Chapter 19 - springtime blooming: part 2

51.
Waiting for Niall to return with her breakfast, Faye absently watched as Oscar Kendrick worked. Though he spoke very little the heavyset baker would from time to time turn to the girl and smile. Sitting with her chin in her palm, Faye occasionally flashed him a little grin in return. She'd just done so when, suddenly, she heard the stairs of the Kendrick's old home creak. Her mouth watering, the scent of greasy bacon filled her nostrils as Niall entered the room, in his hands a tray loaded with all of Faye's many favourite, fatty breakfast foods. Setting the tray down before her, he smiled as he saw the hungry look on the fiery-haired girl's face.

"Here you go," he said.

"Thanks," smiled Faye, her gaze travelling slowly from Niall's beaming face down towards the huge spread of simple delicacies he'd set before her.

Taking in the size of her morning feast, Faye put a hand to her swollen waist. Though she longed to dig in, to gobble her way through every last scrap of her immense meal, she could not forget what she'd only so recently seen in the mirror upstairs. These deliciously greasy foods, she knew, were what'd robbed her of her slender figure. They'd settled on her lean frame, weighing her down and coating her in a thick layer of useless, jiggling flesh. For months now Faye had allowed herself to eat without thought. To stuff her growing belly with abandon, happily ignoring the havoc her beloved foods had wrought on her figure. If she kept on as she had there was no telling how much she might grow.

Carrying three fried eggs, five thick pork rinds, four sausages, four hash browns, two severely over-buttered slices of toast, and a tall glass of milk, the tray Niall had brought her was absolutely loaded with food. Looking at all those many delicacies that'd used to bring her such joy, Faye hesitated. She wanted them so badly, yet she knew what they would to her.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted as Niall, having picked a sausage up from her plate, gently pushed it towards her lips.

"What's wrong," he asked; "not hungry?"

"No, it's not that," answered Faye.

"Then go ahead," said Niall, teasing her with the scrumptious foodstuff.

Her cheeks reddening, Faye looked up at the tall, wild-haired man. An encouraging smile on his face, he leaned in towards her, pushing the flavoursome sausage further in under her nose. No longer able to resist, Faye bit into it. A smile spreading across her face, she munched her way through the meaty morsel. Moments later her tray was bare and her belly was nice and full.

52.
"She's a nice girl that one," said Oscar Kendrick as soon as Faye had headed back upstairs.

"Yeah, I suppose," said Niall, his eyes focused on his work.

"Mind you," said Oscar; "with the way she's been eating I dare hardly think what might happen to that figure of hers. She's put on more weight in the last few months than my Maggie did in the first three years we were married. Still," he continued, glancing towards Niall; "all those extra pounds suit her quite well, don't you think?"

At that Niall smiled ever so slightly.

"I guess so, yeah," he said.

"Might not hurt her to get a bit heavier still," the stocky baker probed.

"Well," Niall mused; "if food makes her happy I don't see any harm in that."

At that Oscar chuckled.

"She seems quite fond of you," he said.

Niall did not answer him. He did however, in a manner hardly conscious, run his fingers along the white, leaf-shaped locket that hung in a thin chain around his neck.

"Maybe you should make her some special little treat?" Oscar continued. "Maggie always loves it when I do that for her."

For the first time since their conversation had started Niall turned his head to look at the heavyset baker.

"You're unusually talkative today," he said, a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah, I guess," Oscar answered, shrugging as he smiled back at Niall.

53.
Faye could hardly believe how little time had passed before she'd found herself hungry again. Only a couple of hours after she'd consumed every last scrap of Niall's oversized breakfast her tummy had started once more to nag her for food. Though far from famished she felt a strange urge to eat. Lying on the Kendrick's living room couch with little to do, she found herself longing desperately to dig her teeth into some tasty treat, to fill her stretching stomach up with all her favourite fattening foods.

