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

do just that?" she tried to hide the hurt she was feeling.

"It's not that easy. I'm scared of how she'll react. She doesn't know it yet, but she's just too good for me."

At that moment, Marie decided to turn to face away from him. She withdrew her hand from his hold in the process, and she felt suddenly lonesome without his touch.

She heard him chuckle. She thought he had noticed her reaction, and it angered her further. Her form was tense after all he had told her. She was conflicted about whether to feel sorry for him or to feel happy about his uncertainty about approaching his crush. She couldn't understand her own emotions either, and so she couldn't say anything at the moment. She needed some time to think.

"I'm tired. Can we continue this at another time?" she said, unsuccessful at hiding the emotions in her voice.

"Did I mention that the girl went to the same high school as me?"

"Good night, Chris," Kate said, wanting to end the conversation.

Marie did not want it to continue. For some reason, hearing Chris talk about a girl he was falling for was making her chest hurt. The emotion in his voice had told her that he had truly fallen for her. He was happy about it, and instead of feeling the same, it made her sad. It baffled her.

"Good night," Chris replied before shifting to face away from Kate.

Kate sighed, her form relaxing as a calm quiet took over the room. Moments passed, and afterward, the two fell into a peaceful slumber.

 

Chapter 20

The next morning met Kate in a mood. Her mind was still on what Chris had revealed to her on the previous night, and it was still affecting her.

Chris had feelings for someone else.

That revelation had her feeling hurt the moment she remembered it that morning. She was angry, and it was because of the emotions Chris was unknowingly making her feel. She was also furious as to why she cared so much.

Never had she ever felt such strong emotions around a guy. What could be the problem? Why was the thought of Chris dating another girl such an issue to her? And why was she still thinking about it?

Kate sighed as she turned on the bed, noticing that Chris' side was empty.

'Huh,' she thought. That was when she heard the shower running.

'Wait. There's a shower in here?'

She looked around the room, quickly spotting a white, wooden door on the side in front of her.

Kate felt relieved all of a sudden. She didn't have to wander across the halls to get to the bathroom. She was not ready to see the rest of Chris' family. She could imagine how awkward it would be if Abe ran into her in her state.

She slowly got up from her bed. She walked around as she untangled the curls in her hair, searching for her bags. Once she found them, she took out her packed toothbrush and a selection of clothes. She even took out a towel she had packed just in case Chris' home didn't offer any.

Marie turned to her phone. She looked at the time, surprised that it was seven in the morning. She had stayed up with Chris' family to the minutes close to midnight, and so it was a surprise she was awake and energetic.

Her phone dinged with a notification, showing a message from Gwen. It had been sent at one in the morning, and it made Marie question why it was appearing then.

'Have you tapped that yet?' it simply read. She rolled her eyes, deciding to ignore it. 

Just as she started squeezing toothpaste on her brush, the shower stopped running. She was glad that she wouldn't have to wait long for her turn. She went to walk towards the door leading to the bathroom. Midway, it was opened. Steam came out of the other side, and soon, so did Chris.

Kate's eyes widened as she struggled not to drop her jaw in shock.

Chris had gotten out of the shower, wearing only a brown towel. They hung low on his hips, showing off the defined 'V' that led to his crotch.

That was the only article of clothing that was on him. The rest of his skin was exposed, and Marie took her time to take it all in.

As Chris wiped his hair with another towel, his biceps bunched and relaxed to the momentum. His naked torso was in view, and it showed off the bumps and curves of the muscles there. They made his skin look tight, and Kate's fingers ached to touch him. His pectorals were also on full display, and they made him look hot. His abs clenched and relaxed as he breathed. Water still trickled down his chest, illuminating his smooth skin and providing a slight glow in the lighting.

"Oh. Morning, Kate!" Chris greeted with a smile as he went to pat down his naked chest. Kate did not reply, watching as his muscles bunched when he used the towel. His muscles moved at the action, rendering Kate speechless as he kept wiping over them. 

Seeing all that was making Marie feel different. She felt aware of her body all of a sudden. Her heart was beating fast, her breathing seemed to have picked up, and a pulsing sensation had started between her thighs.

"Kate?" Chris asked her, causing her to focus her eyes back to his face.

"Oh, morning, Chris."

Chris decided to stop wiping himself.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned. "Is it your time of the month?"

"No, I'm fine," Marie shrugged, trying to focus on him and not on his exposed torso. "And seriously? You think I'm having my period?"

Chris just shrugged with a grin in reply. The motion entranced Kate once again.

