Love, Lust 'n Geology (1ST DRAFT)

Chapter 10: Oh, Chris!

This chapter is dedicated to NiquitaBulkan for her entertaining comments, her unflagging interest in the story, her encouragement & her support :-)! Thank u so much! I really appreciate it :-)!

She is an author as well & has a novel on WP. Please check it out!  

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Chapter 10: Oh, Chris!

As she set out from her tent the next morning, she was in a decidedly festive mood. While there weren't exactly visions of sugar plums dancing in her head — it wasn't the season for that, after all! — those of Tom were, and had, last night, after he'd departed. Even the fact that she was running a good 45 minutes late, which would have been a big deal on any other day, couldn't dampen her spirits. For some reason, she'd forgotten to set her alarm. Yeah, some reason! she thought with a grin. She recalled the sight of him stretched out on her cot, and the free and easy manner in which he'd made himself at home in her tent, not to mention filled it up, simply filled it up! She nodded approvingly to herself, deciding that she liked the relaxed manner in which he operated, so different from her own, generally wound up one.

As she entered the kitchen area, however, she felt a distinct chill which not only tempered her mood but roused her, from what had been a most enjoyable reverie. Much like the heat wave she'd experienced last night, which had had little to do with the actual thermal properties of her surroundings, such was also the case this morning.

Chris was standing at a table, eating a muffin. He cast a brief glance in her direction, nodded, and returned to taking another bite.

"Why didn't you wake me up, Chris?" she asked. She should have been frowning at him in a Make sure that doesn't happen again! manner — after all, he was her assistant — but for some reason couldn't work herself up sufficiently to. Yeah, some reason ...

Chris regarded her coolly and said, "I figured I should let you sleep in, ... recover from the festivities last night."

"Festivities?" she murmured quizzically, wondering when Chris had developed a penchant for flowery speech.

"Well ... activities," Chris stated soberly, appearing completely impervious to her congenial mood this morning.

"Oh, you mean my chin-ups?" she asked, finally cottoning on to what Chris was referring to.

"No, I don't mean your chin-ups."

"What then?" she asked, knitting her brows and coming up next to him and reaching for a muffin.

"Oh, nothing," he muttered.

Oh, for goodness sake, what was the matter with him this morning? Perhaps he wasn't feeling well. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. Are you?" he rejoined.

"Chris!" she cried indignantly.

He simply shook his head, grabbed her mug off the table, and walked over to the stove. She watched him as he began the 'ritual' — it truly was that — of making tea for her, unable to fathom what was bothering him. The water was already simmering on the stove. He turned up the heat to bring it to a full boil. While few areas in her personal life were exempt from the application of science, tea-making was one such. Chris had argued with her that whether water was simmering or at a full boil, its temperature remained the same, namely 100ºC. While she was willing to allow for the truth of that observation, she claimed that she 'felt better' if the latter was used to make her tea. He'd replied that for the sake of her 'feelings', he'd accommodate her.