Chapter 3 - emma moves in

The day approached that Miles would move out, and Emma move in. Friends came around to help loading and unloading the vans. Furniture was disassembled, new furniture was put up. Robert had made a big soup and rolls that all their helpers could feast on, and Emma had made cake. Miles put a football on the table, and excused his lack of food, but he had bought a big crate of beer for everyone. And thus, at the end of the day everyone joined the party. Miles spent one last night on the couch in the hallway, whereas Emma had her first night in the flat. Early in the morning, Miles left to start his new life in a far away place, and Emma and Robert waved goodbye. Now they were on their own.

The first weeks together were not difficult at all. They got on very well, shared anecdotes abut their previous flat shares, went out together, shared their thoughts and feelings about the day. They had breakfast together, and coordinated on dinner. One day it was Robert's turn, the next day Emma would cook. It was true, they both made considerable portions, more than each could eat on their own. So the arrangement suited them quite well. But Robert's portions were attuned for Miles, who, due to his sports and fast metabolism, dug in a fair bit without having it show. But Emma just took over his portions, she couldn't let anything go to waste. Likewise, she had the habit of always ensuring there is pudding after each meal. So in addition to Robert's extra big portions, they had the most delicious sweet desserts. "You need to close your stomach with something sweet after a meal", she said. Having said that, she seemed to struggle in doing so. But she didn't give up until all plates and bowls were emptied, either by her or Robert. "Jeez, you're cooking is excellent. But you make so much..."
"You know Emma, it's ok, you don't have to finish it."
"Yeah, but it's so good... you can't just let it go to waste. Here, have some more, and I will have the rest. And then I have some vanilla ice cream for dessert, with sweet cherries."
"Wow, you certainly know how to finish a meal." Robert struggled to finish his meal, too, but once again he couldn't help but notice that this girl intrigued him. She was confident, funny, intelligent, and he had always had a thing for bigger girls.

Their newly adjusted portions started to show after a few weeks. At first he didn't notice. Or, rather, he tried not to notice. The tops she was wearing were a bit snug, revealing the curves of a round pot belly and two chunky love handles overspilling her jeans. But it seemed like she was wearing new clothes every day, and it was only the ones she wore later that accentuated her extra weight. It was only when she wore the shirt that she was wearing on they day that they first met that he noticed how much she had gained. It used to be a lose-fit, but now her soft curves begun to show, pushing the fabric here and there. Where previously, her chub had been hidden, and her softness had to be guessed by her slightly round face, it was now clear that she was borderline chubby. He still adhered to his principle of staying friends with her, certainly not until she showed signs of making a move. But he found it difficult not to think of her in other ways, too. There was no denying that he liked chubby girls. And now there was a cute, perky and clever girl with a small pot belly sitting in front of him at dinner, shovelling food into her mouth as if there was no tomorrow. Thinking about her gain, he wondered whether he had put on any weight himself, so he went to check on his scales. And certainly, he did. Indeed, a good 6 kilos extra had settled on his hips. As he stood on the scales, looking down to the display that read "108.5". Just at this moment, Emma walked into the room. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude on you! I just wanted to tell you that dinner is ready." How embarrassing, he thought. Trying to get an accurate weigh-in, he stood there in his underpants only. His massive gut protruded proudly, irreverent of the situation. He mumbled something along the lines of "I'll be there in a minute.", and she quickly ran off to the kitchen again to put out the plates. It was certainly not the situation he wanted to be caught in by anyone, let alone this girl. And even though it could have certainly been worse, he suddenly felt very self-conscious. He wasn't the kind of person who would show off his body semi-naked anyways, let alone to a pretty and intelligent girl with whom he would try to remain friends with. He pondered, and squeezed into his pants again.