~ Chapter Four ~

 

JC had just finished putting on some cologne when the knock came. He checked his appearance in the mirror one last time. The blue cotton shirt wasn't too fancy, but more comfortable. He thought it was good for the evening. He walked to the front door, smiling as he saw Karis through the screen. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans, but they weren't too tight; they looked perfect on her. She had on a light green shirt with a navy blue hooded sweat shirt over it. Her brown hair hung loosely on her shoulders, and JC thought it looked like she had taken some time to curl it. He was glad he had chosen the casual clothes.

"Come on in," he said, opening the door for her.

"Thank you. Wow, our houses are twins," Karis joked, looking around.

"Yeah, no kidding. Mine's not as homey, though, as yours. I haven't really added any of my own things around yet," JC smiled.

"It's cute either way," Karis grinned. "Oh, here, I brought over some macaroni salad to go with the burgers. Didn't want you making the entire dinner," she said, handing him the bowl in her hands.

"Thank you. Well, come on. We'll go get the grill fired up and make some burgers," JC smiled, leading the way into the kitchen. He made room for her bowl in the refrigerator and took out the hamburger meat. Karis watched closely as he formed it into two good-sized patties. He grabbed some spices from the cupboard, explaining how he had purchased them at the store earlier.

"All right. Onward to the grill," he smirked, carrying the burgers out toward the deck on the back of the house. Once out there, he clicked the ignightor button and the grill fired to life. "It will be a few minutes," JC smiled, gesturing for Karis to take a seat. She obliged.

"So, should I be expecting a lot from these burgers or not?" she asked coyly.

"Well, I'm not the world's best cook, but I do make a pretty good burger, or so I've been told," JC smiled proudly.

"Well, they're going to be put up against the Micheals taste test, so we'll just see about that," she grinned. JC laughed softly before standing up and placing the burgers onto the hot grill. He watched closely as they cooked, careful not to burn them. Once he thought they were done, he flipped them to their other side. Karis watched, amazed at how much care he put into cooking these burgers. She knew he was probably very passionate about the music he wrote if he focused this much attention on food.

"Ok, ready," JC smiled as he took the burgers off the grill. "Where do you want to eat? Outside or in?"

"Um...outside. It's too nice to stay inside," Karis smiled.

"Just what I was thinking. We'll go inside and make up the burgers then bring it out to the front porch," he said, walking inside the house. Karis followed closely behind. Once in the kitchen, JC went into the refridgerator and pulled out all the condiments he had that you could put on a hamburger. He also took out the macaroni salad and a couple spoons to eat it with.

"What would you like to drink? I've got Coke, milk, and beer. That's about it," JC said, glancing over his drink selection.

"I'll just have a beer," Karis said, helping put the ketchup and things away. JC nodded to himself, taking out two beers. He popped the top off and handed it to Karis. Thanking him, she made her way to the front porch as JC followed.

"That's one thing that I love about here. I mean, this is the perfect place to eat outside. The screened in porch has no bugs for the most part. And it's neither too hot nor too cold to be out here. It's perfect. I could probably live here," Karis said before taking a bite of her hamburger.

"Yeah, I can see why people would want to live here. It's an amazing place," JC said, looking around at his surroundings.

"Wow, these burgers are pretty good. You get my approval," she smiled, looking up at JC briefly.

"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment," JC laughed.

"It is. Trust me, a big one," she said, taking another bite. They ate the rest of the meal in silence, enjoying each other's company for the most part.

After they were done and had cleaned up the dishes, JC suggested taking a walk.

"Sure, I'd love to. It's a beautiful night," Karis smiled. JC and her walked down to the beach and removed their shoes so they could walk on the sand with bare feet. They headed in the opposite direction of the town, their silhouettes golden as the sun descended upon the horizon.

 

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