"Hey, Elder McKinley, you look pretty red in the face. Are you sure you're OK?"
The Elders of district nine had decided to spend the day helping the Ugandan villagers rebuild their local school, and had spent at least three hours labouring under the harsh rays of the sun before Kevin Price began to worry about his fair-skinned district leader, Connor McKinley.
McKinley raised his eyebrows, "you do realise you asked me that five minutes ago, Elder Price. Maybe I should be the one asking you."
"I just don't want you to, like, pass out or anything." Kevin replied, before playfully adding, "That would make me look really bad."
McKinley let out a short laugh, "oh, you certainly have a funny personality, Elder Price. But no, thank you for your concern - I think - but I'm fine. I just go completely red when the heat gets to me. And if you haven't noticed I am really hot."
Kevin's eyes lit up, and a sly smile he couldn't quite suppressive swept over his face.
"Hey- it's not funny! Wait, why are you even laughing? I can't help my Irish genes!"
"No, no it's not that," Kevin replied, still trying to stifle his laughter
"Well, what is it? Tell me."
They stared at each other for a moment, Kevin still smiling at Connor's naivety and Connor with a growing look of impatience on his face.
"Nothing." Kevin said simply, his lustrous smile finally fading from his lips as he averted his eyes from Connor's, "it's nothing."
Connor sighed and bent down to pick up the tools he had just been handling, "well, anyway, I guess it's a good idea to take a break now." He was still for a moment, his eyes locked on to the open space in front of him, and his mouth hung half open, as if trying to reiterate a thought that had just slipped away. Kevin moved his eyes back to McKinley's face and was taken aback as the remnants of Connor's expression disappeared and a sweeping smile with full eyes replaced his previous countenance, "and make sure to fill up your water canteen! We don't need any dehydrated missionaries 'round here!"
Kevin nodded and followed his district leader to gather the rest of the Elders. His mind wondered to thoughts of his conversation with Connor, on how easy it was to wind him up, and on the strange shift in Connor's facial expression. He wondered what Connor was thinking of in that moment, what he wanted to say. He consequently wondered why it bothered him so much that he didn't know every thought in McKinley's head. He wasn't ready to admit it to himself, but what he really hoped, deep in the crevices of his mind, was that Connor was thinking of, well, him.