First Kiss

When he did, she smiled at him in a way he hadn't seen before. And while her face was definitely thinner, it was still very round and plump. Rob had never found large women attractive and he didn't have some kind of 'chubby chaser' fetish. He just found this quiet, shy, kind, young woman to be the kind of person he liked spending time with, and he had to admit anything was possible. Anything to include even falling in love with her one day. The odds were long, but life had a strange way of unfolding sometimes so...who knew?

"Wow. Talk about motivation to fit into a wedding dress!" she said through that genuine smile.

"Well, fit or not, I'm very proud of you, Faith Palmer. And if I can be some small amount of additional motivation for you, then that makes me very happy."

"You make me very happy, Rob Monroe," she told him still smiling brightly.

She leaned over and kissed him one more time then said, "You ready to go?"

On the ride back it was Faith who talked non-stop with Rob making short replies.

"Do you maybe want to so something together sometime?" she asked at one point.

Now having mixed feelings Rob said, "Um...sure. We could do that. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. I've never done anything with anyone but my mom," she said but not in her typically 'mopey' kind of way.

"Those sweatpants of yours could stand to be replaced," he said with a smile. "How about we go look for a new pair?"

For the first time in her life, Faith wasn't afraid to go out in public and said, "I would like that, Rob!"

"Okay, why don't I come by and pick you up in about an hour and a half if that gives you enough time to shower and get ready?"

"That's more than enough time," Faith said. She never did her hair. In fact she didn't even wash it all that often as she didn't care if it was soft and silky or greasy and stuck to her face. Besides, food had never cared so why would she?

Suddenly she wanted to use some of her mom's strawberry shampoo and blow-dry her hair. Faith didn't have any makeup except for a tube of mascara she hadn't used in months making her wonder if it had dried out by now.

"All right. I'll see you then!" Rob said cheerfully as Faith dismounted.

When he didn't kiss her or even hug her, she felt so deflated the first thought that came to her mind was ice cream. Not a cup or a cone but a half gallon which she'd often eaten in one sitting along with an entire bag of chips or Doritos after eating a full meal.

Somehow she held herself together and got ready to go. When she came downstairs her mother was finally up and noticed her daughter looked different.

"Where are you going?" her mom asked.

"I have a date," Faith told her knowing her mom wouldn't believe her.

"You have a date. You. Faith Palmer. Uh-huh. Sure you do," her mother said as she knocked back her first shot of vodka.

"Mom? Would you please try and cut back on your drinking?" Faith asked politely after checking the clock to see what time it was.

"Oh, that's rich! You finally lose a couple of pounds and suddenly you're some kind of health expert. Let me tell you, you got a lot more than that to lose," she said as she poured herself a double.

"I know. I'm a hypocrite. But I am trying, and all I want is to have my mom back," Faith said, her eyes again wet with tears.

"Leave me alone," her mom told her. "Go on your...date. It won't last. Who's gonna want to sleep with the likes of you anyway? At least I can get laid when I need to."

Faith blinked hard trying to keep the mascara she'd applied from running. Before this latest 'episode' she'd actually almost felt good about herself having not only blow dried her hair, but she also used a flat iron to take out the unflattering curls.

Against RoseAnna's advice, she'd also weighed herself and was thrilled to see she was down to 179 pounds. She'd been eating even less than her diet prescribed and if that was unhealthy so be it. She felt good and she even felt hopeful.

Somehow she found the strength to avoid falling apart from the sting of her mother's hurtful words. For once she felt like the adult as she watched her mother slowly killing herself one drink at a time. Only recently it was more like one bottle at a time.

Faith saw a car pull up, and her heart soared when she saw Rob get out. Her mother turned and looked at the man coming up the driveway and said, "That's your date? For Christ's sake, Faith, he's my age!"

"And I don't care," she said firmly without sounding petty.

She paused then asked, "Are you going to work today?"

"What do you think?" her mom said as she tossed the double back.

Faith didn't answer. She went to the door and opened it stepping onto the porch before Rob could look inside.

"Hi!" she said sweetly hoping he would kiss her hello.

"Hi," he said back. "Wow. You look...amazing."

"Amazing enough to kiss?" she asked hopefully.

