chapter 1

Julia met him the first night of freshman welcome week, at a party. Luc was a junior majoring in microbiology, and was tall and muscular, with a white smile that brought out deep dimples on his cheeks. They had gotten drunk playing two truths and a lie, and he had taken her to the best late night food place in town. He said no one could bother dragging their drunk asses that far out, even if it was only a block off campus. She laughed, and they shared nachos, loaded fries, and milkshakes. By the time the combination of carbs and alcohol had her craving sleep, her stomach was full to bursting. Luc had laughed at her food baby, and offered his apartment, with the promise of being a perfect gentleman. He had kept the promise, tucking her into his bed before collapsing on the couch. They start dating a few weeks later.

. . .

In October, she notices her bras tightening, breasts spilling over in a rather startling way. She had always been a stubborn B cup. Yet, the change doesn't bother her, because she loves the way it distracts Luc, when he tries to help her with her intro biology course. Inevitably, his hands find their way into her shirt, teasing as he half-heartedly helps her learn.

On Halloween, they dress up as a Man in Black and an alien, respectively. Luc wears a simple, black suit, and Julia paints white circles down her forehead and on her cheekbones, on top of her usual makeup, and wears a green, long sleeved dress. The zipper at the top won't go entirely over her breasts, so she leaves them on display. Instead of standing at the door to drop treats into the bags of trick-or-treaters, Luc keeps the lights off and pops the treats into her mouth, a seemingly endless supply of them, as she sips her beer and watches Freddy vs. Jason.

The party they go to around eleven is amazing, and by two, they are back in the booth from the night they met. She eats a platter of fries by herself, and snatches a couple off of his plate when she finishes, sipping on her milkshake, that has melted to the perfect temperature. By the time they get back to his place, their designated haven after nights out, she is hungry again. He orders pizza, and she snacks on leftover candy until it gets there. They share the pizza, but she eats mindlessly, not thinking twice to take the two extra pieces Luc nudges toward her. She goes to bed with a fuzzy brain and a stuffed belly.

. . .

By Thanksgiving, her jeans have somehow shrunk on her. She attributes it to accidentally leaving them in the dryer for too long, and can still button them, but they aren't as comfortable as they used to be. Her parents take a trip to Cancun, so she is left on campus. Luc invites her to stay with him for the break, to get out of the dorms, and she happily agrees. He never mentions his family, and she never asks, too happy and too in love. They make a game out of cooking dinner, and take a short break between mashing potatoes and basting the turkey to have a food fight. Everything is amazing.

Thanksgiving is a day for eating, and Julia has always indulged wholeheartedly. Halfway through dinner, she pouts about not being able to eat anymore, eyeing the deserts longingly, and Luc reaches over and unbuttons her jeans, hardly taking his eyes away from the football game. Boys. Embarrassment tinges her cheeks, but her second wind has hit her, so she tucks into another plate, before moving onto desert.

At the end of the day, Julia is stuffed to the brim, groaning and groggy on the couch. Her shirt has ridden up almost enough to reveal her belly button, and her jeans had no hope of closing. When Luc sees her, he pouts sympathetically and walks over to rub her belly. Lying in his lap, she eats several cookies that he offers, lazy and warm and contented.

. . .

When she goes home for Christmas, Julia's younger sister makes fun of how fat she has gotten. Though she dismisses the comments, later, when she readies for bed, she pauses in the mirror and surveys herself. She has put on weight, mostly in her breasts, that are still round and ripe, and a little layer of fat covers her stomach. Anxiety washes over her, and she pinches that fat, jiggling it between her fingers. Tucked safely into bed, she calls Luc and asks if he thinks she's fat. He denies with authenticity she can't help but believe, and snacks as she bakes cookies with her mother and sisters, the next day.

