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<h1>Zk | 024</h1>
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<p>Kris&rsquo; parents, Kris, and I sat around their kitchen table drinking coffee later the next day. While certainly coherent enough to get us both down to Boulder, I couldn&rsquo;t shake a lingering tiredness from the night before, even with a pot of coffee.</p>
<p>&ldquo;So how was moving out?&rdquo; Kris&rsquo; mom asked.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Kinda dumb,&rdquo; Kris answered, hands wrapped around her coffee, which appeared to be more milk than coffee. &ldquo;Just had to pack everything up and throw a bunch of food crap away since we were going to be gone so long. Found a bunch of cookies my roommate had sequestered in the fridge from the dining hall.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Her dad laughed and shook his head, &ldquo;They make you move out for a month, huh? How do they deal with the out of state kids, or foreign kids?&rdquo;</p>
<p>I piped up for that one, &ldquo;I think they strongly encourage them to find someone in town willing to let them sleep on a couch for the month. A lot of the international kids are in Braiden, one of the dorms, though, and only one of the wings, so they may leave that one open.&rdquo;</p>
<p>He nodded and sipped at his coffee, leaning back in his chair and crossing his hands over his belly. &ldquo;Sounds like a bunch of crap,&rdquo; he rumbled. &ldquo;We spent all that time and money trying to get rid of you guys. We don&rsquo;t want you back.&rdquo;</p>
<p>We laughed and spent a few moments in silence before Kris&rsquo; mom asked, &ldquo;So, how are you two going to deal with this whole month apart?&rdquo;</p>
<p>I felt my ears redden as I shrugged. I had been wondering if this question would come up ever since they had invited me in when I dropped Kris off. &ldquo;My mom&rsquo;s in Steamboat and my dad&rsquo;s in Colorado Springs, I figure I can find a route between the two that includes Boulder as a stop&hellip;&rdquo; I managed, looking more at my fingers holding my coffee cup than my girlfriend&rsquo;s parents.</p>
<p>Kris seemed just as embarassed as I was, but after a few more moments of awkward silence, she added, &ldquo;We were thinking&hellip; wondering if maybe we could meet up with a bunch of friends somewhere in the mountains. Get a hotel suite or a condo for a night or two&hellip;&rdquo;</p>
<p>Watching for a reaction, I saw a hint of a smile creep onto the corners of Kris&rsquo; father&rsquo;s mouth, and I wondered about the stories he had told Kris about his own college days. &ldquo;Well, I suppose,&rdquo; he mumbled thoughtfully. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to think about it.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Kris glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes and gave a tiny shrug. Her father rumbled into laughter again, &ldquo;Calm down, you two, nothing serious.&rdquo; He shook his head, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what you did, Cory, to make Kristal just as nervous as you.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I smiled faintly and took a sip of coffee, &ldquo;It was an accident, I promise.&rdquo;</p>
<p>He laughed again and reached out to rub Kris&rsquo; arm. She was almost beet red, but looked like she was stiffling a smile, sticking her tongue out at her dad to cover it.</p>
<p>Kris&rsquo; mom gave her father a Significant Look before nodding to me and smiling, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll talk about it, dear. I would think it&rsquo;d be alright, so long as you all are safe. You are theoretically adults, after all.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Everyone chuckled and there was polite conversation until I realised that it was only dragging on until I finished my coffee and left. I drank more quickly and downed my coffee in the space of a few sentences, setting my mug down with finality. &ldquo;Well, I suppose I better get going. Still a bit of a drive.&rdquo;</p>
<p>As if on my cue, everyone set down their coffee and nodded. We all stood up together as everyone rushed to escort me to the door. After a flurry of goodbyes at the door, Kris&rsquo; parents ducked back inside to do whatever it is that parents do when their daughter&rsquo;s saying goodbye to her boyfriend.</p>
<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re probably spying on us,&rdquo; Kris said, smiling faintly. &ldquo;Shouldn&rsquo;t be too&hellip; uh, mushy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I felt the ache in my chest as I realized how much I would miss her, but I smiled back and shook my head. &ldquo;Just this,&rdquo; i hugged her too my chest and gave her a light kiss, little more than a prolonged peck on the lips.</p>
<p>She giggled bashfully and draped her hands over my shoulders, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll miss you, dork. Call, write, visit, whatever.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I nodded and grinned, &ldquo;Will do. Month&rsquo;s a long time, after all. Hopefully things will work out with that party thing. Gonna get in touch with Erin and whomever else?&rsquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Yeah. You get Eric and Jamen and anyone else you think might be interested.&rdquo; She smiled and snuck in another kiss. &ldquo;You probably should get going.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I nodded again and smiled, giving Kris a bit of a squeeze before stepping away from her. &ldquo;Alright,&rdquo; I murmured, smiling as much as I could manage. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll talk to you soon.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Kris nodded and crossed her arms over her chest against the chill. I watched in my rear view mirror as she stood on the stoop and watched at least until I turned the corner.</p>
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