Page 96 of Flirty Dancing

A question tickled at him. “Why did you do it, Caleb?”

“Fuck, I—” He stopped, wiping at the next tear. “I’m so fucking jealous of Mateo, okay? And he had it all, then he threw it away, and… why would someone do that? It’s not fair!”

“What? You don’t even care about the show here! And you’re jealous of him being onBroadway?”

“I do care about the show, Archer!” Caleb exploded. “Of course, I do! But my parents think it’s a joke, that I’m a joke. I work in their studio, and every day it’s a reminder for them that I haven’t done anything with my life. So it’s easier for me if I just have fun here and don’t take it too seriously while I’m disappointing them.”

“Caleb…” Archer reached out to put a hand on his knee.

“And not only did Mateo get to have it all, be a Broadway star, he got you, too. I guess I wanted to hurt both of you.”

Archer’s cheeks flushed. “He didn’t ‘get’ me.”

“Oh, please,” Caleb said, eyes rolling so far back in his head his pupils disappeared. “You two are so fucking hot for each other it’s not even funny. It’s so obvious, Archer.”

His eyes widened. “It is?”

“Ha! Look at you blushing.”

“I am not.” He definitely was. “And I really don’t think Mateo is interested in me. He’s here to do a job.”

“A job that involves practically fucking you onstage.”

“What!” Archer laughed and swung a pillow at Caleb. “It does not.”

Caleb laughed too, blocking it with a forearm. “I’m saying, it’s a good job.”

Archer’s heart warmed seeing Caleb smiling again.

“Seriously, though…” Caleb’s eyes were earnest as his smile grew sad again. “I keep trying to tell you, Archer. There’s more to life than work. Sometimes… sometimes hearts get in the way, don’t they?”

21So Now What Do We Do?

Archer was searching helplessly through his locker for the shoes for his hip-hop costume when Mateo leaned against the lockers next to him.

“So… Caleb apologized to me,” Mateo said, sliding his hands into his pockets.

Archer looked up, stomach fluttering at the sight before him. God, Mateo was fuckinghandsome.First of all, his hip-hop costume was painfully sexy—dark jeans, an indecently tight bordering-on-translucent white tank top, and an unzipped black hoodie over it. At one point in the show, Mateo ripped that hoodie off and threw it to the side. That part always got Archer’s heart pumping a little faster. But now, with Mateo staring at him, he also had to contend with those full lips and with those dark eyes burrowing into his…

Archer cleared his throat. “That’s good to hear. How did it go?” Then he flushed, wondering if Caleb said the same thing to Mateo about them fucking onstage.

“Good… I guess.” Mateo ran a hand through his hair, exposing a strip of washboard abs over his low-slung jeansthat Archer did not stare at. “I kind of get what he was thinking. I’m mad at me, too.”

“You’re a really good person,” Archer blurted. “I mean, forgiving him like that.”

Mateo looked away, blinking. “I’m not sure many people would agree that I’m a good person.”

“Hey.” Archer placed a hand on Mateo’s forearm. “I know you are.”

Mateo swallowed hard, then his gaze swung back to Archer’s. “So now what do we do?”

“Uh—” Archer stammered, pulse thrumming, eyes on Mateo’s lips.Kiss?

“I feel like I need to say something after the disaster last night, rally the troops or something,” Mateo continued, sighing. “I don’t know… Despite what Eileen thinks, I’m not sure I’m the leader they need.”

“Listen,” Archer replied after a pause, relieved he hadn’t answered Mateo’s question out loud. “You know that feeling you had when you were dancing alone on the stage that time? Before I interrupted?”

“Yeah?”

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