"Um...here? On the porch?" he asked now feeling like the entire neighborhood was watching.

"Oh. No. I...I guess not," she said feeling as sad as she'd felt happy just moments ago.

Neither of them said much on the ride to the mall, but as they got close Faith said, "Are you ashamed of being seen with me?"

"What? Why would you ask me that?" Rob asked.

"I'm not going to start stalking you or anything if that's what you're thinking. It's just that I've never had a boyfriend before so I'm not sure how any of this works."

She paused then said, "I'm not even sure if that's what you are."

Another pause followed before Faith asked, "Are you?"

"That's a lot to cover," Rob told her. "I'm not exactly sure what I am. To you, of course. I like spending time with you, but I'm not sure if boyfriend is the right word. But friend is. That much I know. And no, I'm not ashamed of being with you, Faith. But honestly? I am a little confused because I never expected anything like this to happen. Not with someone so young. So please don't read into every little thing because I'm trying to figure all this out, too."

He reached over for her hand then said, "You look very nice, by the way."

Faith knew she was riding a roller coaster, and this time, just those simple words put her back on top of the world.

"Thank you, Rob," she said sweetly. "You look very nice, too."

He was wearing a three-button Henley short-sleeve shirt with a pair of shorts and some sandals. Nothing special but he appreciated the kind words.

"Thank you, Faith," he told her as he squeezed her hand.

He parked the car in the Southcenter Mall parking lot then looked at Faith and said, "I've never been good with public displays of affection. Anything more than a quick peck, even with my wife, always made me uncomfortable. It's not that I didn't want to kiss you at your house, it's just that I...I don't do that kind of thing so well."

"Are we 'in public' right now?" she asked, her mood again soaring with hope.

"No. I guess we're not," he said as there was almost no one anywhere near them.

He leaned over and kissed her and the smell of strawberries hit him.

"Mmmm. What smells so good?" he asked as he pulled away.

"Oh. That's my shampoo. Well, it's my mom's actually. Do you like it?"

"I do," he told her. "And I like your hair like that. It's very pretty."

"Thank you," she said now feeling happy in the extreme.

Rob went around and opened her door, something else no man had ever done for her before. She thanked him again, and when he reached for hand she hit yet another new plateau of happiness.

Although apprehensive, Faith wasn't afraid to go inside. She assumed people would look yet never stopped to think it might be because of whom she was with rather than her weight. Putting her fears aside the best she could she focused on the warmth of holding a man's hand and the way he smiled at her or in just chatting about whatever.

"What do you think about these?" he asked pointing to a pair of pink sweats.

"They're pretty, but I was thinking of dark gray or maybe dark blue," she told him.

Rob understood there was a connection between dark colors and 'hiding from the world' but didn't mention it.

"I think these would be very cute on you," he gently insisted.

"I guess I could try them on," she said after picking them up. She'd worn a size 2X for as long as she could remember and yet she felt confident she could now wear a large. She took a pair with her along with an XL just in case, and to her great delight the 'L' was a perfect fit.

She stepped out of the changing room just enough for Rob to see.

"So?" she asked feeling very strange wearing anything lighter than a dark blue or maybe a plain gray.

"So...they're very cute. Just like I said," he told her with a smile.

"Do you want me to get them?" she asked.

"I want you to get what you want, Faith. But yes, I do like them."

"Okay. I'll buy these," she said wanting him to like what she wore.

"What else can we look at while we're here?" he asked.

"I do need some other stuff, but it's kind of embarrassing to talk about so I'll just come back and...."

"Nonsense! We're here so let's get whatever else you need. I've seen women's underwear, you know," he said with a smile causing Faith to blush heavily.

"None of mine fit anymore," she said without looking at him.

"Then let's go get some that do," he said encouragingly.

"I just have to be really careful. My mom doesn't work a lot, and I've never really had a job so...."

Rob put his arm around her and said asked very kindly, "Is not working a part of not wanting to be seen?"

"It sounds so pathetic, but yes, I've always wanted to work in a nail salon, but the thought of other women—pretty, thin women—looking at me was too much."

"Well, the way you're going, you'll soon be be one of those thin woman yourself. You'll notice I didn't say 'pretty' because you already are."

Faith put her arm around his waist and smiled at him before saying, "You make me so happy, Rob."

