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

staring at her eyes.

"Alright, kids! Ride's over!" someone yelled, interrupting the moment. Chris stopped inching his head toward Marie. Instead, he sighed and looked at his lap.

"Chris?" Kate called out to him. He looked back up at her and smiled.

Something about his smile did not sit well with Marie. It felt forced.

"Well, you heard him. Let's go."

Kate was hesitant to voice out her question. She wanted to know what that moment that passed between them had been about. It had looked like Chris had wanted to kiss her. But then, what if she was wrong? What if he did not want to kiss her?

'But what was that stare all about?' Marie wondered as she and Chris were helped out of the Ferris wheel.

"Let's go get something to eat," Chris told her. Kate found herself once again looking at him. She forced herself out of the trance and nodded.

He grinned, seeming to have gone back to his usual self. Then he started heading towards the exit of the park. Kate quickly followed, and at that moment, she realized how much she missed holding his hand. 

 

Chapter 25

Two weeks had passed ever since the events at the amusement park. During that time, winter had finally arrived. It covered the whole area around Charles Darwin University in its frosty snow. Also, everyone in TUCD was busy with exams. No one made a joke about them; not even Gwen. There were no parties during that period because people knew how important good grades would be for their college credits.

Like everyone else, the IT class was also having their exams. However, it had been hard for Kate to focus on her studies. She had spent a lot of her time on her assigned project with Chris, and it had cut into her planned study sessions. Also, after discovering the feelings she had for him, being around him was distracting.

It also didn't help that he had called her that weekend to study with her. The moment they shared on the Ferris wheel had only been hours ago, and being around him reminded her of what could have happened. She had wanted to ask him about it, but she decided against it when she noticed how calm and unaffected Chris looked in her presence. It had saddened her, and it forced her to remember he did not like her the way she did.

Luckily, she was finally able to get her wits, and she managed to score Bs on her exams. It had been a surprise for her since her mind kept wandering during the tests. She had also rushed to answer a paper when little time was left. Still, she was glad about it. She was also happy because the Chrismas break would start soon for the university.

Kate really needed it, especially because she would have time away from Chris. 

The dreams about him still continued. However, ever since they went to the amusement park, things had turned out differently. She still dreamt of being naked with him, but she could not reach her release. It both confused and irritated her.

"That's the last one," she said with a sigh after depositing a folded shirt in her suitcase. She reached for the zipper and struggled to close it for a couple of minutes before she succeeded.

"There."

It was a Saturday, heading towards the afternoon. Kate had just finished packing her clothes. She planned to leave the campus grounds on the following day for the Christmas break just like everyone else.

After checking that she had not left anything important, she turned to her laptop. She switched it on, determined to spend the day watching a couple of movies and reruns of her favorite series.

Just as she had logged into her device, knocks sounded at the door. Marie ignored the sound, believing that her roommate would answer it.

A couple of seconds later, the knocks rang through her dorm again. She sighed, rising up from her bed to head towards Gwen's bedroom.

"Gwe--" she cut herself off, noticing that the room was empty.

'Where could she have gone?' she wondered in confusion. Once again, the knocks sounded at the door.

"Ugh, coming!" she yelled, heading towards it. She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.

At that moment, she wished she could have checked who was on the other side before opening it.

"Morning, Kate," Chris greeted her with a grin, but she was too stunned to move. He had dressed in a black jacket and a pair of black jeans. The colors matched his appearance. Seeing his face reminded Kate of what she had recently dreamt of, and her cheeks tinted red.

"Kate?" 

"Hmm?" she said, catching herself looking at his face. "Oh. Hey!" she said.

Chris looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Can I come in?" he decided to ask.

Kate's mind was telling her 'no', but her heart was saying something else.

"Oh, sure. Come in," she said, moving to let him pass. Chris smiled at her before making his way in. 

She closed the door and turned to face him. But then, she stopped short when she noticed him taking off his jacket.

"Chris, what are you doing?"

"Hmm?" he asked absent-mindedly, pulling the article of clothing off and revealing the white shirt he had worn underneath. "Oh. I'm preparing to take a bath."

"Bath?" Marie was confused.

"Yes," he replied. "Oh, sorry. I didn't explain. I stayed at Alex's place last night, but then he had a problem with his shower."

"What?" she asked him, surprised.

"The water cut off when I was taking a shower," Chris explained. "So that's why I came here. Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

Kate's eyes widened as her thoughts started running. With the way things were going, it looked like she was in one of her naughty dreams about Chris.

