Gamer GF, Chapter 4: The Reset (Almost) (Patreon)

Chapter 4: The Reset (Almost)

Josh woke up to silence.

No anime playing downstairs. No sound of Alice rummaging through food. Just quiet.

He got up and found the living room empty - but notably cleaner. Someone had thrown away the food containers, wiped down surfaces and opened windows. The smell was still there, lingering, but diminished.

Alice's bedroom door was closed.

Josh knocked softly. "Alice?"

"I’m heeeere."

He opened the door to find her curled up in bed, finally in clean clothes - an oversized t-shirt and nothing else visible. Her hair was wet from the shower, makeup remains finally cleaned up too.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I ate an entire restaurant." Alice groaned, pressing a hand to her stomach. "Why did you let me do that?"

Because I’m a fucking weirdo! Right…?

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"I was drunk and stupid." She shifted, wincing. "My stomach hates me. I think I'm going to die."

"You might indeed explode one day! What would I do then?"

"I might. This might be it. Tell my parents I loved them but also I blame them for leaving me unsupervised." She pulled a pillow over her face. "I'm never eating again."

Josh sat on the edge of her bed. "You should probably shower."

Her stomach was noticeably flatter. Still not quite back to her normal flat baseline, but the extreme bloating had gone down significantly. To anyone else, she probably looked completely normal.

But Josh had studied her body for three years. He knew every line, every curve. And there was something different. Subtle, barely there, but present.

A slight softness to her lower belly. A tiny bit of give at her sides. Not obvious - not even close to obvious - but there.

She actually gained weight. Just a little. Just from three days.

Alice seemed oblivious. She moved around like everything was back to normal, like the binge weekend had been completely erased by one day of recovery.

"I feel so much better," she said, stretching. "Although I'm weirdly hungry? Like, I should not be hungry after eating my body weight in food, but here we are."

"Your stomach probably stretched," Josh said, then immediately regretted giving her that information.

"Gross. Don't tell me that." But Alice was already rummaging through the kitchen. "Do we have anything that's not leftover takeout?"

"I can order groceries."

"Please. Real food. Vegetables. Things that aren't deep fried." She paused. "Okay, some things that are deep fried. Balance."

They spent the day quietly - watching anime, gaming separately, recovering. Alice ate normally throughout the day, though Josh noticed her portions were slightly larger than they used to be.

The stretched stomach thing. She needs more to feel full now.

By evening, Alice seemed completely recovered. Energetic, playful, back to her usual self.

"Come watch this match with me," she said, settling onto the couch. "I'm about to destroy some noobs."

Josh joined her, and Alice immediately shifted to lie across his lap, using his stomach as a pillow while she held her phone up to play her mobile game.

"Your belly is the perfect pillow," she said absently, focused on her screen. "So soft."

She was wearing only gym shorts and a sports bra. The fabric was tight against her body, showing off her figure.

Josh found his hands going to her waist automatically, resting on the exposed skin between the sports bra and the shorts. Alice didn't react, too focused on her game, but she shifted slightly to get more comfortable.

His fingers traced along her side. Suddenly feeling a subtle new softness. Just barely there. A hint of give that hadn't existed four days ago.

Impressive. So it really works! She has no idea. Bet she thinks she's exactly the same.

"You're distracting me," Alice said without looking up from her phone. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Payback for the last time."

"Mmm… fine. Then don't stop. Feels nice." She shifted again, pressing back against him more firmly.

Josh's other hand moved to her stomach - mostly flat now, just the slightest curve at the bottom that could be mistaken for bloating but wasn't entirely. There was actual softness there. A new, added weight.

Her metabolism isn't magic. She can gain. She just hasn't been eating enough before.

Alice finished her match and set her phone down, rolling onto her back to look up at him. "What's with the touching?"

"Just... appreciating."

"Appreciating what? That I'm hot?" She grinned. "Because I am. Obviously."

"Obviously."

"Damn right." She reached up, pulling him down for a kiss. "Even after being disgusting all weekend, ahahah. It’s fun to be gross once in a while, no? But now it’s all back to normal!"

"You really think you're back to normal?"

"I am back to normal. I just needed to sleep it off and shower." She patted her stomach. "See? Flat again. Magic metabolism."

Not quite flat. And not quite magic.

But Josh didn't correct her. Just kissed her again, deeper this time.

Alice responded immediately, her hands going to his face, then his shoulders, pulling him closer. She shifted on his lap, turning to face him better, straddling him with her thighs on either side of his legs.

"Mm," she hummed against his mouth. "This is better."