'I need to get away from him,' she thought.

"I was just going into the bathroom."

"Well, it's free. Go in," he said, motioning to the door with the hand that had grasped the towel.

For a moment, Kate wished she was the towel. She soon wondered what she meant by that thought.

"Oh, okay," she said, walking quickly into the shower to avoid embarrassing herself further.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' she asked herself. With a shake of her head, she went to prepare for what the day had in store for everyone.

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"I'm so happy for you," Kate watched as Florence made her way to the newly-wedded couple. Susan, having worn a white, floral organza gown, smiled at her mother.

"Thank you," she replied to her mother's well wishes.   

It had been hours after the wedding took place in the Stonedale Cathedral. Everyone invited had been led to a large, five-star hotel minutes away from the town where the reception was being held. Speeches had already been said. Family members of both the bride and groom's side were wishing the couple a happy marriage and biding them farewell before they could leave for their honeymoon.

Florence smiled as she turned to face the groom. "I wish you all the happiness in the world, too."

"Thank you, Mrs," John Austin replied with a smile. He was a man in his early thirties with a small beard and a round face. Surprisingly, he still looked young.

"Oh, none of that," Florence said with a carefree wave of her hand. "I'm your mother from now on. So call me mom."

"Mom," Susan groaned, much to John's humor.

"It's okay, honey," he said. "I don't mind being a part of your crazy family."

Kate smiled at the ongoing spectacle before turning to face the people she had sat with. Violet and Ana were among those who had occupied the seats around the table. They had been the bridesmaids along with some of their cousins and current in-laws. Chris had filled out for one of the groomsmen who had failed to show up. He wasn't seated with Kate because he had gone to catch up with his relatives.

Marie soon spotted him heading towards his wedded sister and her husband. Her heart thudded at the sight of him in his black tux. He managed to pull it off. People could mistake him for the actual groom, and it had the girls swooning around him. Some had even approached him to talk, giving him smiles as they 'accidentally' touched his arms, and Kate did not like that.

"Hey, man!" Chris greeted John after he had spoken to his sister. He went for a bro hug that was well-received. "Make sure you take good care of my sister. If I see as much as a scratch on her face, I will come after you and disembowel you before I feed your remains to the dogs."

Chris had said all that with a calm smile on his face. John looked freaked out, but he managed to nod in agreement.

"Welcome to the family!"

Once he was done, the bride and groom were greeted by other family members.

Chris then turned to walk away from the couple. His head moved from side to side. It looked like he was looking for someone. Kate watched as he did so, and seconds later, he locked eyes with her. He smiled, starting to walk towards her.

"So, when are you going to get married, Kate?" Violet dared to ask, much to the surprise of everyone at the table. The cousins soon chuckled at Marie's shocked reaction.

"Um, isn't it too early for me to start thinking about marriage?" she stated as Chris moved to sit next to her.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking back and forth between the people on the table.

"Mom got married when she was in her 20s," Violet countered.

'Oh,' Kate thought. 'That explains why she still looks young.'

"Chris, when are you going to marry her?" Violet persisted.

He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as he struggled to find an answer.

"I agree with Kate. It's too early to be talking about this."

"Didn't anyone hear me when I said Mom got hitched when she was in her early 20s?"

"But that was the 80s," Ana, who had been silent for most of the night, stated to her sister.

Violet remained silent, thinking over her sister's words.

Suddenly, a voice blared through the speakers as soft music filled the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to dedicate this song to the wedded couple," a man's voice from the band that had been booked for the wedding announced. 

"When are you two going to start dating?" she decided to ask instead.

'OMG,' Kate thought in embarrassment, knowing her cheeks were turning a bright red.

"Ooh! Would you look at that? Kate, would you like to help me out with something?" Chris interrupted.

"I--"

Kate did not get enough time to reply because Chris had quickly grasped her hand and led her towards the dance floor. 

"Hey! I'm not done with you two!" Violet yelled, but they ignored her. Kate and Chris walked around the room, finally settling on a spot that was far from his sister. It also offered the view of Susan and John dancing to the slow music blaring from the speakers.

Other people flocked around them, and they watched newlyweds with smiles.

"Chris, what was that back there?" she asked him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But you have to understand why I did it. My sister can be nosy at times, and she can be quite straightforward with stuff."

"Yes. I gathered that," Marie replied, remembering how Violet had mentioned her ass when they first met. "Still, she made quite the first impression."

"I hope she didn't upset you."

"Are you kidding? No! Your