chapter 1

Phoebe rushed around the house, grabbing her belongings, stopping at the mirror in her living room to double check her appearance. She was meeting her long time family friend Greg at a diner. Always having harbored a secret crush on Greg, Phoebe wanted to look her best. She pulled some hair from her ponytail down to frame her face. Her face was a little puffed up, but she chalked it up to a salty dinner the night before. "Welp, this is the best it gets," she thought, snagging a zip up hoodie off of a hanger in the closet before leaving the house.

The diner was a quick 5 minute drive from her house. Phoebe was very familiar with the place, and was more of a frequent customer than she'd care to admit. Pulling into a spot, she looked around the lot. An "Open for business" neon light flashed on and off under the vague, brandless Diner sign. Greg's car was nowhere to be seen.

Phoebe opened the car door, planning on waiting in the lot until Greg showed up. She grabbed the zip up hoodie from the passenger seat and shoved her arms through the holes as she stood up. Yanking the two sides together, she struggled to get the zipper closed. "Damn salty dinner last night. I can hardly see the zipper with all this bloat." She sucked in and ziiiiiip. The hoodie was closed, but tight. Phoebe pulled on the bottom, but the hem still barely brushed the waistband of her jeans. The cotton fabric clung to her like spandex, showing a round little belly. "I'll just keep sucking it in and Greg will be none the wiser," she thought.

Greg whipped into the lot shortly after that little ordeal and quickly found a spot. Phoebe leaned against the side of her car and craned her neck to watch him. He patted his pockets to confirm that he had his phone and wallet before he ripped the key from the ignition and climbed out of the car. Phoebe smiled and gave a little wave as he walked toward her.

"Hey man, how's it hanging? Been a while since...." She trailed off as she saw Greg's mouth open as if he were going to say something. But his mouth closed after an awkward pause. He regained his composure before replying, "Life's been good. Can't complain. Climbing up the ladder at work and relaxing when I get home. I could be more social. Little lonely, really. You're one of the very few people I've seen lately."

"You're telling me. Family is about all I see outside of work anymore. Do you want to head inside to continue our conversation? We have a lot of catching up to do. Plus, I'm starving," she said.

Greg smirked a little bit "I bet you are. Sure, let's go eat and talk."

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G reg and Phoebe walked into the diner and were greeted by a sign. "Welcome. Seat yourself and somebody should be with you shortly."

The pair slid into opposite sides of a booth tucked into the far corner. Phoebe felt her stomach push forward as she sat down, causing her hoodie to rise and pull her t shirt up with it. A strip of puffy flesh was briefly visible, but she was sure Greg hadn't noticed. She quickly yanked her shirt and hoodie back down and quickly moved closer to the table to hide any further wardrobe malfunctions.

Greg saw. He saw her exposed stomach as she sat down. He saw her too tight hoodie struggling to contain her rounding belly as he approached her in the parking lot. He noticed her breathing was shallow, and realized that she was struggling to keep her chub pulled inward to hide her real body. Oh yes, this is exactly why he had arranged a breakfast meetup.