The Variations by Jones M (christmas read aloud txt) 📖

met who cares about you and also makes you feel good about yourself?"

Kate did not know how to answer that. Gwen looked shocked for a moment, realizing that she might have stepped over some line.

"I have no idea where that came from," she said, honestly surprised. "Look. I don't mean to push something if there is truly nothing there. And I'm sorry for teasing you about him. I mean, he is the whole package a girl can ask for. It makes me wonder why you haven't claimed that yet."

"Gwen--"

"You haven't dated anyone for over a year now. It makes me worried that you would become a cat lady in the near future."

"It's not going to happen," Kate reassured her friend with a laugh. "I plan to have a boyfriend, but not yet. I'm just waiting for the one, as cheesy as it sounds."

"And Chris can't be the one--"

"Shut up," Kate cut her friend off with a playful slap on her shoulder. Gwen laughed as they continued walking towards the party.

'Chris? The one?' Marie thought with a shake of her head. It sounded ridiculous.

But then, Gwen was right about her spending most of her time with Chris. She had come to like him after all the time they had spent together. It was as if he attracted her attention every moment he was around. She could even sense him in a room. 

Kate's heart thudded at the realization, and a warm, pleasant emotion erupted in her stomach.

'What?' she questioned herself. She wondered what the hell she was feeling at the thoughts of Chris.

'Could it be that I'm falling for him?'

Kate quickly dismissed the idea. She had just started hanging out with Chris. The feelings were merely brought on by the thought of their friendship.

Right?

 

Chapter 14

 

"It's a Halloween party?" Kate exclaimed once they were approaching the house that was hosting the party. It resembled the design of Chris' house, and the only thing different was that the walls were painted gray.

"I'm sorry," Gwen replied with a wince. "Nobody told me we were to dress up."

Kate eyed the scene before them. Just like the last party she had been to, the current one was packed. She could spot that the house was illuminated by colorful lights from where she stood. The music was so loud that she could hear it clearly, and she could even spot a couple of drunk college kids mingling around the lawn.

"It's okay, Gwen. Maybe we can go back and--"

"No," Gwen cut her off.

"What? Gwen, we aren't dressed up for this kind of party. If we go in there right now, we'll be making fools out of ourselves."

Kate was ignored as her roommate reached for her button-up blouse.

"What are you doing?" she asked, but Gwen didn't answer as she unfastened a few buttons on the article of clothing. 

"There," she said, looking at the handiwork. The unbuttoned part of the blouse showed off Kate's skin, even exposing the top of her blue bra.

"How will we get in?" Marie asked.

"Easy," Gwen said as she moved to expose a bit of her cleavage on her own blouse. "We'll be going as disguised witches."

"Disguised witches?" Kate repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"You're right. That doesn't sound smart. Let's go with slutty witches."

"What?"

"We look the part. Just look at your chest," Gwen spoke. Kate looked down, and that was when she spotted the ample cleavage that her roommate had revealed.

"I can't go in like this," she said, itching to button up her blouse.

"Relax, Kate. It's a party," Gwen winked. "Now come on."

It did not take the two long to enter the house. Nobody bothered to ask why they weren't dressed up, and Kate noticed that not everyone had worn costumes for the party.

It made her realize there was no need to expose her cleavage. She went just to cover it up when Gwen slapped her hand away.

"No," she said.

"Oh, come on," Kate whined.

"I'm helping you out here. If you cover those babies up, no guy will come to you," Gwen explained, much to Kate's displeasure.

"I thought we were coming here to have fun," Kate stated.

"We are going to have fun," Gwen said, "but with other guys."

Kate sighed, finding herself agreeing to her roommate's plans for the evening.

"Now let's go dance," she smiled, grabbing her hand and leading them to the dance floor. Students, just like them, were already moving to the beats of the song playing.

It didn't take long for the two to be part of the crowd. They did a couple of dance moves, and Kate laughed when Gwen tried to twerk.

It went on like that, and the two laughed each time they did an embarrassing dance. Kate had missed it, and she was glad she was having fun with her friend after such a long time.

Then came a song that she was familiar with.

'I've been there all night,

I've been there all day,

And boy, got me walking side to side.'

Kate's body seemed to move on autopilot from that point. Gwen laughed beside her, trying to move in sync with her dance moves.

Two hip thrusts and a shake of her ass later, Kate felt hands grab her waist. She tensed, turning to look at the person who was trying to grind on her.

"Yeah, baby," the guy said, his fingers clenching hard enough to leave imprints. "Move that ass for me."

"Let me go," Kate said, trying to move away from the guy. He didn't budge, and his hands started traveling up her form.

"She told you to let her go," another voice sounded. Kate turned, and her body relaxed when she spotted Chris. Just like her, he had not dressed up for the party. He had only worn an orange shirt with a black pair of jeans.

