Bouncing Back Ch. 03

I wouldn't have remembered our walk save for a tall blonde woman waving at me as we made our way through the first floor of the student center.

"Mark!" she called. Jen strode over, and I sighed deeply. I hadn't seen her in a month, avoiding her usual hangouts. I forgot how incredibly intertwined she had become in several student organizations.

She was just about my height, and she still cut an impressively toned figure. She was wearing a green polo shirt, and had a nametag with "Hello My Name is:" A pair of slacks that led to a pair of sesnsible (and stylish) sneakers completed the ensemble. I had no idea what she was involved with, but Jen's personality was always a pretty positive one, and she was definitely more social than I was, so I was less surprised than I could have been.

"Hi, Jen," I said, trying to be pleasant. "This is my girlfriend, Carmen." Jen didn't blink, but offered her hand.

"Hi Carmen, I'm Mark's' ex." I nodded, hoping there was no way I could have made this go well.

"Oh," Carmen said, taking the offered hand. I couldn't tell, but I swear I saw Jen's eyes linger for a moment on Carmen's bust. "It's really nice to meet you," she said. Jen's eyes narrowed in thought for a minute, and then it passed.

"Well, if you two are interested, and I know how hard it is to pull him anywhere, we're having a all-campus mixer in the performance hall upstairs. Free crappy food, and some warm soda" she added, winking. Carmen laughed, and I could tell immediately that it was a polite laugh, rather than her usual enthusiastic or mischievous giggle.

"We might be able to make it," Carmen said. "Thanks for the heads up. And nice to meet you!"

"Good to see you, Mark," Jen said, eyeing Carmen with a smirk.

"You, too," I replied. "Might see you tonight." We parted ways, and walked out of the student union.

"I had no idea your ex went here," Carmen said softly.

"It hadn't really come up. I definitely was going to tell you." Carmen nodded, and I wasn't sure if that helped.

"Okay. I do believe you. It's just a bit disarming seeing your tall, hot, blonde ex go out of her way to catch your attention," Carmen added.

"I get that. I was hoping to sort of ease us all into that. But Jen's a social climber. She's going to be everywhere. Something I should have thought of on a Friday night," I added. Carmen smiled.

"Sorry. She is really hot, though," she pointed out.

"Not as hot as the girl I'm walking with," I replied. Carmen gave me a look, but I also felt her sidle closer to me. I meant it, of course, and felt pretty good about it after I'd said it out loud.

We made it outside, meandering toward my dorm room, when Carmen hugged me close. I smiled, leaning over to kiss her head. I heard her whisper "What is something Jen never did for you that you always wanted?" I stopped suddenly.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded.

"Another thing for the fantasy book," she teased, though I remained unconvinced. I thought for a moment and saw no harm in telling her.

"You already checked one off the list," I told her. Carmen tilted her head to look at me. I reached around and let my hand rest on her big, bra-clad tit. "Always wanted a good titfuck with a busty woman."

Carmen's grin told me more than I thought it would. "Anything else I can do, then?" She didn't discourage my hand on her breast, and I groped her for a moment before she pulled away. She had a lot more pep in her step.

I began racking my brain, and a thought hit me. "I hope you know I'm not comparing you two," I told her. Carmen's eyes flickered a bit, and she shrugged.

"I know," she said. We walked, hands together until she gently began leaning over to the grass. I followed her, wondering what she was up to, and then she stopped and launched her arms over my shoulders. I groaned as I felt her body against mine, reveling in her movements as we made out a few feet off the walking path. I had never done anything so brazen in public, but it felt pretty hot to feel Carmen's hands up and down my back as we kissed. Deep, thick smacks began filling the afternoon air, and a few people called out. That seemed to catch both our attention and we pulled apart. Carmen was looking into my eyes with a focus that I was quickly learning to be a sign of her arousal.

I kept my hand on her back, slowly drawing my fingers up and down, as we began walking more briskly toward the rough area of my dorm.

"That was nice," I said, licking my lips, and Carmen just plastered a satisfied smile on her face. As we arrived at my dorm, we both seemed to hesitate going in.

