Chapter 3: First changes - James's perspective
For the following few days after their rendezvous, James found himself unable to shake Amy from his thoughts, making his home feel like a suffocating prison. Furthermore, he couldn't help but envision her standing upon that staircase, her head level with his own, and contemplated just how sizzling she might appear if she were indeed taller.
He pushed the thoughts aside though, knowing it was just an unrealistic fantasy. Instead he tried to keep himself busy exercising. Curiously, the next day after Amy's visit he started to feel... off. He felt clumsy, his clothes felt somewhat stretched out, and when he went for a run he struggled to keep the pace he typically ran at.
On the second day after Amy's visit, James realized something was definitely wrong. As he entered his kitchen and saw Maggie for the first time since the other night, and as much as he felt silly for thinking it, he couldn't deny that she appeared to almost be the same height as him.
It couldn't be, could it? James thought.
"Maggie, do I look... Different, to you?" James asked, nervously.
His insecurity about his secret desires made it difficult for him to bring up the subject, even with his closest friends.
Maggie, who was frying up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, paused and looked up at him. Her eyes scanned James from head to toe, lingering on his slightly stretched out clothes.
Maggie walked over to him and he now only had about an inch of height on her. As she got closer, a perplexed expression developed on her face. "Dude... I think you might actually be shorter. I've never been this close in height to you. Are you feeling okay?" She replied.
As he looked into the mirror, he saw that Maggie was right. His clothes were indeed fitting him differently, and the top of his head now barely grazed the five-foot-ten mark. The thought of his secret desires becoming a reality was as thrilling as it was terrifying. He had always longed for a taller partner, but he never imagined it could be possible. Was he actually shorter?
"I feel fine but... could you measure my height?" He asked, blushing.
Maggie, who had always suspected James' preferences, raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off as just another one of James' eccentricities.
Maggie walked over to a nearby wall, found a measuring tape, and placed it firmly against James' head. James tried to suppress the arousal he was feeling at the proximity of his now relatively larger female friend.
"Yup, you're about three inches shorter than you were yesterday." Maggie said casually, suppressing a giggle. "But people don't just shrink James, so you have any idea what's going on?" She asked, now noticing he appeared to be almost... nervous, when he looked at her?
"Roomie, why are you looking at me like that?" She asked with a cheeky grin.
James, taken aback by her observation, stammered for a moment before finally managing to squeak out a response.
'I-I don't know what you're talking about', he lied, his cheeks now a fiery shade of red.
Maggie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, sensing that there was more to the situation than James was letting on. But, knowing when not to push the issue, she dropped it for the time being, choosing instead to focus on making a hearty breakfast for the two of them.
She figured that James would eventually open up to her when he was ready.
After breakfast, James's phone buzzed. He opened it and looked at Maggie. "It's Amy... She asked me if I'd like to go for a walk in the park with her..."
"I told you that girl probably had the hots for you. Say, you sure you wanna go considering you seem to have defied physics and shrunk three inches?" She jabbed playfully.
This invitation piqued James' interest. His thoughts drifted towards what Amy might look like when viewed from his new vantage point. He couldn't help wondering if she would be able to detect the difference in height between them. Despite these uncertainties, James decided to accept Amy's proposal. After all, he had really enjoyed her company the other night.
And who knows, maybe spending more time with her would help him to see her in a different light. To view her as a potential romantic interest and not just his childhood friend. Deep down, James wanted nothing more than for Amy to capture his heart, but the insecurities and desires he kept hidden away made this a daunting task.
"I think I'll go, sounds fun." James responded, trying his best to maintain a casual tone.
As they finished up breakfast, Maggie couldn't resist teasing James one last time. "You better wear some comfortable shoes, short stuff."
James tried not to blush at Maggie's 'short stuff' comment. Again he couldn't believe for once he was actually almost shorter than a girl... He tried to laugh it off as he put on his shoes and jacket to leave. "I'm still taller than you, Roomie!" He replied, as he set off to meet Amy at the park.