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

sister is fun to hang out with. In fact, she gave me a little confidence boost yesterday. She, just like the rest of your family, is wonderful."

Chris gave Kate a look that she couldn't decipher. He was smiling at her, but then his eyes were making her feel warm all of a sudden.

"I kind of wish my family was like yours."

Chris' smile slightly turned at her words.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," Kate sighed. "It's just that we are few. I'm an only child, and you have sisters."

"Hey. Having siblings can be miserable, too," Chris commented, making Kate chuckle.

The couple continued dancing until their chosen songs ended.

Kate went to speak to Chris, but she was interrupted by a frantic Ana.

"What is it?" she asked her.

"Susan is going to throw the bouquet!" she yelled.

'Bouquet?' Kate thought, having forgotten what it was, but the meaning dawned on her seconds later.

"I'll be back," she promised Chris before rushing through the crowd with his sister. Girls and women alike also rushed towards the stage. The bride was standing on a podium, wearing a smile with her flushed cheeks as she held the bouquet.

"Are you ready?" Susan yelled over the music as she turned to face away from the crowd.

"On the count of three! One, two..." Susan took her time. "Three!"
Immediately afterward, the bouquet of white roses came soaring through the air. All the women shrieked as they jumped and stretched their arms out, eager to grab it.

"I got it!" Ana yelled in excitement. Disappointed sighs sounded around them, but Marie was happy for Chris' sister.

"Violet was wrong. Even a person like me can find a husband!"

'A person like me? What does she mean?'

In the minutes that followed, Susan and John bid goodbye to the guests. They were soon congratulated as they were led out of the reception area.

Kate and Ana returned to their booth, boasting about how Ana had grabbed the bouquet. The relatives were happy for her. Unluckily for her, Violet started asking about the men in her life.

"I honestly did not see that coming," Chris commented as he led Kate away from his family. They were heading back to the dance floor.

"Me too," Marie chuckled. "So your sister is next in line to get married, huh?"

"I don't think so," Chris replied. 

"Hey!" Kate frowned at him.

"I don't mean that in a bad way," he explained with a chuckle. "I just don't know any guys in her life."

"Could it be that she knows one and is hiding him away from you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, she might worry that you could embarrass her in front of her," Kate shrugged. "But I don't know. Life can decide to bring out surprises."

Slow music started to play from the speakers.

"Want to dance?" Chris offered. Kate was surprised by his suggestion.

"Um, sure," Kate replied, trying to act nonchalant.

For some reason, she was aware of how fast her heart was beating. She felt nervous all of a sudden, and she did not know why.

"You know how to dance to this one?" Chris asked her. Kate laughed, remembering the party where she had made a fool out of herself by showing off her nonexistent moves in front of him.

"Yes," she replied with a smile.

"Good," he smiled back, letting an arm wrap around her waist. Kate inaudibly gasped at the contact, feeling something that was like a spark run through her form. She proceeded to wrap her arms around Chris' neck.

He wrapped another arm around her waist, bringing them close up to the point where their torsos were almost touching.

No word was exchanged between them as they moved. Kate's mouth felt dry at the feel of Chris in her hold. She was hesitant to look at him. Her emotions were out of control, and she couldn't understand it.

But then, something told her to look at him. She did so, and their gazes quickly locked.

Chris looked as if he was devouring her at that moment. Kate's heart pounded in her ears as she stared into his brown orbs. They had captured her attention, and as a result, her insides felt warm.

It was at that moment that she realized what was happening to her. Her mind went back to the memories of the weird feelings she had been having around Chris. She remembered his confessions on the previous night, and it made something click in her mind.

Kate almost gasped at the startling realization. She couldn't even believe it had taken her that long to figure it out.

She was falling for Chris.

The fact both shocked and frightened her.  

Kate looked back at his eyes, noticing that he hadn't taken them off her. His brown orbs screamed warmth and affection, and they did nothing to calm her thudding heart. 

The look Chris was giving her made it slightly easy for her to accept the new facts. Kate liked him, and with the way her heart was reacting in his presence, she liked him a lot. His eyes seemed to be telling her something, and it made her heart flutter.

"Are you okay?" he asked her with a grin. It caused her heart to flutter.

"Mm-hmm," Kate nodded back with a small smile. His grip tightened around her, pushing their chests close.

