The Variations by Jones M (iphone ebook reader TXT) 📕

"Oh. Right," he gave her a sheepish smile before doing so.

A couple of seconds filled with silence passed.

"That movie was frightening," Chris commented.

"I told you!" Marie pointed out.

"I mean, wow. That scene with Georgi, the one with the bloody sink, the projector scene--"

"Chris, please stop," Kate cut him off. "I do not want to relive the memories of that movie, especially during this hour."

It was around nine in the evening by then. For a Saturday, the road looked a bit deserted. That was not helping with Kate's imagination. The dark areas of the road had her picturing a giant version of Pennywise coming to eat them.

'Damn it, Chris!' she thought, wishing they hadn't watched that film at all.

The dude had acted all calm and cool, carrying their popcorn and drinks as they made their way into the auditorium. But minutes into the movie foretold that the snacks would remain untouched.

"Oh, why did we watch it?" Marie whined.

"Because we were idiots?" Chris suggested with an uneasy smile. It just made Marie sigh.

"Now I'm going to have a hard time falling asleep tonight."

"Did it really affect you that much?" Chris asked her.

"No," she lied. "Don't worry about me, Chris. I will get over it the same way I got over The Conjuring 2."

"Kate!" Chris whined in boredom, remembering the scary scenes from the film, and that had her laughing.

They continued to talk on their way back. It was a good distraction from the movie they had seen.

Minutes later, the two were parked near Marie's place.

"Thanks, Chris," she told him. "I had a great time."

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "Hope to do it again?"

"As long as it's not another scary movie," she warned. "Good night."

"Have a great night, Caitlyn," Chris told her. The name brought a warm sensation to her heart. She smiled at him before proceeding to head back to her dorm.

It was only after she had locked the door behind her when she heard the car speeding away from the area. 

"Gwen?" she called out. When she heard no reply, she sighed in relief.

Marie's heart thudded with an unknown feeling. It felt pleasant, especially when she remembered their outing that had ended seconds ago.

Kate knew there was something going on in her body whenever she was with Chris. She didn't understand it then, but she was determined to figure it out.

Kate's mind kept replaying the events of the previous weekend. It brought a smile to her face each time she remembered the moments she had spent with Chris.  Even though it had been the most they had seen each other in a day, Kate had enjoyed spending time with him. 

But why was she still thinking about him?

"Do not forget about your essays," Mr. Bernard spoke, bringing her attention back to the class. "I will want you to hand them over tomorrow. That's all for today."

The students quickly rose to exit the class. As they moved towards the exit, Kate unlocked her phone and dialed Chris.

"Hey! This is Chris. If you are hearing this--"

She ended the call, sighing when it went straight to voicemail.

Chris's spot beside Kate had remained unoccupied for the last two days. It was a Wednesday, and he still hadn't shown up.

Marie tried to think of what could have happened to make him miss classes. She had grown fond of him ever since they were grouped to do their short film. She had even come to consider him a close friend of hers. Seeing that he hadn't been around the campus for the past two days made her concerned.

Marie got up from her seat with her things. She was just about to leave the room when her professor called her.

"Kate, may I talk to you?" he asked, and she found herself nodding.

Once she was standing in front of his desk, he asked: "Do you know anything about the whereabouts of your partner?"

"I'm sorry, but no," Kate decided to be honest. "He hasn't told me anything."

Mr. Bernard furrowed his eyebrows before asking: "Is he making you do all the work?"

Kate was shocked by the professor's words. If anything, she expected him to ask Chris those words about her.

"Oh, no. We're a team. The project is coming along great, and I believe we are almost halfway done."

The professor's eyes widened in amazement.

"Really?" he questioned.

'Whoops,' Marie thought. She realized she had almost messed up. She needed the lecturer to retain the period he had given her and Chris to finish the project.

"It's the other stuff that will take longer to do," she added, and that had the professor nodding in understanding.

"Okay. Off you go," he motioned towards the exit.

With a smile, Kate left the room. She went to reach for her phone, thinking about calling Chris again, but then she decided against it. Instead, she planned to visit him.

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

It took Marie a long time to walk from the university all the way to Chris' place. Certainly, she could have just taken a taxi, but she decided that walking would be best; it was because she wasn't even sure if she would get the chance to exercise again during the approaching weekend.

Kate spotted Chris' house. It surprised her that she could remember it, seeing that all the neighboring houses had the same exterior design, but she didn't dwell too much to find out the reason.

