Pandora's Box

Honesty and Voyeurism

Dani groaned as her alarm went off for 7:30AM. She crawled out from under her bed covers, blinking blearily and digging the sleep from her eyes. She hadn't stayed up for long after Jake stormed out, but that had still been around 1:15AM, granting her barely six hours' sleep.

Her tired brain was practically screaming at her to just sack off the lecture and go back to bed -- after all, attendance wasn't compulsory -- but Dani forced these thoughts down and reluctantly padded through to the shower. Martine's bedroom door was still ajar, the interior dark, meaning she had yet to come home.

As the balmy water hit her tanned skin, running down her round breasts and taut belly in glistening, cosy streaks, Dani found her thoughts wandering back to the night before. She closed her eyes and sighed, her shoulders slumped forward, as she remembered how Jake's demeanour had changed so drastically. She was still having trouble working out exactly what she had said wrong.

Just after 8:30AM, Dani emerged into the fresh morning air. It was a beautiful day, the sun bathing her in its warm embrace and not a single cloud in the sky. Dani had dolled herself up in black mascara and pink lipstick, wearing a faux leather black bralette, high-waisted olive-green cargo pants, and black ankle boots. Dani topped off her look with a black crop jacket -- also made of faux leather -- plus a silver choker necklace and her favourite sunglasses. It was a little overkill; an ensemble more suited for a night out than a morning lecture. But she was a badass bitch -- she didn't need Jake, and it was time to show everyone why.

Dani snapped a couple of selfies, breaking into a wide grin as she saw how fit she looked in her outfit. She was so engrossed that she almost missed another student trying to catch her eye as he walked past her. He stared with barely concealed lust at the peppy brunette and, noticing his stares, she shot him a grin and a flirtatious wave as she pranced away. Seriously, who needed Jake?

Dani got even more attention as she sauntered onto campus. Girls watched her with either jealous scorn or stunned admiration, and nothing in between, whilst boys stared lewdly and with open mouths for as long as they could get away with it. Dani acted nonchalant, staring straight ahead, but she secretly loved the attention. Her large, firm tits were proudly on display, jiggling and straining behind her tiny top, and she walked with a seductive gait that made her hips and ass sway hypnotically from side to side. She felt like the campus queen, her AirPods blasting Wu-Tang Clan's "

Rules

" in her ears as she strolled through her admiring crowd.

Dani entered a small classroom -- naturally, most of the room turned to look as she entered -- and took her seat next to a bright, heart-faced blonde named Alexandra Fraser.

"Well, look at you, gorgeous gal!" Alex exclaimed admirably, taking in Dani's look. "What's the occasion?"

"Just felt like turning a few heads this morning," Dani replied with a satisfied grin.

The lecture dragged on forever and, to Dani's great frustration, offered very little useful information that she didn't know already. By the time it ended nearly two hours later she was about ready to throw herself out the window.

"Well that sucked," Alex remarked as they and their gaggle of friends exited into the open air. "You gonna come to the campus café to study with us? Maybe we can get something done that's actually useful."

As Dani opened her mouth to reply, she was cut off by a booming voice from behind. "Sounds like fun. Room for a few more?"

The voice belonged to a stocky, black-haired guy named Austin Jackson, a fellow student on Dani's college course. He was grinning at them, flanked by his cohort of goons who all ogled the girls with similarly stupid expressions on their faces.

"I think only people with brains are invited," Dani remarked, rolling her eyes.

Austin turned to Dani and strolled up to her, attempting to slide an arm around her shoulders. "Dani! Long time, no see. I gotta say, you're lookin' real fine today."

"Oh, yuck," Dani grimaced, recoiling away from him and eliciting a laugh from her friends.

If Austin was perturbed by this he didn't show it. "How's Martine doing?"

Dani's nostrils flared as she felt her temperature rise. "All the better without you sniffing around her."

Austin's grin grew and he took a step closer. "She's a little minx in bed you know. A proper screamer." His mates all guffawed behind him. "I can't help but think that you had something to do with her breaking up with me."

"Of course I did," Dani said defiantly, folding her arms beneath her chest. "You treated her like garbage."

"We both know that's not the reason you did it. I've seen the way you look at me." Ever since he and Martine had broken up, Austin had seemingly made it his mission to get into Dani's pants next.

"I'd rather roll in pig shit," Dani replied bluntly -- Austin's cockiness was insufferable.

