Page 57 of Flirty Dancing

The image of Caleb kissing Steve under the tree flashed in his mind again.It was a goodbye kiss, I swear…Archer’s chest throbbed. He was no lovesick kid; he knew the realities of dating. They hadn’t had any sort of conversation about their relationship status, and Caleb hadn’t broken any promises. Still… Archer’s shoulders weren’t the only thing hurting a little this morning.

Looking for a distraction, he grabbed his phone and saw theHello?text from his dad again.Shit, totally forgot.His parents would be stewing by now, but it would only get worse if he waited longer. He forced himself to tap out a reply.

Hey, Dad. Sorry, yesterday was crazy. I

meant to get back to you.

A reply came right away.Busy day dancing? We called on your birthday.

Yeah, at nine thirty,Archer thought.Yes, thanks, I saw that after my late show. Do you guys have time for a call now?

Your mother’s out.

Okay… Do you want to call me when

she gets home?

Three dots, but no reply. Archer rubbed his eyes and looked over at Caleb again. He would have to wait and see, he decided. Give Caleb a chance to prove himself, but be careful not to get hurt. It was only for the summer, after all. No need to be so precious about it.

With another futile glance at the unanswered message to his dad, he sat up. He didn’t often get up early enough to catch the staff breakfast window, and his stomach rumbled at the thought of a huge plate of waffles. He eased off the bed, rummaged in his drawer for clothes, and snuck out to go shower.

He was starting up the path to the dining hall when he heard the dorm doorthunkshut followed by another pair of feet pattering down the steps. “Archer!” Caleb jogged up to him and slid his arms around him. “You should have woken me up.”

Archer hugged him back. Caleb smelled the same as ever—fresh and light, like the breeze off a meadow on a spring day. “You looked like you were fast asleep, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Caleb pulled back, big brown eyes wide, and squeezedArcher’s forearms. “I wanted to say again that I’m sorry. It was stupid of me to keep messing around with Steve.”

“It’s okay.” Archer gave Caleb a quick kiss. “I mean it.”

“Yeah? You’re amazing.” Caleb pulled Archer in tight for another hug. “I’m all yours now. I want you to know that.”

“I know.”

“We still have almost three months together. It’s going to be so fun.”

Three months,Archer thought. The summer, nothing more. And that was fine. That was exactly what he had been thinking. Archer took Caleb’s hand and started walking again. “Absolutely.”

As the six o’clock show approached, Archer and Caleb were lounging together on Archer’s bed, sharing a bag of gummy bears and watching ballet reels, when Archer’s phone rang.

“Fuck,” he muttered when he saw his mom’s name. “I have to take this.”

“Okay, but be quick, or I can’t promise there will be any gummies left,” Caleb warned, popping another red bear into his mouth.

“No red ones, anyway.” Archer smiled and gave Caleb a quick kiss on his forehead before he headed down the hall and out the door.

“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad,” he said when he answered.

“Oh, there he is,” his mom replied. “We called you on your birthday, you know.”

“I know, Mom.” Archer leaned against the railing, tilting his head back to take in the leafy green patterns, vibrantagainst snatches of blue sky. “Thanks. It was just really late when I got your message.”

“Hmm. How are things? Did you get a birthday cake?”

Archer told them about the trip into town, the surprise party, and the sweet gifts his friends had given him.

“Beer fund?” was his dad’s reply. “I hope you aren’t drinking too much.”

“What? Dad, I’m… It’s fine.”

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