Page 10 of Flirty Dancing

One more curve of the path, then a large, faded cabin was visible, hunkered down only a few feet back from the shore. A weathered dock jutted into the lake, where a handful of silhouetted bodies hurled themselves into the darkening water, hooting and hollering, spurred on by cheers from the rest. The porch of the cabin seethed with bodies, flashes of color and skin.

Ben and Beau went to check out the dock while Betty took Archer by the hand and pulled him up the steps tothe house, smiling and nodding as she went. Inside was one big, low-ceilinged room with a kitchen in the corner and the rest of it old, beaten-up couches and tables, plus a foosball table in another corner. There was a hall in the back where Archer could make out a set of stairs.

“Well, stop standing there like you carried a watermelon. Grab a beer,” Betty said, nodding at the fridge.

“I didn’t bring anything with me.”

“It’s fine, there’s a beer fund you can contribute to. Go ahead.”

Archer took one of the cheapest cans by habit, added a twenty to the jar on top of the fridge, and popped the top, taking a nervous sip as he looked around.

He recognized a few of the other dancers and some of the housekeeping staff from dinner. He definitely wasn’t looking specifically for Mateo, but he got a thrill when he saw him lounging on a couch by the back hall, and, damn, did he look sexy. His hair was wet and falling onto his forehead in pieces. His pale blue patterned button-down was only half done up and was paired with tight faded jeans. He held a bottle of something Archer didn’t recognize in one hand and the other was stabbing the air as he made a point to the person he was talking to.

“I know, right? I can’t believe he’s here,” Betty whispered in his ear.

“Who? What?” Archer said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Please. You haven’t stopped staring at him since you arrived.”

A protest formed on his lips but it seemed pointless. “So what’s he doing here?”

“I don’t really know. Have you heard the full story about him, though?”

Archer shook his head. Betty grabbed a drink for herself and pulled him back outside. “Come on.” They went and leaned on the railing, watching the splashing and pushing and cannonballing off the dock.

“Okay, so, you know how afterGreasehe got the lead inRobin’s Egg, right?”

That musical had taken Broadway by storm six years ago. The main character was a trans woman and Mateo had played the Latino love interest. “Of course, yeah.”

“They say the fame went to his head, he started strutting around like he was king of Broadway, drinking and partying too much, treating the rest of the cast like shit, apparently said some really awful things to his costar, and he got fired and then he… disappeared.”

“Wow.” All Archer had heard was the statement Mateo had released at the time that he was stepping down from the role for personal health reasons, which admittedly was usually code for drug or alcohol problems. His brain spun as he filed away the new information, heart hurting a little at the idea that his teenage crush was maybe not a very good person. “How long has he been here?”

“No idea. It was a surprise for me yesterday, too.”

Archer took a thoughtful sip of beer and stared out at the lake. There was no moon, and the night was dark, save for the glimmer of the resort’s lights on the water. Someone turned on a lantern on the dock. “I kind of had a massive crush on him when I was a teenager.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, I had a picture of him on my wall and everything.” Archer chuckled at the memory. “I even used to practice writing my nameArcher Dixonand imagined going to prom with him.”

Betty laughed and took a drink. “Well, good luck talkingto him. Aside from choreo, he hasn’t said two words to me. Seems kind of… grumpy.”

At least it’s not just me.“How did you end up at Shady Queens?” Archer asked. “A fun summer job for you, too?”

“Sort of? I just graduated from NYU with a BFA. My uncle knows Stewart a little and he thought this would be a good experience for me before I dive into the audition circuit.”

Archer was relieved that someone else was here for more than just a good time. “Maybe I’ll see you out there pounding the pavement.”

“That would be fun.” They clinked bottles, then sipped in silence, lost in their own thoughts, until their drinks were empty. “I’ll get you another one,” Archer said and headed back inside with their empties.

He dug into the fridge for two more beers, then turned and almost ran straight into a huge solid mass of… Mateo Dixon. Archer swallowed as their eyes met. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Mateo pushed his hair back off his forehead, biceps flexing.

They stared at each other, Archer worrying that he’d eventually have a heart attack this summer if his heart started pounding this hard every time Mateo spoke to him.

The silence stretched on. Mateo’s lips were so full… Why was he still staring?

---