The Second Date

"Why pickle, though?" I asked.

"When my sister was little, she struggled with her name and kept saying it like nickel. So, our mom made up a little rhyme for her, and it just sort of... stuck."

"Please tell me you have one, too," I said, my grin widening. Rose's frosty glare told me that my intuition was right, and there was no way I was backing down. "Come on. What is it?" Rose's frown deepened for a bit, and I could practically see the mental conflict raging in her head. Finally, her features softened as she let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Ugh, fine! I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to laugh." I nodded reassuringly and mimed zipping my lips. Rose threw me a quick warning glare before she spoke up, and the words trickled out of her mouth in a reluctant half-grumble: "It's... Rosey... Posey." Her cheeks turned pink at the utterance, and she was clearly embarrassed, but true to my word, I stayed completely silent. She looked at me from across the table with a suspicious glare. After a few seconds of silence, she softened, and her next words came out in a disbelieving tone. "Wait... You're really not going to laugh?"

"Well, I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?" I said, with a bit of a shrug as I cracked a smile. After a moment, I added, "I think it's cute, Rose." Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and she was quiet for a moment, seemingly caught off guard as her cheeks turned crimson. I swear I saw her eyes turn green as she tore her gaze from me and ran a hand through her long white locks.

"I-it's not cute, it's embarrassing!" she finally said with a huff, her cheeks still flushed with heat. I just grinned at her; she was so adorable when she was all flustered.

A moment later, the waiter arrived at the table with our meals. He began setting out the dishes, starting with mine first. My eyes widened as I saw the amount of food on the plate; There was a veritable mountain of fries, and even the burger was bigger than I expected. One thing was certain - they definitely didn't skimp on the portion sizes there. I watched as the waiter carefully set Rose's food down in front of her. Her sandwich was even bigger than my burger, piled high with steak, onions, peppers, and melted provolone. Rose blushed as she hastily slid her plate over to make room for everything else as the waiter began to set her side dishes down. Though, to call them sides was a bit of a misnomer; the salad bowl took up nearly as much space as the entrée plate, and the salad contained within could almost have been a meal in and of itself. The bowl of soup was the smallest of the three dishes by far, but even then, it was still a lot of soup.

"Did you two need anything else?" the waiter asked, politely. I shook my head and threw a questioning glance across the table at Rose.

"Um, could I also have a glass of water and some lemons, please?" she said.

"Of course," he said, with a warm smile. "You two enjoy, and I'll be right back with your water!" With that, he rushed off, leaving us alone once again.

Rose gingerly slid the saucer with the teacup toward the middle of the table, followed by the kettle and the remaining honey packet. "You can have that back. You've barely touched that hot chocolate, and I... don't want to drink the tea that you ordered for yourself while you go without something to drink," she said. I felt heat rise in my cheeks; Cait never would have never bothered to do anything like that when we had gone out together. She was perfectly content to take whatever she wanted from me... and I was perfectly content to just... let her. I was happy as long as she was happy, after all, but Rose's kind gesture gave me pause.

"A-alright," I said, as I grabbed the cup of tea, brought it to my lips, and took a sip; it was thankfully still warm, and so much better than the hot chocolate. Rose smiled at me then, but the feeling of guilt inside me hadn't quite faded - I still felt bad that she had to give me my tea back. It really didn't matter at that point, though, since Rose had already ordered a glass of water for herself. I brought the kettle and honey over to my side of the table as well, doing my best to cast those thoughts aside as the delicious aroma of the burger and fries on my plate caused my mouth to water; it was at that point that I realized just how hungry I was. Across the table from me, Rose wasted no more time as she grabbed her sandwich and eyed it greedily. Shreds of steak and vegetables tumbled from it onto the plate as she raised it to her mouth and took a bite. A smile spread across her face as her eyes blazed like emeralds once again.

"That good, huh?" I asked, taking another drink from the cup of tea. Rose didn't answer; she just nodded and went in for another bite. I grabbed my burger to see what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, it was delicious for sure, but damn, it was messy. A huge glob of sauce spilled out of the back of the burger as soon as I bit into it, falling onto the plate and, more frustratingly, my hands. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I put the burger back onto the plate and grabbed my napkin to wipe my hands off. By the time I had finished cleaning myself up, Rose had finished nearly a third of her sandwich. She stopped eating as soon as she saw me looking her way, and color crept into to her cheeks as she gingerly placed it back onto her own plate.