"Yeah, I kind of like hanging out with you, too," he said smiling back.

Twenty minutes later Faith had four new pair of underwear that actually fit and two new bras.

As they passed the makeup counter Rob saw her looking and said, "Is there something you wanted to get?"

"Oh, no. I don't really wear makeup."

"Because you don't want to or because it's too expensive?"

"I...I've never really worn it. I mean, I have when I was little. You know, playing dress up and all, but since I...got heavy...I just didn't see any reason."

"Let's change that," Rob said.

"I've already spent everything I saved up. I can't afford to...."

"Ma'am?" Rob called out to the lady behind the counter.

"This beautiful young lady would like some makeup. Could you give her a hand, please?"

"Rob, this stuff is really expensive. I can't...."

"But I can and I want to, okay? I want to do something nice for you. Unless you really don't want to wear makeup, and if that's the case, that's fine."

"I...do, I just can't afford...."

"Please set her up with everything she needs, okay?" he told the woman who'd come over to help.

As a part of the process, the woman had applied some foundation and eye makeup to see what shades worked best. By the time she was done, Faith looked so different it was stunning.

She kept looking at herself in the mirror, mesmerized by what she saw.

"I can't believe that's me," she said.

"It is, honey," the woman told her. "You have lovely, high cheekbones, and very pretty eyes."

"See! I told you," Rob said quietly in her ear after hearing the woman say that.

When Faith saw the total for everything the woman sold her, she felt sick to her stomach.

"Rob, that is way too much money!"

"I believe it's my money so perhaps you should let me spend it the way I want to," he said with a smile.

"Will you let me do one more thing for you before we go?" he asked.

"Not if it costs more money," she told him.

"Even if it would make me very happy?" he said with puppy-dog eyes.

"Rooob! That's not fair!" she protested but secretly loving every second of it.

An hour later, Faith was wearing an actual outfit. A real, honest-to-goodness lady's outfit. It was just a simple white blouse with a flowing, knee-length blue skirt, but it was without doubt the prettiest thing Faith had ever worn. Rob had also convinced her she couldn't wear the outfit without a new pair of shoes which led to needing a pair of hose. Oh, and every outfit needs a necklace and since her ears were pierced....

"Are you hungry?" he finally asked after they'd made two trips to the car with boxes and bags.

"Not really. I should be starving, but for some reason I'm not," she told him.

"Then maybe you'd like to have dinner with me in a couple of hours," he suggested. "You know, you could go home and change into your pretty new clothes and we could go somewhere."

He saw her tearing up again and knew why.

"Okay. Okay. If you don't want to go out with me, fine," he said hoping to lighten her mood.

"Yeah, right. Like I wouldn't want to go out with you," she said forcing a smile. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do. It's just so hard to believe a guy I like is asking me out."

"Well, he is," he told her with a smile.

He looked around and not seeing anyone, he kissed her once before opening her door and heading home.

Rob came back at 7 o'clock, and Faith was waiting for him on the porch. Her mom was passed out drunk—again, and she didn't want Rob to see her. But she couldn't wait for him to see her.

"My, my. Don't you look amazing!" he said as he opened her door.

"As do you," she said about his navy-blue Dockers and short-sleeved pink shirt.

"Real men wear pink," he told her with a smile. "They just don't wear it very often."

Faith laughed a genuine laugh and Rob said, "I love when you laugh like that."

"Me, too," she said feeling that same kind of high she'd felt before.

As she sat across him at a reasonably nice restaurant, Rob couldn't help but think Faith looked like a plus-size model. She had very smooth, young skin, and with the weight she'd already lost she no longer had that 'squished-up' look. While he'd never been a fan of heavy makeup, Faith looked even prettier with the way it made her eyes 'pop'. Even the clear lip gloss was a huge plus.

"What are you staring at?" she asked when she realized he wasn't listening.

"Oh. Sorry. Um...I guess I was staring at you," he admitted.

"Should I be flattered?" she asked, her heart now beating fast again.

"Yes. Yes, you should. I told you you were beautiful, Faith. And I was right. You look so...pretty," he said with total sincerity.

"No one's ever said that to me before. In fact, every nice thing you say or do is a first for me."

