Working Out Issues Ch. 07

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long wait between chapters! First I got writer's block, then I got... I guess writer's diarrhea, and no matter how hard I tried to just rush ahead to the next sex scene, things kept getting in the way. So this is all just character stuff I'm afraid. But the next chapter will be hot! I promise!

_______________________

"This is so hot," I murmured.

It was the first thing that came to mind when I woke up, flushed, sweaty and with a bad hangover. My blankets felt super heavy and way warmer than usual, and it wasn't until I tried to wiggle out from under them that I figured out why.

They weren't my blankets. I was snuggled up under Adam's blankets.

Not only that, I was on Adam's bed.

Not only that, I was being spooned by Adam himself. He had one arm wrapped protectively around my waist, and his gentle breathing on the back of my neck was sending shivers down my spine.

Not only that, I was pretty sure I could feel the telltale hardness of Adam's morning wood pressed up against my butt.

Not only that...

Actually yeah that was pretty much it.

I felt even more flushed and it wasn't just from the warmth of Adam's body. My memory of last night was hazy but I was pretty sure I might have crossed a line. I remembered getting into an argument, and then trying to cheer Adam up by wearing some of the clothes he bought by mistake, and then...

Oh my god, I had definitely crossed a line. I jerked him off! I mean, it wasn't really jerking him off, it was just, like, we were comforting each other, and then he accidentally got hard, so he probably would have just jerked off anyway, so I was basically just helping him out. That was fine! And anyway it was basically a joke!

I forced myself to calm down. Last night was fine. It didn't mean anything And... it wouldn't happen again. Adam probably wouldn't even want it to happen again. And neither would I obviously.

I carefully eased my way out from the covers, and from under Adam's arm, and started to climb out of bed. Adam stirred behind me.

"Hey..." he mumbled. I turned back. He looked a little groggy, but when he saw me he smiled. His eyes were still half closed. "Morning, beautiful," he said.

I laughed nervously, "Hey man. Um. Thanks for letting me crash in your bed last night. I'm, um, just gonna go start breakfast. You can go back to sleep."

Adam grinned. "Okay," he said, but he kept his eyes on me as I scampered out the door.

While I was cooking, I had some time to properly think through what had happened. Last night, I had been swept up in some weird combination of guilt, and drunkenness, and loneliness, and whatever had happened was just the two of us getting caught up in the heat of the moment. I'm sure it had happened to Adam hundreds of times (although probably never before with a guy) and that's why he was so normal when he woke up. Well, if he could be mature about, then so could I.

We just wouldn't mention it.

"Last night was amazing," Adam said from the doorway.

I jumped and splashed myself with a drop of hot oil from the frying pan I was holding.

"Ow! Fuck!"

In a flash, Adam was at my side. He took the frying pan from my hand and moved it away, then cradled my burnt arm carefully in his strong hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, dude, I'm fine," I said, "It was literally, like, the tiniest splash. You just startled me." I shook free of Adam's grasp and wiped my arm clean.

"Sorry," Adam winced, "I just... I was just lying in bed, and... I was wondering what you were up to."

I picked up the frying pan and went back to stirring through it, "Just scrambled eggs. Pretty basic, but it's high in protein and, y'know. Is that alright?"

Adam leaned against the counter and smiled, "It's perfect. You're perfect."

I snickered, "Coming from you. Speaking of which, do you have to get to the gym soon?"

Adam was already dressed in his workout gear. He nodded ruefully.

"Yeah, I've got a client," he said, "I'm really sorry, but I think I'll just have a protein bar on the way, and then have breakfast when I get back? I don't want to miss out on your cooking."

I shrugged, "That's fine, I was just cooking so that -" (we wouldn't have to talk about me jacking you off last night) "- we would have food when we need it."

"Perfect," Adam said again. For a few seconds he just stared at me with a dumb smile on his face. I blushed and tried to focus completely on the cooking, which was hard, because stirring some eggs and shit around in a pan is not exactly rocket surgery. I felt weird. I had honestly thought that Adam was going to be awkward and avoid me this morning, but he actually seemed to be in a really good mood.

I guess... he must have needed to bust a nut way more than I realised.

"Hey, is everything okay, bro?" I asked.

