Fortune Cookie is an anthology series of short stories featuring magic and assorted transformation. All characters are over the age of 18. Be sure to check the Tags and enjoy!
In this story, Amy's mysterious fortune tells her to try something new, but what could it be?
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One fall evening, Amy and her fiancΓ© Ben carried on as they had many times before, unaware that tonight would be anything but normal, all thanks to one little fortune...
Amy reached across the table, grabbing the take out box of dumplings, "Quit hogging them!" Ben only rolled his eyes as he shoveled the last of the Chow Mein onto his plate. Amy responded to this with a scoff as she moved the last few dumplings to her plate.
Take-out had become a more common occurrence as their day jobs got busier with the shift to the fall. It certainly made meals easier but wasn't without it's....complications.
Ben raised an eyebrow as Amy added some fried rice to her plate as well. "I thought you were trying to uh, watch your weight?" he chided. It was Amy's turn to roll her eyes. Although at 5'4" Amy body didn't really stand out in any big way, she drifted from 'average' to 'a bit chubby' on and off over time. Her chest was small but with the right bra showed a bit of cleavage and her hips always gave Ben a fun hand hold. Honestly it wasn't that big of a deal, yes she had put on some weight, but it wasn't that much yet. Not that Ben was a perfect ten either, his job involved a bit more physical labor so he had some muscle tone but like Amy if he put on a bit of extra weight it tended to go right to his gut first.
"So maaaaaaybe it's been a rough week and I just want to treat myself a bit!" Amy countered, "If my boss would just actually fill in for people when they don't show up I wouldn't be so stressed!"
"Yes yes, you'd think after she's been not doing her job for the last three years you'd be used to it by now!" Ben chided.
Lacking a proper counter argument, she instead opted to get back to eating. This was their normal banter, they'd been together for almost four years now. They got engaged last year and honestly were trying to save up for a modest wedding but life hadn't been as accommodating as they'd have liked. A comment like that coming from anyone else wouldn't have been kind, but this sort of back and forth ribbing was something they both enjoyed, neither of them took it to heart from the other and it kept their wits sharp.
The rest of the meal was interrupted only by some small talk, mostly Ben complaining about some new hires at work. Between the two of them they managed to finish everything off. "So much for leftovers..." Ben mumbled as Amy leaned back in her chair, "I'm sure there's something in the freezer we can pull out for tomorrow, it is the weekend after all." Ben chuckled, "Ah yes, it would be a shame if we have to leave the house for anything!"
"Har Har, if you had things your way you'd just stay in bed all weekend!" Amy shot back as she leaned forward and grabbed the bag the takeout had come in. Dumping it over only for a single fortune cookie to roll out.
"Aww, we got jipped, they only gave us a single fortune cookie" Amy pouted. Ben got up from the table, "It's all yours, I think I can manage not knowing what my future holds until next time." He stretched as he walked to the stairs, "In the meantime, I'm gonna hop in the shower."
"Your loss!" Amy called out as she ripped open the plastic, pulled out the fortune cookie and went to crack it open. As she did, the sound of the cookie breaking was loud and sharp, far louder than any other fortune cookie she'd ever opened before.
Inside the right half of the cookie was a little gold foil slip, pulling it out and folding it open she read the fortune.
"Explore alternate avenues."
Amy stared at it blankly. Between the sound and gold foil she figured this would be something special but this seemed pretty normal honestly. Amy decided to not tell Ben about this, the last thing she needed is him trying to convince her to stay in bed all weekend with him! She quickly ate the cookie and threw out the gold foil slip and started busying herself clearing off the table.
She quickly rinsed out and flattened the box and put their plates and cutlery in the sink. Another nice thing about takeout, a lot fewer dirty dishes to deal with. As she washed the dishes she started to feel a bit flushed. That's weird, nothing they ate had been particularly spicy, she'd have to check to see if Ben had messed with the thermostat later.
The few dishes were quickly washed and dried. Being 5'4" had its challenges so she really needed to stretch upwards to reach the cupboards, during which she noticed that her pants felt a bit.....tight? Maybe Ben had a point, she always put on a bit of weight in the fall, usually due to work related stress, but fall had barely begun. Maybe she ought to be a bit more careful with her portions this year.....she wasn't exactly getting younger.
Not that Ben would have an issue if gained some weight, last year when she had expressed concern about her weight he commented that he'd never say no to having more of her around. It also never seemed to phase him in the bedroom either....