Chapter 1 - The Elephant in the Room

Ava scanned the crowded buffet, flustered. Where was her date? She felt over dressed. Between the restaurant’s name “Stardust Cowboy'' and her date promising her drinks, she had expected some type of nightclub. Instead, she found it was a cheesy western themed buffet complete with the servers wearing cowboy hats. Her 3 inch heels and short red glittery skin-tight dress revealing most of her thicc thighs must have made her stick out amongst the casual attire of the rest of the guests and the servers western clothes. She was towering over most people, making her feel even more noticed. She was already 5’10 without the heels.

She hoped the glances were only judgment of her incorrect dress and not that the dress had become tighter since she last tried it on. She had hardly been able to get the zipper up, earlier. She felt she still looked good in it, but her emerging saddle bags, no longer fully flat belly, and love handles made her slightly self-conscious. However, she was hoping her fuller ass and her breasts being tightly squeezed and looking extra perky in the sweetheart neckline distracted enough from all that.

She caught a young man, maybe in his late teens, stealing a glance at her. For a split second she thought about bailing on her plans for the evening. She flipped back her shoulder length raven hair dismissively, as she passed by the boy. She still had enough confidence to not let anyone staring to shake her. It was embarrassing to not have someone to meet her at the door for a date… however, what would follow was to be far more embarrassing.

She finally locked eyes on who must have been her date. He definitely had the same green eyes, sandy blond hair color, and broad shoulders she had seen in the photos; he looked entirely different otherwise, in ways that a simple filter could not change. She felt a sinking disappointment with humiliation mixed in. He was already eating without her. She marched over and asked for confirmation.

“Daniel?” She asked.
“Yes.” The enormous man smiled, making his round cheeks spread back and his two chins to become three. “Oh my. You’re even lovelier than in the pictures from your profile.”
She was upset he was trying to deflect that there was an elephant in the room by giving out compliments. “I wish I could say the same for you.” She scoffed. “How many years has it been since you updated your pictures?”

He shifted in his seat, causing the bench he sat on to creak helplessly. The hardwood seemed to even be sagging slightly under his weight; all 450 or so pounds of it. His huge ass seemed to barely fit the bench. As a matter of fact, his pants barely fit him either. His love handles were being squished and forced out of his belt, overflowing at his sides. His shirt definitely did not fit him in the slightest, already coming untucked. Every button seemed to be clinging on for dear life, causing a strained chasm of fabric to form between each button. He did not even have the decency to wear an undershirt, causing tendrils of chest hair to spill from each opening. On his breast pocket there seemed to already be a mustard stain, overlaying a breast that was probably bigger than her own. He was somewhat drenched in sweat already, yet it didn’t even seem to be from nerves. With each breath, the table seemed to tip slightly as his belly pushed out to let air in. The three plates he had already cleared and stacked in front of him rattled as he did so.

He smirked back and then raised his voice so everyone around could hear. “Well you look like you’ve put on a few since your pictures too, to be honest. What, 15 or 20 lbs? We all fudge the facts a little bit to get an initial date.”

She turned bright red. She may have gained a little weight. His explanation also made sense. Dating apps were harsh. So much depended on initial appearance. She doubted he would get any messages at all if he had been honest about his size. She thought of how most of her weight gain had been related to stress and hardships in her life and relented. Maybe, this Daniel was a sweet man who had been through a lot of hardship and felt like he was losing control in his life the same way he had lost control of his appetite. She knew better, but she let her imagination run wild with the thought. She sat opposite him and set her purse down. This could perhaps be a good date. At the very least she could get a good meal.

He was beaming again now. She supposed he did have very handsome green eyes. The type you could gaze into and lose yourself.

“I’m so glad you want to give me a chance.” He said in a velvety voice. “Also that you’re giving this place a chance. I know it’s corny overall, but the food is what fills up all the seats here!” He was right. It was quite packed this evening. Just then, the server came up and asked if he could get them drinks. Without hesitation, she ordered two hard cocktails. This would take the edge off. Maybe she could enjoy her evening after all if she just loosened up.