"Well, maybe I'll pay Martine a visit soon. Unless you want a go to make it two for two?"

"Stay the hell away from her!"

"Temper, temper," Austin said, wagging his finger. He turned back to his grinning mates and gestured lecherously at Dani's prominent breasts. "I couldn't stop staring at those cannonballs in the lecture. How much did you pay for them?"

"Screw off," Dani seethed, her anger spiking. She hated it when people thought her boobs were fake. "Who told you that you could look?"

"Hey, if you didn't want the attention, you wouldn't have bought them in the first place. Or covered them with such a small top. Or worn tight pants that show off your ass like that. In fact, I'd say you're just asking for a good, rough fucking."

Lost for words, Dani felt herself going red in the face. She loved her boobs, but they really did grab unwanted attention sometimes.

"You're such a loser," Alex said angrily, putting her hands comfortingly on Dani's shoulders and escorting her away.

"We'll have a threesome! You, me, and Martine! Just float the idea past her!" Austin shouted after the gaggle of girls as they moved away, his friends cackling with glee.

"He's such an asshole," Alex said, shaking her head. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Dani replied, shaking her head in disbelief. "I just wish he'd keep away from Marti. All he does is give her grief- AH!"

Dani jolted, her hips thrusting forward as something hard and fast smacked her in the rump. She spun around, enraged, to see Austin flexing his hand with that stupid grin still on his face. His mates were howling with laughter -- several had their phones out, clearly filming the whole thing. Dani clenched her teeth and her fists as she stared Austin down, a sting emanating from her round bubble butt.

"Leave her alone!" Alex shouted.

"Come on Dani," Austin leered, his eyes fixed on her tits as he crept closer. "Let's find somewhere quiet just for the two of us so I can feel up that thick ass of yours a little more." He slipped a hairy arm around Dani's slim waist, pulling her in close -- and she snapped.

SMACK!

Dani delivered a powerful slap to Austin's face, making him lurch away with a loud grunt. She spun out of his grip as the girls all gasped and then cheered, while the boys hooted and laughed some more.

"Bitch!" Austin snarled, his hand over his cheek as Dani gave him the finger and strutted back to her friends.

"You go girl!" Alex grinned as they walked away. "That'll put him in his place for sure!"

"I doubt it," Dani chuckled. "It felt so good though!"

"Dani!" One of the girls at the head of the group, who had reached the entrance to the campus café, was trying to get her attention.

"What is it?" Dani called back.

"This guy here says he's looking for you."

"Huh? What guy?"

The group shuffled apart and revealed to Dani a familiar figure leaning against the wall near the entrance. She squinted, not quite believing her eyes, until she drew closer and realised the short blond hair and bright blue eyes were unmistakeable. The figure shot her a sheepish smile.

"Hey Dani."

"Oh. Hi... Jake." Dani felt a weird cocktail of emotions brewing inside her; happiness, mixed with apprehension, confusion, and a twinge of annoyance. What the hell was he doing here?

"I know this is a little weird," Jake admitted, slowly approaching her. "Can we talk?"

"Everything ok?" Alex whispered to Dani, giving her shoulder a reassuring rub.

"Yeah. I'll... I'll catch you girls up. You go on."

Alex nodded, giving Jake a searching look before ushering the rest of the group inside the café.

Jake gave Dani a small smile as soon as they were alone. "You're looking good."

"Thanks." Despite herself, Dani felt a small rush from his compliment.

"Do you always dress like a model for your lectures?"

Dani rolled her eyes, unsure if she was in the mood for Jake's joking. "Depends on the lecture, I guess. Look Jake, I'm not sure if..."

"I know, I know, I acted out last night. I just... wanted to explain myself. I..." Jake trailed off, looking flustered. "Look, let's grab a table. I'll buy you a coffee. I wanna tell you some things."

Dani sucked air between her teeth. "Alright. Fine. It's gotta be quick though."

They entered the café and grabbed a table in the corner, far enough from everyone else. Dani made herself comfortable while Jake bought their coffees.

"Thanks for agreeing to hear me out," Jake said, returning and seating himself next to Dani, handing her a coffee in a scalding paper cup.

"That's alright. How did you even find me?"

"Martine." Jake spoke the single word as if it explained everything. "She was still with Ethan when I got home. I told her what happened and my side of the story. She convinced me to come back and explain it to you. She said you'd either be here or at your flat."

