Chapter 6

Two days after her date with John, Alice was joined in her dining room when she woke up by Mr. Smith. Waking up and finding him in her home was nothing shy of terribly unsettling. What if he had done something to her while she slept? The pervert.

Mr. Smith set down his cup of coffee, took a long inhale, and said to Alice, “my, my. Somebody is retaining some serious water this morning. I have to admit, it’s a good look on you, dear.”
“How did you get in here?” Alice asks. “You have no right to be in my home.”

Swiftly, Smith arose from the couch, crossed the room, and grabbed Alice by her bloated belly. “This fat sack of food gives me every right to do whatever I want. Your body and soul were sold to me the second your father walked into that casino. You will stay mine until I see fit or say otherwise,” he tersely shouted at her. “Now I’m here to check in on how my property is growing, and I want you to go and see where you’re at. Now.”

Feeling self-conscious and exposed, Alice made her way to the bathroom, where the scale awaited. She stepped on, holding her breath as the numbers flicker to life.

39 pounds. Mostly in her belly.

That's where the weight was piling on, and it wasn't a slow, steady increase. It was rapid, almost frightening in its speed. Alice couldn't believe that just a short month ago, she had been a slim, fit young woman. Now, she was well on her way to weighing 50 pounds more than she ever had before.

Every time she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. She knew that she shouldn't hate herself for something beyond her control, but she couldn't help it.

Her body was no longer her own, but a pawn in a game of debt and manipulation. She felt like a prisoner in her own skin, and there was nothing she could do to escape. Her only reprieves were Rose and John, who encouraged her to gain the weight and loved her for it.

Alice sighed and made her way back to the dining room, where Mr. Smith was waiting for her. She couldn't stand the sight of him, with his smug smile and calculating gaze. She knew that he was getting off on her misery, and it only made things worse.

"Well?" he asked, his voice dripping with impatience.

“175 pounds, seemingly all compact fat focusing in my middle, as you can see.” Alice spat dryly at him.

“That’s not nearly the progress I had hoped. We started this little ‘trade’ of payments 4 weeks ago. You mean to tell me that you can’t gain 10 pounds a week?” Smith said, sounding erratic.

“Unfortunately for you, and splendidly for me, we did not weigh you when we first exchanged the terms of this deal,” he said maliciously. “We’re going to go ahead and count 175 pounds as your beginning point. I WILL see you gain 50 pounds in the next five weeks, or I cut off daddy’s fingers.”

Alice stood in shock, mouth agape, and hands cradling 20 something pounds of pure belly. Speechless. She couldn’t believe what Mr. Smith just told her. He threatened to maim her father if she did not gain 50 pounds in just five weeks. It was impossible, she thought to herself. Surely he knew that. She knew men like him were cruel, but this seemed like something out of a nightmare. Mr. Smith just watched her reaction with keen interest, like the way a child would watch a mouse in a trap.

What was she supposed to do to gain 50 MORE pounds? What would she wear? What would she tell people? She peered down at her large swollen middle and tried to imagine life with it even bigger.

Meanwhile, John, Alice's neighbor, overheard the commotion and was peeped through the window and watched the encounter between Alice and Mr. Smith with concern and curiosity.

John had always had a crush on Alice, and he couldn't help but be drawn to her as she struggled against the weight gain. He had heard stories about fat admirers and the thrill they got from watching women gain weight, but he had never considered himself one of them. Until their barbecue date, that is.

“5 weeks, Alice. Don’t let me down,” Smith added with a sense of finality as he stood to make his way to leave. He gave her belly a hard *smack* as he walked by and added, “I expect to see a lot more of this.”

With that, he walked out the door, leaving Alice reeling with how she could possibly gain 50 more pounds. As she looked around her apartment, she finally noticed John, her neighbor, standing at the window watching her with concern etched on his face. She hadn’t realized he was even there.

“John,” she croaked, tears threatening to spill over at any moment.

Without hesitation, John made his way into her apartment and pulled her into a tight hug. His warmth and comfort were overwhelming, and she couldn’t help but burst into tears right then and there.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered soothingly into her ear as she sobbed against his chest. “I’m here now. Nobody is here but me and you.”

Alice looked up at him through tear-stained eyes, still sniffing back the last of her sobs. “How much of that did you hear?” Alice asked, her voice muffled against John's chest.

“Enough to know that someone needs to take care of you,” John replied, his hand stroking her hair gently as she leaned against him.

Alice pulled back slightly and looked up into his eyes. “What are you saying?” she whispered.

John took a deep breath. “I'm saying that I want to help you. I want to be there for you, no matter what size you are. I know you have Rose, but you have me too. I’ll sit around and hand out and just let you eat and eat and eat while we figure out how to take this guy down,” he said confidently. A little less so, he added, “plus I think it was pretty obvious I thought it was kind of hot how much you put away the other night. I want to witness that growth first hand and help you with it.” Alice looks up at John, taken aback by his words. “What are you saying?” she asks again, her voice softer this time.

John takes another deep breath and cups her face in his hands. “I’m saying that I care about you, Alice. More than just as a neighbor or a friend. I think you’re beautiful, no matter what size you are. And I want to help you on this journey, in any way that I can.”

Alice can feel her heart racing in her chest. No one has ever said anything like that to her before.

John's words made her feel seen, loved, and cherished. She couldn't believe that someone like him would find her attractive, especially now that she was gaining so much weight.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, her voice trembling with emotion. "I don't want to burden you with my problems."

John shook his head. "You're not a burden, Alice. I want to be here for you, no matter what."

He took her hand and led her to the couch, where they sat down together. "Starting with getting this thing filled," he continued, gesturing to the giant tub of ice cream in the freezer. "We'll take it one day at a time."

Alice smiled, a little unsure, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. She couldn't believe that she had such different people in her life, both wanting her to gain weight.