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

him. He gave her a bored look in return.

"I want us to go out as friends," Chris stated.

Kate sighed. "I don't know. We just cleared the air between us, like, weeks ago. And suddenly, we are going out to eat together."

"So?" Chris wondered. "It's just lunch. We are friends now, aren't we?"

"We are."

"Then that settles it. Let's go."

Marie thought they would walk, but she was surprised when Chris grabbed her hand and started leading her toward the college parking lot.

"You own a car?" she voiced out.

"Of course I do," Chris furrowed his eyebrows at her. "I thought you knew!"

"But I didn't," Kate said just as they stopped by a white Mercedes.

 

"Wait. Is this your car?" she asked him, shocked.

"Ah, yeah," Chris said, scratching the back of his head. He looked a bit flustered, and Kate wondered why. She could not recall ever seeing him flustered.

"Is it too flashy?" he proceeded to ask.

"Oh, no. But even if it was, I wouldn't mind," Kate replied, meaning every word. "As long as it gets us to a place where we can eat before my stomach eats itself."

Chris looked relieved, and so he gently led Marie to the passenger's side of the car. He unlocked the door, revealing the shotgun seat.

Marie entered, situating herself onto the comfortable leather. Chris closed the door for her before heading towards his side of the car. Once he had settled himself, he started the engine before taking off from the university.

************** ********************************************************** *********

Kate and Chris found themselves in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant a couple of minutes later. Chris led his friend out of the car after turning it off. They both headed towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Kate opened the tinted glass doors, and she was immediately greeted by the aroma of delicious fast food. The spacious area had only been occupied by a countable number of customers, and Marie was glad she wouldn't have to wait long.

She and Chris headed towards a booth that was close to a window. They quickly settled themselves, and a server followed to ask their orders.

Chris had ordered a large helping of French fries and chicken. Marie did the same, but with the addition of a beef burger.

"What?" she said when she spotted Chris looking at her in surprise. "I'm hungry!"

"I didn't say anything," he replied with a smile just as the waiter left them.

"But why are you smiling?" Kate asked him. "It's a bit... I don't know, weird?"

"It's just... in the past weeks, I've come to realize you are completely different from the person you used to be."

Chris' words made Kate feel an emotion she couldn't decipher. She did not know how to reply to his words, but they were making her thoughts run a mile a minute. It made her feel pleased.

"Are you blushing?" Chris teased her. Marie had not known that, but when Chris had asked, she acknowledged a heating sensation on her cheeks.

'Oh my goodness. I am blushing,' Marie thought, and she felt horrified. Chris started chuckling, and that made her cheeks turn even redder.

"Oh, will you sh-shut up?" Marie stuttered. Chris didn't. In fact, he started laughing.

"You know you look cute when you blush, right?" he asked her, and that had Kate blushing all over again.

"Stop it," she said. "You don't know what you are saying."

"Oh, but I do, Kate," Chris said, a heated look in his eyes. "You have gorgeous hair, beautiful brown eyes, and don't even get me started on those large--"

"Chris!" Marie chastised him. He was not helping matters with the words he was saying.

"I was going to say 'eyes'," Chris corrected Marie with a smirk. "You thought I was going to say something else? Why, Kate, I didn't know you had quite the dirty mind."

His words just made her narrow her eyes at him. Chris just winked, barely even affected by the look he was receiving. The guy was lucky they were in public or else he would have received a pinch on his arm.

"Here you go," a waiter returned with a tray full of food. He divided the food between the two.

"Let's dig in," Chris said, and without wasting another second, they both delved into their foods.

****************************** ****************************** *********************

After their lunch at Wendy's, Chris and Kate went back to the car. 

"You know, we could go over our ideas for the short film again," he suggested as he drove them back to the campus.

"Okay," Marie accepted, "but I don't have my laptop with me."

"We could always go to the library," Chris said.

"Sure. What the heck," Kate said.

Minutes later, the two had entered the university grounds. They had parked the car near the library before they started walking to the entrance of the building.

'CLOSED FOR REPAIRS', read the sign posted on the closed doors of the building.

"What repairs?" Chris asked. "I don't think books need repairs."

"Oh, I think I know what it's about," Kate said. "Gwen told me something about a couple of clogged toilets and how there was shit--"

"I get your point," Chris interrupted, grimacing at the picture she painted in his mind. "So, where can we go?"

"How about my place?" Kate suggested. Chris nodded, and so they got into his car before driving to her dorm.

"This is where you live?" he asked once they had parked outside her residential building.

"Yes. I even have a roommate."

Marie and Chris were approaching her dorm room, but when they were a few feet from reaching the door, certain sounds ceased their movements.

"Oh, yes! Harder!" Marie could not mistake Gwen's moans. They were followed by deep groans of a guy in the dorm, much to her displeasure.

'What if she's doing it in my bed?' she wondered in horror.

"Looks like that roommate of yours sounds occupied," Chris stated with a smirk.

