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

Chapter 33

The next morning caught Kate snuggling deeper into the bed. For some reason, it felt warm, and it was even slowly moving up and down.

'Wait. What?'

She furrowed her eyebrows as she moved her hand around what she had lain on. Her fingers came in contact with a material that seemed to cover a body.

'What am I lying on?' she wondered as she opened her eyes and angled her head to see who was above her. Kate only saw the jawline of a person with a little stubble growing along the skin. Her eyes traveled lower, and it did not take her long to figure out that she was lying on Chris.

A blush spread to her cheeks at the realization. Even though she had started a relationship with Chris, being in contact with him made her both nervous and relaxed at the same time. She wondered if she would get used to it.

"Hmm," Chris groaned, and Kate held back a surprised yelp when his arms tightened around her. Her hand was cradled on his chest, giving her a feel of the muscles contained underneath his loose shirt. 

She slowly turned in his hold, trying to bury her head in the crook of his neck. Chris grumbled, shifting his hold on her and turning so that he could face her.

"Morning," he said in a deep yet breathy voice. Marie had swiftly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

"I know you're up," Chris said with a smile in his voice. "You shouldn't have moved if you didn't want me to find out."

Kate moved to support herself on the bed with her hand as she rose up to face Chris below her. The lighting in the room showed off the features of his face, making him surprisingly more handsome in the morning. Even his ruffled hair and his sleepy state could not ruin that for him.

"Morning," she replied, smiling down at him. He returned the smile, moving his hands so that they caressed her back. His left hand soon reached her face, cupping her cheek as he moved her hair back with his fingers.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look right now?" he told her, and she felt her cheeks redden at the compliment. Chris grinned before slowly rising up to kiss her.

'I have got to get used to this,' Kate thought as she welcomed the feel of Chris' lips on her. Just like always, he awakened butterflies in her stomach. His hand caressed her cheek as she moved her lips against his, causing slight shocks to travel through her form.

"Mmh," she softly moaned into the kiss, more so when Chris used his tongue to part them. It did not take a while for the kiss to turn into a makeout session. By then, Chris' hands were around her; one buried in her hair and the other on her back. His tongue was stroking hers, making Kate whimper and moan into his mouth. Chris expressed his pleasure by groaning and tightening the fingers that were in Kate's hair.

In an instant, he had them flipped over with him on top. His arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her flush to him so that he could continue kissing her. Marie continued moaning and whimpering, welcoming the strong emotions that were brought on by Chris' mouth. Her legs moved to wrap themselves around his waist, and she gasped when she felt something hard poke her stomach.

That had Chris ending the kiss, panting along with Kate.

"Fuck, Kate," he commented in between breaths. "You're going to make me crazy with your lips."

Marie smiled as she blushed, glad to know she had the same effect he had on her.

"That was one hell of a morning kiss," she told him, staring at his eyes. Chris smirked.

"Well, there's more where that came from."

Chris went to kiss her again, but Kate brought her hand up.

"We have some stuff to do today," she told him.

"That can wait," he said, kissing her fingers and making her shiver in delight below him.

If that was how he was affecting her with just his lips, Kate wondered how he would affect her with the rest of his body.

"What about the snow?" she reminded him. "It's going to continue piling out there, and we'll barely have any light coming inside the house."

Chris stopped pecking her fingers, sighing in disappointment.

"Fine," he relented. "But you owe me your lips when I'm done."

He gave her a small peck and smiled before moving out of the bed. Kate slowly followed, her heart thudding at the promise behind his words.

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"Hey, Gwen," Kate greeted on the phone. She was in the kitchen, having just come from talking to her parents and telling them she was alright.

"Hi! How are you?" Gwen replied in an overly-excessive nice tone.

Marie grumbled in reply, making her roommate laugh an uneasy laugh.

"I don't know whether to hit you or to thank you when I get back."

"Why? What happened?"

Kate smiled, knowing she couldn't be mad at her friend for long.

"Chris."

"What about him?"

Kate did not reply, letting the static on the phone fill in on what she meant.

"Oh. Oh! Really? Kate!" a loud shriek sounded from the phone, making her grin.

"Is he...?"

"Yup. We're dating now."

Gwen shrieked again.

"See? I told you he liked you. You should have listened to me earlier."

Marie snorted before pointing out, "You were threatening to cut his balls off three days ago."

"... in happiness," Gwen filled in, making her laugh.

"I am so happy for you, Kate," she said. "So, where are you right now? It's raining snowballs here in New York."

The snowstorm had hit most parts of the continent, affecting the flow of communication in some areas. It had even hit TUCD, and it had blocked the roads leading to the campus.

"Oh. Um, I'm actually with Chris at his place," Kate replied.

Gwen paused before yelling "What?"