"Who are you?" the person behind Kate growled. Kate got a whiff of his breath, and it revealed he was slightly drunk.

"Her boyfriend," Chris answered like it was casual. Marie looked at him in shock.

"What?" Kate voiced out. Chris looked at her, signaling for her with his eyes to go along.

"I don't believe you," the man's grip tightened around Kate.

"I don't care whether you believe me or not. Get your hands off of her or else I'll knock you out till next week."

'Whoa,' Kate thought as she looked at Chris. He had taken a stance that showed he was ready for an attack as he glared at the person behind her. Kate had never seen Chris mad before, and the look he was sporting was menacing. There was no doubt that he was willing to carry out his words. It left Kate feeling both frightened and glad.

"She's not worth it," the guy said, pushing Kate forward. She gasped, but Chris was there to support her. "There are other babes with bigger breasts than hers in here, anyway."

Kate scoffed at the nerve of the guy. She soon faced Chris.

"Thank you," she replied. He still maintained his look.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and his voice was low enough to sound like a growl.

"I came here with Gwen to party just like everyone else. What are you doing here?"

"Alex," Chris replied with a bored look. "He complains I haven't been to parties with him for months."

"So does my roommate," Kate said with a shrug. "By the way, have you seen her?"

Kate looked around the room, but she couldn't spot Gwen anywhere.

"I think I saw her with a guy--"

"You have got to be kidding me," Kate interrupted him. "It's only been like, what, ten minutes?"

Chris chuckled, and the sight of his smile calmed down her impending anger.

"Well, just do what she did to you," he replied.

"Huh?" Kate asked.

"She went away with a guy. I'm a guy."

Kate released a nervous laugh.

"What?" Chris questioned with furrowed eyebrows even as he smiled.

"You do know what my roommate plans to do with the guy, right?"

He chuckled before saying, "Yes. But I want to spend time with you. We could have a couple of drinks then go out to talk."

Kate didn't ponder for long to give out her reply.

"Okay. But first, let's dance."

"Wha--"

Chris's voice got muddled with the music as Kate went back to the people dancing in the room. She moved on the floor, doing a couple of hand motions as her eyes searched for Chris.

She soon spotted him coming towards her. He shook his head at her with a smile before approaching her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look I'm doing?" she asked, moving her arms at her sides in a wavelike motion. Chris laughed at that.

"Careful. You could slap someone with those," he said with a grin, grabbing her hands. "I don't think you should be dancing like this. You were better off at the beginning, but now--"

"I'm a pro?"

"You're like a clock that doesn't know which direction to move," Chris stated, and Kate laughed.

"Let's just go out. This place is getting packed anyway," he said. Kate remembered he was holding her hands. She seemed to enjoy the sensation of his palms on hers.

She didn't dwell too much on it as he began pulling them towards the exit. The two were soon outside the building, and they spotted the clouds in the sky.

"Oh, crap. Do you think it's going to rain?" she asked.

"No," Chris replied. 

"I'm not sure I have asked, but where is Alex?"

"With a girl," Chris replied in boredom.

"Oh, you too?" Kate feigned sympathy. "How long?"

"I think twenty minutes since we got in. He didn't even tell me."

"What wonderful friends we have," Kate replied with sarcasm, and Chris chuckled. He looked at her, and Kate found herself momentarily lost in his brown orbs.

'Wait. What?'

"Oh, fuck. I forgot the drinks," Chris said, ruffling his hair. "Look. I'll be right back."

Kate went to object that they didn't need drinks, but he had swiftly moved back into the house. She sighed, turning to look at her surroundings.

The house was, indeed, filling up. More people were standing outside the entrance of the house. It made Kate wonder why she had even shown up in the first place. She could have been in her dorm with her laptop. There were movies that had come out, and she hadn't started on them.

Minutes followed, and Chris had not yet returned.

'What's taking him so long?' she wondered. She was just about to go back into the house to look for him when she spotted him coming out with a beer bottle and two styrofoam cups.

"Sorry I took a while," Chris said as he handed her one of the cups. "The house is full. It was hard enough to get a beer with that many people in there."

"Thank you," Kate smiled as he filled up her cup. She took a sip of the drink, and she sighed as the contents made their way past her throat.

"So, you're still a virgin?" Chris asked casually.

"Chris!"

"Can you blame me after seeing the way you danced?"

"Oh, you think I dance well?" Kate asked.

"I meant your ass and hips," he corrected, earning an unamused look from her. Chris chuckled, and that had Kate slapping his shoulder.

The two soon engaged themselves into anything that came to their minds. Chris spiraled into a conversation involving their high school, Stonedale High. He recounted events that had the both of them laughing like maniacs. Some of them were antics that Kate had pulled off, but she still laughed with him.

"So, what did you do before coming here?" Kate asked. By then, the alcohol