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

Also, it wasn't like they were going to see each other again so soon after the weekend passed.

The evening came much quicker than anticipated. Around that time, more guests appeared at the Robins' residence. Kate had the pleasure of meeting Chris' father. He was a brunette with brown eyes, a square face, and a few wrinkles on his skin. His form made him look like an older version of Chris. Kate engaged in a conversation with him to get to know him. He was a computer engineer, and his interests included novels and politics, much to Marie's surprise.

Afterward came Chris' uncle named Gerard, and then came the bride to be. Kate met Susan, Chris' elder sister. She had her mother's features but her father's hair, and she was getting married to a guy named John that weekend. She had come to stay with her family for the night before her wedding the next day.

'Huh. It's tomorrow!' Kate exclaimed in her thoughts. It had only been hours since she had arrived, and the time seemed to be moving quickly.

"Who is this bitch?" Susan had greeted Marie with narrowed eyelids once she made it to the dining room. It wasn't a surprise to Kate. She had gotten used to the greetings by then. Even Abraham, Chris' father, had been wary around her until things were cleared up.

Marie spotted Chris shaking his head in awkwardness as he looked down at the table.

"Susan, that's Kate," Violet had to inform her, and just like that, the sister did a 180-degree attitude change.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's okay. I'm used to it," Marie went to laugh it off.

"No, it's not. You see, the people my brother brings..."

"Are they usually bad?" Kate inquired.

"They're sluts," Susan deadpanned. Chris, who had been drinking a glass of water, spat the contents out in shock.

"He always passes them along as 'dates'," Susan used air quotes, "but we know he's just bringing them so that he can--"

"Susan!" Chris cut her off, looking flustered all of a sudden.

"They seem to fake interest in us, and some even flat out ignore us."

"That's not true," Chris stated.

"Chris, you know that I'm right. And don't you dare deny it because the noises we hear coming from your bedroom are sex sounds and not some pitiful excuse you come up with."

Chris looked away, not even bothering to meet his sister's eyes.

Kate laughed at the exchange.

"That was in the past, Susan," Chris countered.

"How about last Easter?"

"That was months ago!"

"Exactly."

Kate's laughter had died down by then, and she felt a weird sensation in her chest. It confused her. She decided to ignore it the same way she was trying to ignore the conversation about Chris' conquests.

"Where's the bathroom?" she decided to ask.

"It's upstairs, dear," Florence replied. Kate moved quickly towards her destination.

'Control yourself, Kate,' Marie told herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. For some weird reason, she was angry.

'Why the hell am I acting like this?' she wondered. Having heard about Chris bringing girls to his home and having sex with them seemed to bug her.

'I'm so pathetic. So what? Chris slept with a couple of girls. No big deal,' she sighed. However, the revelation was still fresh in her mind. She took a deep breath, deciding not to let her confusing emotions cloud her judgment.

After she was done, Kate slowly made her way downstairs. The sounds of shouting had her cease her movements. She knew she should not listen in to whatever Chris' family was arguing about, but she could not help herself.

"... You might have ruined it for me!" she heard Chris yell.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Susan yelled back. "I didn't know she was that Kate!"

"Of course she was that Kate! Why did you even mention those slu--"

"ENOUGH!" Abraham's voice thundered from the room. "I will not have my children fight tonight, especially when one of them is getting married tomorrow. Now apologize to each other before you cause a scene in front of the guest."

Kate listened in on the silence that seemed to go on forever.

"I'm sorry," Chris apologized first. "I know you didn't mean to do it."

"No, I'm sorry," Susan said with a sigh. "It's my fault anyway for not picking up on what was happening and what she means to you. If you want, I'll try to fix the mess I made."

'What the hell are they talking about?' Kate thought.

"Thank goodness. Now we can have a peaceful night without worrying about jinxing the marriage," Abe said, and just like that, things seemed to turn normal for the family.

Kate mind was swarmed with questions, but she knew they wouldn't be answered. She waited a couple of seconds before making her way back into the dining room.

"It took me a while to find the bathroom," she said, walking towards Chris and Susan. "So, what were we talking about?"

"Um, nothing," Chris said.

It was obvious they were talking about something that they would rather keep secret. Marie wondered why she wanted to poke her nose in the subject. She never thought she would be that type of person.

"Who's going to help me with dinner?" Florence asked, successfully diverting Kate's attention.

"I'll do it!" she offered. Chris' mother smiled in gratitude.

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

The hours passed. After dinner, the family flocked in another room. They found out more about Kate and her family, and Marie came to discover more than she had ever thought about the Robins. They were an affluent family, but they chose not to show it. Violet was a sophomore in high school, whereas Ana was learning in a community college nearby. Susan was the oldest, and she had already scored a job working at a popular bank.

"Here he is crying in the pool," Florence showed Kate a couple of Chris' baby photos, much to his dismay. The photo revealed a young, teary Chris who was holding onto the ledge of a pool. "He was scared of letting go, even though the pool wasn't that deep."

Kate laughed at that and the other pictures that were shown.

