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“McKinley, let’s hurry this up, will ya? We have a line!”
Connor ran from the backroom of the Better Latte Than Never coffeeshop, juggling a large stack of disposable cups, stirrers, sugar packets, and cup cozies in his arms, barely able to see over said stack. His manager was barking at him, once again, to hurry up, yet he gave Connor an endless stream of work on top of his current work that he should be doing. It annoyed Connor to no end, but who was he to complain? He was the employee. If he talked back, he would get fired. And he knew he could not afford that. So, he just put up with it. Connor’s life was more or less average. He lived in his dream city of New York in a shoebox apartment with two of his best friends, yet he felt like there was still so much he was missing out on. When he wasn’t working, he was sleeping, eating, or watching trash reality television with said friends. He didn’t have much of a social life outside of “Poptarts” Thomas and James Church, and Broadway shows were simply too expensive to be going to on a regular basis. Connor didn’t hate his life by any means, but he definitely felt it could be a little better. He just wasn’t sure how to make that improvement.
“I’m coming, sorry,” Connor sighed, setting everything down behind the counter before turning to the supposed line for coffee. Out of his peripheral vision, Connor could clearly see that there was only one person waiting there, irking him even more. It made sense, since he only worked in a small, locally-owned coffeeshop, not anything big like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. Even so, he plastered on a smile to welcome the customer in hopes of not annoying them as well.
“Hi, sorry for the wait.” Connor raised his head to make eye contact with the customer. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he took in the gorgeous person in front of him. He was tall, for one thing, with brown hair and blue eyes that almost seemed to sparkle like the ocean on a sunny summer day, brought out by the navy polo he had on.
“Hey, no problem,” he smiled a radiant smile that left Connor feeling breathless.
“What’ll you have?” Connor practically choked out.
“I’ll have a Café Americano with three pumps of Caramel and three pumps of Hazelnut.”
“Sure thing. Got a name to go with your face?” The words left Connor’s mouth before he even began to register them. He squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing at the purely strange phrasing of the question.
Jesus. Can I be even weirder?
To Connor’s immense relief, the man laughed. Connor slowly opened his eyes to see a kind expression on the man’s face and relaxed a bit.
“Kevin. Kevin Price,” the man—Kevin—offered.
“Kevin. Nice to meet you. One Americano, three pumps Caramel and Hazelnut coming right up!” Connor smiled, feeling slightly more like a normal human being.
“Thanks…Connor,” Kevin smiled. Connor recoiled slightly.
“How did you know my name?” he asked, confused. Kevin gave him a sheepish look and pointed to the right of Connor’s chest.
“Uh, your nametag.” Connor mentally facepalmed.
“Oh. Duh. Haha well, nice to meet you, Connor. I mean Kevin! I’m Connor. You’re Kevin. But you already know that… I’m, uh…I’m gonna go make your coffee now.” Connor turned around, feeling his face burn with embarrassment.
Yep, I take that back. I can definitely be weirder. That is not the problem here. My God, Connor. What is wrong with you?
Connor worked meticulously to make the best cup of coffee he could possibly make. He may have ruined whatever slim chances he already had of impressing Kevin with his personality, but Connor was determined to impress him with his coffee, dammit. Once he was satisfied with what he made, he walked it over to Kevin and rang him up. After Kevin paid what he owed, he put some extra cash into the tip jar that was on the counter.
“Thanks a lot, Connor! Make sure you get your tip,” Kevin gave him a meaningful look before smiling and walking away. Connor glanced at the tip jar, wondering why Kevin emphasized collecting his tip so much. The rule was to not collect tips until after his shift was over, but his curiosity got the best of him. He looked behind him to make sure his manager wasn’t around and stuck his hand in the jar, rooting though the few bills that the morning’s customers had left him. He felt a smoother piece of paper among the crinkled, rough dollars and pulled it out. It was a receipt from Walmart, listing some food items, toiletries, and a book called What If It’s Us. Connor scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.
That’s a weird thing to leave in a tip jar…
Connor flipped the receipt over in hopes of finding something else. He smiled when he did, indeed, find something of interest on the back.
