go home

You arrive home at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon looking forward to a good old evening off. You plan on lazing round your apartment, ordering a pizza and falling asleep in front of netflix.

It's going to be nice to escape from my crazy life for a little.

You strip down out of your work clothes and throw them in the laundry hamper. You decide to wear a pair of simple grey sweatpants and an old blue cotton t-shirt, tying your hair up and out the way in a loose bun with an elastic band you found in the kitchen. You don't bother with underwear.

You decide to examine yourself in the mirror. The sweatpants stretch nicely around your new and improved butt and where once the old t-shirt was too small and looked ridiculous you now think the way it shows off your mid-riff is very sexy.

I'm going to need to learn how to do my hair though.

Maybe I can buy a copy of cosmo or something tomorrow.

Satisfied with your appearance, you dial up the local pizza place and order a pizza to be delivered later and queue up a couple of terrible but funny slasher films on your TV.

While you wait, you start idly surfing the internet on your phone and this gets you thinking about what Mr. Brown said earlier.

Oh shit, I forgot the air freshener.

You dig it out of you bag and place it on the bedside table. You flick the little switch on the back to turn it on and angle it towards the bed. A few moments later a soft 'whoosh' can be heard and the air smells faintly of jasmine.

You go back to your phone and remembering the chemicals Mr. Brown told you about you start to do a little research.

The first group he mentioned are all female growth or reproductive hormones, which makes sense.

They must be responsible for the actual changes.

The second group, which you remember make up the synthetic endorphin are a bit more interesting. One site explains which area of the brain responds to each chemical:

1. Endocannabinoids: “The Bliss Molecule”. Endocannabinoids are self-produced cannabis that work on the CB-1 and CB-2 receptors of the cannabinoid system. Anandamide (from the Sanskrit “Ananda” meaning Bliss) is the most well known endocannabinoid.

2. Dopamine: “The Reward Molecule”. Dopamine is responsible for reward-driven behavior and pleasure seeking. Every type of reward seeking behavior that has been studied increases the level of dopamine transmission in the brain. If you want to get a hit of dopamine, set a goal and achieve it.

3. Oxytocin: “The Bonding Molecule”. Oxytocin is a hormone directly linked to human bonding and increasing trust and loyalty. In some studies, high levels of oxytocin have been correlated with romantic attachment. Some studies show if a couple is separated for a long period of time, the lack of physical contact reduces oxytocin and drives the feeling of longing to bond with that person again.

4. GABA: “The Anti-Anxiety Molecule”. GABA is an inhibitory molecule that slows down the firing of neurons and creates a sense of calmness. You can increase GABA naturally by practicing yoga, meditation or “The Relaxation Response.”

5. Serotonin: “The Confidence Molecule”. Serotonin plays so many different roles in our bodies that it is really tough to tag it. For the sake of practical application it can be called “The Confidence Molecule.” Ultimately the link between higher serotonin and a lack of rejection sensitivity allows people to put themselves in situations that will bolster self-esteem, increase feelings of worthiness and create a sense of belonging.

So the more I please Mr. Brown, take pleasure from it, accept it, bond with him and generally feel like that's how I belong then the more the changes will trigger.

It's actually kind of ingenious.

Some time later, halfway through your pizza and the first corny film your phones buzzes on the bed next to you.

You pick it up and can see a new message from the emergency number Mr. Brown gave you. It's his personal mobile. You immediately turn off the TV and shove aside the pizza box.

Sitting up straight and attentive you open the message.