"Sorry, I don't mean to pig out, but goddamn, this is good," Rose said, as she grabbed her napkin and daintily wiped her mouth with it.

"No, you're fine, Rose. I'm just glad you're enjoying it. My burger's super tasty, too," I said, as I grabbed the bottle of ketchup on the table and squeezed some out onto the plate for my fries. I picked up a fry and dipped it into the red pool, grinning at Rose all the while. "So, the way to your heart is through your stomach, then, I take it?"

"Well, it's not the only way," Rose said, punctuating the sentence with a wink and a devious grin. Heat blazed in my cheeks as my mind drifted back to the end of our date last week, and my dick responded in kind as it began to stiffen in my jeans. I quickly stuffed the french fry into my mouth and chewed in a desperate attempt to distract myself from my racing (and racy) thoughts. As it turned out, the fries were just as delicious as the burger was.

"A-anyway," I stammered, as I looked across the table at Rose, "you should, uh... try the fries. They're great, too," I said.

"Real smooth segue there, Matt," Rose said with a chuckle as our waiter came up to the table again and placed a glass of water and a small saucer of lemon wedges on the table in front of her. Next, he pulled a straw out of his pack and placed it on the table as well. Rose thanked him for the water before he shuffled off, then grabbed a couple of the lemons off the plate and squeezed them into her glass before swirling the water around with the straw. Finally satisfied, she took a long swig before nodding satisfactorily. I quickly polished off my cup of tea and prepared another cup. My eyes drifted across the spread sitting in front of Rose. She still had a lot of food left to eat. "Damn, I didn't know the portions would be this big," she said, after swallowing the bite she had taken. "I'm really hungry, but I'm not sure I'll be able to finish all of this. We'll see, I guess. Either way, at least I'll be able to change myself the rest of the way." For evidently being so unsure of finishing her meal, it was clear that she was going to give it her best shot; she attacked her sandwich with a renewed sense of determination. I picked up my burger and took another bite, taking care not to make a mess again. Rose's words got me thinking about something I was curious about.

"So, I've got another question about Pollies for you," I said as I set the sandwich back onto my plate.

"Shoot," Rose, said, between bites. Impressively, she was nearly done with the whole sandwich.

"How hard is it for you to maintain the changes you make to yourself?"

"Not very, as long as I'm careful about it," Rose answered. With that, she popped the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth and swallowed it before continuing. "It's actually pretty easy for Pollies to hold a given form indefinitely." A blaze of color crept into her cheeks as her gaze drooped down to her plate, where only the pile of fries remained. When she spoke up again, her voice was small: "I just fuck it up sometimes."

"Well, hey, nobody's perfect," I said, before taking another drink of my tea. "Like, earlier this week, I went to my morning class, and everyone kept staring at me the whole time. I had no idea why; turns out, I had come to class with my shirt on inside out like a dumbass."

"Nice," Rose said, with a weak smile. "I know that what happened last week was just a fluke, but I'm still pretty frustrated with myself."

"Well, you shouldn't beat yourself up over it," I said. "It all worked out, didn't it?"

"That it did," Rose said, with a nod, as she grabbed a fry and popped it in her mouth. I heard a joyful little mmmm escape her lips, and I couldn't help but smile at her; she was just so damn cute. She beamed back, and I felt the weight of her emerald-green eyes on mine, causing my cheeks to blaze with heat yet again.

"A-anyway, we should probably finish our food before it gets cold," I said sheepishly, breaking her gaze and turning my attention toward my plate. Rose nodded and went to work on the pile of fries on her own plate. At that point, the conversation took a backseat as we both focused on our respective meals. I finished my food before Rose did, and she insisted I try the soup and salad; unsurprisingly, they were also delicious. Despite her earlier doubts, she actually did manage to finish all of her food. When the waiter returned to check on us again, he asked us how we would be handling the bill. I offered to pick up the check, since Rose had paid for the cookies last week; thankfully, she didn't object. After the waiter left to get that sorted, Rose flicked her gaze toward me as she absentmindedly speared at the last remaining shreds of romaine at the bottom of her bowl.

