Page 73 of Flirty Dancing

“Nice.” Archer showed himThe Hobbit. “Every summer for me, since I was a kid. That’s why my other copy was falling apart.”

A faint smile flickered over Mateo’s lips. “Well… Enjoy. This is a great reading spot.”

“Except for the interruption, right?” Archer chuckled awkwardly.

Mateo tilted his head, eyes crinkling. “I don’t mind just the one.”

Archer smiled, an unexpected heat flushing his cheeks, as he settled and flipped to his bookmark. He couldn’t resist sneaking the odd peek at Mateo as he read, making sure he wasn’t irritated, but Mateo was lost in his book.

They read in silence for a while, cocooned by the sound of the pattering rain, until Archer’s leg started to tingle. He stopped reading to stretch it out.

Mateo caught his eye. “The rain is nice, isn’t it?”

Archer looked out at the lake again, a shimmering blue and gray stretch ringed by impossible green. “I love it, actually. It makes everything else feel extra warm and cozy. When I was little, my mom would tuck me under a blanket on the porch, and I’d sit there watching rainstorms for hours.”

Mateo blinked, then held Archer’s gaze a moment. “Yeah. I love it, too.”

Something bubbled up Archer’s throat—something old and familiar… something hopeful and new. It was a little overwhelming. “So… feeling better about things lately?”

Mateo looked back down, fingers smoothing over the cover of his book. He shrugged. “We’ve been keeping it together, anyway. But… I can’t help but feel like something is still missing, or… or was never there.” His eyes flipped back up. “What do you think?”

“I mean… it’s been better than it was.”

“Yeah.” Mateo looked disappointed for a second, then he stood. “I’m going to get some lunch.”

Archer deflated as Mateo strode by him, feeling like he did something wrong, but… Mateo stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back. “Do you want to come?”

He snapped his book shut. “Yes.”

The rain faded into a light misting as they walked in a comfortable silence. They were approaching the dining hall when Caleb ran up.

“Archer! Hey.” He threw his arms around Archer and kissed him soundly, not even sparing a glance for Mateo. “I missed you. Where have you been?”

“I was reading on the theater porch. With Mateo.”

Now Caleb looked over at him. “You trying to steal my boyfriend, Mateo?” Neither his tone nor his eyes suggested he was the slightest bit kidding.

Archer’s face flushed. “He wasn’t—I—”

Mateo cocked his eyebrow. “Are your boyfriends stealable, Caleb?”

Archer tried again. “I’m not—”

But Caleb ignored Archer’s protests and took a step closer to Mateo, mouth in an ugly curl. “You think you’re hot shit, don’t you?”

Mateo rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Caleb. I don’t have time for this. I’m getting lunch.” He pushed past Caleb and yanked open one of the doors to the dining hall.

“God, I can’t fuckingstandhim,” Caleb muttered once the door closed behind him. “I don’t know how you put up with that ego.”

“I don’t know if it’s ego—” Archer started to reply, but Caleb cut him off.

“Can we just not talk about Mateo right now? He puts me in such a bad mood.” He scrubbed his hair. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

Ben and Beau getting back together had solved one problem—sort of, Archer supposed—but it had done nothing to repair the animosity Caleb had for Mateo. Caleb had been mostly quiet about it with Stewart around, but the cracks were showing again, only a few days after Stewart left, when he and Grace showed up only half an hour beforeRetro.

“I asked you to be here an hour early,” Mateo said to them, but there was no heat to it, only resignation.

Caleb clapped Mateo on the shoulder as he sauntered by. “Don’t worry about it, Matty. We’re here.”

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