I walked through the doors of East City Comics for the third time. I wore a light canary yellow sweater with the sleeves rolled up and the hem tucked into a high waisted pair of faded blue jeans. I had my black vans on and a lightweight, all black hoodie overtop. My hair was pulled tight into a blonde ponytail, which rested in my black hood. I chose light makeup to give myself a little glow.
Mike had given me an amazing and unexpected date the night previous. After a week of being his eager personal call girl, he'd given me a refreshing break full of boyfriend energy. He'd dressed up, looked amazing, and introduced me to a couple friends, or at least family friends. It was a much needed glimpse of our future relationship, rather than the carnal fuckbuddy hangouts that we'd enjoyed up until then. I didn't get ahead of myself though; I knew I still had a week of satisfying his dirty impulses before I was allowed to say that we were dating. I was hoping the transition back to being his pleasure slut wasn't so sudden that it gave me whiplash.
Big Mike wasn't behind the counter like usual; instead Craig gave me a nod as I entered. It was almost closing and I'd come to pick Mike up as he was getting off.
"Hey Felicia. Whatcha got there?" He gestured down to the bag in my hand.
"This? Just a massive amount of pasta and garlic bread. Dinner for the big guy and me."
"Oh yeah...he's in the back. He'll be done any second."
"Cool. Actually, while I'm here I think I'll grab something."
I drifted off into the manga section while Craig organized a box of flyers. We made small talk while I waited for Mike and I found what I was looking for.
"Ah, Boku no Hero Academia!"
I put the newest volume down on the counter while Craig gave it a look over.
"Oh...My Hero Academy. You're a fan?"
"Mochiron! Watashi no atarashii okinirii desu!" I spoke with the exuberance of a Japanese advertisement.
"Oh, you can speak Japanese?"
"Eh, yeah, I'm not bad. I've been studying for a while. And I watch the raw anime and some Japanese dramas for practice."
"Have you visited?"
"Yeah, once."
"Did you like Kyoto?" I could tell he had been as well.
"Kirei ya na!" I snapped my fingers into a gun for emphasis. "Very pretty," I repeated in English.
It turns out Craig had been to the Kansai region. He came over after a visit to Korea. He then responded with a smattering of Korean, which I didn't understand at all. I bought the volume and we yukked it up until I heard a door open behind me.
I turned to see Mike ducking his head and turning his body as he squeezed through the back door with a big box upon one curled arm. His broad shoulders and huge belly were a little snug within a dark navy t-shirt. He wore dark grey sweats and his nicer black runners from last night. His slicked back hair from last night had returned to its usual unkempt mess, along with his shaggy beard and black-framed glasses.
He gave me a warm smirk, and I melted at the sight of his eyes lighting up to see me. I forgot about Craig completely as Mike walked down an aisle of comics towards us, his belly wobbling slightly and his untucked shirt just flirting with the slightest reveal of his bare, hairy flesh. I felt my body slightly drifting towards him as he approached, like a satellite caught in the gravity of planetary orbit. His deep voice shook me with the slightest greeting.
"Hey babe."
He reached out with his free hand and slipped it around my waist. He leaned down to me with only the slightest hesitation and pressed into me with a quick kiss on the lips. It was just a peck, but somehow it still felt heavy with his sexual gravity. His fat palm pulled my slim waist toward him with effortless strength, and his thick lips and warm breath made me feel savoured within his mouth for a long and sublime second. He quickly rose back to a casual stance while I stood there beaming like an idiot.
"You...you good?" he asked with a chuckle, noticing his effect on me.
"Yeahhh. I'm...dandy."
Mike put his box on the counter and they chatted about back issues or something. I revelled in the wake of our first public kiss, happy and sedated with boyfriend energy. I was momentarily thrilled at the prospect of being seen by his side, being candy to his arm, in public.
"Okay, we're goin'." Mike said it to snap me out of my haze. Craig was closing up the shop so Mike and I could leave. We nodded on our way out.
"Hey, so when are we double-dating?"
Craig asked the question before we made it out the door. I turned around to see him with a smirk on his face, surely provoking Mike's stubborn nature as much as inquiring honestly. My eyes glanced up to Mike's for a moment, sharing in last night's memory of proper girlfriend duties. Like he had with our display of public affection, I hesitated only a moment before responding.