"Uhm, sure. Go ahead," she replied, pulling her lips into her mouth.

"Thanks," he grinned at her. Kate thought he would walk to the bathroom, but Chris shocked her when he reached for the hem of his shirt. He pulled it over his head, slowly revealing the muscles of his torso.

'Oh, crap,' Kate thought as she tried to look away, but her hormones wouldn't let her. His tanned torso was revealed to her, and she took that moment to remind herself of the fine specimen in front of her. Chris' six-pack abs looked more defined than it had been the last time she saw it. She wanted to trace them with her hands and to feel their dips and curves. The lighting in the room enabled her to see a light dusting of hair on his skin. It even covered his firm pectorals.

"Are you checking me out?" Chris suddenly asked. Time seemed to stop for Kate.

"Uhm, what?" she decided to play dumb. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you checking me out?" he repeated.

"What? No," Marie went to deny it, even though her cheeks were betraying her at the moment. Chris showed her his smirk, and it made her heart flutter.

"It's okay," he said, his hands moving to his chest. Marie watched as they touched his skin, slowly stroking it as they moved down his abs.

"I like it when you watch me," he said, moving his hands downwards as they touched his six-pack.

Kate felt a familiar wet sensation between her thighs.

"In fact, I can show you more," he added. His thumbs hooked into the waistband of his trousers and boxers, slowly pulling them down. He began exposing the Adonis belt of his hips. Kate got a glimpse of his pubic hair before she quickly turned away from the sight with a blush on her cheeks.

"Chris!"

He laughed.

"Hoped you enjoyed the show," Chris' words echoed in the room, making her blush harder.

"I--I--" she stammered, wondering what she would say.

Chris chuckled before he headed into the small hallway. Kate turned, noticing he was only left in his boxer briefs. She watched his ass and the muscles of his back as he walked. 

Kate wondered if Chris knew where the bathroom was, but she saw him opening the right door to his target.

Once the door closed, she sighed before collapsing on the couch.

'Oh, no,' she thought in worry. Chris had caught her staring at his body.

It did not help that she had waited too long to turn away as he pushed his jeans down. His frame had put her in quite the trance, and she blamed it all on the frustration she was experiencing because of the dream.

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'

She sighed, thinking that it was not that bad. Just like with other stuff in her life, she could get over it. Girls often looked at guys who had defined bodies. It was no big deal.

She tried to tell herself that, but when she remembered the wet sensation between her thighs, those thoughts evaporated.

Only Chris could affect her that way. She had gotten flustered just from seeing him shirtless!

She knew she needed to deal with the issue before it got out of hand. She didn't want him to think that she was just interested in his body. She wanted him to know that she was interested in him as a person. If they were to have a relationship, his good looks would not be the only thing she would rely on.

'Wait. If I were to have a relationship with him?' she thought. It was at that moment when she remembered him telling her of a girl he was interested in.

Her heart broke once again at that memory. She sighed, determined not to let her feelings win over her brain. She needed to keep herself sane or else she would ruin their friendship.

"So, what are we doing today?" Chris asked behind her. Marie was shocked by how fast he had showered. She turned to face him, and what she was momentarily muted her voice.

Chris had already worn his blue jeans and boxer briefs. His shirtless torso had her fixated on it as he dried his hair with a green towel.

Her towel.

"Kate?" he called out, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

'Damn him!'

"I was thinking of staying here and watching a movie," she replied.

"Okay," he said. "But we could do it at my place."

"What?" Kate voiced out her thoughts.

"I have a large-screen 4K TV. It will be much clearer than the laptop you'll have us watch."

"It's not that bad. We can watch a movie on a 15-inch screen," she tried to oppose his suggestions.

"Really? Do you want us to share your bed while watching a movie on your laptop?" he asked, still shirtless.

Memories of naughty dreams played in Kate's mind, making her blush.

"Why are you blushing?"

"I'm not!" Kate answered quickly, even when the blush intensified. Luckily for her, Chris did not push for an answer.

"Okay. So, my place?" he asked, earning a nod from Kate.

"Sure," she said, even though she was a bit reluctant.

"Great!" he replied. "Let me put on my shirt."

Chris bent to pick up the shirt he had thrown on the floor. Kate watched, entranced as he pulled it back over his form.

She wondered if it would be smart to be around him after the dream she recently had.