LMLD Ch. 9 Draft

Hi all! It's been a minute since I posted, and I am not quite done with the next LMLD chapter or the other story I've been working on (thanks to a submission to the Prompt Pool!), but I wanted to share the draft of the chapter before the month is out. Consider this an insight into my process! 

I would also love to use the comments of this story to get some thoughts on what kinds of stories you would like to hear me read! I am still a bit out from actually recording anything, but it's definitely on my mind and something I want to do sometime in the spring. If any of my shorter pieces or one-shots are something you would like to hear an audio version of, I would love to know!

***

“You just seem so happy,” Claire beamed from her end of Veronica’s couch. Her cheeks were tinged a little pink thanks to the couple beers she’d had.

Veronica couldn’t help but smile. She was happy. She was three months into her career as a food critic and genuinely loved the job. It wasn’t even that she was getting paid to eat (though she’d be fibbing if she said that wasn’t a top-tier perk); it was that she liked to write about it. If you’d told her in high school she would be excited to flip open her laptop and spend hours staring at her screen and typing and thinking, she would’ve laughed. It wasn’t something she could see for herself. But then, she’d imagined herself as a pro athlete, and look how that (hadn’t) worked out.

The solid pay and resulting stability were nice, too. She’d moved into a new apartment that was closer to work. It was nicer than her previous place, and more spacious–two good-sized bedrooms, a full kitchen, a balcony that overlooked the river running through the heart of the city. She took time on the weekends to visit estate sales, looking for statement furniture to populate her apartment with, leaning into the eclectic persona of a critic and culinary enthusiast. The couch she and Claire were sitting on was a piece she’d snatched up for practically nothing.

The whole family had been happy to know Veronica was doing better than ever, but Claire had begged for the chance to stay over during spring break and see her big sister’s new apartment. And now, here they were, curled up on the couch in their pajamas, sipping spiked hot chocolate topped with thick dollops of canned whipped cream and mini marshmallows.

“I’m pretty damn happy,” Veronica answered, taking a sip of her drink. So happy, in fact, that she’d only been a little concerned about how much bigger Claire seemed than the last time she saw her. It was hard to guess how much she weighed given how short she was, but Veronica guessed she was somewhere around 150 pounds these days, with a discomfiting amount of that going straight to her gut. Now that she had a better handle on her own life, though, she was able to reserve her judgment, promising herself she wouldn’t say a peep about it.

Not that you have much room to judge anyway, she thought to herself as she tugged at the bottom of her pajama top. She was the type of girl who slept in matching sleep sets, the kind with button-up shirts as tops. It was a little old-fashioned, but she liked that she could be fancy and comfortable. That evening, though, she was feeling a little jealous of Claire’s stretchy tank top and fleece pajama pants. They looked a lot more… accommodating than her own PJs. Which wasn’t the clothes’ problem, really, but her own.

Claire had taken note of her older sister’s discomfort, and the pudginess causing it. It had been a bit of a surprise to see her at the train station that evening: Veronica, with her edges softened. She hadn’t been busting out of her clothes or anything close to it, but when they hugged, there was a little squishiness to her that hadn’t been there before. Veronica had always been tall and muscular. Sturdy and substantial, but athletic, without much fat on her. Now, she had a hint of a tummy pooch and a little bit of a booty on her, her sleep shorts digging in to new softness on her thighs and riding up.

Claire, as the baby of the family, tended toward gentleness. Unlike her older sisters, who had been so eager to pounce on her for putting on a little weight, she was usually one to let things go. But seeing Veronica tug her shirt down for the dozenth time that night, the little flush of realization and accompanying denial… well, it put Claire in the mood for a little sisterly revenge.

“So, it seems like work is going really well,” Claire said. “I mean, it’s clear the food in town is good, at least.” She gave Veronica an innocent smile before taking a lick of the whipped cream mountain floating in her mug.

Veronica made a face that was a mixture of hurt and surprise. Claire had never been one for cruel jabs, especially not on topics she was so sensitive about. But that’s what that was, wasn’t it? Claire was poking fun at her for gaining weight. Veronica was indignant, sitting up a little straighter. But she needed to be a good big sister. Take the high road. “I’ve gotten to try a lot of different things,” she replied. “All part of the job.”

Claire was a little put out that Veronica didn’t take the bait, but even the Bailey’s in her hot chocolate wasn’t enough to coax her into trying again. She was a guest in Veronica’s home, after all, and she loved her big sister, even if she was getting too plump for her PJs. “What’s been your favorite so far?”

At that, Veronica lit up, eager to forget Claire’s attempted insult. “It’s so hard to choose! The food scene here is so much more vibrant than you’d think,” she began. She told Claire about all the different restaurants she wanted to take her to while she was visiting. She had a whole food tour of the city planned. Veronica felt a little guilty that her plans were almost entirely focused on eating, especially with Claire’s continued weight struggles so apparent. Maybe she should’ve planned for them to go to museums or just walk around and go sightseeing. But Claire was rapt with attention as she told her about all the foods she just had to try before she went home.

It was spring break, Veronica reasoned. Was it so bad if she spoiled her sister a little while she was visiting?

***

Three days later, the pair had hardly left the house. Claire had been tired after her hours of train travel, and Veronica still had to turn in her latest review, so they’d ordered takeout the first day. The convenience of having food brought straight to them, with no futzing around with bus or metro schedules or weather or even putting on real pants, was easy to give into. They had ordered way too much food for every meal, each of them wanting to make sure Claire got to enjoy the wide variety available.

Being comfortably inside and in stretchy clothes meant Claire and Veronica both ate more than their fill, bellies not even completely empty by the time their next meal arrived at the door. It was gluttonous behavior, they both knew, and even said aloud to each other, giggling as they scarfed down more than was reasonable. Each of them figured they would get out the next day and actually walk around and enjoy the city.

Then, they did the same thing for a second day in a row. Both of them were still stuffed and sluggish after the day before, and both of them shrugged and took the path of least resistance. They were enjoying each other’s company, and maybe it was a little silly to spend Claire’s break cooped up in Veronica’s apartment, but really, were either of them complaining? (Or, complaining about anything other than too-full bellies, anyway?) The food kept coming, they kept eating (and eating), and another day seemed to fly by in a haze of food coma naps and the crunch of antacids to try and ease the discomfort of digesting everything they’d consumed.

The morning of the third day, Veronica swore she actually, actually needed to write, and left Claire mostly to her own devices. Claire went out in the morning, deciding she would wander and explore Veronica’s neighborhood. She returned with a huge box of boutique donuts. “I was only planning to get maybe a half-dozen, but they had so many interesting ones that I couldn’t choose just six!”