"I don't have a generator at my place. He does, and so--"

"Oh, you naughty girl!"

"Gwen!" Kate exclaimed, blushing.

"What?" her roommate stated. "You're alone with him in a house. What else am I supposed to think?"

"Nothing has happened."

"Nothing?"

"Well, except for a couple of makeout sessions."

"Kate!" Gwen screeched, making her laugh.

"But it won't get that far."

"Yeah, right," she snorted.

"What?"

"You're alone with him. You're alone with Chris, the guy you like and are currently dating. It's bound to happen."

"No, it's not."

"Really?" Gwen said. "Then tell me this: are you sharing a bed with him?"

Marie opened and closed her mouth, not knowing how to reply to that.

"You slut! You are sharing a bed with him!" Gwen playfully commented in confirmation.

"Shut up," Kate tried to sound serious, but her voice wavered.

"What? Have you seen your boyfriend? I wouldn't judge if you let him fuck you."

"Gwen!"

"Have you seen his abs? His muscles? And there are rumors that he has a big--"

"I get it," she cut her off, blushing. "But he's my boyfriend."

"Oh. Kate, I'm just stating facts. I don't want your guy. No need to get jealous."

"What? I'm not--"

"Ooh. My mom's calling me. Talk to you later?"

"Gwen--"

The line went dead, and Kate stared at her phone in disbelief. That had been one weird conversation with her roommate. It did not shock her that much, remembering such phone calls in the past.

"It was a lot," Chris said as he made his way into the kitchen. He had donned on his black winter gear, even going as far as wearing the ear muffs and wool cotton gloves. After breakfast, he had gone out to deal with the snow that had covered the yard. The storm had cooled down around that time.

"Who was that?" he asked as he started removing the heavy clothes on his form.

"Gwen," Kate replied as she locked her phone. She took a look through the window, noticing how little the snow had covered the area outside the house. She could even see the frozen grass on Chris' lawn. Also, a couple of people from the neighboring houses had even come out to deal with the snow on their sides. The area looked much better than it had in the morning.

"How did you do it?" she asked him, remembering how much the snow had been in the morning. The level had been close to reaching the windows.

"I have my ways," Chris stated with a smile before looking at her. Then he noticed the state of the kitchen.

"What are you making?" he asked her. 

"Hmm?" Kate stated. Then she remembered she had worn an apron and placed a couple of food items on the kitchen island. A chicken breast, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coriander and a couple of ground spices were present.

"Oh. I'm making pilau," she told him as she sliced the onions.

"What is that?" Chris inquired as he looked at the ingredients.

"It's a spicy Asian dish with rice and meat. It could also have fried potatoes at times."

"Huh," he commented as he made his way towards her. "So what do you need help with?"

"I got this," she told him. He furrowed her eyebrows, seeming to not believe her words.

"I just need to slice the onions, then I'll blend the tomatoes and the garlic before I can fry the chicken."

"Okay..." Chris trailed off, unsure.

"Don't worry," she told him. "Wait. Are you a fan of spicy foods?"

"I'm okay with them," he answered.

Kate smiled before saying, "Then you will enjoy it."

"You're sure you don't need my help?" he asked her.

"I'm sure," she smiled.

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"Holy..." Chris trailed off with a moan as he devoured another spoonful of rice. Kate smiled in satisfaction as she watched him close his eyes, clearly enjoying the pilau she had cooked for him.

The meal had taken a little bit longer to get ready, making them have their lunch late in the afternoon.

"How did you learn to make this?" Chris proceeded to ask, motioning with his spoon towards the meal served before him. The food was ready, and a salad of tomatoes, onions and coriander had been placed on the side.

Kate shrugged before saying, "I don't exactly remember when it was, but my parents and I had gone to Kenya. Their friends had told them something about an African safari. It had piqued our interest because we had never traveled to Africa. So we went there and later dined at a hotel. I opted for the pilau, and my taste buds had never been the same afterward. I asked for the recipe and got it from the waiters."

"Wow. Is this your first time cooking it?"

"No," Kate replied with a chuckle. "I actually did it afterward. The first few times were horrible, but I got the hang of it."

"Damn!" Chris groaned as he took another spoonful of the meal, and the action caused a fluttering sensation in Kate's stomach. She did not expect him to make such a big deal about it, but he had surprised her by showing his appreciation for the food.

Her doubts about having prepared the meal for him evaporated at that moment. Minutes ago, she had been mad about doing all the cooking, even though Chris had offered to help. But then, her anger had simmered down when he showed gratitude for introducing him to the meal.

"Is there more of this?" Chris asked, pointing at his half-filled plate. Kate laughed, nodding in reply. The meal was also going to be their supper. With the way Chris was devouring the food, she wondered if some would be left for later.