Adam shook himself out of his reverie, "Yeah! Yeah, totally. Sorry man. I'm just... ha, sorry. I don't know how to say this without coming off, like, clingy or anything, I just..." He took a deep breath, "I'm really glad I met you."

I looked up from the stove. Adam had his muscular arms crossed across his chest, and I think he was actually blushing a little.

"They're just eggs, dude," I said.

Adam laughed. I turned back to the stove. Okay, something was definitely up with him today. Maybe just overcompensating to make sure I knew that our friendship wasn't ruined because of last night.

"Hey Mel," Adam said abruptly, "Do you think you're gonna wear any more of those clothes I got you? Or are you gonna return them all?"

"Why?" I asked. I hadn't changed since I woke up, so I was still just wearing panties and an old CS T-shirt, "Do you need the money?"

"No, it's just... what you were wearing last night really suited you," Adam said.

I laughed. Awesome, women's clothes really suited me. I should have been insulted but to be honest, I kind of agreed. I mean, I already knew I looked good in sports bras and leggings, and as strange as it was something about wearing that nightie just made me feel really comfortable. And not just because it was super comfortable!

"Well, thanks I guess," I said, "I guess I'm in kind of an in-between stage from how I used to look, and, like, my ideal body. And for some reason this in-between stage seems to fill out girl clothes pretty well."

Adam shrugged, "I guess. I just think you look great."

"You too," I offered lamely.

It seemed like that was as close as we were going to get to discussing last night, which was fine by me. If the big take away was that I should wear more of the accidentally-purchased women's clothing... I was actually pretty okay with that.

Adam stepped away from the counter and nuzzled in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and sighing contentedly. I stiffened up and focused on stirring the eggs. Fuck, these were gonna be some well-mixed eggs.

"I'm really looking forward to Friday night," he said, "It's been ages since I've gone out with someone I really care about."

I sighed. Clearly he was still bummed about when I made him miss his friends bar opening. I was used to spending months cooped up in the apartment alone, but for Adam a couple of weeks without going out on a Friday with the boys really must be ages. And that's not even thinking about how long it's been since he's gone out on a date with someone. Imagine how excited he'd be if he knew he was going to break that particular dry spell on Friday night.

Adam was still cuddled me from behind so he couldn't see me smirk when I said, "Friday's gonna be amazing. Now you better run off to work, big guy."

"You got it, beautiful princess," he said, then leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I squealed and shoved him away, laughing.

"I'm really looking forward to breakfast!" he called out as he headed to the door, "And to seeing whatever you get changed into!"

"Go to work, you dork!" I yelled back.

I heard Adam laughing as the door closed behind him. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Weirdly enough, that kiss had actually assuaged my nerves. If he was still fine with doing that after last night, obviously we were on the same page about it meaning nothing. Thank god!

*****

I took a deep breath, closed Adam's door behind me, and turned to the mirror. Moment of truth!

I had maybe gotten a little carried away while choosing an outfit. I started simple, with some of the items I had actually asked Adam to buy. Specifically a plain white bra and panty set. And thanks to my obsessive measuring, they fit perfectly! Maybe even too perfectly. The bra really enhanced my cleavage, and when I examined myself in the mirror, it honestly looked like I had real boobs. Which was... kind of exciting. I mean, it's always nice to see boobs, right? So it seemed like a waste to cover them up.

So I had looked through the bags of clothes until I found this little floral romper that looked like it might work. The bottom half was like loose but really short shorts, which totally showed off my legs, which I knew Adam would approve of. The top half was a kind of flowy wrap blouse, with a deep neckline, so it was almost like a robe, with a sash around the waist that I could tighten. So I tightened it up, and realised, with a kind of thrill, that not only was my waistline really starting to shrink, but even better, it showed off my cleavage in a very classy, but also totally-right-there kind of way.

I mean, not "even better". Duh. Obviously the waistline shrinking thing was better. But the cleavage thing was just, like. Funny. And Adam would get a kick out of it.

I kind of admired myself in the little mirror in my wardrobe for a bit. No one was watching, and how often would I ever be able to check myself out wearing clothes like this? So I tried a few poses. Leaning forward so I could peek down my top, looking seductively over my shoulder, with the side of my top pulled away so my bra strap was showing... Just, like, poses that you would see in a magazine, from some hot model. And it was just, like, kind of silly to imagine myself posing like that for someone. I dunno.

