“Doughy” was relative.
On someone like Avery or Cheyenne, who seemed more than happy to absorb the loose pounds Brooke had been shedding, an extra ten-twentyish pounds didn’t make all that much of a difference. But on Riley’s professionally toned figure, one that had been sculpted and maintained over time, it was becoming incredibly hard for Brooke to ignore.
Riley still fit in amongst the sea of gym rats at Fitness Edge (Brooke would still kill to be Riley’s size), but as an employee, she was beginning to look slightly out of place.
Riley sucked on her straw and emptied the remaining dollop of whipped cream into her mouth. She tossed the empty cup into the nearby bin and pushed herself away from the table. As she did so, Brooke couldn’t help but notice the rapid changes that had befallen them.
Those chiseled biceps and toned forearms, the well-earned reward for countless days, weeks, years of bicep curls and push-ups, had been quickly swallowed up by an unseemly soft layer of pudge, her biceps having softened enough to pinch ever so slightly against the tight armholes of her purple lycra workout shirt.
“Just a sec, gonna grab a refill.” Riley grabbed her billfold from the table and stood up. As she stood, Brooke got a better look at her Gym Buddy’s physique.
Riley’s soft tummy, no longer completely rock-hard and concave, had lost its definition and had become noticeably more convex. It had began a gradual march outward towards the waistband of her gym shorts, with the bottom lip of her tummy having more and more luck overtaking the stretchy material with every passing day. Just above, her chest had gradually expanded as well, and while nowhere close to the sort of size that would distract from the rest of her gains, it was enough that Riley had had to size up out her old sports bra. Just below, her once-muscular legs had thickened, her thigh gap having evaporated as her legs hugged several inches down her thighs.
“You want anything while I’m up?”
“No thanks, I’m good.” Brooke held up her own drink, her watered-down iced coffee still rising up halfway inside the plastic cup.
“Suit yourself.” As Riley turned and walked back over to the counter, Brooke got a better look at Riley’s recently widened ass, still small compared to the likes of most fatasses who sought her help, but now noticeably untoned and more wobbly than she likely would have liked.
Brooke had thoroughly enjoyed their routine, and it’d helped to keep her honest with herself; being here with Riley and, consequently, spending less time with her besties/roommates had undoubtedly assisted her in staying on track, with Riley’s genuine support and socialization keeping her from feeling like she had to do this all on her own. Even without her literal support as a trainer, just having her around to cheer her on made her feel like she was doing everything right.
And, as far as Brooke could tell, Riley was enjoying their little hangouts just as much as she was. Not that she completely understood why someone so great found her so interesting to talk to, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth! No, Riley was just the positive influence she needed to counterbalance those other influences she was still living with, and a lot of that had been Riley’s dogmatic commitment to her own health.
From day one, these meets had inevitably included one sugary coffee as a reward for a day’s work, and usually half of a protein bar to keep her from getting hungry. However, as the weeks had passed, Brooke noticed Riley slipping in little caveats here and there…
“Ugh, I’m still wiped…hell, another cup’s not gonna kill me…”
“This protein bar’s fine, but…yeah, I’ve earned a muffin.”
The first time Riley had given herself a “little extra”, as she called it, Brooke had bit her tongue. Who was she to question a personal trainer when it came to what was “healthy” and what wasn’t? Obviously, she knew what she was doing, and it wasn’t like Brooke couldn’t relate to the idea of an occasional Cheat Day.
But looking down at the small pile of trash on the table, Riley had left behind “occasional” in favor of “every friggin’ day”; one coffee became at least two, and the promise of only one protein bar sort of spiraled out of control…
Riley plopped back down onto her chair, dropping a little paper bag down onto the table as she sipped her newest whipped-topped frappe.
“I know this is kinda bad, but….” Riley pulled the almond-topped pastry out of the bag and took a hearty bite out of it. “…I mean, there’s nuts on top, it’ll even out.”
Despite Riley’s transparent attempt to justify her indulgence, Brooke just nodded, watching as Riley chewed her treat and swallowed, chasing it with a hearty gulp of her drink. Her chewing betrayed yet another change in Riley…those cheeks were looking just a bit fuller, even accounting for the way she chipmunk’d her bites, and her defined jawline, while still present, was threatening to disappear under an encroaching inch of softness.
Brooke really didn’t want to be a bitch, but…maybe she should say something? Not like, ‘Hey, Riley, you’re blowing up, drop the croissant before you burst out of your shorts!’, but…she couldn’t just stand by and let her (best?) friend just fall off the wagon, right?
Riley took another huge bite out of the croissant and swallowed, rolling her eyes and moaning as she savored its taste. “Oh yeah, after the day I’ve had, I more than deserve this…”
“Tell me about it.”
“You too, huh?” Riley popped the last piece of pastry into her mouth and guzzled down another few chugs of coffee.
“Huh? No, like, tell me about it.”
“O-oh, right!’ Riley chuckled and sat back in her chair. “I mean, it’s whatever, just…the usual, y’know?”
“Yeah?…I mean, is that it?” Brooke didn’t mind sponging up Riley’s complaints, typically revolving around how the gym bros sucked, her boss was a dick, her mom was…frankly, kinda mean…any combination or all of the above was expected.
But looking up and down at Riley’s quickly softening form, Brooke doubted that was the end of it. Sure, Riley had a right to complain, but…that couldn’t be all…right?
“I mean, I don’t know…” Riley tapped her fingers against the side of her cup as she slouched into her chair.
“Spit it out.” Brooke sat up in her chair, all ears.
Riley paused, before continuing. “Honestly, all of this…” She gestured to Brooke and the room around them. “…hanging out with you, shootin’ the shit, all of it? It’s kinda the only thing keeping me going right now. Like, I’m fine!” Riley added at Brooke’s worried expression. “But I’m kinda gettin’ burnt out.”
“I guess that’s not all that surprising. I mean, you work your ass off in there five days a week…”
“Six.” Riley crumpled the croissant wrapper and tossed it towards the trash bin, missing by a few feet. “I’ve been picking up extra shifts, since my numbers have been trash for so long.”
“Damn, no wonder, then!” Brooke knew all about overtime all too well, but at least she got to sit on her butt when she got called in for the odd Saturday.
“And then…” Riley took a deep breath in, before exhaling and continuing. “Well, on top of all that…”
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