"So... did you have any plans after this?" she asked. I shook my head. "I've been meaning to check out that new bookstore that just opened up recently. Did you wanna come with?"

"Oh, definitely!" I replied enthusiastically. It was the first time I'd heard of a new bookstore opening up nearby, and I was definitely interested in seeing what kinds of books they had - the pitifully small campus bookstore didn't exactly carry the most riveting reads. The fact that I'd get to spend more time with Rose was just icing on the cake.

It wasn't long before the waiter returned with the check. I paid in cash and made sure he got his tip before he left. He thanked us and walked off, leaving us free to go whenever we wanted.

"Whelp, shall we, then?" Rose asked me from across the table. I nodded, and she grabbed her bag from the floor before standing up. I followed suit, grabbing my jacket from the back of my chair and slipped it on. We both headed outside, and I grimaced as another gust of chilling wind hit us.

"Do you know where this place is?" I asked, as I zipped my jacket up.

"Yeah. It's not too far away. It's pretty close to Night Owls, actually. I think we passed it last week." Rose said. "We'll have to cut through the park to get there, but that shouldn't take too long."

"Well, the sooner we get of this cold, the better. This windchill is brutal. I really should have just worn my damn coat today," I said, frowning.

"Whelp, hindsight's always twenty-twenty. Here, this might help a little," Rose replied, smiling sweetly as she took my hand in hers and gave me a peck on the cheek in one swift motion. "Better?" I nodded as heat pooled in my insides and those damn butterflies fluttered around in my stomach again. I looked over to see Rose's eyes flicker a verdant shade of green as we made our way toward the park with our hands entwined.

The park was mostly deserted, its well-worn walking trails free from the usual crowds thanks to the chilly weather. When the sun was out, it was a popular choice for students looking for a place to get some exercise in, study, or just get away from campus for a bit. On gloomier days, though, most people didn't care to take the scenic route, and I was one of them. I had to admit, though; the scenic route was much more appealing walking hand in hand with Rose. We were coming up on one of the most popular spots the park, a large brick square with a circular stone fountain in the middle of it. The square itself was surrounded by planters bursting with flowers and dotted with meticulously trimmed shrubs. The park really was lovely, despite the chilly weather, even if we were the only ones there. The square was usually bustling, but now there was no one else around, which honestly was probably for the better; being around too many people always stressed me out. Suddenly, a dog cheerfully bounded up to us dragging a leash along behind him; his owner was nowhere to be found.

"Hey there, buddy," Rose said to the dog, who came right up to her and stared at her with his tongue hanging goofily out of his mouth. She tentatively reached down, and the dog sniffed her hand for a moment before licking it. Suddenly, a man's voice breathless calls drifted our way from somewhere nearby.

"Milo? Milo! Come here, boy!" The dog's head snapped toward the direction of the calls, and he ran over to the man, who had just made his way over to us. He flashed an appreciative grin at us as he stooped down and took a moment to rest his legs. He looked about our age, and he had a university t-shirt on, so I figured he was probably a student at our school, too. "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry about that. He got away from me."

"Oh, it's no problem," Rose said, smiling warmly at the man. "He seems like a very good boy." He flashed us an embarrassed grin.

"He is when he's not chasing after squirrels. Isn't that right, buddy?" The guy chuckled as he looked down at the dog, who just cocked its head at him in confusion. The man shook his head and grabbed the dog's leash before wrapping it securely around his wrist and clutching it tightly as he turned toward us for one last time. "Well, we should really get going. Thanks again, you two!"

"You're welcome. Have a good one!" Rose called out as the man walked off through the square with his dog. As we made our own way through, Rose broke away from me and made her way to the fountain. She sat down on the raised stone lip of the fountain and grinned as she patted the spot next to her.

"What happened to just cutting through?" I asked as I made my way toward her.

"We can take a minute to rest, can't we?" Rose replied over the gentle burble of the fountain. A stray ray of sunlight managed to break through the clouds and glint off the surface of the churning waters. The bottom of the fountain glittered from the sunken bounty of coins that had been tossed in.

