Page 5 of The Hookup Mix-up

I stuff my phone into my pocket and head up the porch stairs with the crowd of people. As soon as I step inside, I smell booze and weed. I’m not really a drinker—it makes me lose my head—but I like to smoke sometimes. I haven’t been to the dispensary in a while, but the good thing about pot being legal is that people tend to share it at parties the same way they do alcohol.

The house is packed. It’s hard to maneuver through the sea of bodies. There’s a rap song playing, and once I hit the living room, my gaze snags on a guy dancing on the coffee table. He’s hot, there’s no denying that, with a scruffy jaw, short, honey-brown curls, and a smile that looks like it wants to take over his face. He’s just a little shorter than me, but broader, and he has one of those little dimples in his chin.

Please be queer, please be queer, please be queer.

My feet automatically take me in his direction. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with saying hi, making a new friend and all that. As if fate is finally on my side, as soon as I get close, Hot Dancing Guy’s foot slips off the corner of the table and he starts to go down. I catch him, which isn’t super easy, and okay, it might not be a perfect catch, but at least he doesn’t go down on his ass. He’s hanging from my arms, a contagious laugh falling from his lips.

“Good thing I was here. I just saved your life.” I grin, the flirty one I know is full of mischief.

“My hero,” Hot Dancing Guy says, and I get a few small pings from my queer-o-meter. I think this guy might swing my way, but I’m not willing to bet money on it yet.

He pushes to his feet, and I instantly miss holding him. “How are you going to repay me?” I tease.

“Beer?” he asks, before trying to take a drink from his Solo cup. “Oops. Empty.”

“It was empty before you fell, I think.”

“I didn’t fall because my knight in shining armor caught me.” He laughs. I’m not sure what’s funny, but I chuckle too because it’s impossible not to when he laughs.

“You should call me that from now on.”

“Since I don’t know your name, it’s hard to call you anything else. Come on, Knight. Let’s get a drink.”

He wraps his hand around my wrist and begins tugging me through the crowd. It’s clear Hot Dancing Guy is feeling a pretty good buzz right now. He high-fives nearly every person who makes eye contact with him as we make our way to the kitchen.

“Beep, beep. Coming through. I have a beer-mergency.” He cuts everyone in line on his way to the keg. “Sorry, bro. I’m drunk, and he saved my life, so…yeah, we gotta go first.”

He plucks the tap out of the dude’s hand. Luckily, he just laughs. “You’re an idiot, Theo.”

“Shh. Don’t tell my new friend.” He turns to look at me.

“Perry. But I thought you were calling me your knight in shining armor?”

“Yes, but I should know your name too.” He looks back at the beer guy. “This is my new friend Perry! He caught me when I fell off the table. I’m getting him beer.” The guy tries to grab the tap, but Hot Dancing Guy says, “Hey, wait your turn.”

I can’t help but laugh, considering we did, in fact, not wait our turn.

He fills the cup, grabs my wrist, and starts to pull me toward the living room again. I don’t know why I’m letting myself be dragged around, but he makes me smile, and I like things that make me feel good.

He tries to get onto the table again, but I don’t let him. “How about we stay down here?”

“But it’s more fun up there.”

I’d like to have some fun with him, but it’s increasingly obvious that Hot Dancing Guy is drunker than I thought…which means no sex. But if he’s interested, maybe we can take a rain check.

“Yes, but it’s safer down here, and I like you too much to risk you getting hurt.” I wink, maybe laying it on a little thick with the flirting, but he doesn’t seem to care. The smile takes over his face again.

“Aw, you’re the best, Perry.”

“Your knight in shining armor, remember? And I know. I’m awesome at most things.”

“Can you dance?”

“Is that really a question?”

“I bet I’m better,” he says.

“Challenge accepted.”

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