His hands went to her waist, feeling the bare skin, the slight give at her sides. Alice's hands slid under his shirt, nails dragging lightly across his skin.

"You're very touchy today," she observed, breaking the kiss briefly.

"Is that a problem?"

"Nope." She kissed him again, rolling her hips slightly. "Keep going."

They made out on the couch, hands exploring familiar territory. Josh's fingers traced her spine, feeling the subtle changes - still lean, still fit, but with that hint of softness developing. Alice arched into his touch, making small appreciative sounds.

Her hands worked under his shirt more deliberately now, pushing it up. "Off."

Josh pulled his shirt over his head and Alice's hands immediately went to his chest, his stomach, squeezing his sides affectionately.

"I really do love that you're soft," she said, kissing along his jaw. "Makes me feel like I can eat whatever I want and you won't judge."

That's exactly your problem.

The next day felt almost normal. They gamed together, ordered reasonable amounts of food, fell back into their usual routines. Alice seemed completely herself again - confident, teasing, energetic.

Late afternoon, she disappeared into her room to change. Josh was in the middle of a match when she walked back in.

His concentration immediately shattered.

Alice was wearing her favorite black skinny jeans. The super fitted ones with the high waist that she usually saved for going out. And nothing else except a simple black bra.

Something about the contrast - the coverage below and the exposure above - was doing things to Josh's brain.

The jeans hugged her thighs, her hips, her waist. The high waist emphasized her still-mostly-flat stomach, and from this angle he could see that tiny bit of softness at her sides, just barely visible where the denim ended.

Alice noticed him staring and struck a pose. "Like what you see?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Because I need your help." She walked over, completely comfortable being half-dressed. "I'm trying to put together an outfit for tonight but I can't decide. You pick."

"Pick what?"

"My top. And maybe accessories." She gestured back toward her room. "Come on, fashion consultant. Tell me what you want to see me in."

Josh followed her to her room, where she had several options laid out on the bed.

"So," Alice said, hands on her hips. "We've got the leather jacket, this crop top, this tank top, or this button-up." She pointed to each option. "What's hottest?"

Whatever keeps you in just jeans longer.

"The crop top," Josh said, picking a tight black one that would show off her stomach. "And the leather jacket over it."

"Ooh, going for the edgy look. I like it." She pulled on the crop top - it was fitted, ending just above her belly button. When she raised her arms to adjust it, Josh could see that slight softness at her sides even more clearly.

The leather jacket went on next - the one from the weekend, which Alice had apparently managed to clean. It hung open, framing the crop top.

"Jewelry?" Alice asked, looking at her collection.

"The choker. And those rings you like."

"Damn, you're good at this." She put on the accessories, then checked herself in the mirror. "Okay yeah, this works. I look hot."

She absolutely did. The combination of the high-waisted jeans and the crop top created a slim silhouette that hid the subtle changes to her body while still showing skin.

But Josh knew. He could see that tiny bit of give when she moved, could see how the jeans were sitting just slightly differently than they used to.

She has no idea. Still thinks she's exactly the same.

Alice pulled her hair up into her signature pigtails, adding red ribbons. "There. Perfect. Ready to game and look good doing it."

They headed back to the gaming room, settling into their respective setups. Alice queued for a match, completely focused.

“I’m hungry… but I ate already.”

"Maybe you're just active today," Josh suggested. "Burning more calories."

"Maybe." Alice looked at her phone. "We should order food. Real food, not just snacks."

This is it. This is the moment to either stop or keep going.

"You know what?" Josh said, making the decision. "You're right. Someone as hot as you needs fuel to maintain that level of attractiveness!"

Alice laughed. "Damn right I do. Pizza?"

"Pizza. And maybe some sides. Wings? Breadsticks?"

"All of it." Alice was already pulling up the delivery app. "Parents are paying, we might as well eat good."

She ordered - a large pizza, wings, breadsticks, mozzarella sticks, and some desserts for later. More than two people needed but not quite as excessive as the weekend.

Just enough to keep it going. Just enough to make sure yesterday's softness doesn't go away.

"This is going to be a good night," Alice said, stretching. The crop top rode up slightly, exposing more of her stomach. "Gaming, food, maybe more making out later?"

"Sounds good."

"Perfect." She grinned, completely confident and unbothered. "I love having the house to ourselves. We should do this more often."

We're going to be doing this for three more weeks.

And Josh realized that he was looking forward to it. To seeing what would happen. How far Alice's "magic metabolism" would really go when actually tested.

What's the worst that could happen?