Chapter 1 - Year 1-2

"I can't see myself gain much weight," she responded to him sharing his preference for larger women. "I mean, what you like is almost twice my size, that's..." She let her voice trail off, a bit discouraged things were this way in their relationship.

She was the average American woman, maybe a bit under it even. Barely 150 lbs.

"I know that honey," he was so understanding, "but I'm not talking about you being 200, 300 lbs! Just...like...a little? I just like the idea of you gaining a little bit; doesn't need to be manic. Like...2 lbs in a year or so"

She was doubtful.

"How would I even do that?! You know I've always been skinny, no matter what I eat. I don't want to have to work to get fat!"

He touched her shoulder reassuringly.

"Look, I don't want this to become a thing between us, a stumbling block. Just let me do the groceries and the cooking...."

"You'd do the cooking?!", she interrupted him. That sounded interesting! Playing house had been fun in the beginning, but now, coming home from work and expected to cook, that just sucked most days. She hated it.

"I'll cook. I'll do all the cooking. And the groceries. No pressure; we just eat and it is what it is. I love you"

THE FIRST EVENING

What a shit day, she thought. Her boss was such a jerk sometimes. And those clients--ugh!

When she came in, he was already home. It smelled good.

"What are you making?"

"Spaghetti"

She came into the kitchen. He was making food!

"That's almost sexy!"

Throwing a smile over his shoulder he said it would be ready in no time.

There was more pasta than sauce. Simple carbs, easy to break down, guaranteed to make her feel full at first but hungry not long after. Simple store bought Alfredo sauce -- with some cream added. And some butter.

He gave her her plate in the living room. "You don't want to eat in the kitchen?" "Nah, this way I don't have to clear the table." That -- and it was him who had put her cheese on her spaghetti. She would have gone for a health conscious sprinkle; he had opted for some cheese, top it with sauce to hide the first layer, then some on top of the sauce.

"Pfff, that's good, but I can't anymore!" There were maybe two, three bites left on her plate that had contained a portion for 1.5 people. He took the plate from her, grabbed the fork, and prepared a bite. "Here, a shame to let it go to waste....", he brought the fork to her mouth, "...two bites and that way we're not stuck with useless left-overs"

She found it cute, almost romantic that he fed her. One bite....then the other. "There's a good girl", he smiled at her. "I didn't make dessert because I thought this would be enough"

"Oh god, yes! I can't eat a bite more!"

That was an hour ago. She felt a little bite of hunger. It would be unreasonable to eat now.

Knowing how she felt, he waited a bit. 15 minutes later he got up. "Going to get me something to snack -- you want a bit of ice cream for dessert?"

"Oh that would be lovely -- thanks sweetie"

In the kitchen he pushed her box of Skinny Cow low calorie ice cream aside. 100 calories per half a cup. Amateurs.... He grabbed a tub of vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream clocking in at almost 270 per 1/2 cup instead. Grabbing a larger bowl, he filled it to about a cup's worth. In the big bowl it looked like a small, reasonable portion.

Plopping next to her on the couch he gave her her ice cream. "What a service! I could get used to this" "Fun, right?", he confirmed.

THE NEXT WEEK

"Hey, did you weigh yourself this morning", he yelled from the kitchen. He knew full well she had done so, before her shower, but it was important she became comfortable with sharing her weight.

"Yeah.....?.....Why?"

"Nothing -- so.... Happy?"

She came into the kitchen, looking a bit worried.

"Not really. I went up a pound, just like that... That's so not me"

Slinging a dish towel over his shoulder he walked up to her.

"A pound! Wow -- nice." He kissed her gently on her forehead. "How about you buy yourself something you like for your rewardrobe?"

"Rewardrobe? What the fuck is that?!"

"Hey, you gained weight, that needs rewarding. And I know you love to shop for clothes, so....rewardrobe. We can go together, make it an outing, or you can order online -- whatever you want"

She was flabbergasted. He hated shopping with her, with shopping for clothes being the worst.

"Seriously?!"

"Serio usly", he made a pinkie-promise gesture.

With the weight gain he had in mind for her, it would set him back considerably over the coming months, and he would have to suffer through some unpleasant shopping sessions, but it was important to condition her to associate pleasant rewards with weight gain.

SIX MONTHS LATER

She came in from work. He was already cooking, as always. The food would be ready soon, she knew from experience, but she grabbed a few nuts from the bowl in the kitchen anyway. Nuts are healthy.

"The car is still making that strange noise", she munched, opening the fridge. She picked one of the puddings that were always in the house now. She ate it standing up, explaining him the various moments at which the car produced the noise.

Once done with her pudding she went to the living room and plopped down on the couch. On a small tab next to her side of the couch was a medium bowl with M&M's. She took a handful and started munching from them while scrolling through her Facebook feed.

Boring. She grabbed the remote from the coffee table in front of her. Next to the remote stood a bowl with sugar coated peanuts. She grabbed a handful of those, eating them while flipping through the TV channels.

The snack bowls had slowly appeared in her life. She had come home one day, hungry, and he put out a bowl of nuts in the kitchen. Another time, during movie night, she was in for something sweet, and he placed a bowl of M&M's next to her. There even was a bowl of peanuts next to her bed, from when she had the munchies after a night of drinking.

The bowls appeared on those specific occasions, but never went away. Their contents never went down either. Before she would come home, he refilled them to their original line every day. Changing her environment like that, she had gone from a sporadic snacker to mindlessly eating all the time.

A YEAR LATER

She finished the slice of pizza she had put in the microwave just as he came home.

She'd been laid of 2 months ago. "Incompatibility with team members", they said. Incompatibility my ass. Yes, incompatible in size. The clients loved looking at pretty young things. Thin things. At 210 lbs she was hardly thin, and not getting any thinner. Now, only 2 months later, she was already slightly over 220 lbs.

"Hi hon", he kissed her gently, let his hands wander of her protruding belly. "How was your day? Did you had enough food?"

He made sure she wasn't lacking anything. Food within arm reach. Slices of pizza ready to microwave. Rich freezer meals like macaroni and cheese.

She smiled up at him. "More than enough, babe -- I just finished the slice of pizza. Had a sandwich earlier. Watched the last episode of Stranger Things and I can't believe.... What?"

He was looking sternly at her.

"Just a slice of pizza and a sandwich? What did you have on the sandwich?"

"Some cheese, didn't feel like ma...."

He was shaking his head. "Look, this isn't working like that. I don't mind working for us, and doing the food and everything, but the least you can do when I come home, is make sure you had the food I put out"

She looked discouraged. "But ... I'm already 220.... And the amount of food you put out for me in a day is...."

"No.", he interrupted her, "I'm going to feed you a double portion of your large bowl of ice cream now, to make up for the calories you lost today, but tomorrow when I come home, you're done with the food I put out for you. You're the stay-at-home wife, your task normally would be to do the household and everything, but the only thing I ask you to do instead is to make yourself beautiful for me. Other women would kill to have it this easy."

He came back in, with the ice cream. As he start to spoon it into her mouth she asks, "are you serious"

Gentler now he replies. "Yes....I love you. You're beautiful. But you know how crappy work days can be" -- oh god does she remember! -- "and you know how happy it makes me when you eat well"

"OK", she promises, "I'll make the effort for you then"