Autobookography-McPriceley

Virgo

As Connor parked the car next to the local soccer field, Kevin felt giddy. He'd done this before. He'd attended church activities, and some of them happened to be activities Connor attended. However, this was the first time going to a church activity with his boyfriend. He was still getting used to that word. They climbed out of the car and walked into the park, where a group of teens and young adults stood talking to one another. The weather was warmer, climbing into the mid-60s, so everyone wore shorts, skirts, and short-sleeve shirts. Of course, everyone was still modest. The shortest shorts still reached well under fingertips and all chests were completely covered. Kevin was reminded of his time in Albany and how he'd gotten teased for being so modest. He used to hate seeing girls wearing shorts because 'they should've covered up more,' but he's starting to find himself not caring as much. He loosely wondered what Connor would look like in short-shorts.

As they walked through the crowds, girls glanced at them and giggled. Kevin heard a few talking about "two good-looking friends" and agreed with part of that—Connor was very good-looking. Kevin noticed guys looking their way but knew it was more in an 'I want to be him' way than an 'I want to be with him' way. He wasn't sure which one of them these guys wanted to be—both he and Connor were well respected in the church. Connor was the Bishop's son, so he was naturally well-liked. Kevin was the newer guy who was quickly recognized as "The Poster Boy." Kevin assumed it was a mix of the two and wondered if Connor thought the same. Did he know how much people like him? Did he know the effect he had on people? Did he know the effect he had on Kevin? People greeted them as they stood and talked, some going as far as to shake their hands. This continued until the leader of the exercise, Christian, greeted them and announced the beginning of the event.

"Okay, everyone," he said with a large smile, "Today, we'll be doing some service." He pointed to a pile of large boxes. "The benches and tables in this park have been here for a while and it's time for a revamp! These boxes have everything you need to build one of these. The trick is," he grinned, "there are no instructions or tools. We'll split into six teams!" When Christian said this, Kevin felt Connor slip away and stand by other people. Kevin raised a questioning eyebrow at him, which received just a smile from Connor. "The first step is to move the old benches and tables to the parking lot where Brother David will pick them up in his truck. Then, we'll build! We're getting pizza in a bit and please drink water. Take your time with your building, it's not a race and we don't want people getting hurt. Now, let's pray."

Everyone put their hands together and bowed their heads as Christian led the prayer. Once the prayer was over, Kevin realized why Connor had slipped away. Christian moved around the group, numbering people off one through six. He felt his face heat up, My boyfriend just ensured that we were on the same team. He glanced back over at Connor and smiled, winking. Connor grinned back.

There were five people per group, so Kevin and Connor's group consisted of them, two sophomore girls, and one freshman boy. The guys of the group joined the others in moving the old furniture into the parking lot while the girls stood and watched. Kevin noticed a large amount of eyes on Connor. Everywhere this man went, people were drawn to him. Once the old pieces were gone, they grabbed one of the boxes and dumped out the contents. There was a lot of wood, so Connor took the lead and instructed Kevin and Gabe, the freshman boy, to organize the wood by size. The girls, Katie and Jenna, were asked to find wooden pins and ensure they had enough.

"Kev?" Connor said, making Kevin's heart flutter at the familiar nickname, "Come help me line these up?"

Kevin nodded and did as he was told, working next to Connor to arrange the wooden pieces into categories: the table and the legs. They planned on using one of the thicker, shorter boards to hammer the pieces together and then kick the final board into place once they were done. Kevin felt Connor's arm brush his multiple times, sending electricity shooting through him each time. His feelings for Connor felt dangerous but so damn exciting.