He’d never been special. Not really. At the very least, he’d never felt special. He’d slipped through school with mediocre grades. “D’s get degrees” is what he used to say, back before he started college, where he discovered he could really enjoy learning from the right teacher.
One teacher in particular had changed his life. Now a friend, his photography professor had invested in him and worked with him to hone his hobby into a monetary skill. He’d spent years learning everything he knew today about his job. The lighting, editing, how cameras worked and how lenses worked at different focal lengths. He’d learned how to frame a face, and what lens to use to get the most of his subject’s features. He’d also met Samantha during this time, and their friendship had become something special.
Ethan watched the candlelight sparkle on Samantha’s earrings as she shut her eyes and closed her lips around another noodle. The warm light cast small shadows across the contours of her cheek, reflecting off a small bead of sweat at her hairline. Olive oil from her pasta coated her lips as she finished with her noodle, painting them with an inviting and tempting sheen. He watched as if in slow motion as she bit her lip, admiring the contrast of white teeth on red lipstick. Samantha opened her eyes to find him staring at her.
“What?”
“I wish I had my camera.”
Her hand slipped into his and she smiled. “You’re too sweet.”
“And your plate’s empty.”
Samantha looked down at the dish, which was coated in olive oil, diced garlic and red pepper flakes, and frowned. “Damn.”
“Yeah, it looked like you really enjoyed it.” He said, chuckling as she smacked at his shoulder. “That really was delicious, though.” He noted as he pulled some cash out and slipped it into the folded check. “But if you took any longer with your noodles, I’d be afraid of us missing our movie.”
The dainty smartwatch on Samantha’s wrist read 9pm. “Crap, you’re right. We should go.”
Ethan watched as she scooted out of the booth and hopped down a fair distance to the ground. He was reminded that she was now five foot even, (five-two, with her heels on), as he watched her drop down. It was really, really sexy. He was so caught up in her size that he nearly missed the expression on her face when her feet landed on the floor. Samantha’s face looked shocked at an unfamiliar sensation.
She’s noticed, he thought.
Samantha looked at him, then down, over her shoulder at her rear and her eyes widened in surprise. “How did I not feel that happen?” she said.
“Maybe because of the cushions,” he said as he patted the thick, leather seating while stepping out of the booth to stand in front of her.
After a cursory check of her surroundings to make sure no one else was watching them, she placed both hands on her ass and squeezed. Her mouth dropped open in amazement. “This is not a ‘handful’, Ethan. How did I not feel this?”
He just shrugged and grinned. “I’ve got no clue, Girlfriend. But I can tell you that it looks great.”
“I bet it does,” she said, looking over her shoulder again. “You did make sure that my dress would adjust accordingly, right?”
“Well, there was a little checkbox there that said ‘MATCH CLOTHING’ when I set up the transformation, so I think so.”
She nodded and smiled. “This is going to be fun. I’ve never played around with this setting as much, you know. Even my ex was more of a boobs guy and didn’t do this.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hm.” She nodded and turned to walk away, swaying her hips seductively. After a few steps she paused and waved for him to catch up instead of staring at her ass like a drowning man staring at a life raft. When he caught up she asked him, “Are my hips wider, too?” He nodded, and she pulled him down for a kiss.
“Only by an inch and a half, though.”
“When I’m five feet tall, that makes a big difference, Ethan.”
“Oh, I know.” He winked at her and nodded toward the entrance. “You lead, I’ll just admire the view, okay?”
She stuck her tongue out at him and continued on. The lighter fabric of her dress drew a lot of attention to her newfound curves, and Ethan nearly tripped over himself following her out of the restaurant.
Samantha stopped to talk to Maria at the door and Ethan hung back, appreciating the two very different women. The waitress was maybe a little shorter than he was, but not by much. She also had a thicker build than Samantha, with wider shoulders and hips that accentuated the differences in their size. ‘Petite’ was the proper word for Samantha now, but could never be applied to the curvy specimen flirting with her at the moment. Ethan tried to think of a different word than ‘thick’, but had trouble and eventually resigned himself to observing the women before Samantha waved to him to follow and headed out the door.
“Take care of that one, hon.” Maria said to Ethan as he passed. “She’s something special.”
“Don’t I know it.” He winked at her. “And the ‘group activity’ invite is still open if you ever change your mind.”
She rolled her eyes and walked away toward the kitchen.
Holding his jacket tight, Ethan exited the restaurant and met Samantha on the steps. He held out his hand and escorted her down the steps.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“Hmm?”
“What did Maria say to you?”
“Oh.” He smiled. “She just said you were special and threatened to murder me in my sleep if I ever hurt you.”
“She did not!”
“No, but I sure felt threatened.”
She laughed and placed an arm around his waist. “You’re telling me. As small as I am now, I think she could pick me up and walk off with me if she wanted to.”
“Now that might be fun to explore sometime.” Ethan said. “Imagine you, but four feet tall. I could just pick you up and throw you over my shoulder.”
“Now don’t go giving me ideas, mister.” She laughed as he opened the car door for her. “Remember, you’re gonna be getting this end of the deal real soon once we get back to my place.” She motioned up and down along her body. “I wonder what you’ll look like with hips an inch and a half wider,” she teased.
Ethan swallowed, unsure of the proper response. He shut her door and went around to the driver’s side. After starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot, he said, “Two inches.”
“I’m sorry?” Samantha was adjusting her makeup in the mirror.
“Your hips are probably two inches wider by now.”
She stopped, lipstick in hand, and raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean, ‘by now’?”
He kept his eyes forward. “Well, you did show me how to set changes to take place over time.”
“How big is my ass going to get, Ethan?” she asked, a little flustered.
“Are you upset?”
“Upset? No, I don’t think that’s the right word. I just had an idea in mind of what this night was going to be like.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I just didn’t expect this, is all. Being smaller is one thing. You kind of get used to it after a while. But having a butt like this is different.” She squirmed in her seat a little bit. “I feel it every time I move. When I walk, I feel a different sway in my step, and it’s a bit disconcerting.”
“Well, would you like to stop the change?” he asked. “You’ve got the tablet, and I wouldn’t be upset.”
There was a moment of silence before Samantha declined. “No, I think I’m okay with this.” She turned back to fixing her makeup in the mirror, pulling out a brush. “That’s what relationships are, right? Compromise and communication?”
It was Ethan’s turn to pause before asking, “And what exactly is our relationship?”
“Romantic, at bare minimum.” She replied without hesitation. “I call you ‘Girlfriend’ jokingly, but I mean, I’d like to say we’re at least boyfriend and girlfriend. Or girlfriend and Girlfriend.” She smiled.
“So, then we’re dating?”
“We’re on a date, aren’t we?”
“I know, but I—”
“I know what you meant, Ethan.” Pausing to look at him again at a red light, she said, “If you’ll have me, I’d like to date you.”
Ethan admired the red light on her face, pulling out the rose hues of her lips all the more. He smiled. “I’d like to date you, too.”
The light turned green, and they continued on. They were both smiling.