She returns to campus, to Luc, with tighter jeans than when she left, but that is to be expected. Everyone gains weight over the winter holidays. She doesn't think about it, and enjoys the last few days of break in Luc's apartment. They eat left overs and drink egg nog in front of the fire, more often naked than not. Even when her belly is packed tight with delicious left overs, she doesn't give her sister's comments another thought.
On the first Monday back to classes, the jeans are tighter still, but she passes it off as salt bloating and promises she will go on a diet, starting the next day.

. . .

This is the first Valentine's Day Julia has ever spent with a partner. All her previous boyfriends had broken up with her sometime before, or had flaked entirely. Luc is everything she could have ever dreamed. He appears at her dorm with a stuffed animal, flowers, and plans for breakfast. She trusts him implicitly, laughing happily as he kisses her deeply and wishes her a happy valentine's day. At his insistence, Luc orders both their meals. She tucks into her French toast, eggs, hash browns, and strips of bacon with a grin. He knows exactly what she likes. He offers a bite of his biscuits and gravy, and she moans around the fork, eyes closing in appreciation. Luc laughs, a bright and happy sound, and nudges her hair back from her face. She never intends to ask for more bites, but with every glance she gives to his plate, he offers her another bite. Somehow, she ends up eating almost half of his breakfast, as well.

By the time they leave the restaurant, she is dangerously overfull, hiccupping and in dire need of the A/C in his car. He obliges, turning it all the way to cool, despite the winter air, and, in the end, he drives with one hand, the other resting on her thigh, knuckles brushing the opposite thigh. Julia had never seen that, before. Were her thighs getting closer together? Small hiccups and burps escape her, but he hushes any embarrassed apologies that she starts to form. In her eyes, it is proof that his love is as unconditional as hers.
Thankfully, lunch is lighter. However, she was still full from breakfast, so even the light lunch made her overfull again. He has reservations much later in the day, for dinner, and they spend the evening together.

While Julia digests, Luc lights scented candles and gives her a massage, before wrapping her in his robe and cuddling with her and watching her favorite movies, sipping lazily on champagne. She has never felt more beautiful, more sensual. Somehow, he ends up feeding her chocolates all the while.

. . .

On Saint Patrick's Day, their Irish city is a drunken smorgasbord of alcohol and food. She had given up on jeans shortly after Valentine's Day, favoring yoga pants and leggings. They give her more mobility, and she cannot be bothered to dress up for class, as some of the other girls do. (At least, that's what she tells herself.) Julia and Luc start drinking early in the day, and by noon, she is tipsy and hungry. They find the best cottage pie in the city, and drunk Julia loves it, because her favorite food on earth is potatoes. She does not think her mouth is empty for five minutes, the entire day. If she isn't eating, she's drinking, and it's amazing. The air is still chilly, and the beer and warm food keeps her, as Luc says, like a little furnace.

Back at his apartment, she demands pizza, lying naked across his chest. He obliges. She eats the entire pizza, plus a couple of the breadsticks, and goes to bed full, drunk, and happy.

. . .

Not long after St. Patrick's day, Julia begins shopping for Spring Break. In her favorite store, she picks up a top a few sizes up, because she knows her breasts have grown, and figures a size up in the bottoms will be fine. In the dressing room, she learns the truth. Her breasts spill out of the top. Even with their natural stretch, the bottoms will not go up her thighs. Horror rushing through her, Julia tosses the bikini pieces onto the bench behind her and looks at herself in the mirror. Somehow, she has ballooned.

Her breasts are still the largest part about her, but they have sagged. In their current state, unsupported, they fall to either side of her belly. Once flat with a mild tone, her stomach is now wide and thick; it hangs over her panty line, an extension of the thick love handles above her hipbones, which have also been covered in fat. She sports purple-red stretch marks on either side of her belly button.

Yanking back on her clothes, Julia notices that her yoga pants are tight around her belly, and she cannot even pull down her shirt enough to cover the liberal roll of fat that it cuts into. All but running out of the store, she is painfully aware of how she jiggles, belly bouncing and edging her tight yoga pants down, and how quickly she loses her breath.

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A/N: I had intended it as a one shot. However, if anyone has anything they'd like to see in it, I'm open to suggestions :D