Mushrooms

"Relax," I said soothingly, standing up and going to her. "It's alright. I know what I looked like before. It's a huge difference."

She seemed happy with that and looked down at her body again. "I can't stop squeezing them!" She did just that, cupping breasts that her small hands now only just covered.

"I can't blame you," I murmured as I watched. My dick had decided to address Maisy's display, lifting to point at her. She noticed, of course, and brazenly took hold of it.

"It's thicker," she observed as she lightly stroked me. I groaned at the sensation. "And a bit longer, too."

"Are we alone?" I managed to ask as rampant lust crashed through me. To my disappointment, she shook her head, sending her dark tresses swaying.

"No," she replied. "April and Becca are downstairs. I just wanted to see you quickly to show you what happened overnight."

"I'm glad you did," I said truthfully, giving her a quick kiss. Remarkable how natural that felt already. "But you should get going until it's safe for us to be together."

"Okay," she said absently. Her eyes were on my dick again, on her hand on my dick. I had to gently pry her fingers free and pick up her towel for her.

"I'm guessing the horniness hasn't abated?" I asked wryly. I didn't need the shake of her head to know the answer. "Me, too. We'll have to just deal with it for now, though." She didn't look happy about it, but she gave her assent as she wrapped the towel around herself again. "Oh," I added as an afterthought. "Maybe wear heavier clothes around the girls until we work out what's what. They're probably going to notice the Duncan twins have had a growth spurt, if you know what I mean." I waggled my finger back and forth at her chest, making her giggle.

"Makes sense," she agreed before pecking my lips. "I'm going now, but don't make me wait too long, okay? I want to fuck before work."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I replied as she cracked the door and checked the hallway before slipping out. Left alone again, I threw on some shorts and grabbed a towel of my own. It was time for a shower; all that sweat had me feeling a little funky.

The upstairs bathroom was right next to my room, so soon enough I was standing under a steamy rain of hot water, sighing in satisfaction. As I showered, my mind turned over the last forty-eight hours furiously. I found myself wishing I had a scientist friend, or at least someone who had an interest in science whom I trusted that could help with these mushrooms. What should I do? Did anyone else know about the cave? Was it some secret government experiment that we'd stumbled upon by accident? Were spooks in dark suits and glasses likely to turn up any moment and take Maisy and I away for study or punishment?

I went cold at that thought, then I dismissed the idea as foolish; governments did not conduct experiments in national parks where anyone could go. Take it easy, Brian, I told myself. One day at a time. The thing was, even if these mushrooms did belong to someone else, I was reluctant to give up the immense benefits they'd already made to my life, even in two days. Thoughts of my recent sexual exploits with Maisy soon had me excited again, and I had little choice but to take myself in hand to relieve the building pressure.

The bathroom door came open as I had my back to it. I turned, Maisy's name already on the tip of my tongue as I prepared to berate her. Why is she risking the others finding out? Why can't she just- What I'd intended to say died on my lips as I saw Becca standing there, mouth open, hand frozen on the door handle, her eyes locked to my waist where my hand was still involuntarily stroking.

I paused, but made no effort to cover myself; what was the point? She already knew what I was doing. A long, pregnant moment passed, but as I opened my mouth to say something -- what, I had no clue -- Becca stammered an apology and fled, forgetting to close the door. Grumbling at having to leave the warm water, I closed it and returned to my shower, shaking my head ruefully. "That is not going to help things at all," I muttered into the spray. "I'm going to have to do something to make her feel better, but what?"

Sighing, I turned off the water and went to the towel rack to dry off. Why didn't I just lock the door? I asked myself, frustrated. Once dressed again, I headed downstairs to see Maisy in the kitchen -- wearing all her clothes, this time; a pair of denim shorts and a light jumper that left the shape of her upper body vague -- humming a tune as she prepared what looked like waffles over the stove.

"Hey," I greeted her as I took a seat at the island bench. "You see Becca?"

"Yeah," she replied as she turned to regard me. "She just blew out of here like a red-haired whirlwind. Didn't say where she was going or why. What's up?" Suddenly her eyes narrowed. "What happened this time?" she asked suspiciously.

