Jasmine will get to stay, and Tom will need to gain an additional 50 pounds. If this can’t be met within a year, Tom will be the one to move out.
-If Tom or Jasmine quit at any point, they have to move out

Tom’s mouth went dry as he read the rules of the bet. The idea was twisted, and while the thought of plumping up unnerved him, he could admit he loved the idea of making Jasmine pay for her lazy habits. Having the house all to himself and Anice would be a dream. Still, he had reservations.

“Don’t you think this seems a bit extreme?” Tom huffed. The idea of getting chubby mortified him. He had worked hard for his thin frame, and had no intention of losing it to, ‘help,’ a sibling he already didn’t like. Anice shot him a cocky grin.

“You’ll solve your Jasmine problem once and for all. What’s the matter?” Anice raised her index finger and put it to Tom’s bony side, a wicked look in her eyes. “You’re fit, you know portion control, it will be nothing to lose a bit of chub.”

Tom stared at the ground, thinking. This could be the perfect way to solve his fat sister problem once and for all. He doubted Jasmine could lose more than five pounds ever, so how hard could this be? He’d get a month to experience life as a glutton, to finally go all out and eat what he wanted, as much as he wanted. Still, he felt like this wasn’t the best idea.

“I don’t know…” he muttered.

Anice sighed and led Tom to the bedroom, Jasmine staring on from behind.

“Look babe, I’m on your side here. Just stick this out for a month, okay? This little bet will show Jasmine how much more seriously she needs to take her weight loss. Please? Push hard and get a little tummy for me, I know you have a big appetite.”

Anice rubbed Tom’s abs and smiled with wide, warm eyes. He melted instantly, grabbing her hand and trying to embrace the positives. This really could be the kickstart to a better life. He would just need to make a sacrifice.

“I guess… ok. I’m in. I’ll need to eat as much as I can this month then. Can’t let her have a chance at matching me. This will only go on for a month, right?” Tom looked at Anice intently, but all she could do was smile. Her eyes lit up and she threw her arms around him.

“Thank you thank you thank you babe!” she cried as she rubbed his back, “you will not regret this, I’ll make sure this is the best month of your life.”

The two lovers held each other for a while, awash in each other’s glow. Soon Tom’s stomach grumbled, and they both looked at the source.

“Guess it’s time to get started!”