Putting a hand to her doughy belly, Faye grabbed herself a handful of loose flesh. She needed to be strong, she knew. She'd already allowed her appetite to take her too far. But, though she knew she ought to ignore them, her cravings simply would not leave her be.

As she lay there, trying as best she could to distract herself from her unreasonable hunger, Faye found herself thinking about Niall. About the breakfast he'd made her, about that sausage he'd stuffed between her lips. Her cheeks reddening, she found her tummy suddenly all aflutter. The thought of Niall stuffing food into her mouth, of him gently stroking all her new flesh, squeezing his fingers into it, it made her feel something like she'd never felt before.

Her fingers drifting to the smooth, milky surface of her ring, Faye shook her head. She wasn't sure she wanted to be thinking about this. The images in her mind, the way they made her feel, somehow it scared her. Getting to her feet, she found herself heading in the direction of the kitchen. Perhaps a little snack couldn't hurt after all. Just a little something to take her mind off all these worries, all these complicated thoughts and feelings.

Searching the fridge and the kitchen cupboards, Faye found herself some bread, some cold sausages, and a fair few snacks that Maggie Kendrick had stashed away for herself. Having grabbed a small mountain of food, she started to eat where she stood, stuffing her face with anything she could find. Focused completely on her food, on the feeling of it as it filled her swelling tummy, she greedily shovelled bite after bite into her mouth. Crumbs rolling from her food-smeared lips, down along her chin and towards her slightly snug nightgown as she gorged, Faye seemed almost to be in a stupor. She ate like a woman possessed. When finally she found herself brought rudely back to reality, she had made her way through one bread roll, two sausages, and four chocolate chip cookies.

It was a sudden creak from the stairs leading up from the bakery that snapped the fiery-haired girl out of her daze. Perking her ears she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her.

Suddenly ashamed of the way she'd been stuffing her face, Faye hurried to hide the traces of her feast. Quickly wiping her face and throwing any empty containers in the bin, the overstuffed girl headed back out into the living room. There she found Niall at the top of the stairs, a platter of pastries in his hands.

"There you are," he said, a wry smile on his face; "figured you might like a little something to munch on?"

Though her tummy was groaning in protest Faye couldn't help but lick her lips as she took in the scent of Niall's newly baked treats.

"They look delicious," she said, temptation and trepidation mixing on her face. "But I don't know if I should. I just had breakfast..."

"Well, you don't have to eat them all," said Niall, leading Faye back to the Kendrick's old couch. "Have as many as you like. You can always save some for later.

Her eyes locked on the platter of fattening goodies Niall had set on the table before her, Faye hesitated. She knew perfectly well that once she'd started eating she wouldn't, no matter how stuffed she was, be able to stop.

"Maybe I'll have some later then," she said.

"Come on," said Niall, pushing the platter towards her; "you've got to try at least one. I want to know what you think."

Faye knew that she ought to say no, that she ought to hold herself back. Yet somehow, as she looked at the warm, encouraging smile on the wild-haired man's face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse him. Ignoring her better judgement she grabbed herself a pastry and bit into it. A muffled moan escaping her as she shoved it into her mouth

"This is really good," she said, crumbs spraying from between her lips.

54.
Watching as Faye bit into her third pastry, Niall couldn't help but smile. Far from the otherworldly beauty she'd once been the fiery-haired girl was the spitting image of an overweight glutton. Hefty and round she'd eaten away much of what'd once made her so special and stunning. Yet as she sat there, crumbs rolling down her white nightgown as she chewed her way through her treat, Niall couldn't help but find her more beautiful than ever. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to tell her just how amazing she was. But somehow he couldn't. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea. The time just wasn't right.

"Hey," he said instead; "now that it's gotten a bit warmer outside how about, sometimes soon, the two of us take a picnic basket and go stargazing up on Auberlynne Hill?"

The suggestion brought a smile to Faye's face.

"Yeah," she said; "that sounds good. I think I'd like that."