"How about in a week?"
Craig hesitated with a slight chuckle, almost surprised at the affirmation.
"Next weekend? Yeah...yeah, sounds good. Katy wants to try out a new pub."
"Cool." I looked up to Mike for confirmation, clearly aware of the relationship threshold that was being crossed. He was curt in his response.
"Yeah...sure."
The three of us nodded in silent affirmation for a moment, both Craig and I slowly acknowledging the novelty of Mike doing a thing in public. He didn't do public things very often.
"Alright..."
Mike and I made our exit and we lingered outside for a moment. I waited to see if he would say anything about what had just occurred. He said nothing.
"Was that okay?" He shrugged.
"Yeah, it's fine. It'll be our first 'couple' thing, I guess." He seemed like he'd returned to normal Mike, and the luxury boyfriend demeanor he'd had the previous night had dissipated. "And...it'll give you something to look forward to, if you survive this week."
His neutral expression changed to a smirk of confidence. He stepped in to me again as he had in the shop, but now with a hint of his playful mean streak. He reached down around my waist with one free hand, this time without any delay. His one hand pulled me in firmly and his other hand grabbed my ponytail in a controlling grip. He bent me back as he leaned in, his warm breath basking my skin as he breathed the words "come to papa."
The take-out pasta hit the ground as the bag slipped from my lifeless fingers while Mike breathed my departing soul in through his hungry lips. Fatality.
I wobbled in semi-collapse as I was released from his hungry kiss. Mike's big hand steadied me as he chuckled. He picked up the take-out bag and started to lumber home, allowing me time to wobble and recover.
"Woah..."
"You good?"
"Yeah...so dandy."
I caught up to him and we began our walk home. It was warm out, and Mike marched slowly but surely in his sweaty gait. We made small talk and he held a smile, but he didn't make eye contact with me. When I told him I would carry the food, he joked that it wouldn't be gentlemanly. I found myself glancing over at the wobble of his heavy belly as he walked, eager to touch that bare inch of flesh above the waistline that yielded to its weight. By the time we arrived, the pits and collar of his navy shirt were stained with sweat.
"We're hoo~oome!" I called out to Aron.
We unloaded the take-out and settled in on the couch with Netflix. Aron joined us, as I'd bought more than enough. Feeding Mike's big appetite wasn't cheap, but I still had some wads of hooker cash he'd given me, so I splurged without hesitation.
"Oh, fuck yeah." Mike scooped a huge bowl of lasagna for himself and Aron took a portion about half that size. I, being averse to excessive carbohydrate intake, took one spoonful of lasagna and otherwise stuck to my green salad. They both drank cans of coke on the coffee table in front of them.
"You, uh...keepin' it healthy there, Felicia?"
Aron sat on his right side of the couch while Mike flooded the other sixty percent. I was wedged into the far left corner at an awkward angle, my legs bent and resting over Mike's huge left knee.
"Oh yeah...as much as I would like to tear into that garlic bread."
"Yeah, so what do you do to stay in shape anyway? Seems like more than just yoga."
"Oh, well..." I perked up at Aron's inquiry into my physical regimen. Such a question suggested at least a peripheral awareness of my proportions and muscle tone, which stimulated my latent vanity. I began a list of any and all of the exercises I cycle through in a year. "I go to a yoga studio three days a week, and they mix in a rotation of pilates, barre, and acrobalancing. Then I have a kickboxing class once a week, and they've got a little gym in it for weights. I used to do competitive dance classes but it takes too much commitment, so now I just go to basics with cardio every other weekend."
Aron nodded along and as Mike demolished his lasagna and grabbed a handful of garlic bread slices.
"Although since I met the big guy here I haven't had time for any workouts. Except for Kegels, of course." I awaited some mild applause for the joke, but clearly neither Mike nor Aron had any idea what I was talking about. "Really? No? Okay..."
I went back to eating my salad while Mike refreshed a massive bowl of lasagna, but Aron continued the conversation. He mentioned his exercise routine and talked about playing rugby in high school and college. That led us off into discussion about his trade, which was electrical work. He'd gone to a technical college for two years and was looking for a gig as an electrical apprentice. He'd been working at Fedex throughout school. I told him that I'd gone to college for two years as well, studying psychology, but unlike him I'd dropped out and pursued acting instead. He seemed amused by this.