I explained, and Maisy rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were quirked in a smile. "How much did she see?"

"Pretty much everything," I said as I got up and went to the fridge. I started gathering up the necessary ingredients for salami sandwiches and putting them on the bench behind me; I pretty much lived on sandwiches whenever I could. "There was an awkward silence, then she bailed. I was hoping to speak to her to try and smooth things over, but she's gone now."

"I'll speak to her," Maisy offered. "I still haven't since she asked you out. I'll set her straight."

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye as I buttered some bread. "You'll be nice about it, right?"

"Yep. It's like I said, I like this house and the people in it. I don't want to lose Becca. Besides," she added as she pointed at me with a wooden spoon that threatened to drip waffle batter onto the floor. "Her parents own this house. We need to look after her if we want to keep living here."

She had a point. At that moment, April strolled into the kitchen, making noises about how hot it was. My eyes were pulled to her immediately. Nearly six feet tall and gorgeous, April had the face and body of a Swedish magazine model and knew how to dress it for maximum effect. She was dressed in a short white skirt that left most of her long legs bare, and a tight white sports top that displayed her flat, tanned midriff. She wasn't wearing a bra beneath -- she didn't seem to like them -- and her generous breasts bounced lightly as she walked. Her bright blue eyes were hidden by the big, fashionable sunglasses she had on, but I knew they would have barely glanced at me. I hardly existed as far as April was concerned. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail that hung to the middle of her back.

"Hey!" Maisy greeted as April went to the window to look out at the pool. "How was tennis?" April was bending forward over the bench slightly as she peered out the window. My eyes were drawn to where her skirt rode up enough to show the lower edge of her buttocks. A torrid flare of lust roared in me like deep-sea monster threatening to breach the surface, but I stuffed it down frantically. Christ, these mushrooms have got me acting like a rutting bronco!

"Hot!" April replied dramatically as she turned back, resting a hip against the bench. I quickly snapped my attention back to the preparation of my food. Had she noticed? "I'm going to take a dip, I think. The water looks good." I had the sudden desire to eat my sandwiches out on the patio where there was a good view of the pool; April liked bikinis. Small ones. Despite the fact I didn't really like her, nor her me, she was still hot.

"Good call," Maisy enthused. "I will probably do the same myself, later."

"I don't know how you can wear a jumper in this heat," the blonde remarked, fanning a hand in front of her face for effect. The thick gold bracelet on her wrist glinted in the light. "I'd go naked, if I could."

I forced myself not to picture that as I slapped large slices of salami onto the thick white bread. April seemed not to care about saying such things in front of me. She was ignoring me as she normally did. Not in a rude way, necessarily, just in a 'Brian and I don't really talk to each other' kind of way.

"Hey, those shorts are looking good on you, girl," April commented as she studied Maisy's denim cut-offs. "Have you been squatting or something?"

Maisy responded without hesitation as she focused on turning a waffle. She kept her back to April, though, her face hidden. "I sure have! Fifty a day for the past month!"

I released a breath I hadn't realised I was holding. Good answer, Maisy. Piling my sandwiches -- I'd made four again without even thinking about it -- I made for my room, but April's voice brought me to a halt.

"Don't say hello or anything, Brian," she said wryly, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "Rude."

Caught off guard, I muttered something that sounded apologetic and hurried out. Had she just been cheeky with me? Nah. Upstairs in my room, I got settled in front of my PC and began to work, putting Maisy and April out of my mind for a time.

The rest of the day moved along quickly; I caught up on all my work in a couple of hours and submitted some invoices for services rendered. I even found some time to play some games but couldn't really get into it; my mind was too preoccupied with the mushrooms. That, and I was horny. I doubted I would get Maisy alone today; she had to work this afternoon, and April was most likely hanging around by the pool and talking to one of her million friends on the phone -- her dad paid her way so she didn't have to work -- and Becca could be lurking around, so I didn't really want to leave my room.

With nothing else that really interested me -- even looking at porn seemed drab by comparison to sleeping with Maisy -- I set about using my newfound brain power to market my own business better. If I was going to be as efficient in future as I was yesterday and today, I could take on a few new clients quite easily. The intense focus fell over me almost right away and I lost myself in the clicking of keys and the flashing of websites as I blazed my way around the internet.

