chapter 6

Leisurely, blissfully, Rory lifted himself upwards and released the pressure on her body, his belly sliding off of her torso and flopping onto the bed of the truck. The vehicle bounced as he scooched backwards, and Claire took in her first full breath in what felt like hours. Oxygen poured down her throat as her senses flooded back to her, wincing as she became keenly aware of the soreness around her ribcage. Then Rory moved gently forwards to hold her from behind and press her into his belly, pulling her upwards so that her head was on his chest, his heart thumping loudly in her ear. Rory’s chin was buried in fat, his eyes pushed almost closed by his cheeks. He smiled.

“I… I hope that wasn’t too much for you,” Rory said sheepishly, still huffing, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “I might’ve gotten a little carried away there.”

Claire let out a husky growl, and she reached up to kiss him. “It was the best fucking sex I’ve ever had in my life,” she whispered, her fingers caressing the back of his head.

"Good girl,” he said into the her ear, and she let out a feeble, delighted chip.

“I’ll feed you,” Claire mumbled against his skin. He nuzzled his nose against her neck. “And I’ll never stop.”

“Don’t.”

“You’re gonna get so big. So much bigger.”

She ran her fingers along the lowermost curve of his belly. He radiated heat, clearly exhausted from just those few minutes of sex. Claire bit her lip as her hand made its way underneath, feeling its way through the fat, when she suddenly found what she was looking for; a wet spot, soaking the skin around his now flaccid member.

Rory grinned, embarrassed. Claire kissed him again, and snuggled her hand back in between one of his side rolls. They lay in silence for a bit, cuddling together, face-to-face, Rory’s big, heavy arm laying absentmindedly on Claire’s hip, stroking it. The breeze had quieted down, and the sky had grown darker, fading to a deep black. His breathing was all that could be heard, and he snuffled with contentment, stifling another burp.

Claire sighed, her eyes transfixed on the stars above. “Y’know…”

“Hmm?”

“Oh…well, I dunno. Maybe it’s too early.”

“What’s too early?”

“Well… I… I get rent money, too.” Her fingers tracing their way along his stretchmarks. “And… it could help.”

“You’d move in?”

“Or… you could move in with me.”

Rory stared at her. “Really?”

“I mean. I figured, my place is bigger, and we could definitely use the space.”

“Won’t your roommate mind?”

“I need someone to replace her soon, actually,” said Claire. “She told me she wants to move out by August.”

Rory reared his head back and laughed, and the bed of the truck rocked once again.

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s. It’s good. It’s too good. Oh, man.”

“I mean, that’d be, what… an extra eight hundred a month, right? All for you. All for… this.” Her arm wrapped around his gut, feeling how taut it was around his stomach. Rory pulled her in close, nuzzling her neck, and she felt surprisingly sure of herself. They’d already spent a lot of time together; not as boyfriend and girlfriend, sure, but time as friends. She’d never felt as relaxed or comfortable with anybody else.

“You’re going to be huge.” she whispered.

“Mmmhm…” Rory kissed her cheek. “Good thing for online classes.”

As if in response, his belly rumbled.

“Snacks?”

He nodded. They sat up, Rory taking his time, still huffing as they put their clothes back on. The bags of snacks lay, scattered, at the bottom of the truck bed. The field was still quiet, and, at the waterpark, the towers had gone dark. Little dots of people milled about, crowding at the far edge of the field. Claire handed him another box of donuts, and rested her weight against him, listening to him tear it open and begin the process of wolfing down another half-dozen pastries. Off in the darkness, somewhere in the field, figures moved in preparation.

Soon, there would be fireworks.