"I guess a little break won't hurt," I said with a shrug as I plopped down beside Rose. Just then, another blast of arctic wind blew by, and I grimaced and rubbed my hands together to try and warm them up. A pair of gloves would have been great right then, but surprisingly, Rose didn't seem to be bothered by the cold at all.

"God, this wind is rough. How aren't you freezing your ass off right now?"

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, I've got a bit more of an ass to freeze off," Rose replied, with a grin. "On colder days like today, I find it's nice to have a little extra... insulation."

"Ah. I really hadn't noticed," I replied, with a shrug.

"Really? What about... up top? Notice anything different there?" Rose eyed me, clearly enjoying herself. I squirmed as my cheeks reddened under her teasing gaze, and I had a feeling that she already knew the answer. She chuckled and turned a bit pink herself. "I got a new bra I'm putting through its paces today. It's... bigger than my usual size."

"Makes sense. The last one did die in the line of duty, after all," I said, grinning at her.

"Eh, it was on its last legs, anyway," she said, nonchalantly. "I figured I might as well send it out with a bang."

"Well, you certainly did... Wait, you must spend a fortune on clothes, huh?"

"Not as much as you'd think," Rose replied. "Thrift stores, man - they're a Polly's best friend for finding new clothes to wear. I usually hover around the same size, so I don't have to buy a million different outfits. Plus, on the off chance I do decide to mix things up a little—" she paused then to subtly point a finger toward her generous chest, "—well, that's what baggy sweaters are for."

"Fair enough," I said, with a shrug and a smile.

We sat on the edge of the fountain for a bit, just enjoying each other's company in companionable silence. After another minute or two, Rose shot me a sly grin, and my eyes widened as her pale skin began to change tone, turning the same creamy tan color it was last week. Next, auburn color bled from her pale roots and crawled downward along each strand of hair, and soon enough it was back to its usual red tint. I felt heat bloom in my cheeks and my cock twitched in my jeans a bit at the display. I shifted my legs bit in a futile attempt to hide my erection.

"That helping you warm up at all?" Rose asked me, with a wink.

"Erm, a bit, yeah," I said, as I felt my cheeks burn even hotter.

"Man, you really are into Pollies. Not that I'm complaining, of course," Rose said, before standing up. She pulled up her sleeve and let out a little gasp as she slowly pulled the bandage away from her arm - I couldn't see any evidence of a needle mark, even though a saw a dot of blood on the cotton ball that was stuck to the bandage. I thought it was a little weird, but I just shrugged it off. "Anyway, we should probably get going. I wouldn't want that cute ass of yours to freeze off."

"I... appreciate that," I said, as I hopped up off the cold stone. She just chuckled as she grabbed my hand again, and we continued making our way through the park. As we walked together, the sun finally broke through the dense layer of gray clouds, which thankfully warmed me up a bit. Rose's hand in mine also did wonders, and she gave it a gentle squeeze as we both walked along.

A short while later, we came upon a collapsible table set up on the side of the walking trail. The man we had met earlier was sitting at it, and his dog lying on the grass next to him, looking a bit bored - he perked up when he saw Rose approaching, though. There was a stack of pamphlets lying on the table, and a large banner taped to the front of it read, 'Do you know the truth?' Rose shot me a confused glance as the man called out to us with a wave.

"Hey, guys! Long time, no see!" He chuckled to himself at the joke. We gave a half-hearted wave as we started to walk past, but the guy called out to us once again: "Actually, did you two have a minute to chat?" Rose stopped and gave me a questioning glance. I shrugged in response and turned to look at the display, but I couldn't get a good look at the pamphlets lying on the table. A moment later, Rose let go of my hand and made her way up to the table, so I followed her lead.

"About what...?" Rose asked hesitantly as her eyes flicked down toward the stack of pamphlets sitting on the table. The man grabbed a couple of them off the stack and handed one to each of us. I watched as Rose's eyes glanced over the leaflet, and I saw her body tense up a bit. She looked toward me, and her eyes were once again amber-colored pools that quickly faded back to their usual steely blue. She turned back toward the man and set the pamphlet back down on the table. I glanced down at it and saw the words 'The Truth about Polymorphs' in bold, red print. There was a slightly blurry image of a Polymorph woman situated under the words, and her face was twisted up into a grimace. Her irises were so dark they looked black, giving the impression that her pupils were heavily dilated.