Thanks for everything Connor! Look me up on Facebook. ;) -Kevin Price
Connor bit the inside of his cheek to hide the smile that was threatening to break out at any second. It was slightly unorthodox and a bit forward, but Connor thought it was a cute gesture. Not to mention, it suggested that maybe Kevin was interested in him after all! He stuffed the receipt in his pocket and checked his watch. The coffeeshop was currently empty, so he ran to the back of the coffeeshop and declared to his manager that he would be taking his break. Connor ripped his apron off and exited the shop, pulling out his phone. Taking a seat on the steps to the shop, he hit the call button and waited until he heard a familiar hello.
“Pops, I need your help. What are you doing right now?” Connor asked his best friend, running a hand nervously through his hair.
“Just watching trashy reality tv on the couch with James. Why? What’s wrong?”
“I met a guy.”
“You met a guy? And this guy…”
“Wants me to look him up on Facebook and presumably friend him.”
“Well, did you do it?”
“No, not yet. It only happened like ten minutes ago. What if I seem too desperate?” Connor heard Poptarts scoff.
“More desperate than the guy literally telling you to Facebook stalk him? No. Friend him. See what happens.”
“No, you’re right. I’m gonna do it. Thanks, man.”
“What are best friends for? I expect a full report over dinner.”
“You got it.” Connor hung up and opened up Facebook on his phone. He took a deep breath and typed Kevin’s name into the search bar. As it turned out, there were many Kevin Prices in existence, but Connor was able to find the one he had met fairly easily after scrolling past a few who definitely were not him. The public profile showed Connor very little, but the profile picture confirmed it was, indeed the Kevin Price who had walked into the coffeeshop not even an hour ago. Connor hesitated a moment before tapping the “Add friend” button. Not even a minute later, Connor received a notification that his request had been accepted. A minute after that, Connor received a message through his Facebook Messenger app.
-Well that didn’t take long. ;)
Connor grinned down at the message.
-Speak for yourself. You accepted my request in literal seconds.
-Touché.
Connor found himself grinning down at his phone at the simple exchange until he realized he didn’t know what else to say. Still clutching the receipt in his hand, he formulated his next message.
-How’s the book?
-Huh?
-Your receipt. It had a book listed on it—"What If It’s Us.” Did you start reading it yet?
-Ohhhh. Yeah, I did. I’m about halfway through it!
Connor was about to ask how the book was when Kevin sent him another message.
-I don’t do this often, you know. In fact, I’ve never done this before at all. But that book actually kind of encouraged me.
-Oh? How so?
-Well, it’s about these two guys who meet and are interested in each other, but they have a sort of missed connection…I didn’t want to take that chance, just in case…
Connor felt his heartrate increase. He felt a glimmer of hope, but he did not want to assume anything.
-In case…?
This response was not as quick as the others, Kevin typing, then stopping, then typing again, and so on. Finally, his phone buzzed with a message.
-In case maybe you were as interested in me as I was interested in you. In case you, ya know, felt that way about people like me. In case *something* could happen. Friendship…something else…
For lack of a better explanation, Connor felt butterflies in his stomach. He was grinning ear to ear as he typed out his response.
-Well, I’m really glad you did. :)
“McKinley! Break is over!” Connor heard his manager yell from inside the shop. Connor cursed under his breath. He quickly typed up a follow-up message to Kevin.
-My break is over now. But would you maybe want to get dinner with me tomorrow night?
Connor shoved his phone back into his pocket and rushed back into the coffeeshop, not having time to wait for Kevin’s response. As he tied his apron around his waist, Connor felt the familiar buzz of his phone in his pocket. He groaned, realizing he was going to have to wait a while to read the message, especially since the shop was actually picking up in business. After serving all too many customers, Connor finally had a lull in business. He quickly pulled out his phone under the counter before another customer could demand his attention.
-I would love to! Send me the details later. Have fun at work! :))
Even later on when Connor spilled a jar of coffee beans and his manager gave him hell for it, Connor could not erase the smile from his face, nor the bliss from his heart. Because he had a date with a very cute boy the following day. And nothing could ruin that.
***
After his shift at Better Latte Than Never, Connor headed straight back to the apartment he shared with his best friends, Christopher “Poptarts” Thomas and James Church. Bursting through the door, he began to retell what had happened that afternoon to his best friends.
“Wow, that’s really something, Con! I’m really happy for you!” Poptarts smiled.
“Thanks, Pops. I’m kind of nervous, but I don’t know. I’m really excited to see where this goes,” Connor smiled.
