Turn 2 of 6

Enjoy your smoothie date with Mara, she is enamored with you and you flirt with her right back. After all you've always had an open relationship with fat and the fairer sex, why wouldn't you share that with your new bestie? You take the opportunity in the date to openly play with your fat, seeing Mara's cheeks blush as you compliment her fat body, and order the two of you enough food for four

The smoothie place is called Blendz, and it smells like caramel and warm peanut butter and synthetic vanilla, and you float through the door like you own it. The guy behind the counter doesn't recognize you — why would he? — but he watches you order four large smoothies, two muffins, and a slice of lemon cake with the kind of quiet astonishment that makes you feel powerful. You carry the tray to the corner booth yourself, hips brushing both sides of the narrow aisle, and slide in across from Mara with a satisfied sigh that makes the whole booth creak.

Mara has barely touched her smoothie. She's been watching you all afternoon with an expression you can't quite read — something between fascination and guilt — but when you grab the hem of your tank top and hike it up just enough to let your belly rest freely on your thighs, a flush climbs her neck. You catch it immediately.

"Oh, you like?" you say, cupping the warm soft mass of your stomach with both hands and giving it a gentle bounce.

"I *live* for this. Like, why would anyone want a six-pack when you could have this? It's literally a built-in pillow."

She laughs, but it's shaky, and her eyes stay on your hands. You lean forward, your breasts pooling on the table's edge, and reach across to poke her arm.

"Don't sell yourself short, babe. You've got gorgeous arms. And your hips? To *die* for. If I had your curves I'd never wear sleeves again." Mara's blush deepens to a shade of red you find absolutely adorable. She opens her mouth, closes it, and takes a long sip of her smoothie to buy time.

You tear into the lemon cake with your fingers, licking icing off your thumb, and the pleasure hits you like a warm wave — not just the sugar, though that's wonderful too, but the whole moment. The booth, the company, the way Mara can't stop glancing at your body and then looking away like she's been caught.

"You know what I think?" you say, crumbs on your chin, grinning wide.

"I think we should be best friends. I think the universe *put* us together. You've got this whole dark-and-mysterious thing going, and I've got —" you gesture down at yourself, laughing — "all of *this.* We'd be iconic."

Mara finally meets your eyes. Something complicated moves behind them — a door opening, or maybe closing. She sets her smoothie down carefully.

"Jaqui," she says, quietly. "Can I ask you something weird?"

"Babe, I'm *weird.* Hit me." You suck icing off your ring finger and wait, beaming.