Myre's thoughts swam and swirled. For much of the morning she admired herself in the mirror while repeating Evan's magical words in her head. 'You look so cute when you're stuffed.' He really said it! With his hands pushing on this chubby belly of mine. He said it! Myre rubbed the sides of her stomach where his hands were the night before. It was their first time having sex, but instead of the act, all she could think about were his allusions and his grasp.
While brushing her hair and her teeth, her thoughts percolated. What next? I need to keep it up. Everything. It has to keep going! His comments. Me eating so much. My growth... I know he wants more. How could he not? Look how cute I'm getting! And no way he likes me just a little chubby or something. He was staring at Rachel's belly so hard! Oh my gosh he saw all my fatty portraits too! Breathe Myre. He thinks you're attractive. That's great! You just need to keep eating and flirting. That's all. You've got this! She rinsed her mouth out, then ran her fingers along the crease below her belly. 'You look so cute when you're stuffed.' She repeated his words in her mind again with a smile.
Later, around lunch she texted Evan. "I'm so so so so happy about last night! I had a great time! I really really hope I was good enough for you. Nice enough. Gentle enough. Sexy enough ;)"
His response came a few minutes later as she was tallying cleaning supplies down in her shop. "I can't stop thinking about you. Last night was... Let's say it was the best night I remember. Every time I see you it's so clear I made the right move in talking to you. Sorry it took so long for this message. I'm so overwhelmed with how happy I am."
Myre drummed her hands on the counter as she read the message and squealed with happiness. "You're the best! I always worry that when you leave that I'll have done something silly to turn you off."
"Nonsense. I doubt you could do anything at this point to turn me away. Well. I guess I could imagine some things, but it would be so out of character for you that it's not even worth considering."
"Should I not reference my collection of tarantulas then?" Myre stifled her laughter as if Evan could hear her through her text.
"Your what..."
"I'm kidding! But seriously. There are some big spiders in the rafters. I try to keep it clear of webs but I keep some around to kill bugs. I guess they're kind of my pets?"
"I only have my dog Kira. She kills bugs too. But she's probably not as good at it as your spiders. I don't think she likes the taste. She bits them, then spits them out and barks at them. Maybe she's just scolding it for attacking me."
"Kira! Now that we've done it at my place, I need to come over some time and meet her!"
"I guarantee you Kira will be jealous of you. That might be another reason she attack those spiders. Jealousy."
"She should be jealous ;). But I'll just have to come over a lot so she gets used to me. I'll bring treats too."
"I'd be happy to have you try... I hope you won't be disappointed if she's too grumpy around you..."
"I won't know unless I try, right? I want to see you so soon. Maybe I can spend the night some time? I know you have work and what not, but I promise I can get you to sleep quick."
"I'd really like that. How does tomorrow night sound? I'll have to leave early but I'd love to wake up next to you again."
"Done. No question about it." She texted without hesitation. "What do we want to do? Anything special? Maybe we can just stay in. Have a lazy night with each other? Maybe pizza?"
"That sounds great."
It was that easy. Their next date was planned.
***
By a miracle of willpower, Myre got back to work. Next on her list was to go over her finances. Things are looking very well. Those bonuses from Lucas and Rachel leave plenty of buffer. Even my indulgences haven't really touched it. Maybe I should hire that employee. What do they need to do. Cleaning? Serving? I can handle all the production. It will be nice to have someone to tend to customers though. Or even just to clean up a bit. How many hours... A full time worker wouldn't fit. But a half timer would fit just within this extra buffer. Cool!
Even though it was something new to her, the hiring service proved it was effortless to use. Within an hour she had an application on posted on the internet. Another hour later she had a couple resumes in her inbox.
She wasn't eager to look at them quite yet. There was work to do setting fresh ice cream to be churned.
Putting the money that Cozca provided to use made it so Rachel was fresh in Kelri's mind. Their last meeting where they touched each others bellies and encouraged each other was also fresh. With eager thoughts of round bellies she texted Rachel.
"Hey Rachel. This is Myre. How're you doing?"
"Good." Rachel didn't apply beyond that.
Myre waited a minute, then texted back. "Hey there. I just posted an application on line to hire a part timer to help with the shop. It's because of your generosity that I can afford it this summer. And I just really wanted to say thank you for the business. And for the help! It should make things easier around here."
"Oh! Of course! Cozca is generous to its associates. Do you need Lucas to help with finding someone?"
"Oh! No! I already have applications coming in. I should probably at least give those people a chance before I need to poach someone with your boyfriend."
"Gotcha."
Myre waited a few more minutes. Despite the silence, she wasn't done talking. "Hey there. So how is that ice cream going? Is it good?"
"Hah. It's going great. I've been really fattening up from it. I never thought when i asked you to make some fattening ice cream that you would deliver so well. Thanks for filling the order for Lucas. Consider me a big fan."
"I've had people compliment my ice cream a lot. But I've never had people thank me for it making them gain weight. It's strange. But I'm glad you like it =)"
"It's doing wonders. Tell me though, how is your belly doing? It's been two weeks, and I'm curious."
The topic excited her. She couldn't stop herself from rambling out a message. "My belly is doing really good! My boyfriend - I have a boyfriend now - he told me that I looked cute when I'm stuffed. And I can't stop thinking about it. My belly is doing really well."
"Then you need to hold onto him. Assuming he's not an asshole of course. Unrelated, do you want to come over sometime this week?"
Myre cocked her head. "What for?"
"Just to hang out. I'll be halfway done with the ice cream probably, and I thought you might want to see what you've done to me. Hah. But we can just chill out. Gossip. Maybe watch something."
"I know you. You have something else in mind."
"Well, I hope my gluttony will rub off on you some more. Or maybe it will inspire you. I just want to push you along."
"Well... It couldn't hurt. I think I'll take you up on that. I'll make time!"
Myre was excited for the future. She'd get to see a real belly again soon and she'd get to test Evan's appreciation more. It was shaping up to be an exciting week.