“Where are you guys going?” James asked.
“This little Italian place on Main Street. Kevin’s meeting me here around 6 tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time,” Poptarts encouraged.
“And if you need us to rescue you from this Kevin for whatever reason, we’re only a text away,” James added, winking. Connor laughed.
“Thanks, guys, I really appreciate it!”
***
The next twenty-four hours or so dragged on horribly slow for Connor. He was anxiously anticipating his first date with Kevin. When he finally got off work at 5, he rushed back to his apartment to get ready for his date. Connor changed into a white button-down with a navy pullover v-neck sweater and khakis. He did not want to overdress, but he also wanted to look well put together. He carefully styled his hair and just finished spritzing a bit of cologne on himself when he heard a knock at the door. He rushed over with James and Poptarts on his heel, eager to meet the mystery man who managed to enthrall their best friend. Connor opened the door to find Kevin looking handsome as ever, dressed in a dark grey button-down with dark wash jeans. His sleeves were pushed up, defining his arms. Before Connor even got a chance to compliment Kevin or even say hello, his roommates beat him to it.
“Oh my God, Price?! Is that you?!” James exclaimed. Kevin directed his attention to the people behind his date and gasped.
“Church! Poptarts! What are you guys doing here?!”
“Uh, we live here. This is our friend, Connor. We didn’t realize his date was you,” Poptarts replied, nonjudgmentally, but in shock, nonetheless.
“Yeah…just…oh my God. It’s been forever,” Kevin laughed breathily.
“How do you guys know each other?” Connor interjected curiously.
“We all went on a mission to Uganda together,” James explained.
“Wait. The infamous Uganda mission?” Connor asked incredulously. Kevin groaned from behind him.
“The very one,” James grinned.
“Uh, Connor, I think we better get going. We don’t want to miss our dinner reservation,” Kevin urged gently. “It was so nice to see you guys again, really,” he added to James and Poptarts earnestly.
“Likewise! Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of you,” Poptarts teased. The two left the apartment building.
“So, uh, I didn’t think we’d get to traumatic backstory until at least the third date,” Kevin joked with a weak smile.
“Traumatic?” Connor questioned before shaking his head. “Wait, no, you don’t have to answer that. I’m sorry.” Kevin smiled at him.
“It’s okay. Could we maybe put a pin in it? If it’s okay with you, I’d like to start this date as soon as possible,” Kevin said, grabbing Connor’s hand. Connor smiled back at him.
“That sounds perfect to me,” he replied. They walked hand in hand down the street towards the restaurant in a comfortable silence. A few moments passed by before Connor made a realization.
“So, when you said you weren’t expecting that to come up until at least the third date…”
“Yeah?” Kevin looked at him questioningly.
“You could see us going on three dates?” Connor grinned. Kevin let out a laugh.
“Honestly? I hope we go on more dates than that. Is that weird?” Kevin asked cautiously.
“Considering we haven’t even officially started our first date yet?” Connor asked, pretending to ponder the question for a minute. “Nah, not at all,” he decided, squeezing Kevin’s hand and smiling at him. Not long after, they entered the restaurant and sat down at a table. Connor couldn’t help but peer at his date over his menu, taking in just how handsome he was.
“It’s rude to stare, you know,” Kevin said suddenly, putting his menu down on the table, smirking at Connor. Connor scoffed, slightly embarrassed from being caught.
“You caught me,” Connor admitted, putting his hands up in defeat. “I’m sorry, my date is just too handsome to not look at him,” Connor winked. Kevin laughed.
“The feeling is mutual,” Kevin replied, his smile softening. The two boys gazed at each other for a bit until the waiter came by for their orders.
This is insane. How could I possibly feel this comfortable with him already? I barely know him, but all of this feels weirdly comfortable and just…right. Okay, Connor. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just…take things one step at a time.
The boys had pleasant conversation all throughout the dinner and Connor felt increasingly like Kevin might just be the missing piece in his life. Things were going almost too well. They both shared common interests in music, romantic comedies, and the types of books they liked to read. Connor found out that Kevin was a community health educator at one of the local hospitals and had earned his degree in Health Communication at the University of Utah. The pair also had a similar sense of humor, and Connor was relieved to observe that Kevin seemed to like him just as much as he liked Kevin. When the bill came, both boys fought over who was going to pay.
