Chapter 2 - new bellies

We spent a few days in California, hanging out on the beach, enjoying the nightlife, and eating some great food. We spent most days in the sand in swimsuits, and I swear James looked bigger every time I saw him. He had accepted that he was off his diet, and was happy to be free, eating everything he could. Matt of course teased him about his returning girth, but he didn't seem to care. He just always was thinking about what to eat, and most of the times when he ate, we ate. We didn't have to skimp on Pizza or burgers or ice cream, because with the company paying for our meals, nothing held us back from having what we wanted, when we wanted.
Tyler was having a harder and harder time hiding his growing belly. I noticed at a certain point he stopped sucking in, and seemed to just accept his fate. He didn't slow his eating so it didn't seem to bother him that much anymore. Maybe since we hadn't said anything to him he though it wasn't that noticeable, but we noticed. Even Matt said something about it to me.
"Dude, did you notice Tyler's new potbelly?" he asked me.
"Yeah." We laughed at it a bit " Don't make fun of him for it though, or he'll be a baby the rest of the trip."
" I won't" He assured " I know how he can be. But if you catch up to those two I won't be able to hold back with the three little pig jokes."
"Shut up man, I never gain weight." I laughed and shoved him for his joke.
" Hey I'm serious, Best friends always get fat together. It's a proven fact. You might as well start picking out bigger pants now."
His ribbing started to bother me but I knew he was just joking. I turned the joke on him. "Hey man, that's your older brother. Genetics can be pretty strong....I see your future and its pretty large."
We laughed, but the truth is Matt was as skinny as ever even though he'd been eating just as bad as his brother.
"Okay man." he said "just remember what I said next time your polishing off a whole pizza." He patted me on the stomach, said "is that a little softness I feel" and walked away.
I put my hand on my stomach thinking that maybe it felt a bit softer, and my swimsuit did seem a bit more tight than last time I wore it. Then I realized I was just letting Matt get to me and shrugged it off.
We spent our last day in California on the beach. James told me he weighed himself and had put on 25 pounds since leaving home, and he was back over 200. I wondered how much Tyler gained, I guessed maybe fifteen. I didn't ask him though, since I didn't want to hurt his feelings. After talking to Matt I started to wonder if maybe I'd gained a few pounds myself. I paid attention to the extra tightness in my bathing suit, and when I sat my belly seemed to bulge a little bit more than normal, and a bit more extra seemed to spill over the sides of my suit, but certainly not enough to matter. Especially as my two best friends were growing noticeably fatter.
We ate a huge last meal in California and headed home that night. Tyler drove, I sat shotgun, and the two brothers slept in the back. Little did I know I was in for one more awkward weight gain conversation....
" I can't believe how much weight James is gaining on this trip" Tyler said.
"Hmm, yeah." I answered. wondering if he had noticed his own little starter gut.
"I mean, I knew he'd probably gain it back, but this is fast."
"I know." I said, "He told me he's back over two hundred.....and I don't think he's slowing down." There floor of the car was littered with empty chip bags, candy bar wrappers, and empty soda bottles.
"I guess I shouldn't talk" he said.
Here it was.
"I've put on maybe five pounds this trip"
Try 15 buddy. I kept that to myself.
He continued."I guess that's normal for people to gain weight when they stop smoking."
I wanted to say 'yeah it has nothing to do with the loads of junk you've been shoveling down your throat' but I didn't. he kept talking.
"Oh well, I'm glad I've gotten to relax on this trip. I don't mind the extra weight and I don't think it's noticeable. Besides I always thought if I got fatter I wouldn't really mind. I mean, James never really cared. Now he'll probably get fatter than ever. It's not like we could stay skinny forever, we don't really work out, and we eat tons of junk. Everyone gets fat eventually, might as well accept it. Pretty soon you'll catch up to me anyway, you'll see what I mean. "
This acceptance of his kind of surprised me. But Tyler's never really been one you know what to expect from. He lifted his shirt.
"How much do you think I've gained? 5-6 pounds?"
I decided to be a bit more honest. "Probably more than that." I started to feel a bit like I should just encourage his positive attitude." Maybe 10 or 15"
He seemed surprised by that.
"But don't worry about it" I said. "You look fine, and you're on vacation. Who cares how much it is. Just enjoy the rest of the trip and you can figure it out when you get home."
"you're right." He said. "You should just let yourself go a bit too. It's kind of cool to feel a bit chubby."
I was a little surprised he said that but kind of laughed it off. Not sure if he was serious.
The rest of the drive home was more of the same. Driving, eating, driving, eating more, eating while driving, sleeping, eating, driving, eating. We did a few food challenges. James Finished them all, and Tyler was able to do the second one, and surprisingly we all did the third one, except Matt. I was surprised I could do it but figured it must have been a small one.
The final night before the last leg home we stayed in a nice hotel to celebrate our job almost being completed. Matt wanted to sleep, and James and Tyler decided to go for a swim. I noticed something interesting. James wore a different Suit than in California, one from his fatter days. Tyler borrowed James' California suit, which meant he couldn't fit into the one he brought anymore. James' suit fit him better than I would have thought. Before they left the room I told them I'd meet them in the pool in a bit, and noticed how much the last leg of our trip had added to their waistlines.
I would call James Fat again at this point, and guessed he'd probably weighed 225. Forty pounds or so more than when we left. Tyler was probably up to about 190. It was weird to see my always thin friend with that rounded belly. I could tell his face and arms had gotten thicker, and he had the start of his first little double chin. He looked like himself, just like he'd been inflated. They both were completely not shy about their gain as they left for the pool. I told Matt I was gonna go make a call, then join them in the pool.
"Ok" he said "but if your in there too long I'll come huff and puff and blow the door down". Then he made a weird little smirk.
I didn't know what he meant but I left it alone. I could see into the pool room from the outside, as James and Tyler lowered their bloated bodies into the water.
I crept around behind a brick wall to sneak a smoke, which was ironic because I was the one who bothered Tyler for years to quit, then right as I picked up the habit myself, he finally stopped. I had successfully hid it from them this whole trip, and didn't want to get caught now so I stayed out of sight.
The door to the pool room was open and I could hear the two talking.