"I know it's a bit early for dinner," Carmen said. "Do we want to eat at the cafeteria?" I shrugged.

The walk to the cafeteria became a bit louder as the Friday night activities began ramping up. Many organizations had planned social events, but the talk of the campus was already the mixer that Jen and the Student Activities had going on. I'm sure there had been some announcement or flier, but before I'd met Carmen earlier that week, I hadn't really been planning on partying.

As we walked, though, and heard more and more about the dance or party or whatever it was, it became apparent to me Carmen was getting more and more interested in going. My first overall reaction was to balk, but I thought I might have a good time with my girlfriend. And I could tell she would.

"Did you want to go?" I asked. Carmen nodded. "Did you need to change?" Carmen nodded again.

"Can we meet at my room?" Carmen asked. I shrugged then nodded. "I promise my wardrobe will make it worth the walk," she teased. I looked a bit surprised and Carmen put her hands on her hips. "Did you really think I was going to let this afternoon go unrewarded?" She asked, a new smile on her face. It was expectant and confident.

My eyes traced her body, and she winked as she saw what I was doing. With her hands on her hips, she pushed out her chest, her shirt straining a bit, and warping the x-wing on it. Her hips flared slightly, and her jeans hugged her curves. As usual, my eyes returned to hers. Deep brown, and to me, hypnotic. I took a step forward, and whispered into her ear. "I can't wait to see you." That surge again, that shift in the air around me, had stopped catching me off guard. I realized almost with start that I'd sought it out this time.

We kissed, a soft, quick peck, and went our separate ways.

I showered, and put on my nicest pair of jeans and a better pair of shoes. I pulled on a polo for half a second, then decided if I ran into Jen, it'd be weird if we were both wearing them. I pulled on a plain gray t-shirt and a button up that I felt okay rolling the sleeves up. It had been a while since I dressed up for a date.

As I was getting ready, my phone pinged. I checked, and noticed a message from Carmen. "Can't think of anything to wear." A deep selfie shot of her cleavage in her bra, which I noticed was a different color than the one she'd been wearing earlier. Another text came through, and this one was taken by someone else, so I assumed Amy had been there. Carmen, in her panties and her bra smiling with two thumbs up. "Any ideas?"

Knowing Amy was there, I decided to have a little fun with them. I texted back "Anything without the bra."

"K!" was the only response I got.

I finished getting ready, and I walked back to Carmen's dorm, realizing halfway there that we hadn't gotten any dinner. I prepared a joke about having too much to eat at lunch, but promptly forgot it when I saw Amy and Carmen outside. Amy had thrown on a tight, crop top t-shirt highlighting a stud above her belly button and some very tight abs. The t-shirt was a pale blue, with "Fuck It" emblazoned across the chest. Her nipples poked through, indicating at least Amy was not wearing a bra. Her denim shorts clung to her narrow hips, and she looked very much like a dancer, with long slender legs. She was just a bit shorter than Carmen, and might have screamed "pixie" had I not seen her topless hours ago.

Carmen was wearing a black, thin-strapped halter top that stopped just above her belly button and a pair of jeans. The straps on he top hugged her neck a bit, and I hoped that it tied there, too. The sides curled up her rib cage, and to my amazement, and disappointment, there was little to no sideboob. Yet the edges of that fabric were straining, and I had to fight back the urge to stare. My imagination began running a bit as I glanced over my girlfriend's outfit. She'd teased her hair, and let it fall past her shoulders. She had thrown on sneakers, and ankle high socks, showing a bit of skin that I thought looked sexy.

"Damn ladies." Amy and Carmen smiled.

"Solidarity!" Amy said, cupping her petite breasts. Carmen held back a chuckle.

"You both look amazing," I said, trying to pull myself back from the stares I had been giving them. Amy grinned at me. "I hope you don't mind that I'm a bit biased though," I said, walking toward Carmen. We kissed quickly, and Amy gagged.

"Ew. Mom and Dad are kissing!" Amy shouted. Carmen and I both broke off the kiss and stared at Amy.

"That shit was funny," Amy said, crossing her arms. She did so just beneath her tits, and pushed them even further against the fabric. I tried not to stare. I was aided by the fact that many people had indeed started laughing.