"I was not expecting this," Kate confessed, turning to look at him. "I don't think we can go anywhere else. Maybe the campus park, but then if the weather changes..."

"Kate, you don't have to ask twice. We can go to my place," Chris cut her off. She eyed him in disbelief.

It had only been hours since they had gone out to eat. It was their first time as project partners spending time outside the university. Kate thought that going to his place would be too soon.

"You are kidding," she said.

"I'm not," he replied with a shrug. "It's either that or the park, and you know how noisy it can get there."

'Going to Chris' house?' she thought.

"Isn't there like some waiting period before I get to see your house?" Marie voiced out. Chris looked at her in disbelief.

"Ooh!" Gwen moaned out loud. "Yes! Yes! YES!"

"Well, that settles it. Lead the way," Kate said, quickly walking away from her dorm. Chris laughed as he followed her.

It did not take long for the two to reach his apartment. In fact, it had been a thirteen-minute drive from the campus grounds.

The two had driven through a neighborhood of detached houses. They all looked the same, especially with the two-floor design and the red bricks they had as walls. Kate also noticed the ample space outside the houses that were occupied by green lawns. The only thing that could distinguish each house were the numbers placed on the doors. There were very few houses that had gates and fences installed, and it puzzled her.

"You live around here?" Marie questioned. 

"Yep," Chris replied, turning the car into the driveway. In front of them was the garage door. He opened the compartment box, taking out a small remote that he used to automatically open the door.

"By the way, why does your house lack fences like the others we passed?" Kate asked as they entered the garage.

"Kate, the neighborhood is close to the university. Most of the people who live around here are students just like you and me."

"Oh."

"Besides, the only ones who have to be wary are those who live in the expensive apartments fifteen minutes from here," he said as switched off the car before helping her out of the vehicle.

It was dark in the room. Kate heard Chris walk around the area, and seconds later, light filled the place. The walls in the garage were blue, and apart from the car, a few boxes had occupied the space. 

"Should we be expecting someone? You know, like any roommates?" Kate asked as she watched Chris head towards the door on the side.

"No," he replied, taking out a bunch of keys to unlock it. "I live here alone."

The interior of the house was much different from the exterior. Smooth, yellow-green walls met Kate's view. A few feet from where she stood was a large dining/entertainment area. She could spot a large flat-screen TV placed against the wall far in front of her. The floors were ceramic, and looking at them made Marie remove her shoes so that she could feel the texture underneath her feet. It also provided her with a cooling effect due to the autumn season being experienced in the area.

"You live here alone?" Kate couldn't help but express her shock. "Look at this place!"

She went towards the dining room, and that was where she spotted the two, large black couches placed near the walls. A table had been placed in-between them, and it was decorated with a floral-patterned sheet.

On her right was the kitchen. Marie could spot a large grey fridge located on the side. Other electronics like the microwave and mixer were placed on an island that was centered in the middle of the room.

"How many bedrooms?" she asked.

"Two," Chris replied.

"You lucky..." Marie trailed off, suddenly wishing she had been living in such a place. It could have been quite advantageous for her in terms of silence and space.

"Yes, I am lucky," Chris smirked. "But honestly, the house is not mine. One of my uncles used to live here, but after he retired, he offered this place to me."

"What?"

"He used to be a lecturer in TUCD."

"Oh," Kate commented.

"But what about you?" Chris could not help but ask. "I thought you were living in a luxurious apartment near the college for the past years. Why did you settle for the university dorms? I thought your parents are still rich."

"They are, but I chose to live in the university dorms," she replied.

She received a weird look before being asked: "Why?"

"You remember how I was in high school?"

"You mean when you couldn't distinguish vinegar from water?" Chris said with a raised eyebrow, earning a punch on the shoulder from Kate.

"It wasn't funny. I could have died," Kate said, shivering at the memory. "Anyway, I realized I was dependent on the people around me. I had looked up to Darcy and my parents to lead my life. I couldn't do stuff on my own," Kate moved a strand of her hair that had fallen in her view. "So I decided that if I were to join college, I would do it my way. I planned to find myself and to learn how to deal with problems on my own, you know?"

"Oh," Chris replied. "So it's like you're training for adulthood?"

"Yep," Kate confirmed,

"I didn't expect that as an answer."

"Why?" she chuckled. "Because you thought I would still be completely living off my parents' earnings?"

"Do you want the truth?" Chris asked, earning another punch on his shoulder.

"What you said hadn't even reached my mind," he continued. "I thought you were here because the other colleges denied your applications."

"Hey!" Marie frowned.

"I don't mean to insult you. It's just that everyone in high school always saw you as the stupid girl who could barely add the hundreds."

"I could have added that. I could have even added the tens."

"Uh huh," Chris doubted. "But that's not my point. What I'm trying to say is that you changed, Kate. You have come from barely understanding what a computer is to learning about it in college. You are even doing a motion graphics project with me. It's shocking, but then it also shows there is hope for people who believe they cannot amount to anything in life."

Kate felt her heart pound at Chris' words. She was feeling