Tyler: "Yeah, It's just weird, I've never been this heavy before"
James: "Well get used to it, it's hard to lose. In fact when I get back I'm not gonna diet anymore."
Tyler: "You're not"
James: "No. I guess I'm just meant to be fat. Besides, I prefer being big. If it weren't for you, Max, and Matt teasing me I would have just stayed this way. Maybe gotten bigger."
Tyler: "To be honest I'll probably keep gaining too. I don't like to workout, and I kind of like being chubby. I've always kind of wished I would get fatter.In fact I'm kind of proud of this new belly."
James: "Awesome, Man. Just let yourself go. I mean, I guess you already have. Besides the way Max is going He'll be catching up to you in no time."

'what?' I thought.

Tyler: "For real. I wonder if He's noticed his little belly yet. How much do you think he's gained?"
James: "Maybe 15 pounds? Maybe more like 20, but I can definitely tell. He probably hasn't really noticed it. but this trip definitely took its tole on all three of us."
Tyler: "Yeah. He put on a bit in the beginning, but he's really been gaining since California...."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There is no way I've gained fifteen pounds. Have I? These pants have been feeling tight. And are the buttons straining a bit more on my flannel? No that's crazy.
I brushed it off, put out my cigarette butt, and went to the room. I put on my swimsuit.....my tight swimsuit, with the ties that didn't seem to reach as easily. I looked at my self in the mirror.....maybe i did gain some weight, but not fifteen pounds.....my stomach is protruding, but I'm still full from dinner right? Yeah that's it. And my belly's always hung a bit over my suit, hasn't it?
I sucked in my full gut, and went to meet my fat friends in the pool.