Carmen shook her head slightly. "Let's go to a larger group of people, where we can be more embarrassed," she said lightly. All three of us made our way to the party.

As little as I originally wanted to go, I found I was in the minority opinion. The student union was packed with hundreds of people, and while part of me wanted to run home, I was calmed as Carmen took my hand. Amy stayed just behind us, until a woman with jet black hair grabbed her and began kissing her wildly. After what seemed to be a minute, they pulled away.

"Mark, this is Heather. My awesome," kiss. "Sexy," kiss. "Fuckable."

"That's probably enough, baby," Heather said. She offered her hand. I shook it. "We like each other!" she said. I laughed.

"I can see! I'm happy for you both. I know what it's like to find someone..."

"Who can fuck!" Amy interjected. Heather just laughed, but both Carmen and I looked very awkward.

Heather was almost the spitting image of Amy in body type, but their faces were different. I hadn't noticed how round Amy's face was, despite it's being slender. Heather's was far more angular, and her skin was a bit paler than most. It contrasted the black hair well, I thought, and her blue eyes were just this side of that pale gray that writers can't always quite nail down. Heather, I realized, was also the only woman wearing a bra with us.

We made our way through the crowd, trying to find the actual party. There was some merchandise, including glow sticks. Having been a fan as a kid, I accidentally bought eight, when I meant to buy two. I got two extra when I slid the ten dollar bill over. No change tonight, I thought wryly. I gave each of the girls two and slid the extra two in my back pocket.

"Glow sticks! Did they come with any hallucinogenics?" Amy asked excitedly.

"They did not," I said firmly. Amy winked at me and leaned over to whisper something in Heather's ear. Heather laughed as she listened, nodding, and I turned my attention to my date.

Carmen's nipples were showing through the bra, as the air conditioning was blasting. They had obviously anticipated the large crowds, and the cold air was wafting over us. There was the smell of popcorn, and Carmen pointed it out. "It's free!" she said excitedly. I laughed, but we strode to the vendor, hand in hand.

The guy working the popcorn stand was tall, clean cut, and wearing a polo shirt with an apron plastered with our campus logo. He gave an annoyingly charming grin. He was a handsome guy, I had to admit to myself, and seemed to enjoy saying hi to everyone. There was something about him that screamed politician.

He greeted us both, and I felt a bit of annoyance and of pride as he lingered on Carmen for a moment. I caught his name, Doug, on the name tag he was wearing. As we left I pointed out Doug's wandering eyes.

"I'm used to getting stared at. How does it feel being the only one that has a shot from seeing these babies later tonight though?" she asked. She gave a small shake to show me her breasts wobbling. I groaned a bit, and she stuck out her tongue. "All better?" she asked.

I kissed her quickly and we found our way upstairs. One of the people greeting and asking us to sign in was my ex. Jen had changed into a tie dyed SGA shirt, with "Welcome" blazoned across her bust line. I noticed that her chest looked a bit bigger than it had in the polo, and recognized the push-up bra. I was shocked at how quickly I recognized it, but didn't let my eyes linger there.

"Mark. Carmen," she said, smiling brightly. "Welcome. So glad you could come!" Jen and I stared awkwardly for a moment before I nodded.

"Thanks for the heads up!" I said. Jen nodded back to me, and glanced at Carmen as we walked by. I did notice that the welcome wasn't as warm for the group behind us, and wondered what was going on.

"She seemed really happy to see you," Carmen noted. She pulled my arm over her shoulder before sliding her arm around my waist.

"She did," I said. "But it might have been you. You look amazing." Carmen laughed.

"Please tell me you didn't think that was going to work," she said between chuckles. I smiled and kept her close.

"No, I didn't. I have no idea what's going on. It was us pretty much drifting apart at the end. She did end it, but it wasn't a real surprise to either of us." Some music distracted us, bleeding into the hallway from the closed double door leading into the performance hall. It became a wave when the door opened, and Carmen practically dragged me in.

"I don't dance," I started to protest. She grabbed my arms and hiked them around her torso, letting her big breasts rest on my forearms.

