Hopelessly Devoted

Chapter 31- Leviticus

Disclaimer- I am about to kind of butcher the order of the books of the bible. I don't know the order of them or their names, but I need to reference some for the sake of the story and I'm not gonna study the New Testament for a single line of a Wattpad book. Thanks for your understanding, and if you're offended, you know how to find another book :)

Disclaimer 2- Not gonna lie, this chapter 100% could trigger some unpleasant memories for some of our friends in the LGBT+ community. If you've faced prejudice or ostracism due to your sexuality or gender identity, I'd advise you to read with caution.

As suspected, all of the seats closer to the priest were taken. In fact, there were hardly any available seats that didn't require my shy butt to sit next to a stranger.

"Ra-Luke, there are seats right here." Sure enough, there are plenty of available seats far in the back.

I squint my eyes at him, using our relationship-telepathy.

He rolls his eyes before whispering playfully. "We're in church, Luke. I'd never try something, here. Stop being so inappropriate!"

Not left with much of a choice, I join my increasingly-annoying boyfriend in the back of the church.

Services go along quite normally. We stand up, pray, sit down, pray, stand up, pray, sit down, pray some more. I don't think Sean expected this level of physical activity from church services, but he played along. He used one of the small bibles they put in the back of the pews to follow along. He obviously didn't know any of the prayers in it, but he made a genuine effort to say them along with the congregation. It was actually quite sweet. He never mocked anything, he listened to the priest, and he dutifully performed every prayer he was told to.

After another episode of rising and falling, we're told to sit in preparation for the Pastor's sermon. The sermon is basically when the Pastor does a book report on whatever part of the bible we happen to be reading that week. I tend to like this portion of the service, as it's a nice break from the monotony of prayer.

Also, it signaled that we were almost done with the whole ordeal. Devout as I may be, no teenage boy really enjoys going to church on a weekend.

Pastor Johnson stands at the lectern, bible open in front of him. He's dressed like any normal clergyman, with a black button-down shirt and the white collar that signaled his role as a church official. His short blond hair and glasses make him look harmless, but in reality, he's a cold man who believes in nothing but what can be found in his little prayer book.

"Good morning, everyone," The congregation dully returns his greeting.

"Now, as some of you may know, today I am to do a sermon on the importance of the book of John."

He pauses, staring at us intently. "However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am going to go a little unorthodox and teach about the virtues and laws described in the book Leviticus."

A small lump forms in my throat. Call me paranoid, but the fact that he chose THAT book to switch to scares me. That infamous book that's kept me up at night from guilt due to that one line.

"It has come to my attention that a certain member of our church has committed a very serious sin. They have succumbed to the Devil's torment and turned traitor to the Lord."

Murmurs of suspicion flow throughout the room, all quietly wondering who this person was and where this was going.

"What is this sin, you may ask? Well, allow me to cease the suspense." Paster Johnson scowls from his perch on the stage. "A young man in this church has indulged in their perverse lust for another man, and is, therefore, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord."