Church | Klance

4

Lance sat awkwardly at the table, he was sitting across from Keith, his sister was sitting beside him and his parents were across from Mrs. and Mr. Kogane. Everyone had finished eating their dinner, which was steaks and rice, and was trying to find something that could start a conversation without making the situation more awkward.

"So Lance," Mrs. Kogane started, "do you know what you're going to be doing after you finish school?" Before he had a chance to respond, his mother had spoken for him.

"Lance is going in to be the next pastor after Joseph. That's what we want at least." Selene smiled at her son, "Right, honey?"

Lance nodded, not saying anything in return so that he could silently agree with the statement, he knew what he wanted to do and it wasn't that. He could see Keith staring at him from the side of his vision. He had been the whole night though it wasn't awkward. It was comforting really, he knew that there was at least one other person at the table who didn't want their whole life planned out. Lance found comfort knowing that he wasn't alone in his feelings.

"That's wonderful! Such a lovely idea." Mrs. Kogane agreed and then she turned her attention to Lance himself, "May I just say, Lance, you're really such an amazing boy."

Veronica chuckled at this leading Lance to lightly elbow her as Mrs. Kogane continued speaking, "You have your values in the right places."

"Thank you." Lance responded, looking between Mrs. and Mr. Kogane, "Keith is too when I got to know him last week, he seems like a very nice kid." He could see Keith smile.

Mr. Kogane lightly scoffed, "He's a nice boy, he just needs to learn to trust the Lord and follow His ways rather than his own selfish ones."
Everyone in the McClain family could see how uncomfortable Keith was when his father spoke.

"May I be excused?" Keith stopped the conversation about him quickly, "Lance and I were saying we wanted to talk more, just get to know each other. We only just got introduced last week and we want to get closer."
Keith looked back at Lance and stared intensely, "Right, Lance?"

He nodded, even though there were no plans, he understood the hint, "Ya, Keith and I didn't get to talk about all we wanted to last week. Can we go into his room?"

The Kogane's wouldn't have believed Keith if it were just him saying that they wanted to talk, but since Lance had agreed his smiled, "Of course, I'm glad you're being such a good influence on him, Lance. He's already so much more well-behaved when you're here."

He nodded and stood up from the table, not saying anything in regards to their last statement. Lance followed Keith to his room, closing the door behind the two of them.

"You're a good liar, I wouldn't have expected that." Keith sat on his bed, patting the space beside him to tell Lance to sit down.

"It wasn't really lying."

"There were no plans to talk again, I just wanted out of that conversation, and you agreed and said there were, you lied."

Lance knew he lied, and he knew that he was okay with the fact that he did, but he wanted to change the conversation, "I'm sorry about how that conversation out there went. They shouldn't have been saying those things about you."

Keith shrugged and laid back on the bed, his hands clasped under his head to support it, "They bring it up whenever they have the chance. Especially when they're with someone from the church."

Lance copied Keith's position and laid back too, "It still doesn't give them the right to talk about you badly."

Keith looked over at Lance who was still looking up at the ceiling, "My parents think you'll help me, they think you're a good influence and will 'teach me the holy ways'." Keith quoted his parents.

Lance chuckled and turned his head to look at Keith, "My parents think you're a bad influence. They're scared I'll start sinning." Neither of the two boys realized how close their noses were, they were almost touching.

"Maybe they're right. I did catch you not paying attention in the church service today and you just lied, not only to your parents but mine too." Keith responded.

"Maybe, but how am I supposed to be a good influence on you if the only thing your parents see as bad is something neither you nor I can change. I can't change your sexuality and neither can you." As Lance explained this to Keith, he thought about it for himself. He was so scared to come out because of what his family would think of him, what the church would think about him but here he was explaining to Keith that it was okay and that he can't change it.

"You don't have a problem with me being gay, do you?" Keith looked at Lance more intensely, he could see the worry in Keith's eyes as he asked.

This boy had only known rejection his only life, he had always been told that the attraction he felt to other boys was the thing that damned him.

"No of course not."That would be hypocritical of me anyway."

Keith raised an eyebrow in a questioning way, "What do you mean it would be hypocritical?"

Lance took a breath, bracing himself for the words he was about to say, "I'm like you. Well, not exactly like you since I still like girls but I also like boys." He tilted his head, "Actually, I think I like them more."

"You're bi?" Keith smiled. Lance didn't respond verbally but he nodded and smiled back at Keith.

"That's cool." He laughed.

"Ya." Lance nodded, "You're the first person I've ever told." He confessed.

Keith's jaw dropped a bit, "You've never come out to another person before?"

Lance shook his head, "No, I was always too scared to. I didn't even know another person who was something other than straight, or, not out at least."

"Well, now you do." Keith smiled.

Suddenly Lance realized how close his and Keith's faces were and looked back up at the ceiling of Keith's bedroom.

"I guess I won't be such a good influence on you, huh?"

Keith turned his head and looked up at the ceiling too, "You'll be a great influence. Maybe not in the way my parents hoped, but you'll still be an influence on my attitude I'm sure."

It was then that the boys heard a knock at Keith's door. They both quickly sat up and moved further away from each other so whoever it was wouldn't get the wrong idea and have the two boys not see each other anymore.

"Lance, mijo, we're going home now. Say goodbye." Selene looked at Lance and at Keith quickly. He could tell that she thought he was bad for Lance, most people would.

Lance stood up from the bed and looked at Keith, "We'll make plans again soon?"

"Of course." Keith smiled at Lance and nodded and then he turned to his mom, "Thank you for coming over, and for allowing Lance to see me."

Her gaze softened a bit, "Of course."

-----

Lance laid in his bed trying to fall asleep but the events from the day stayed present in his mind. He'd come out for the first time today.

Maybe it wasn't huge and it was only to one person, but to him, it was everything.

That wasn't what was keeping him up though, he knew what was keeping him up. It was the feeling he'd felt before and always pushed away. This feeling was that of a developing crush.