Chapter 30 - Brianna Flashes Back II

Chapter 92 (flashback)

Over a decade earlier, a drunken Brianna wiped tears from her eyes. Her six months in Palermo were up, and she was going home. She’d packed up her apartment, said goodbye to Eve and their other friends, and had gone to the airport.

And fortunately for her feelings, Brianna’s flight had free alcohol and she had been raring to drink them fully. Several servings of wine later, the altitude had done the trick, and Brianna was properly hammered. And it was probably better that way - after all, her mother would be picking her up from the airport, and less sober she was for that, the better.

She was wearing a loose fitting outfit that was both comfortable for the flight and teased enough of her thin frame to be enticing. Brianna knew her mom would probably find issue with whatever she wore, so she figured it hardly mattered. And on that thought - another glass of wine might be in order… but first, the bathroom.

Brianna uncurled herself from her admittedly cozy seating position, and headed to the lav. Luckily, there was no line, and she went right in. Instead of immediately getting to business, Brianna caught herself in the mirror - she was looking fine, if she thought so herself, and wondered if maybe she’d lost another couple pounds.

There in the bathroom, she then stripped off her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her boobs jiggled slightly with the movement. Looking at her stomach, it was plain to see all the wine she’d drank had bloated her up a bit. Taking her bloated belly in her hands, Brianna imagined it was a big belly - kinda like what she’d been before Palermo, maybe bigger.

“I can’t let myself get like that again”, Brianna thought to herself, as though she’d valiantly escaped the clutches of obesity. “Or at least I should maybe lay off the wine”. On that thought, she gave herself one last once over, actually used the bathroom, and went back to her seat.

Moments after sitting, where her seatbelt was so loose, it seemed like a suggestion, the attendant brought the wine she’d asked for. Sipping it, Brianna continued her train of thought. She was incredibly paranoid that, from the moment she got off the plane in a few hours, it would be like a switch would flip, and Palermo never happened. She’d lose that sense of carefree freedom, she gain the weight back - it was a sad line of thought, and Brianna got teary all over again.

Eventually, the plane neared its destination and Brianna decided to get a quick nap in before landing. Thanks to the wine, she was out fast.

Chapter 93 (flashback)

Brianna rubbed her temples as she stood at baggage claim. She was paying the price for all that wine. Landing at been a jolt and the hangover had come on quick from there.

Contrary to many others, a hungover Brianna was a hungry Brianna - so when she saw her bag come around the carousel, she ran to meet it. She was ready to get out of the airport and get home.

Her mother was waiting in the arrivals area. They hugged, and once separate, she gave Brianna a once over. “You look nice, sweetheart, but let’s try and get you a gym membership while you’re home.” Brianna rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, “heeeeere we go!”, but actually responding, “Ok mom, nice to see you too. We can look into that.”

As they drove, Brianna’s mom droned on and on about the local gossip. Brianna herself, though, wasn’t listening. She stared out the window, nursing her hangover, watching the buildings pass. Nothing had changed, yet she had. And soon enough, the buildings turned to homes, then her home.

As they pulled into the drive, Brianna wondered what snacks might be around. Her mom was a freak about the healthy stuff, but the rest of her family had been known to store some “real” snacks from time to time. Knowing she’d find out in a minute, Brianna grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and wheeled it into the house.

Inside, there was a party. Wait, a party of her. Old friends and plenty of family, all gathered around waiting to welcome her home. As her mom came in, she said, “oh! Bri, I forgot to mention, a few people wanted to see you now that you’re back, have fun!”.

In the center of the living room where everyone was gathered was table laden with treats - cake, chips, dips, cans of beer, etc., everything that sounded good to Brianna in that moment. She made a beeline right for it, serving herself a slice of cake before socializing.

As she caught up with her friends and family, Brianna kept returning to the table for more. The cake was delicious and certainly the hangover cure for the ages. Brianna even felt up for a beer or two. After a while, Brianna’s mom came up to her, a look on her face. “Brianna”, she whispered, “that’s your 4th slice of cake. I know you lost weight while you were away, but are you trying to gain it all back in a day?”.

Brianna fumed, “this bitch…”, she thought, while actually saying, “mom, I just had a long flight and am celebrating being home. I can eat what I want, leave me alone.” Her mom held up her hands in mock surrender and responded, “Fine, you do you, but don’t come crying to me when you start gaining weight”.

Brianna smirked, served herself her 5th slice and thought to herself, “Yeah, like I’m going to let that happen.”. 216 pounds later, Brianna dreamt of cake…