Chapter 1

"Wow! What is all that there?" cried Stephanie, looking into the bags Emily was hauling up into their flat. Emily had been out for a food shop, but what she'd bought wasn't exactly what Steph had had in mind...

Emily giggled, "My first supermarket run out of the thumb of my health nut parents, that's what"

"Well, I get that, but is there anything in those bags that isn't made of sugar?"

"Hey! Don't worry, there are some burgers, hot dogs, some chips. But there are definitely lots of treats too, for sure. Four different flavours of milkshake! I can't remember the last time I had a milkshake. Did you know I've been dreaming of drinking milkshakes for literally years?"

"No, I don't think you've mentioned that particular dream..."

Emily laughed, "In the dream, I own this machine that produces like, unlimited milkshake, and you can just grab a tube and start drinking... as much as you want, forever"

"So, we're talking a milkshake machine that will be our downfall, basically"

"Well, that's one way of looking at it"

Stephanie shook her head and chuckled, "You're nuts"

"Yeah, I'm nuts"

The pair were long time best friends who had left school at 16 together, having both decided against going to uni. They then went to the same local college; Steph taking up hairdressing and Emily getting into catering. Now 18 years old, they have just started renting a flat together in the local city centre, keen to get some independence and excited for the future. Since finishing their college courses, they'd decided to take some time off to relax before finding jobs.

It didn't take Emily long to put the shopping away, and the girls spent the next few hours chilling out and watching some TV, with a few snacks here and there. It was a fun afternoon, but by the time evening came, they were both beginning to feel hungry and were thinking about what to have for tea.

"We could always go for one of those burgers or something I got earlier?"

Steph nodded, "Sounds good, let's do that"

Emily cooked up two burgers and chips, and they both sat down to eat at the kitchen table.

"These are frickin divine. GOD, this is what I've been missing!" exclaimed Emily, shoving a fistful of chips into her mouth.

"Yeah, they're pretty good, not going to lie"

They were both hungry, so the meal didn't last long and soon enough, all that remained were empty wrappers and dirty plates.

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the evening?" asked Steph, pushing her chair back and wiping her lips with a napkin.

"I don't know, but I do know I could go for another one of these burgers," grinned Emily, leaning back and patting her stomach.

"Really? You're still hungry?"

"Yeah, aren't you?"

Steph thought for a moment, then shrugged, "Well, maybe a little"

Emily stood up, "Okay, two more burgers coming up!"

After the second burger, they both had a milkshake and Steph was definitely feeling a little past full. Somehow, Emily still seemed to want more; she'd started opening up the cupboards and raiding the chocolate.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down girl!" cried Steph, laughing and trying to pull her away from the food.

"Come on, you must want some?" asked Emily, grinning and holding a chocolate bar up in front of her friend's face.

"No, I'm really full, honest"

"Suit yourself, but I'm going to take some of this, sit down and have myself a Netflix binge session!"

"Well ok, I'm in, but I'm only binging the Netflix..."

Steph followed Emily into the living room and watched as she grabbed the remote and plopped herself down on the couch. She began searching until she found a decent series to watch and Steph sat down beside her, really feeling the weight of their large dinner in her belly.

The girls chatted away about the show as they watched and after a while, Emily's hands started to wander. She reached for a bag of chocolates and opened it up, then munched on a few and offered them to her friend.

"No, come on, stop!" Steph chuckled, pushing the bag away.

"You don't want any?"

"Not after eating TWO burgers!"

Emily giggled, "Oh well, more for me"

She began scoffing the chocolates and Steph watched, trying to resist the temptation to take any. But as she watched her friend stuff her face, she couldn't help but feel jealous and before long, she gave in and took a handful.

"Hey!" exclaimed Emily, "I thought you didn't want any"

"I changed my mind," grinned Steph, popping one into her mouth.

"Go on, you finish that pack, I bought them for you as well"

Steph ate the whole handful, then took another. This soon turned into the rest of the bag, then half a bar of chocolate. Before she knew it, Steph was stuffing her face as much as her friend, and by the end of the episode, there was nothing left but a few wrappers.

"Ahh, I'm stuffed," moaned Steph, laying her head back and putting a hand on her bloated stomach. "I'm not sure I've ever eaten this much in my life"

"Yeah, me too," agreed Emily. "Amazing though, wasn't it? It's exactly what I've been dreaming of..."

"You've been dreaming about overeating?"

"No, of course not"

"So, what then?"

Emily giggled, "The dream is just to eat whatever I want, you know, it's about freedom. No parents in the way to stop me!"

"So, I guess it's just as well that I gave in and went along with this then?"

"Yeah, thanks Steph. I'm so glad we're doing this together. We're both free to do whatever we want now. This is our flat and our rules!"

Steph looked at her friend. She could tell that she was serious and she wasn't quite sure how to feel. A part of her was happy for her friend, but another part was a little afraid of what she was planning...

"Anyway, shall we watch another episode?"

Steph sighed, "Okay, just a short one though"

Emily went out to the kitchen and brought back more snacks. They started watching another episode and as the programme began, Emily began pigging out again. Steph tried to ignore her, but the temptation was strong and before long, she was eating too.

They were both stuffed from the big meal they had eaten, but the more they watched and the more they ate, the more space seemed to magically appear in their stomachs and it wasn't long before their bellies were bulging and their mouths were smeared with chocolate.

"This is the life," sighed Emily, patting her swollen stomach.

"Mmm..." murmured Steph, too full to speak.

After the show finished, Emily yawned and stood up, cradling her stuffed belly. "Well, I guess we should go to bed, huh?"

"Yeah, urp, sounds good to me"

The girls headed into their bedrooms, which were right next to each other. As soon as she was alone, Steph's hands wandered to her bloated stomach. Her tummy was packed so full, she could feel it pressing up against her t-shirt and when she looked down, she could even make out a hint of a curve.

Steph's hands moved to her hips and then under her shirt, feeling the bare flesh. She had a very skinny frame, and it wasn't often that her waistline extended in any noticeable way. This was the first time she could remember seeing any real change in her stomach, and she felt a pang of guilt. "This is just a onetime thing" she told herself as she burped gently. Tomorrow, she would return to her normal, healthy routine.

As Steph changed into her pyjamas and slipped into bed, she could hear Emily rummaging around next door. Surely, she wasn't going for yet another snack?