She knocked on the door, waiting for Chris to open it. More than thirty seconds passed with no reply. Sighing, she knocked again. Still, no one came to the door.

She went to support her form on the door when it pushed open.

"Chris?" Kate called out as she looked around the area. The dining area looked clean, and so was the kitchen. There were no dishes lying around to be picked up, and it had her thinking that he wasn't home. She went to leave the house, planning to call Chris later, but she heard noises coming from upstairs.

Kate tensed.

'Is there a thief in here?' she wondered. That could have explained the unlocked door.

Without wasting time, she headed toward the kitchen. She looked around, spotting the knives sticking out of a plastic container. Her hand reached for one. She held it firmly before grabbing the frying pan hanging below the kitchen shelf on her left.

With quick but silent steps, Marie made her way up the stairs. All the while, her heart was pounding in her ears. She felt scared, picturing what would happen if she found the intruder. Would she be forced to attack? And what if the thief had a gun?

Kate silently cussed at herself. She did not think through her plans. At that moment, she realized she could have just gone out and phoned the police for help. However, it was too late. She had already reached the floor.

'Maybe I can sneak out of the house,' she thought. She turned just to do that, but male groans ceased her movements.

'Chris,' Kate realized. She began tip-toeing towards the source of the sounds. All the while, her heart was beating fast with worry and fear. She hoped her friend was okay and not hurt in any way.

Soon, she was standing near the source of noises. It had been coming from one of the rooms. It was left slightly ajar, making it known that someone was there. Kate thought of just charging in there and attacking the intruder. But she analyzed it and believed it wouldn't be wise. Peeking into the room to have an idea of what she was up against seemed to be a better idea.

Another groan sounded from the room, and that had Kate looking through the slightly-opened room. She was standing on the side of the door where she could easily reach for the handle.

She was prepared to jump on the attacker, but what met her eyes was not what she was expecting. She quickly turned away, feeling her cheeks blush. 

'At least there is no thief in here,' she spoke in her mind.

Marie felt mortified. She shook her head, willing for what she had seen to disappear from her mind, but it didn't work. She thought she had seen it wrong, and so she took another look.

Chris was in his lime-green bedroom with a girl. He had settled himself on a sofa chair, and he had his head tilted back with his eyes closed. His pink lips were parted open, and soon, another groan escaped his mouth. 

Kate's eyes traveled lower. Below him, and on her knees, was a long-haired blonde girl who was topless. Chris' shorts were covering the area around his knees, and the girl's hands had grasped firmly onto his muscular thighs. Moreover, she was moaning around something between his legs.

Kate felt angered by the sight. How could Chris do that to her? She had been worried about him. He hadn't talked to her during the past few days. He hadn't even called her. She believed that he was either mad at her for something or that he had been hurt.

From what she was seeing, Chris was okay. There was nothing wrong with him. And he was happy being pleased by some slut.

Kate's fury had her thinking about ending his fun right there. But then, she got carried away by what happened next.

Chris' hands reached for his shirt. He pulled it off his form slowly, revealing his naked chest. The lighting in the room showcased his muscles. His biceps were flexed as he voiced out his pleasure. His chest heaved with every breath he took, and the defined muscles of his abdomen contracted and relaxed as he moved his hips towards the girl.

Kate unconsciously shifted to get a closer look, biting her lower lip.

"Fuck," Chris groaned with a voice level that Marie did not know existed. It was deep yet whisper-like, and it stirred something in her body. "Yeah, suck it like that."

Kate knew what he meant, and it made her blush.

"Oh, fuck," Chris gasped out. Kate's eyes widened as he forced his hips towards the girl. The action caused his abs to contract, and the sight did things to her that she couldn't explain.

She worried for a moment about the blonde, but the moan she heard proved she was enjoying it.

"Yeah, you like my cock?" Chris continued to speak, and the loud moan from the girl was a confirmation. His hands moved low, cupping her head. 

"Show me how much. Take it deep."

The girl happily moaned again, moving until her face hit his pubic area. Chris groaned again in bliss.

'Wait. What the hell am I doing?' Kate thought, and she felt like a bucket of cold water had been dunked on her.

She moved away from the door, her cheeks blushing in shame. The images she had seen had left her a bit shaken. Her heart was thudding, and there were some emotions coursing through her form. She couldn't explain what she felt, and she knew that staying there while Chris continued getting a blowjob would not help.

With slow steps, Kate walked down the stairs. She continued at the same pace until she was out of the house. She closed the door, and without another thought, she made a break for it to the university.