"Right. So you're gonna tell me why you flipped out at me?"

Jake chuckled self-consciously. "Yeah, basically. So, uh, I get last night was a little... intense."

"Jake, I get it. We were both a bit drunk. You don't need to explain yourself-"

Jake cut her off. "No, I really do." He took a deep breath. "I get that, from your point of view, I probably overreacted. But I... I have a good reason. What happened last night was... a little too real for me."

"Right." Dani narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jake sighed. "This is gonna sound crazy. But there's really no other way to put it."

Dani noticed him tapping his foot nervously and she placed a hand comfortingly over his. "Remember where we work? Crazy's kinda part of my life these days."

"Heh. That's very true." Jake took another deep breath. "Okay. So. I, uh... I freaked out last night because... because something similar has happened to me before. With another girl. Only with her I wasn't as... as lucky."

Dani felt her stomach tighten. Was Jake implying what she thought he was?

"Okay. Meaning?"

Jake paused, trying to find the right words. Eventually, frustrated, he shook his head.

"Fuck it. Dani, I... I have a kid."

"A kid?" Dani spoke the word as if she had never heard it before, pulling her hand away.

"That's right." Jake was watching her closely, wringing his hands.

"You... have a kid?"

"Yes."

"A child? You have a child?"

"I do. A son. His name is Lucas. He's gonna be five next month."

"Five?!" Dani stared at Jake incredulously. "You have a five-year-old son?"

"Yes, I do."

There was a brief silence while Dani considered this information. She almost couldn't believe it. A small part of her was convinced it was a dumb joke. But then, while Jake was a bit of a joker, this seemed a little tasteless compared to his usual repertoire.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, I do. It's just... a lot to take in."

"Here." Jake dug his phone out of his pocket and scrolled for a few seconds before showing the screen to Dani. On it was a photo of a cute kid with bright blue eyes and straight blond hair, a huge smile on his face.

"That's him. From his last birthday."

Dani took the phone from Jake and scrutinised the picture. "Wow. He looks... exactly like you."

"He does, doesn't he?" Jake smiled, taking his phone back.

"Okay. So, you freaked out because, what... you thought you were about to create another mini-Jake with me?"

"Kinda. His mom is a chick I was dating in college. I was 21, in my third year. It wasn't serious but, well..." Jake sighed deeply again before continuing.

"We were getting down and dirty at her place. Similar to last night. And... the condom broke. That one was expired too. We thought it would be okay."

Jake paused again and Dani's heart rate sped up a little. She knew exactly where this story was heading.

"Last night, I realised what had happened. When it broke. Because it's happened before. But with this girl, I obviously didn't. And I came inside her. She was ovulating and... well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

Dani swallowed hard. Suddenly Jake's reaction made sense.

"I... that's crazy. I mean I... I get why you acted the way you did."

"I shouldn't have. I should have been cooler about it. Obviously you had no idea. But when I noticed what was happening I just... it was like history repeating itself. If I had got you pregnant as well, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself."

There was a long silence as Dani took in what she had just heard. It had clearly been traumatic for Jake. But there was something about the whole situation that she couldn't help but find a little hot. The fact that this girl had got knocked up all because of a failed condom... and how that could have easily been her last night. She blushed and looked away from Jake, embarrassed by how she was reacting to his sincerity.

"I've freaked you out, haven't I?" Jake had an apologetic expression on his face. "I just thought you ought to know."

"No, I'm... I'm not freaked out." Dani placed her hand reassuringly over Jake's again, smiling. "It's just a lot to take in. I... thank you for telling me. I know it's probably hard to tell people."

"Well, you get used to it. This was easier than I expected, actually." Jake let out a big sigh and ran a hand through his short hair, allowing a smile to return to his face. "Damn. It actually feels really good to tell you!"

Dani cleared her throat anxiously. There was still a small elephant in the room.

"So, uh... you and this girl?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Is she, like, your girlfriend, or..."

"No!" Jake exclaimed, looking a little offended. "No, of course not. We literally fucked last night. You think I'd jump into bed with you if I was in a relationship?"

"No, no, definitely not!" Dani said hurriedly, feeling like an idiot. "I didn't think that through... I'm sorry. Dumb question."

Jake nodded in understanding. "It's cool. Again, I get that it's a weird situation. No, I'm not with Ava- uh, Lucas' mom. We co-parent -- I see him a few times a week. But we're not together. Hell, we were barely together when it happened."