She was actually looking at him this time and her voice sounded confident and clear.

"There are so many pleasant firsts in every relationship," he said in reply. "That first look, that first touch."

"That...first kiss," she said sweetly.

"Yes. That, too."

They talked about a fairly wide range of things as they ate, and the theme that kept coming up was that Faith felt like she was moving from despair and self-loathing to a place where she felt she might one day be happy.

"I owe all of that to you," she said at one point. "You've changed my whole life, Rob."

"I'm glad," he told her. "You deserve to be happy. But remember, you're the one who's doing all the work."

"Thank you, and...I am happy. When I'm with you," she said in that shy way of hers.

"Faith? Would you maybe like to have a glass of wine with me tonight? I mean, later on? At my place?"

Faith's heart went into high gear as she tried to keep her reaction steady.

"I...I'd love to, Rob," she said wanting him to kiss her so badly it hurt.

On the way to his house, the subject of her mother came up and as nicely as she could Faith explained the situation.

"I'm so sorry," he told her. "That has to be very difficult."

"I suppose we're co-dependent," she told him.

Rob was surprised she was familiar with that term, and yet he realized it was unfair to assume she wasn't a very intelligent young woman simply because of the way she looked or her home life.

"Have you ever considered getting a place of your own?" he asked.

"Yes," she said sweetly. "About five seconds ago."

Rob laughed politely then looked over at her and said, "You're smart and you're also funny."

He took her hand again then added, "And pretty."

At his house, Faith said, "This is another first," as he handed her a glass of wine.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. When I said everything is a first, I really did mean everything," she said, her eyes filled with hope and happiness.

"May I sit next to you?" he asked.

Faith smiled and said, "Of course."

As they sipped their wine and talked, Rob put his arm around her and Faith moved closer. As she rested her head on his shoulder she asked him a question.

"Rob? Is this what it's like to be in love?"

He thought for a moment then told her, "It is. I mean, it's a lot more than this, but this is a part of it for sure."

Faith was as afraid and unsure of herself as she'd ever been, but she was unable not say what she said next.

"You know you're the first man I've ever kissed."

"I do," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

"So that means I've never done...anything more than being kissed," she continued.

Her hands felt clammy as she put one on his chest then asked, "Would you like to...would you even want to...you know...."

"Be with you?" he asked.

"Yes. Be with me. Is that something you'd even think about...with me?"

"Yes," he told her truthfully. "But that can really change a relationship."

"Can the change make it better?" she asked unable to look at him.

"It can. It can also make it worse if the two people aren't ready for that kind of change," he said his own heart now beating faster.

"How do you know when you're ready?" she asked as she ran her hand along his chest.

"That's a good question. I'm not sure there's an exact answer."

"So...is it possible we could be ready?"

"Faith? I do like you. I like you very much. I just don't want to ruin whatever this is."

"Me, either, but I like you too, Rob. Very much. And I...I would like to experience some other...firsts."

She looked up at him then said with conviction, "With you."

"You know we can't take it back—if we do that. If it doesn't work, then...."

"I'm willing to risk that," Faith said, her eyes dancing with his. "So...unless, you know, seeing me...like that...isn't something you want, then...."

"No. Faith. I'd love to see you like that. I just want you to be sure. I want to be sure," he told her as he placed a hand on her cheek.

"I'm sure," she told him. The look in her eyes told him she was and the need and desire driving him told him it didn't matter if he was. To him, she really was beautiful and after having seen this...this other side of her...he felt comfortable believing he might possibly be sure, too.

"Then let's take that next step. Together," he said before kissing her softly.

When they got to his bedroom Faith said, "I'm a little bit afraid."

"Of?" he asked gently.

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to do," she told him. "Will you show me?"

"Yes. Yes, of course I will," he assured her.

"Then I'm not afraid," she said as she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off of him.

"Another first," she said sweetly before he began unbuttoning her blouse.

It was very dark, but Rob could make out the size and shape of her body. He knew Faith was feeling vulnerable and self-conscious as she stood before him naked for the first time in her life with a man standing in front of her.

"You're even more beautiful now," he told her as they embraced.

Faith felt him getting hard, and although she knew what the male anatomy looked like she wasn't sure what to do with his growing member.