Chapter 1

Adrian Sterling leaned against the window of his car, squinting at the grand old house that belonged to his friend, Chester. His lean, 180-pound frame was clad in a simple t-shirt and jeans, his tall silhouette outlined against the setting sun. He wasn't athletically built, his body more lean from an unenthusiastic approach to exercise than dedicated gym visits. His eyes, reflecting a carefree spirit, twinkled as he remembered the countless evenings spent in that house.

Their friendship dated back to middle school, a bond formed over shared classes and a mutual love for video games. Chester, always the bigger of the two, was a gentle giant. Standing above average height, his 480 pounds were a testament to his love for comfort food and a lifelong struggle with weight. His attempts to diet were always met with failure, his large appetite winning every time.

Pulling himself from his musings, Adrian walked up to the door and knocked. Chester greeted him with a wide grin and a jovial "Adrian, my man!" before pulling him into a bear hug.

As they moved inside, the smell of pizza wafted from the kitchen, and Adrian could already see a selection of beers chilling in a cooler. Settling onto the well-worn couch, the two men started to catch up on recent happenings at work and their favourite sports teams.

"Did you see the latest game?" Adrian asked, pulling a slice of pizza onto his plate.

"Yeah, man," Chester replied, his plate already stacked high. "I can't believe they pulled off that last-minute win."

Their conversation was easy, filled with laughter and light-hearted banter, a testament to their years of friendship. Eventually, they moved from the dining area to the gaming console, their competitive spirits kicking in as they started a heated match of Mario Kart.

As the night wore on, the pizza boxes emptied, and the cooler of beers dwindled, Adrian noticed Chester's constant breaks to refill his plate with snacks. After the third interruption, Adrian decided to intervene.

"Chester, man, you're going to turn into a pizza at this rate!" he chided, reaching over to swipe the plate of snacks from Chester's grasp.

Chester, startled, made a half-hearted attempt to retrieve his plate but his large size and the comfortable couch worked against him. He looked at Adrian with a touch of desperation in his eyes, a soft whimper escaping his lips.

"Come on, Adrian, give it back," he pleaded, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced with a look of genuine distress.

Adrian, somewhat taken aback by Chester's response, found himself laughing. The sight of Chester, so dependent on his snacks, was simply too amusing. He held the plate out of Chester's reach, his laughter filling the room.

"Alright, Chester," he finally conceded, setting the plate back onto the table within Chester's reach. "But maybe you should slow down a bit."

Chester, relief washing over him, muttered a quiet thanks before returning to his snacks. The remainder of the evening was filled with the sounds of their shared laughter and the rustle of snack wrappers. Little did they know how much their lives were about to change.

Adrian laughed, shaking his head. "I'd have no problem quitting if it was me, Chester. I've got willpower."

"Is that so?" Chester's eyes gleamed with mischief, fuelled by the alcohol and the friendly banter. "How about you live my lifestyle for a year? Eat what I eat, as frequently as I do. If you can quit after a year, then you truly are the bigger man."

Adrian, caught in the spirit of the challenge, agreed without a second thought. Chester, grinning widely, pulled out an antique-looking parchment, its edges singed to give it an eerie, satanic appearance.

"Sign here," he mumbled, timidly offering Adrian a feathered quill.

Adrian, too drunk to question the theatrics, found the entire thing hilarious. He took the quill, his signature a drunken scrawl on the parchment.

The night carried on, the game forgotten in favour of the absurdity of their bet. Eventually, the alcohol and the lateness of the hour took their toll, and Adrian fell asleep on Chester's couch, the signed contract resting on the coffee table.

Morning light found Adrian awakened by a gnawing hunger in his stomach, far stronger than any he'd experienced before. As he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, he remembered the contract and the bet he had made. An odd sense of foreboding settled in as he considered the implications of the bet. But it was all in good fun, right?

Pushing himself off the couch, he made his way to the kitchen, his stomach growling audibly. Chester was already awake, the scent of freshly cooked bacon and eggs wafting through the house. Adrian’s eyes widened at the sight of the spread on the kitchen table.

"Breakfast is served!" Chester announced, piling a generous helping of food onto his plate.

Adrian, despite his initial shock, found himself following suit. He was hungrier than he'd ever been, the greasy breakfast food seeming suddenly irresistible.

As he sat down to eat, he noticed the contract from the night before, folded neatly and tucked into a corner of the kitchen counter. The ominous-looking document seemed out of place in the sunny morning light. Adrian shook his head, dismissing the apprehension as leftover drunken paranoia.

Over the course of breakfast, the two friends chatted about the bet, Chester teasing Adrian about his imminent descent into gluttony. Adrian, for his part, stubbornly maintained that he'd have no trouble quitting at the end of the year.

As he left Chester's house that morning, a plate of leftover bacon in his hand and a strange eagerness for his next meal gnawing at his stomach, Adrian couldn't help but wonder if he'd bitten off more than he could chew.

The day went on, the hours marked by meals that seemed to arrive with increasing frequency. Each time his stomach rumbled, Adrian remembered the bet, a mixture of amusement and mild concern creeping up on him. He found himself eating more than usual, his small appetite seemingly a thing of the past.

By the time night rolled around, Adrian had consumed more food in a single day than he typically did in two. He felt strangely sated, the constant eating bringing a comfort he hadn't expected. It was like he was finally feeding a hunger that had been lying dormant within him.

As he settled into bed that night, the events of the past day replaying in his mind, Adrian felt a strange sense of anticipation. He was looking forward to the next day, to the next meal. The thought was surprising, even a little worrying, but it was also undeniably exciting.

Adrian's last thought before sleep claimed him was of food, of the indulgent meals that awaited him. This experiment, he decided, might not be so bad after all. Little did he know, his journey was just beginning.