No Escape

Chapter 1

Thom sat in the same chair of the same cafe that he'd been frequenting for much of his adult life. There he'd take his morning latte and croissant, doomscroll through the news and look outside the window to a world that passed him slowly. He'd kept this routine throughout all the changes he'd had through his post-college life, jobs and partners coming and going, but that latte remained steady, comforting his Tuesday morning.

*Ding ding* The door tolled as a gangly, young woman barged through the door, laptop stowed under her arm, bag falling off the other. She clutzed past Thom's table, knocking the corner ever so slightly, just enough to wobble the drink he had been nursing for the past half hour. "Sorry!" the woman sheepishly whispered on her way to the counter. "Ah don't wor-" Thom tried to retort before realising she was no longer nearby and thus he turned back to the latest downbeat happenings in some far off land which he'd become uncomfortably numb to.

His drink now nearly finished and his croissant long devoured, it was almost time for Thom to return back to his small studio apartment and continue with his day. Just as he was about to start packing up his things, Khloe, the cafe manager, places one of their specialty brownies in front of him. "An apology from the woman over there, not sure what she did to wrong you Thom but must be your lucky day". Thom looked up at Khloe with a bemused look. "Are you sure this is for me? I don't remember anything happening" he said. "Whatever, take it or leave it!" Khloe snapped back before carrying on with cleaning the tables.

He looked at the brownie conflicted. The woman who came in wasn't to know but Thom was very careful with what he ate. He treated himself to a single sweet treat a week and that was to be it. It wouldn't hurt to just eat the brownie he thought, it'd surely be less rude than to let it go to waste. A buzz went through his body as he felt a set of eyes trained on him from across the room - of course, the young woman from earlier was trying to catch his attention, a few fingers testing the sky.

Thom realised he was probably supposed to go thank her for the kind offering and so he popped up out of his recline and walked over to her. "This was really kind of you but you really didn't need to - you didn't even spill my drink" he let her know but she simply smiled. "It's on me, you looked like you needed a treat and I did knock your table after all. I'm Cassie by the way. Do you come here often?"

"Thom, and thank you. Most days, it's nice here and it beats sitting at home right?". With that he returned to his table and returned to the brownie that had been looking at him. 'I guess I have to eat this now' he thought to himself as he began to dig in. The chocolate hit his tongue like a tornado, it must have been months since he'd tasted something so rich but so moreish. Looking back down at the plate before him all that he could see left were crumbs. He'd been so wrapped up in the flavour that he'd barely had time to appreciate it before it was gone.

A little sheepish he looked back across the room to notice Cassie gazing over with a devilish grin, eyes avoiding contact. Clearly it was time for him to leave before he felt any more embarrassed, he packed up his things and took his dishes back to the counter. "How was it? You've never tried anything other than your usual right?" Khloe asked as she packed the dishes into the sink.

"So good, too good almost. This is why I stick to the usual" Thom laughed.

"You gotta be more adventurous Thom, I've been telling you for how long?" - replied Khloe rolling her eyes at the one-order man she's known for nearly half a decade at this point.

Thom paused for thought, fighting his inner dilemma before finally relenting "Okay, okay maybe once in a while. You know, I might actually need another one of those brownies to go though..."

"That's more like it! I never thought I'd see the day" - Khloe gleefully celebrated, wrapping up another one of the brownies. "Y'know it's half price today just for you getting outside the box." Thom smiled and casually left, wondering how his day had ended up like this.

*Ding ding*

No sooner had he left than he felt a tug at his arm. "Excuse me" - it was Cassie, with phone in hand. "You left your phone at the table, I saw it when you went to get up but you left before I could say anything".

Thom's cheeks flushed red, he wondered how this day could get any more embarrassing. Did he black out when he tasted that brownie? What a fool he thought he must look like. "I-I-Thank you. I'm sorry, I swear I'm not usually this much of an idiot."

"Don't be silly, I'm just glad I caught you before you were too far gone." Cassie said before catching a glimpse of the chocolate tinted bag clasped in Thom's hand, "I take it I made a good call on the brownie?"

"Oh this? Well, like I told Khloe I don't really eat sweet things but yes you made a good choice. I like to keep a healthy balance you see."


"I think as long as you enjoy it that's what matters. How bout you come back tomorrow and we have something else? My reward for returning your phone." Cassie said with a cheeky grin, pleased with her deal making abilities.

"Well tomorrow isn't one of my usual days I come here but I do owe you one. Okay, it's a deal." The pair exchanged numbers and Thom continued on back to his home.

Thom's studio was in a relatively well-off part of town, once a thriving port it was now a collection of waterfront apartment blocks that towered over the sea below. He'd bought it when he started his monotonous day job for a large marketing agency and now found himself spending much of the time locked away inside it working remotely.

*Bing* The elevator arrived to take him up the 20 floors required to reach his modest studio as he prayed to not have to deal with any of his neighbours today. 'Success' he thought to himself as he plopped himself back at his desk with no further social interaction, placing his spoils from the cafe to the side of his laptop. Though it wasn't long until the brownie was staring back at him, the flavours from earlier still lingering on his tongue.

Only Thom knew the real truth behind his restraint. The reason he treated himself only ever so rarely. He'd ensured he'd stayed the slim man he is with his routine and diets but deep inside he had always been attracted to the idea of being fat. He'd gained weight before as a teen but the bullying made clear that it was not a sustainable option. And so here he was, now a slim adult who made sure never to give in to that craving. Yet the brownie continued to stare. He picked it up and walked towards the bin, sure that the only way to remove the ideas from his head that had begun swirling in force again was to get rid of the trigger.

As Thom went to lift the lid of the bin, he noticed the empty wrapper in his hand. 'It's not here?', the realisation hits as he looks to his crumb covered right hand. 'Right. I've eaten it already'. His mind wanders as he imagines himself fifty pounds heavier, belly bulging and mouth indulging in all the things he's held himself back from these last 10 years. 'It's happening again' he thinks to himself as he downloads the delivery apps he's long deleted from his phone.

A night of gluttony awaits.