A social media post here. A paid ad there. A logo here. A tweak of my website's copy. On and on I went, until the sun was well down, and I was done. Pushing my chair away from the desk, I sighed. "Now to see what happens," I said with a confident grin.

Suddenly ravenous again, I headed downstairs to find the kitchen, lounge and patio deserted. Happy to be alone and at the same time feeling a little lonely, I busied myself with dinner. It was going to be hot dogs, tonight. I was not a healthy eater, by any stretch of the imagination. I ate dinner alone and watched a movie on the big TV -- provided by April's dad's credit card -- also alone before retiring to bed, wondering what tomorrow had in store for me.

***

Day Three. Tuesday.

I bounded from my bed as soon as I woke and leaped to my mirror to see what amazing changes had again transpired overnight, but I was sorely disappointed. I looked the same as I had before going to sleep! No more weight loss, muscle toning, or increase in height. Crestfallen, I turned my body to get a look at my backside, but it was the same.

"Damn it," I muttered, slapping my belly and watching it ripple slightly. What did this mean? Had the benefits of the mushrooms now run their course? Is this all that I was going to get? A soft knock at my door prompted me to pull some shorts on, but Maisy entered before I was done, quietly coming inside.

"I didn't change," she said sadly as she stood in front of my mirror in the same grey gym gear as yesterday, turning this way and that to study herself.

"Neither did I," I admitted as I pulled on a shirt. I suddenly felt self-conscious around her.

"Do you think that's it?" she asked, reflecting my own fears back to me. "Is it over?"

I shrugged. "Impossible to say. We still don't know anything, really. Maybe we should wait?" My brain felt a little slower than yesterday, my thinking duller.

Maisy chewed her lip for a moment. "We know where the cave is."

I raised my eyebrows. "You want to go back?"

"Don't you? If it means we can change more? I want more Brian. I've never felt so good as the last two days. Have you?"

"Well, no," I said quickly. "But Maise, we might have just gotten lucky last time. What if these things are super poisonous, or addictive? What if they're killing us?"

"What if they're not?" she countered. "What if they're beneficial, and making us healthier, better versions of ourselves?"

I scoffed. "Come on, Maise." It was an effort to keep my voice low. "Are you telling me that you made better decisions after being in that cave? Tell me you would have slept with me otherwise." She coloured at that and dropped her gaze for a moment.

"Well, maybe not," she said tentatively. "But I'm not sorry it happened." She lifted her eyes to mine again, but this time they flared with a light of challenge. "Are you?"

I threw up my hands. "Of course not! I've always liked you! I just can't help but think it wouldn't have happened without those bloody things in that cave!"

Maisy suddenly looked ashamed. "I knew you liked me," she confessed. "I just... I didn't... I'm sorry, Brian, for putting you through all that."

I waved it away, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it," I said in a gentler tone. "I'm not exactly what girls consider a catch, you know?"

Maisy chuckled. "I know what you mean." When I frowned at her, confused, she explained. "You think I've had an easy time with guys? I'm not exactly built to draw the eye, you know." She gestured to her body with both hands. "Well, at least I wasn't."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You were always pretty. And you're smart and funny. What guy wouldn't want you?"

"The guys I liked!" she wailed in a hushed voice. "I like sporty, outdoorsy, adventurous guys!" Her face grew somber. "But they never liked me. I could never get a second or third date with them. And almost everyone I slept with never called me or returned my messages." My heart went out to her. From the sounds of it, she didn't have a guy problem; she had a self-image problem. I kept that to myself, of course. "I just thought that if my body changed a bit," she continued, "then I would have better luck finding someone good for me."

I looked at Maisy for a long moment. She was so vulnerable, so fragile. I'd never seen this side of her; she was always so bright and chirpy. I guess everyone has a part of themselves they like to hide. "Alright," I said suddenly.

"Alright what?" she asked, a hopeful expression creeping across her face.

"Let's go back to the cave. Let's be honest; you would have gone without me, anyway."