"You better prepare for me to see your baby photos," Chris threatened Kate with an evil smirk.

"No way will that be happening, Mr. I-Slept-With-A-Teddy-Bear-At-Middle-School," she replied, making him groan in embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, Mom! You showed her that?" Chris whined, making Kate laugh harder. She was shown more photos for an hour, and she marveled at the transformation that he had gone through. Chris had been cute when he was a kid, and his growth had favored his appearance.

Soon, it was time for bed. Everyone had to sleep early because of the wedding that would follow on the next day.

"We're sleeping together?" Kate freaked out at the news.

"I'm sorry," Florence apologized. "It's just that we weren't expecting Chris' uncle to visit. There is no other available guest room."

There was nothing that could be done. Minutes later, after brushing her teeth and changing into her sleeping shirt and shorts, Kate found herself sharing a large bed with Chris. It was twice the size of the bed in her dorm, giving her ample space to move about in the bed.

Kate knew the room was Chris' bedroom. It was like the one she had entered when she had gone to have a bath earlier. There were a shelf and a desk on the side that supported a working computer. The only thing different was that the room had gray walls.

"This is weird," Marie commented. She had known her project partner for two months by then. Even though their friendship had grown in such a short time, having to share a bed with him felt too soon.

Not that it was ever in her plans.

"I know," Chris grumbled beside her. "But it doesn't have to be weird."

Seconds of silence passed between the two. Marie heard the bed groan, indicating that Chris was turning.

"We can talk until we fall asleep," his voice sounded louder then, and it made Kate realize that he was facing her.

She blushed, especially when Chris' minty breath hit her nostrils.

"What?" he asked, shocking Kate into realizing he could see her. She thought the little light coming into the room from the street lights wouldn't be enough to illuminate the items in the dark, but she was wrong.

"Nothing. I still feel this is weird."

Chris laughed, his breath hitting her in the face again. It didn't bother Kate as much as she expected it would.

"How close are you?" she wondered, reaching out with her hand to search for Chris. She came to realize he was centimeters away from her when her fingers grazed the slight stubble on his cheek.

She felt a fluttery sensation in her stomach.

"Wow. You are that close," she said.

"Is it a problem?" he asked. "I can move back if--"

"No, no," Kate sighed. "It's just, this is the first time I'm sharing a bed with a boy."

"Seriously?" Chris was shocked. "You can't be serious. What about when you were young?"

"You do have a point there," Kate stated. "But we were kids then. I can barely remember sharing a bed with my male relatives. It rarely happened because we had a lot of rooms in the house. Also, the moment we joined high school, things changed."

"Oh."

A moment of silence passed before Kate called out: "Chris?"

"Hmm?"

"What were you and Susan arguing about?"

A long moment of silence passed.

"Chris?"

Kate received no reply.

"Look. It's okay if you don't want to say anything. I don't want to come off as a nosy--"

"It's not that, Kate," Chris cut her off. "It's just... I don't know how to talk to you about this."

"About what?"

Chris sighed.

"Have you noticed how my family has been rude when meeting you?"

"Wait. Really?" Kate decided to downplay the subject.

"It's okay, Kate," Chris said with a small chuckle. "In fact, it was all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Chris, how can it be your fault?"

"I told them I was coming with someone to my sister's wedding, but I didn't specify that it was you. As Susan had told you, I used to bring some girls with me to meet my family during the college holidays."

"You don't have to go through those details."

"But I want to tell you, Kate, that I'm not that guy anymore."

Somehow, Chris' hand had found hers.

"Were you a manwhore?" Kate wondered, ignoring the delicious sparks traveling along her skin at the skin contact.

"In a way, yes," he shrugged in the darkness. "It's just that I didn't do it all the time like Alex does."

Kate nodded. Still, learning about his habits did not reduce the hurt Kate felt as he spoke.

"What I'm trying to say is that I want a relationship. I want to be with someone who has nearly or the same interests as me. I want someone who can trust me, and I them."

The words Chris spoke made Kate feel as if he were talking about her. In fact, he was looking at her as he spoke, adding to that notion.

'Could it be?'

Kate quickly dismissed those thoughts. Chris holding her hand and speaking with that warm voice of his was doing things to her.

"I'm glad for you, Chris," Kate said, and she felt Chris squeezing her hand gently. "I hope you find that person soon."

A moment of silence suddenly overcame them. Marie felt a shift in the air, and she didn't understand why.

"Actually, I have," Chris replied. At his words, Kate's heart clenched with a horrible emotion she still couldn't name.

"Oh," that was all she said. She sounded dejected.

"Yes," he continued, and Kate could hear the smile in his voice. "She's in the same university as me. She has beautiful brown eyes and wonderful black hair. She's gorgeous."

"Chris, I get it. The girl you are describing sounds like a catch." 

"But looks don't matter as much as a person's heart. She's a good person, and she makes me smile whenever I see her. She may be insecure at times, believing that she is not perfect, but she is. I just wish I could hold her and show her how much she means to me."

Kate's heart seemed to crush at those words.

"Why don't you