It was late in the day and Patricia knew that the cafeteria was closed, but she knew there was a carvery just outside the campus grounds and the college bus stopped very close to it.
She checked her watch. If she hurried she could catch the next bus. It only took fifteen minutes to do the loop around the campus, but she was not keen to wait for the next run. She checked that her backpack was sitting on her shoulders properly and broke into a run, bolting for the bus stop as hard and fast as she could manage. She was glad that she was wearing jeans today, and not one of her tight-fitting dresses that could have restricted her movement.
She weaved through the thinning crowd of students like a sewing machine needle, desperate to let nothing keep her from catching that bus, and ultimately, food.
She rounded the final corner in time to see the last student boarding the bus. Summoning a burst of speed she did not know she had she tore over to the bus and charged up the steps as the door closed behind her. She apologised sweetly to the driver, paid her fare and sat down to catch her breath.
A few tortuous minutes later the bus halted at the stop near the carvery. Patricia was the first off the bus and walked swiftly to the eatery. She gazed longingly into the bain marie. The brightly lit hotbox contained all kinds of roasts, and many different kinds of fried foods, as well as lots of side dishes and warmed vegetables. It all looked ... delicious.
"Hullo 'Tricia. How are you this afternoon?" greeted the lady behind the counter.
"Hungry," Patricia told the English woman, not taking her eyes of the food. "How about you Molly?"
"We're both doing quite well," the large woman replied happily. "The doctor says I should rest more, but everything is going perfectly."
Patricia smiled. Molly was, to her at least, a behemoth of a woman. She was six and a half feet tall, broad across the shoulders and hips, and solidly built with plenty of muscle. Even though she was now eight months pregnant, Patricia suspected the big woman could lift up a car while she changed a tyre. She was tough, yet sweet and pretty with long golden blonde hair, a lovely smile, and a generous nature. Patricia was enamoured with her and jealous of her at the same time. She would have loved to be that big, but she also would have enjoyed being picked up by those powerful arms and held to that awesome bosum.
"I'm sure you're right," she told Molly.
"So what can I get you?"
All of it, whispered a greedy voice in her mind, and she almost said it out loud even though she knew she could not possibly eat it all.
"I am especially hungry today," she told Molly. "Could I please have a large plate loaded with roast lamb, vegetables, and plenty of potato bake?"
"Tired of being tiny,eh?" chuckled the larger woman, and pulled out a large plate and began piling it with food.
You have no idea, thought Patricia. She paid for the food and sat down at a nearby table and began moving the food from the plate to her mouth as fast as she could maneuver it with the cutlery. Minutes later the plate was empty, the food now inside her and putting pressure on the waistband of her jeans. She sat back and snapped the clasp, giving her belly room to bulge out slightly. She sighed in relief.
Now that the pressure was off her stomach, it seemed to feel as though it had room for more food, and her hunger resumed unabated. Surprised, but not concerned she returned to the hotbox with her plate.
"What would you like, 'Tricia? Something to wash that down?"
"Actually, I'm still kind'a hungry. Could I get some roast beef please? And maybe fill the rest of the plate with fries."
Molly looked at her curiously. "Are you sure? You're already coming out of your jeans. I am not sure that you could hold any more."
Patricia rubbed her belly gently through her shirt. "It seems I have a stomach that disagrees with you."
"Alright," sighed Molly, filling a clean plate, "but I reserve the right to say 'I told you so'."
"Sounds fair," Patricia smiled. She took the food back to the table and began stuffing it into her mouth like before. When she was done she let down the zip on her jeans to make room for her swollen belly. She sat back and basked in the feeling of fullness. She had felt all kinds of good in her life, but this was a whole new feeling to her. She felt ... great.
"Young lady," said Molly with mock sternness as she came over to collect the plate, "I can not believe how much you just put away. I have never seen you eat even half that much before."
"I have never eaten that much in my life," sighed Patricia happily. "You know," she added, listening to her body's urges, "I suspect that I could still eat some more." She patted her solid belly. "Could I maybe get a chicken sandwich? With lettuce and beet..."
"No," Molly cut her short. "I can't let you over-do it. You can do yourself a mischief over-eating like that. Honestly, anyone would think that you have worms." She folded her arms and rested them on her huge belly, the very act of which clearly brought a new thought to mind. "Are you pregnant?" she asked, concerned.
"Of course not. I have not had sex for months. Well, with a boy, anyway."
Molly seemed to let the addendum slide. "A few months doesn't rule out the possibility, 'Trish. You need to be sure. Have you had your periods lately?"
Patricia shrugged. "They've never been all that regular. With how busy I've been lately I cannot say for sure when I last had one."
Molly shook her head. "This won't do. Listen, my shift is over in half an hour. I have a pregnancy test kit at home I never used. I think you should come home with me so that I can keep an eye on you overnight, and in the morning we can test to see if that's a bun rising in your oven."
Patricia was not sure what to say. She liked the big woman on many levels, but was not sure if she was offering anything more than a couch to sleep on for the night, and she did not want to mess things up.
"I don't know," she stammered. "I mean, I don't have anything to sleep in."
"I live alone," Molly informed her, "and I am not a prude. You can wear as little as you like if you will grant me the same privilege."
The little woman was stunned. Even if this was going nowhere, she might get to see this awesome woman naked. But Patricia had no reason to suspect that Molly might be into girls. With anyone else Patricia would be game to take the risk of crashing and burning, but could she take the chance that she might damage her relationship with Molly?
And besides, Molly was determined to stop her eating, but she was still hungry.