Fattened in France: Chapter 5

Eager to return to France, Zach packed his bags well in advance. He was sick of the tiny flavorless meals his parents would serve. He was sick of getting comments on his weight from friends and family. He was sick of not enjoying food and sex with Victor. His experience with Aiden had left a sour taste in his mouth and Zach was feeling all around hostile to everyone around him. The initial self consciousness of his weight gain had dissolved into bitterness towards the fact that people felt entitled to discuss and criticize his body.

“Bye Dad,” Zach said, “I’m heading out now. Mom is gonna drop me at the airport.”

“I’ll miss you son,” he said wrapping Zach in a hug. “Check your email. I bought you that gym membership at a spot close to your apartment out there. You’ll feel a thousand times better if you shed some of that belly fat, I promise.”

“Thanks.”

Jacob was next and embraced Zach with his muscled arms.

“Have fun big brother. I’ll visit in the summer. Love you.”

Zach and his mom headed to the garage and piled into her car. Each bump on the highway sent reverberations through Zach’s belly perched beneath his hoodie. He resisted scratching the stretch marks along his underbelly in order to avoid any comments from his mom. The sensation of his jiggly and itchy body triggered fantasies of his reunion with Victor; what they would do, what they would eat, the softness of the Frenchman’s skin. Zach’s reveries dissipated as they arrived at the gate.

“I love you sweetie,” his mom began. “I’m sorry if we hurt your feelings but we just want to see you healthy and for this gut to go away,” she thwacked the top of his belly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It was great seeing you.”

Zack grabbed his suitcase from the car and headed inside the airport. He checked his bag and stood in line at TSA, removing his hoodie and shoes as he approached the front of the line. His paunch felt prominent with his hoodie off and he admired how the two men in front of him were similarly thick. It was nice being around fellow fatties. As he stood in the full body scanner with his arms raised overhead he felt a distinct rush of air graze his underbelly. Sure enough, his furry pillowy gut was on full display, fresh stretch marks and all.

Making his way to the gate seemed to take an eternity and by the time he arrived he was out of breath. With twenty minutes to spare before take off he bought a Big Mac and large fries to snack on. Zach loved people watching at the airport and noticed that in the far corner of his gate was a very fat man also chowing down on McDonald’s. Zach wondered if that would be his future, but was skeptical he’d ever be that obese.

When it came time to board the plane, Zach was pleased to see that the large man was on his flight. He studied him closely. The man looked puffed up like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, his pale skin fluffy with fat. Still young, his massive belly and fat rolls did not sag but bounced like ebullient clouds. His clothes fit well, not too tight, not too large, and showed off his fleshy form in all its glory.

He walked with a slight waddle, thick thighs clearly rubbing together inside his denim pants. The man looked well put together, besides a small grease stain at the collar of his shirt from the McDonald’s, and held himself with a confidence that Zach admired. As he disappeared inside the plane Zach secretly hoped they’d be seated near each other.

Sure enough, their seats were side by side. Zach’s face lit up as he realized this and he quickly became nervous. After a week of fat shaming Zach had become obsessed with the notion of weight gain and extra chub and something about the confident blubbery man before him was incredibly enticing. It was like he was meeting his high school crush, only this was merely a stranger he’d never spoken to before.

“I think that’s uh… my seat,” Zach said to the juicy stranger.

“Oh, sure thing,” the man said and struggled to stand from the aisle seat.

As the overweight passenger unwedged himself from the constricting seat and forced his blubbery body upright he let out an exasperated grunt. As he shuffled into the crowded cabin his belly brushed against Zach’s own. Zach felt a pang of arousal and sheepishly grinned at his seatmate as he awkwardly hoisted his own weight into the constricting middle seat. People were beginning to stare at the awkward commotion of two large men navigating a cramped space, while the stranger grunted and shuffled his way back into his designated seat.