I tried to pull my shorts up at the back just a little, to see if I could see the underside of my butt peeking out of my shorts, but the mirror wasn't really at the right angle. Even if I stood on my tiptoes, which made my butt stick out even more, I couldn't really get the effect I was going for. But that gave me an idea, and I quickly hunted through the bags until I found a shoebox, which contained - score! - a pair of sandals with a little wedge heel. Hardly the sort of thing I would actually wear in real life, but perfect for my little modelling session!

So I slipped on the sandals, which were surprisingly comfortable, and teetered my way towards the full size mirror in Adam's room, which was unsurprisingly hard, even with the core strength and balance I had unlocked through all my hours of aerobics. But I made it to his room, and closed the door just in case Adam suddenly came home, and turned to the mirror to see myself in my new outfit for the first time.

And I looked...

Fucking amazing.

I mean, my hair was all over the place, obviously.

And my legs were still kinda flabby. And my arms.

And I still had a super chubby face.

And I was really pale, and clearly out of balance in the heels, and I didn't have a thigh gap, or a perfect nose, and my eyes were kinda beady, and I was sweaty and flushed, and I had fat rolls on my neck, and a double chin, and a million other stupid things were wrong with my terrible body.

But I still looked pretty good. And I could fix my hair!

So I started on that. I grabbed my hair stuff (and all my moisturizer and stuff, because you can't sleep on that shit!) and started getting myself ready. But I wasn't sure what sort of hairstyle to go with. I wanted it to keep it casual, so I ended up going with my hair pulled back into a high ponytail, but with a couple strands hanging loose to frame my face, as kind of... a subtle reminder of how I looked last night. Before I got into Adam's bed. But something still wasn't quite right. I tried some more poses in the mirror. I hiked up my bra and adjusted my romper so my boobs were really popping out in the front, and you could totally see the bottom of my buns jiggling in the back (nailed it), and then twisted in the mirror so that both were kind of on display, and looked seductively over my shoulder and pouted and... something was missing.

I tried fluttering my eyelashes but it just wasn't the right effect. Maybe if I had some mascara on, or something? I couldn't think about it for long, because as I was making kissy faces into the mirror, I realised I could see Adam standing, mouth agape, in the open doorway.

"Oh my god!" I shrieked, instantly jumping out of the pose and almost out of my skin, "Fucking knock! I'm not ready yet!"

"Sorry!" yelped Adam. He darted back into the hallway and yanked the door shut behind him. Then, after a second: "Hey, that's my room!"

"I needed to use the mirror!" I yelled. I looked back at the mirror, and suddenly things were not looking so great. I definitely needed mascara. Or, even better, I needed to get out of this stupid fucking romper and heels and put on some normal clothes like a normal guy.

"Adam, go to the kitchen for a second, I need to get changed!"I yelled.

"What?!" Adam protested from the hallway, "You look fucking amazing!"

"I look like an idiot, dude!"

"No you don't, bro! You look... really hot right now!"

I paused. Something in that last sentence actually sounded sincere. I wobbled my way to the door and opened it a crack, just enough to peek out. Adam was leaning nervously against the wall.

"Do I actually look hot," I said, deadpan.

"Yes, dude," Adam nodded feverishly, "You look so good."

I squinted suspiciously, "But do I actually look good, or do I just look "wow it's so brave to be fat and wear clothes" good."

"Bro," Adam said seriously, "You are objectively hot."

I rolled my eyes, "Come on, dude. You're objectively hot. Michelle Champion is objectively hot. I'm relatively hot, compared to how I used to look, at best."

"You're hotter than Michelle Champion," Adam said, with no hesitation.

I laughed, "How would you even know that, dude? You're only into girls."

Adam blushed, "I mean... obviously it's not that simple."

Oof. I guess that was kind of a dick thing for me to say, considering Adam's history with girls and shallow attraction. His relationship with women was far from simple indeed. I sighed and stepped out into the hallway. Adam bit his lip and looked up and down my body, like he was drinking in the whole outfit. He grinned and looked right in my eyes.

"Definitely objectively hot," he said.

I groaned, "Alright, alright! I'll take the compliment! Thank you, my sweet prince."