"Really?" she asked. I leaned in and kissed her neck. She leaned back to kiss me before pulling me to the middle of the floor. We danced for a few minutes, and I was just as awkward as I remembered. Carmen was easily more graceful than I was, but she made it easy on me. I moved my hips, and I had to admit I was having fun. At one point, Carmen slid her leg up mine, and I gripped her thigh. I'd seen it in a movie, and I leaned in to kiss her. Carmen made sure she pressed her breasts into my chest and when we pulled away, she leaned in to my ear. "Watch."

She pulled away a few steps and began gyrating. Her hips and legs were writhing and she pushed up for a moment, her hips moving around as if she was belly dancing. It was impressive control, but I found myself caught by the violent movement of her tits. Each breast, even under the restriction of the halter top, shook and bounced of its own volition. Carmen's dance became more and more energetic, turning and twisting before slowing down. At the end, she was very intently, and very slowly sending her heavy breasts across her chest. I groaned as I watched, and Carmen laughed.

She leaned into me again and kissed me, letting the kiss linger until she pulled away. The noise faded from my ears as I looked at her, and I smiled as I grabbed her hand. I did not dance well, but the music slowed, and I pulled her to the center of the room. She gave me the most satisfied smile as we danced for a song, then another. Amy and Heather came by, dancing and waving glow sticks, and making "aw" sounds as we talked. Carmen and I both laughed, and we were out on the dance floor, her head on my shoulder, when I thought I heard someone laughing.

Someone had taped glow sticks saying "F.U." on the door leading to the outside. While a juvenile joke worth a chuckle, someone had tried to take it down, and fell off a ladder. I rolled my eyes, and seeing what had happened ran over to see if the person was okay. Carmen followed, and I could tell before we got there that the person who had fallen was fine. He was rolling over. It was Doug. He'd ditched the apron, and apparently was just trying to clean things up. I helped him up, and he thanked me.

Suddenly Jen was there, grabbing Doug's arm and gently patting him. "Baby, are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. That was likely why she wanted to seem so friendly. We both got back on the wagon quickly. The light struck me and Carmen for a moment, and Doug started with familiarity.

"Quick Draw!" he said. I glanced back at Carmen, whose face was frozen. Her eyes were wide, and I saw only after a few moments a long swallow. Her skin seemed to lighten even in those few seconds as I turned to look at Doug. I don't remember the next few seconds, but my first memory after it is both Jen and Carmen pulling me backwards, away from Doug. Doug lay on the ground, holding the side of his face, and I was breathing hard. When they both realized I had stopped fighting, they let me go. The rage came back at that moment, but I realized there was no way I could get back to him. I looked at Carmen.

"You okay?" I asked. She nodded, and I slid my hand into hers. Jen reached a hand out to stop me, and I glared at her.

"If he says it again, he may not get up," I warned her. Jen slid her hand back and we walked through a quickly parting crowd. When we got outside, I could hear the rumors already swirling and swore. Carmen kept pace and until we made it halfway to her dorm I didn't slow down. Carmen finally stopped me.

"Mark," she said. I turned and looked at her. I felt like an ass immediately. Tears were streaming down her face and I pulled her close. I felt her start to sob, and took a deep breath. I had no doubt I'd made it worse, and I had been completely selfish on top of it.

"I've got you," I told her. I kissed her head. "I've got you." She nestled into me, and I held her until we heard some voices. When I glanced up, I saw Amy and Heather.

"Fuck. There you are!" Amy ran up, and I stepped back. Carmen told her roommate she was fine, then explained what happened.

"And Mark punched him?" Amy asked. Carmen nodded. "With his fist?" Carmen's face grew annoyed quickly. "And it hurt?"

"Hey!" I yelled. Carmen laughed, and Amy winked at me. I nodded, and let them have a bit of a chuckle.

"Mark, I'm going to take her home and get her in bed. I mean, put her in bed." Carmen laughed again. "I'll call if we need anything."

Carmen looked at me. "It's probably for the best," she agreed. "I'm just going to fall into bed anyway." I nodded. Our relationship was still a bit new. As I walked home, I had two thoughts -- that Carmen was okay, and that I hoped intensely that I hadn't ruined whatever chance I had with her.