Jake let out a dark chuckle. "Her parents wanted us to get married when we broke the news. I was happy to do it to be honest. But she shot the idea down."

Dani giggled. "She didn't fancy the white picket fence? House in the suburbs?"

"Apparently not," Jake laughed.

"Did she have to drop out of college?"

"She did," Jake nodded gravely. "It was her decision to though. She deferred; she's planning to finish when Lucas starts primary school."

"A friend of mine is pregnant. She dropped out as well." A thought suddenly occurred to Dani. "Hey, she worked at Pandora's Box actually. Sofia Baker?"

A look of clarity came over Jake's face. "I do remember her! You guys know each other?"

"Uh-huh!"

"I'm not surprised to be honest. She played that Pregnancy Craps game a couple times. You know, the blue badge one?"

A thrilled charge shot down Dani's spine. "Yeah, I... I know it."

"Honestly, all the waitresses who play that one are just asking to be knocked up. Not that I'm judging. To each their own." Jake shrugged. "How far along is she?"

"Oh, uh... 37 weeks I think." Dani was a little flustered by Jake's frank words. "Super far. She's huge: honestly, she looks like she's about to burst."

Jake snorted with laughter. "Yeah, sounds about right. Ava was the same -- she was so slim when I met her, then BAM! suddenly she's the size of a small garage."

"It's a little strange to be honest. Sofia used to have a body just like mine. We went to the gym together and stuff. But now she has this giant, ridiculous belly. It's covered in stretch marks, and her belly button's all popped out and weird." Dani let out a small, involuntary shiver.

"Sounds normal to me," Jake replied, giving Dani a stern look. "She's probably super self-conscious about it. Ava sure as hell was. Do you talk like that to her face?"

"No, of course not," Dani said, feeling a little ashamed. "I would never. I just can't wrap my head around it. She used to look just like me. Now we couldn't look more different." She sighed. "Sofia's pretty worried about how her body's gonna look afterwards. I don't like seeing her that way."

"Ava was the same. Personally I think she bounced back decently, but there's definitely some permanent changes you can't help but notice."

Dani shuddered. "I couldn't do it. Having my body change beyond my control? It sounds horrible."

Jake smirked. "Yeah, I can't see you coping with it very well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dani asked with a twinge of annoyance.

"What? You just admitted it yourself!"

"Yeah, well... it's okay for me to say it."

"Well, either way, you're welcome."

"Eh? For what?"

"For not getting you preggers last night," Jake chuckled.

"Heh. I guess I do owe you one," Dani agreed, a light flutter running through her lower stomach.

"I, uh... I did want to tell you something else."

"Oh?"

Jake shifted uneasily. "This is gonna sound strange too, considering what I've just told you. But I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

Her curiosity piqued, Dani leaned in towards Jake. "Tell me. I don't think this can get much stranger."

"True," Jake said with a nervous grin. "Well, listen, the thing is... I do like you Dani. You're pretty cool and cute as hell. So... I'd like to take you on a date. A proper one. This Friday. Are you busy?"

Dani let out a noise that trod a blurred line between a giggle and a gasp, clasping her hand to her mouth. "Are you serious?"

"I am. How about it?"

Dani was grinning from ear to ear. She hadn't expected this at all, let alone for Jake to do it in such a bold, direct manner. She bit her lip, considering his offer -- not that it took her long to decide.

"Yes! I'd love t-"

"Cruz! You got something to say to me?" A deep and unwelcome voice boomed out from behind her.

Oh fuck

, Dani thought to herself. She turned in her seat to see that Austin had reappeared, leering out of the shadows like a bad smell. A huge red welt throbbed on his cheek. He stalked over to the table, looming over Dani threateningly.

"That was real nasty, what you just did."

"You deserved it," Dani said flatly. "Don't be such an asshole in the future."

A malicious smile spread across Austin's face. "You know, half my mates were filming that. Maybe I'll show the dean and get you thrown out for assault."

"That won't fly in a million years. You can't threaten me."

"Can't I? You caught me by surprise there, but one day you'll be walking home alone without your little friends, and then-"

"Hold up. What the hell is going on?" Jake asked loudly, looking from Dani to Austin and back again, a mystified expression on his face.

"Hi mate," Austin said with fake friendliness. "Chatting up Miss Cruz here? I wouldn't bother. She's too stuck up to date college guys these days."