Contagious

Chapter 1

Bruno stood in front of the open refrigerator door, his eyes scanning the shelves as he grabbed another slice of cold pizza. It was barely afternoon, and this was easily his fifth snack of the day. His girlfriend Irena, lounging on the couch, noticed him again in the kitchen and smirked.

“You’re gonna get so fat,” she teased, sneaking up behind him and giving his softening belly a playful poke.

Bruno jumped slightly, turning his head just as she kissed his cheek. "What are you talking about?" he said, his voice defensive but muffled by the food still in his mouth.

“I’m talking about you eating like a horse, tubby,” Irena shot back, grinning as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, giving his belly a little squeeze for emphasis.

Bruno glanced down at his stomach. Sure, he’d put on a few pounds lately—nothing too noticeable, he thought. But Irena, having been a tall and voluptuous plus-size girl herself, always brimming with confidence and a healthy amount of sassiness, just loved poking fun at him whenever she had the chance. She had always been the heavy one in their relationship, and Bruno had been the athlete back in college, but ever since they moved in with Irena’s mom and her sister a year ago, things had begun to shift. The stress of finding jobs had faded, and with home-cooked meals and takeout being so easily accessible, he found himself indulging more than ever.

“You’re going to get so fat; before you know it you’ll be more than four hundred pounds,” Irena teased, leaning in closer, her breath warm against his ear. “Fat is contagious around here, you know.”

Bruno paused, reaching for the soda on the counter. “Contagious? What are you talking about?” he mumbled with a grin, half amused, half curious.

Irena laughed and gave his waist a playful squeeze. “It’s a fact. There’s no way you can live with three fat women and not get fat yourself. Between my mom’s amazing but fattening cooking, plus the endless amounts of snacks we have stashed all over the house, weight gain is inevitable, and with the appetite you have—you don’t stand a chance, fatso!”

Bruno raised an eyebrow, his cheeks flushing as he looked down at his stomach. “I’m not getting that big–am I?”

Irena stepped in front of him, her arms wrapping around his waist again, pulling him close. “Maybe not yet,” she said softly, her fingers gently tracing the slight curve of his belly, “just give it some time, and know that I’ll love you no matter how fat you get.”

Bruno’s smile faltered for a moment, his brow furrowing as he looked down at her. “Yeah, but what if I–you know, get really fat?”

Irena rolled her eyes playfully and nudged him with her hip. “Then you get fat. So what? I’m already fat, and you love me, don’t you?”

“You’re not fat,” he protested, attempting to be complimentary toward his beloved after years of societal programming telling him that one should never allow a lady to think that she is fat or overweight; this idea that “fat” is a four letter word.

“I am fat, and I’m proud of it,” Irena said confidently. “I love you just the way you are too, and if you start to fill out a little more… or even a lot more,” she added with a teasing grin, “I might just love you even more.”

Bruno raised an eyebrow, trying to read her expression. “You’re telling me you’d be into that?”

“Oh, definitely,” Irena said without hesitation. “You’d be even sexier, and there’d be more of you to love. Trust me, I’d find it pretty hot seeing you grow into a big, soft teddy-bear.”

Bruno blinked, caught between disbelief and curiosity. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Irena nodded, brushing a long strand of jet-black curly hair away from her face. “Completely. I think you’re perfect now, but I wouldn’t mind if you put a little more meat on these bones,” she said as she squeezed him tightly, “or even a lot more meat.”

Bruno looked down at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. “You know, when you put it like that, maybe I could live with a few extra pounds, but there’s no way I’ll let myself get too big.”

“Hmm, well we’ll just have to see about that,” Irena said with a wink, once again playfully poking Bruno in his soft tummy. They shared a laugh, but as Irena rested her head on his chest, Bruno couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t something to this idea that Irena posed about fatness being contagious.