Alex
Standing in the doorway to Elise's house, I drank in the sight of her. She was slightly tan, more so than usual for winter, and she looked incredible in her black stretch pants and form-fitting purple turtleneck sweater. I had missed her while away at college. Winter break had arrived, and the first thing I had done after greeting my folks was to call her.
Now, as I looked across at her, eyes level with her chin, I felt a slight stab of betrayal. The thought that my best friend would soon become like the rest of the infected was almost too much to bear. After seeing the look on my face, she moved forward to wrap me in a hug. Despite her new size, she felt like the same warm friend. We had never been more than that, though I suspected she might have obliged if I felt so inclined. I cared for her deeply, but if I were honest, she had never been my type physically.
Elise had always been beautiful, with thick, dirty blond hair that she liked to wear in a high ponytail, big brown eyes the color of dark chocolate, a patrician nose, and enough thickness in her lips to make a man quiver with excitement. The rest of her, however, was a little too athletic and slim for my tastes. Romance notwithstanding, we'd been each other's closest friends ever since her parents had moved into town in the third grade.
When she pulled me in close for a hug, I couldn't help noticing a lovely scent. A clean, floral smell. It was subtle, unlike perfume, but just as intoxicating. Had she always smelled so good?
"You're back!" she squealed. Elise lingered in the hug a bit longer than usual and brought her cheek to rest against my temple.
"It's been lonely here without you. You don't know what it's like going through the changes."
Elise had been living at home while attending a local private college. Pulling me by the hand, she took us into the house.
"Well, I guess we have a lot of catching up to do", she said over her shoulder, grinning. As she walked, I checked her out from behind. Last fall, she had been about average height for a woman - 5 foot 5 inches. What struck me now, as she walked sinuously down the hall, was not just her change in height, but form as well. The noticeable muscle of her calves was clear through her sheer stretch pants, where they had been faint before. Though she had been athletic growing up, attracting plenty of male attention, her new look was altogether slightly more...curvy. She now had hips I didn't recall, and though her ass had always been sexy with a perfect heart shape, now it was slightly fuller. When we had hugged earlier, I couldn't help noticing she had filled out up top as well. Sue me, but I'm a boob guy - a fact Elise knew about me, to my eternal shame -- I'd always pegged her for a large A or possibly small B cup. But now...yeah. What mashed up against my chest during our embrace was certainly not a B cup. All in all, I had to admit that Elise was no longer the twiggy girl I remembered.
She brought me out of my thoughts by looking over her shoulder as she walked. My eyes darted back up to her face. Busted! She smirked and goaded me, "So, you'll have to tell me all about your college girls. I'm sure I'm not the only one with stories!"
We arrived in the family room and sat on the couch. "Shoot, where are my manners?" Elise sprang up almost immediately and went to the kitchen for a drink. "Want something?" she shouted.
"No, thanks."
"My parents aren't home, but they'll no doubt want to grill you later on your first semester at college."
Setting her drink on the end table, and flounced down next to me on the couch. She sat so close that our thighs touched, and I couldn't help comparing -- hers slightly eclipsing mine in length. It was a little intimidating to see my previously-much-smaller friend this way. Now that we were close, I caught another whiff of her scent.
"So, spill it. What have you been up to?" she said, slapping her hand on my thigh to punctuate her question. I eyed her as she left it there.
She never used to be this touchy-feely. Could that be the virus? Maybe she was just lonely. Anyone would be, facing the kind of rejection she undoubtedly had been. That was probably it.
"Ok, so why didn't you tell me on the phone?" I asked. Growing up as neighbors, we had shared everything with one another.
"What, and have my best friend reject me because I'm turning into one of those freaks? The changes are bad enough, and seeing the fear in people's eyes when I go into public."
Eyes downcast, she muttered, "You don't know what it's like... I couldn't stand losing your friendship." She was clearly nervous, hoping for some word of encouragement.
"Remember Billy Statnik?" she asked.
"Yeah, why?" I thought about the reserved guy in our senior class the year before who had clearly had a thing for her. Billy was on the short side for a guy at about 5 foot 8 inches, but he was pleasant, and probably not a bad match for Elise.
"He stayed local after high school, and I finally agreed to go out with him when he asked me out a few months ago. When I became infected, he was very supportive...until I started growing. He liked
some
of the changes" she said, holding her hands up to indicate her chest.
"Once I grew taller than him, however, he quickly changed his mind about me." Pain crossed her features again. "It's bad enough when the body you've known since puberty starts changing dramatically. It's so much worse when the people you rely on reject you because of it. I've been missing your friendship a lot. She gave my leg a little squeeze.
"I don't want anything to come between us." She looked back up into my eyes, hopeful and vulnerable.
"El, come on. You know you could never lose my friendship. And, if you hadn't noticed, 'those freaks' are becoming more and more common. There are many of them in my classes at school. There seem to be more every month. You know there's no cure for the disease. It's lucky they found a way to at least mutate it to be non-fatal. In some ways it's actually beneficial. I mean, look at you. Sure, you're taller, but it's turning you into a complete stunner!"
Elise blushed and looked at the cushion of the couch. "I guess I can't say it's been all bad."
"Do you want to talk about it? Some of the lectures in my intro pre-med course this semester have covered the virus. Although it affects people differently, as I'm sure you're aware, I might at least be able to help you understand the things you're going through." I was trying my best to radiate a cheerful demeanor, and from her warm smile, it seemed to be working.
Did she always look this captivating? Was that eyeliner? That couldn't be right...Elise never wore makeup. Still, now that we had locked eyes, I almost had trouble keeping my train of thought. I felt my heart start to beat faster. I shook my head to clear my mind.
Some recognition dawned in her eyes and Elise shuffled over a foot or two on the couch nervously. "I'm sorry. Are you feeling OK? The doctor said I affect some guys in strange ways when I get close."
Since she had relocated on the couch, my awareness of her dialed back a bit. For some reason that disappointed me. There was something stimulating about her look that spoke directly to my instincts.
I nodded. "Right. Yes, I'm fine. We did learn something about that.