“Look, I’m the one who asked you on the date. You can cover the next date,” Connor suggested cheekily.
“Oh, are we having a second date then?” Kevin feigned disinterest. Connor laughed.
“If you’d be interested.”
“I’d be very interested.”
“Good,” Connor smiled. The two left the restaurant after Connor paid the bill. They walked hand in hand down the street once more. Connor found that holding Kevin’s hand was already becoming a familiar and comforting feeling.
“So, Connor,” Kevin started, stopping them from walking any further and moving to the far side of the sidewalk so that they would not be in the way of any bystanders. “I really like you a lot.”
“I like you a lot too,” Connor responded with a smile, not really understanding where Kevin was going with this.
“So that’s why I want to have that serious discussion from earlier with you. You deserve to hear everything from me, not secondhand from your roommates. As you’ve probably pieced together by now, I grew up as a Mormon. Nowadays my views are a little skewed, but I do have that background. When I went on my mission six years ago as a nineteen-year-old, I was completely different from who I am today. I’ll be the first person to tell you that I was narcissistic, had too big of a head for my shoulders, and had these huge visions for what I was going to accomplish. I thought I was going to change the world all by myself and no one was going to stop me. My mission companion, Arnold, ended up doing way more for the African people than I did, and at the time, that crushed me. Connor, I saw some really horrible things there. A man got shot in the face right in front of me. His blood splattered on my face and clothing. It severely messed me up. So because of that and my own cockiness, I decided to invade this war lord’s camp, by myself, to convert him to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.”
“Jesus, Kevin…” Connor breathed, but Kevin held up a hand, signaling that he wasn’t finished yet. Connor shut his mouth and allowed Kevin to continue.
“He, um…he had his guards beat me up a bit…but the worst part happened when he actually took my Book of Mormon. He took it, rolled it up, and…there’s no gentle way of putting this…he shoved it up my ass. It was…it was the most…painful thing I think I ever felt,” Kevin trailed off, looking away from Connor. Connor blinked a few times and shook his head in disbelief.
“Kevin…I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve to go through that…no one deserves to go through that,” Connor said mournfully. Kevin shook his head.
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It happened a while ago, I go to counseling for it. I’m okay. I just felt like you should know about all of this before we get…involved, you know?”
“What do you mean?” Connor cocked his head in confusion.
“I mean…if you don’t want to see me anymore, I understand. It’s a lot of baggage. I used to be a shitty person. I messed up part of my life because of my own narcissism. I still have nightmares. I have to go to counseling. It’s a lot to deal with, especially with someone you literally just met. I just couldn’t at least give this a shot and see what would happen. I just kind of have a feeling about you. But if you don’t want to deal with it, I’m not going to judge you.” Before Kevin could continue on, Connor touched Kevin’s chin, lifting up his head to look in his eyes. He slowly moved closer to Kevin, giving him plenty of time to move back. Kevin did not. Connor stopped just in front of Kevin’s lips, feeling the boy’s breath on his face. He stayed there, wanting to just close the distance himself, but wanting to give Kevin the choice even more. Only a beat of stillness passed before Kevin pressed his lips against Connor’s. Soft and gentle but assured with the knowledge of them both wanting it. They stayed like that for a while, breathing in each other and lost in the pressure against each other’s lips. It was a very innocent kiss, yet it was the most intimate feeling either boy had ever experienced. When they finally broke away, both boys stared into each other’s eyes before dissolving into light giggles.
“So, uh, yeah. If you couldn’t tell, I want to see you again,” Connor teased. Kevin pushed his shoulder playfully, laughing.
“I’m glad. Thanks for not judging me, despite my past,” Kevin said earnestly. Connor’s expression softened. He grabbed Kevin’s hands and looked into his eyes.
“Your past is in the past. You can’t change it. Look, we’ve all made mistakes. The important thing is whether we learn from them or not. I like you for who you are—I don’t expect you to be this perfect human being. God knows I have my own flaws. But I like you a lot and…and I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better,” Connor said sweetly.
“Thank you,” Kevin whispered before giving Connor another kiss. Connor had a good feeling about Kevin, as though he was the piece of his life that he had been missing for so long. He finally felt utterly complete, wrapped in the boy’s arms, and he could not wait to see what was in store for the two of them.