Adam didn't say his half of the joke. Instead he just stepped forwards, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me in for a long, sweet kiss. I let myself soften and fall into his strong, hard body. Ugh! A part of me was gonna miss this when him and Ashanti got together.

Adam's hands made their way down to my butt, and slid up under the loose legs of my shorts to gently squeeze my cheeks. It felt really nice, like it had last night, but it was maybe going a little too far. I made a little noise of disapproval, or at least I thought about doing that. But when Adam's strong fingers sank into my supple butt cheeks, he let out a long sigh of contentment, and I just couldn't bear to interrupt. I waited until we broke to draw breath, and pulled back a bit. Adam was still gently massaging my butt, and I still had my arms around his shoulders. But our faces were far enough away that they weren't, like, physically touching. Roommate distance.

"This is a really nice outfit," I said.

"Definitely," said Adam. He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my head to the side. I wanted to be serious! Adam's lips found my neck and started planting kisses there, which sent tingles through my body. I kept talking between little gasps.

"I guess the (oh!) sales lady who (uh!) sold it to (ooh!) me must have -" I couldn't do it! I pulled back further and stopped Adam with a hand against his cheek, "She must have really known her stuff, right?" I finished.

"Yeah," said Adam breathlessly, "Totally."

I smiled cheekily, "I wonder if she has equally good taste in men?"

Adam's brow furrowed, "Uh... I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, I know you told her you have a girlfriend, but maybe if she had known you were single, things would have gone a little different, right?" I smirked.

Adam really looked confused now. Oh, I actually felt kinda bad teasing him like this. But he would see the funny side of it on Friday!

"Hey, I really am sorry about screwing up," he said, "And I didn't want to pressure you into having to wear them. It's just... you really do look amazing right now. But I know you would look amazing without the clothes."

"Bet you'd like to see the lady from the department store without her clothes too," i teased. Adam's mouth fell open, and I heard a ding from my phone. I quickly extricated my butt from Adam's grasp, and skipped over to pick it up.

It was Jeremy, with a simple message. Him and Ashanti were gonna spend the day bingeing TV, and he was ready for me to come over and help set up her date with destiny. Destiny in this case meaning Adam!

I almost went straight for the door, but my current outfit was probably not ready for anyone's eyes besides Adam's, so instead I brushed by him on the way to my room.

"I gotta get changed," I said, "I'm heading to Jeremy's. I left some eggs in the microwave. Don't wait up!"

*****

Annoyingly, Ashanti was gone by the time I got to Jeremy's. Apparently her flakey co-worker had called in sick, which meant she had to bail on Jeremy to go cover. Luckily, Jeremy didn't seem disappointed that it was just the two of us.

"We could just watch the show without her," Jeremy offered.

"What show?" I asked.

"RuPaul's Drag Race," he said, "It's basically what we watch instead of football."

I shifted uncomfortably, hoping that the straps of my bra weren't visible through the old shirt I was wearing, "Maybe another time."

In the end, we just hung out. Jeremy and Ashanti's apartment was small, but really well decorated. Ashanti might have been more of a fashionista, but Jeremy was really into interior design. We ended up watching a movie together on his bed, then walked to a cafe and had brunch. I ordered eggs, and then felt a little guilty for leaving Adam alone.

At one point, Jeremy and I both reached for the salt at the same time and our hands touched. He smiled at me. I smiled back. It was nice to just hang out with a male friend with no weird pseudo-romantic undertones.

The rest of the week went quickly. I didn't dress up again, unless you count sports bras and leggings. Getting caught dressed up had been a little too intense, even though I really did believe that Adam liked seeing me like that. For now, anyway. I knew it would change once he had a girlfriend.

And for some reason, that made me a little upset. I knew the cuddly stuff had to stop, but part of me didn't want it to. I had grown accustomed to it, I guess. Every morning, Adam and I cooked together, and if he wanted to cuddle me from behind while I was cutting up veggies, I would let him. If he wanted a kiss goodbye before he went off to work, I would give it to him. And if that kiss goodbye ended up lasting a full minute...

That didn't mean anything, did it?

"You and Ashanti are really close, right?" I asked Jeremy on Thursday night, while we were at my place, playing some stupid indie game I downloaded on my PS4.