She sighed at the contact. Kate knew she had to figure out what to do with her feelings. Maybe they were a result of spending most of her time with him. Maybe she was wrong, but she doubted it.

Only time will tell.

 

Chapter 21

 

It had been a week after Susan's wedding. Chris and Kate had returned to college, and fortunately, their professor did not question them about their absenteeism. They quickly went back to their usual class routine that included a lot of time spent on their short film. They were not even close to animating their characters.

Apart from that, Kate could not help but feel that something had changed between her and Chris. She had started seeing him in a different light more so than she had when they had begun doing their project. She noticed small details about his features and him in general. He never failed to smile around her, and he always seemed focused on her when she called for his attention. Kate didn't think she was that much of an interesting person, but with the interested look Chris gave her at times, she believed she was wrong.

It did not help with her plans to deny the feelings she had for him. She had known she was crushing hard on him ever since his sister's wedding, and she had no idea how to stop it. It was unexpected. Even though a part of her loved it, another part left her feeling like a perv. For instance, during one of their library meetings, she spent minutes watching his lips move and sneaking glances at his muscular frame.

She had felt bad afterward. It made her wonder if she wanted Chris only because of his physique. Maybe she was infatuated with him. Maybe it would soon pass and she would not have to keep feeling aware of his presence every time he was around. Maybe she could avoid ruining the friendship they had formed.

Kate did not know how to feel about that. 

'Not now,' she decided to push it to the back of her mind, forcing herself to pay attention to her surroundings. She had found herself walking along the road that led to Chris' house that morning. They had not made plans for the weekend, but she had decided to pay him a visit. Gwen was not at the dorm, and the idea of spending the day there made her feel lonesome.

Kate soon turned up in front of Chris' home. She went to knock on the door, but it opened by itself.

"Hello?" she called out, wondering why the door was unlocked once again. After she had made her way in, Marie took a walk around the dining area. Everything looked clean, including the kitchen behind her. There were no signs of Chris or anyone being in the house. It was a surprise he had not been robbed yet.

Marie wondered if he was not in, and it had her feeling dejected. She turned to leave, but then she noticed a couple of articles of clothing on one of the couches. There was a yellow blouse, a red pair of jeans and a pair of heels on the floor. Inches from those was a distinct green shirt that Kate knew belonged to Chris.

It left her baffled. But soon, she was filled with a sense of déjà vu. The moment looked almost like that time when she had seen Chris getting a blowjob from a girl. Well, except for the clothes lying around.

She shook her head in denial, not wanting to believe that Chris had a girl over. But the doubts in her mind were screaming at her to confirm it. She wanted to be sure she was right.

Kate turned to look at the stairs, hesitant to head towards Chris' room. She waited to hear something, but she heard nothing from where she stood.

She was unsure that nothing was happening, and so she made her way up the stairs. Her heart thudded with each step as her mind pictured the scenarios she could encounter and what she would do afterward. She was soon in the small hallway, walking towards Chris' room with her heart thudding when she heard a loud, feminine moan.

The sound ceased her movements. At first, she thought it was in her heard. Maybe her mind was envisioning what she could expect. But when she heard it again, it confirmed it was real. Kate also heard Chris' voice from where she stood, and her form tensed in disbelief.

'No,' she thought, feeling angry. 'Not again. How could he do this to me?'

A heavy weight had settled on her chest. It threatened to have her drop to the ground.

'Maybe he's watching porn,' she tried to comfort herself, knowing that it was highly impossible. The moan she had heard did not sound like it came from speakers.

"Oh!" the moan sounded again, and it was quickly followed by a loud groan.

Chris' pleasured groan.

Kate could not deny it. Chris was in his room having sex with someone else. 

For a moment, she stood with no movement. She was having a hard time breathing with all the noises she was hearing from where she stood. She felt as if something sharp was cutting her heart and putting it in a meat grinder, and she did not want to admit that she was close to tearing up.

Even though she was angry, Marie knew it was not Chris' fault. The guy had no idea how she felt about him. It had only been recently that she realized her feelings for him. Did she really expect him to feel the same way after all the time they had spent together?

The answer was obvious, but it still did not quell the anger that Kate felt at that moment.

She turned to walk away, but another moan from the girl had her stopping. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down the emotions that threatened to have her bawling over.

A thought came to her mind, coercing her to go look. It was a bad idea, and Kate knew it would hurt her. But she didn't care. She believed she couldn't be any more hurt than she was at that moment. She knew