"No. More. Cleaning." Kevin begged, falling back onto the bed with a defeated breath of air.

"Hey, look, we're almost done." Connor offered happily. "We just have to go through the closet."

"Do we have to?" Kevin groaned. "I'm sick of cleaning."

"C'mon, Kev, it'll only take a little while. I promise." Connor insisted.

"Fine." Kevin sighed. "We'll clean the closet. Let's go." He held his hand up and Connor grabbed it, pulling Kevin into an upright position and dragging him into the closet.

"You just came out of the closet," Kevin began. "Are you sure you want to go back in?"

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Connor deadpanned. "Sit down and start going through boxes."

"You should know that I'm not going to enjoy it." Kevin whined, dropping to the floor and picking up a box.

"I know." Connor sighed, sitting down with his back against Kevin's. He took a small hatbox out of the corner of the closet, taking the cover off to inspect what was inside.

It contained a stack of old, handwritten letters of varying lengths, all addressed to Kevin.

"Kev, what are these?" Connor wondered. Kevin turned around and squinted at the box.

He shrugged. "Just some letters, I guess. You can read them if you want. I'm sure they're nothing important."

"Okay." Connor nodded, lifting the first letter out of the box.

Dear Kevin,

You haven't even left yet and I already miss you so much. I'm counting down the days until you come back from Uganda. That's so far away!

I bought more cotton candy Lip Smackers the other day. I know they're your favorite. Not for you to use, obviously, but I know you like when I use them.

I'm planning on giving this to you before you leave for the airport so you can read it on the plane. Have a safe flight, love.

Love,

Caralee

"Who's Caralee?" Connor inquired, looking up from the letter.

"Caralee?" Kevin laughed. "My ex-girlfriend. We were together before I met you, obviously. She was kind of a nutjob. I forgot all those letters were from her. They got kind of desperate. I never wrote her back."

"She wrote you letters?" Connor asked.

"When I was on my mission." Kevin explained quickly.

"Oh." Connor picked up another letter, this one dated during Kevin's mission.

Dear Kevy,

I had a dream about you and me last night. We were at that pizza place I like, in the booth all the way in the back that you like for reasons that a good Mormon girl wouldn't mention in a letter. We were snuggled up together, sharing french fries and a milkshake the way we always do. I reached for a french fry and tried to feed it to you jokingly, but instead of eating it, you pulled a ring out of your pocket and slid it onto the fry. Then you got down on one knee and asked me to marry you.

I said "yes" of course. I'd do anything you asked me to. And I mean anything!

Anyway, write me back, you goofball. I miss you.

Love,

Caralee

"I thought only your mother was allowed to call you 'Kevy'?" Connor wondered.

"Like I said, Caralee was kind of a nutjob." Kevin defended. "She didn't really like boundaries like that. Or respect them."

"I'm starting to understand the nutjob part." Connor muttered. "She wanted you to propose with a french fry." He shook his head and picked up a third letter.

Dear Kevin,

Why haven't you written me back? Is there something going on over there in Uganda?

Anyway, I miss your big strong arms around me. I miss the way you'd whisper that you loved me in my ear after a kiss. I miss the way you smell, and the way you taste. I miss everything about you.

My older sister took me to Victoria's Secret today. I got a very special surprise for you when you get back.

Write me back.

Love,

Caralee

"You told her that you loved her?" Connor questioned.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I did." Kevin replied, setting the box he had been going through down and picking up another. "I didn't really mean it. I was young a stupid. I definitely didn't feel the same way that I feel about you."

"She had a 'very special surprise' for you." Connor continued.

"Yeah, I never got it. I broke up with her in a letter, after we kissed for the first time. So my 'very special surprise' was a vicious toilet papering of my parent's house." Kevin smirked.

"Well, I'd read more of these, but as I'm skimming them, they get progressively more sexual and I don't think I can handle the thought of someone else fantasizing about you." Connor decided, putting the cover on the box and pushing it back into the corner. "I'll go through some other boxes, I guess."

Kevin laughed softly, uncovering the box in his lap. This box was filled with more letters addressed to him, but he didn't remember reading them at all.

"Dear Kevin, I got home today and I already miss you. I don't know that I'll be able to survive a whole year while I wait for you to get home." Kevin read out loud. Connor's head snapped up.

"Don't read those!" Connor cried, whipping around and reaching for the letter. Kevin jumped up holding the letter and the box out of Connor's reach.

"Why not?" Kevin asked.

"Because..." Connor mumbled.

"I'm reading them." Kevin told him. He loudly cleared his throat before reading, "Dear Kevin, I got home today and I already miss you. I don't know that I'll be able to survive a whole year while I wait for you to get home.

"Do you remember the first time we kissed? We were sitting under that big tree outside the mission the hut, talking about Orlando. You just looked so happy and smiley. God, do you know how I feel when I see your smile? It's a crazy rush of lust and happiness and pure affection. And you were sitting there, telling me about Orlando and smiling like an idiot and I couldn't help myself. I had to kiss you.

"I was really, really surprised-shocked, even- when you didn't pull away. I had honestly expected you to. I had expected you to call me disgusting. But you didn't, and that was when I knew you were the one for me.

"Is that crazy? To know someone is the one for you even when you've only had one surprise kiss? I sure hope not, because then I'm crazy.

"I'm counting the days until you get back. Until I can feel safe in your arms again. Until I can kiss you again. Until I can do more than kiss you. Way more.

"I love you, Kevin.

"Love, Connor." Kevin looked up from the letter slowly, making eye contact with a blushing and embarrassed Connor.

"Are all these love letters?" Kevin wondered with a smirk. It was cute that Connor had written these for him while he was away

"It's possible." Connor admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why didn't you ever send them?" Kevin asked sweetly, placing the letter back in the box.

"Because they were embarrassing. I didn't want you to think I was some sort of perverted freak. And I didn't want to risk any of the other boys reading them by mistake." Connor explained.

"Well, I love them. And I'm going to go read all of them." Kevin grinned.