I Married a Chef: Chapter 1

“I just got back from lunch with my agent.” 

“Oh yeah? How did it go?” 

“She told me I’ve put on some relationship weight. I was like, ‘What do you expect? I married a chef!’” 

Elio leaned against the kitchen island causing his belly to bulge out against the cold granite. Raf glanced at the little bit of chub on his husband’s belly. He hadn’t noticed, but now that Elio mentioned it, he could tell his man had put on some weight. Raf didn’t mind though. In fact, he thought it looked good. 

“I think you look foxy,” Raf shrugged. 

“Tell that to casting directors. No one wants a chubby model anymore. The plus sized market is, ironically, shrinking.” 

Raf continued chopping garlic and didn’t respond. He was a quiet and steadfast man which is what Elio loved about him. Elio let the topic drop and wrapped his arms around his husband from behind, planting a kiss on the back of Raf’s neck. Raf had always been a stocky guy, unlike the svelte Elio, but when Elio placed his hands around Raf’s middle he realized they both had put on some weight. Raf felt paunchier than usual, especially around the love handles. 

“What are we having tonight?”

“A new pasta recipe I’m trying. White sauce, lots of cheese and pepper.”

Elio laughed, “I guess my diet starts tomorrow.” 

~

Elio returned to the apartment with a dark cloud over his head and a massive Starbucks frapp in his hand. The drink echoed as he slurped the final remnants of cream from the bottom of the container. Tossing the cup in the trash, he headed straight for the bedroom where Raf was reclined on the bed reading. Elio collapsed next to him in silence. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I got turned down for another job… They actually told me they’re not interested in plus sized models at this time.” 

Raf looked at his hubby sympathetically, and then pulled him in close for a cuddle. Elio rested his head on Raf’s meaty pectoral and sighed. He had been avoiding the reality of his weight gain for months. He was even cancelling in-person meetings with his agent because he knew exactly the feedback she would have for him. Elio simply loved food. He loved what his talented husband whipped up for them and wasn’t interested in dieting. In fact, Elio enjoyed his fuller form. He wasn’t even fat compared to the average American. 

With his head on his husband’s chest, Elio was in direct eyeline of Raf’s belly peeking out from behind an old T-shirt. Raf was lucky, he was expected to be chubby as a chef. Elio’s hand slid down and gripped a handful of Raf’s hirsute belly fat. It was soft and warm in his hands like fresh baked dough. It felt comforting. 

Elio draped a thigh over his man and moved in for a kiss. Raf tasted sugary sweet, like pastries. His scruff was growing out into a beard and scratched at Elio’s face delightfully as they made out. Each man grew an erection which they began grinding against each other’s puffed up bodies when Raf’s phone alarm began to go off. 

“What’s that?”

“I got brownies in the oven.”

~

Raf was always cooking up something new, or trying out new dishes from the restaurant on Elio. He would describe every process and flavor profile in great detail and Elio would listen with rapt attention. Elio enjoyed watching his husband’s face light up when talking about food and it enhanced his own appreciation. Living with a chef developed Elio’s own palette and vocabulary, heightening his appreciation for cuisine. 

The problem was that Raf liked rich food and had a larger appetite than Elio, and these tendencies were rubbing off. Plus, With each passing month Elio was turning into a bigger couch potato. He stopped going on auditions and spent all his time at home eating. He ate whatever Raf prepared, he ate the leftovers Raf brought home from work, and he ate take out when left to his own devices. Luckily, Elio had done a campaign for a popular watch company earlier in the year so he was able to live off that paycheck for some time. And since he wasn’t doing much with his free time lately, food became his primary focus. 

At home, Elio was mostly living in sweats and baggy T-shirts. He knew he was putting on weight but avoided this fact. He could tell his tummy was softer and his thighs were getting more difficult to cross. He even felt the slight crease between his pecs and chest deepen when he sat. Finally, he was forced to face the music when getting ready for a dinner with friends: none of his pants could button. No matter how much he sucked in and squeezed, he just couldn’t do it. Elio had too much belly in the way. 

So he dusted off the scale in the back of the cabinet and stepped up. He weighed 210 pounds, which was about a 40 pound gain from his peak modeling physique. Elio shook his head in disbelief. He knew he had porked up a bit, but 40 pounds? He could hardly fathom it. He knew he needed to hit the gym and he knew this wasn’t going to be easy to lose. But first, he had dinner reservations. 

“Hey babe,” Elio looked sheepishly at his husband, “I think I need to borrow a pair of pants.” 

Raf looked at his husband with a smile, then looked down at Elio’s adorably soft paunch poking forward. “I’m not surprised.” 

“Raf!” Elio blushed. “Is it that bad?” 

“No, it’s hot. Your ass bounces like crazy now. I’m into it.” 

~

When Elio returned from dinner with his friends he looked like a holiday ham. His face was flushed pink from alcohol and his belly was so distended you could see his belly button through his sweater. He was breathing heavily and belching when he collapsed into bed next to his husband. 

“You’ll never believe this,” Raf said.

“What?” Elio belched into his palm. 

“The owner of the restaurant referred me for a cooking competition show and I have an audition next week. Apparently the network has already had my food at the restaurant and says I’m a shoe-in.” 

“Babe, that’s wonderful!” 

“Is it? I’m not so sure how I feel about being in front of the camera.”

“You’ll do great. I’m sure everyone will fall in love with my handsome husband and I’ll be fighting away fans in no time.”