Maisy opened her mouth as if to protest, but then stopped. "Yeah," she confessed with a sheepish grin. "I probably would have." She pecked me on the cheek in thanks and exited my room, leaving me to prepare for another hike. A quiet voice spoke up in the back of my mind as I got ready. She never said anything about how she felt about you.

It doesn't matter, I told the voice firmly. The decision is made. She likes me, or she doesn't. The world will keep spinning. But I was kidding myself. Physical and mental improvements aside, I was going back to the cave for Maisy.

*

The way up the mountain was easier this time. I was lighter and somewhat stronger, and Maisy had not lost anything in the way of agility or strength, though she complained a few times that she felt a bit heavier. I complained not a whit as I followed her shapely bottom up the trail. After about two hours we stopped halfway up at a lookout point, a wooden platform built on the side of a cliff that offered a brilliant view of the rainforest below. To my pleased surprise, Maisy kissed me, there, and thanked me again for doing this for her.

We found the waterfall with only a little backtracking and searching, and the cave was still there behind the roaring curtain of water. Once inside, that smell hit our noses just like before, pungent and powerful. In moments, we were peeling our clothes off and pawing at each other, desperate to be joined again. Sex with Maisy had been wonderful at home, but it was tenfold better when under the direct effect of the mushrooms. My brain exploded with a million tiny lights as I entered her, as if my whole body was alight with electricity.

I felt amazing. Ecstatic. Euphoric. I made love to Maisy a dozen times in as many ways without stopping, without growing tired, right there on a bed of thick, soft moss on the cave floor. Her eyes glowed, reflecting the blue light all around us, and she whispered my name over and over again as her body undulated beneath me, often clenching up as she came before spurring me on anew. Eventually, we ran out of steam and slept.

I opened my eyes later - I didn't know how long since I'd closed them, but I suspected it had been many hours -- to find Maisy gone. Panicked, I surged to my feet, but relaxed when I saw her slowly walking along a nearby wall, stopping to study the clusters of mushrooms as she passed them. When I went to her, she smiled at me and took my hand, threading her fingers through mine.

"They're soft," she told me as she brushed her fingers lightly against the cap of a mushroom that stuck out from the cave wall. One of a small cluster, the flat bell-shaped head emitted a glow that bathed our bodies in pale blue light. "And look." She held up her finger to show they sparkled where she'd touched it. The sparkles faded after a few seconds. "What do you think would happen if we ate one?"

"I don't know," I said slowly, a little wariness creeping through my high. "But I think maybe we should wait till we know more before we try that, yeah?" She nodded but kept studying the fungi, fixated. I could see why; there was something unearthly about their blue glow, something hypnotic. I touched one myself and felt a pleasant tingling in my fingertips. "Let's jump in the pool and clean off, hey?" I suggested, gently pulling at Maisy's hand to lead her away. She followed readily enough until we were at the water's edge, just like last time.

"Brian," she said quietly. "You really do like me, don't you?"

I turned to face her. In the glow around the pool, her fine-featured face looked perfect. Beautiful. "Yes."

"I brought you hiking the other day because Troy pulled out at the last minute," she told me, her eyes big and earnest. "But I'm glad he did, and I'm glad you came. I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else."

Her confession came not as a surprise, but it was still nice of her to admit it. Troy was someone she was interested in, or at least had been. "Even one of your sporty, adventurous guys?" I asked teasingly.

I felt a surge of emotion when she shook her head. "No. I think this happened between us because it was meant to. Don't you?"

In answer, I kissed her.

*

It was well after nightfall when we emerged from the cave. We had prepared for a descent in the dark this time, bringing torches instead of wasting phone battery. When we finally made it home it was almost midnight, and both Becca's and April's cars were in the driveway. The former a modest white Toyota sedan, the latter a Porsche Boxster convertible in black. Maisy's blue Ford hatchback was there, too, as we'd taken my clunky old Ford Fairmont; an old and worn, yet reliable machine. Reliable for the most part, anyway.

I shut off the engine and sat for a moment, looking at the house. The front windows were all dark, which was a good sign. Hopefully Becca and April were in bed. I looked down at my leg, where Maisy's tiny fingers were still entwined with mine; we'd held hands the whole trip home. "You ready?" I asked her.