Page 11 of Flirty Dancing

“Are you going to move?” Mateo said, pointing at the fridge.

“Right.” Archer scooted out of the way, cheeks flaming.Idiot.“Sorry.”

Mateo reached in and took out a bottle of an expensive-looking craft beer.

Archer desperately searched for something to say, but, coming up empty, reached over to tap their drinks together. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Mateo mumbled in reply, looking annoyed. He popped the cap off and took a slow drink, throat rippling. Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he regarded Archer with heavy brows. “Look, I’m here to work, alright? I don’t really… socialize.”

“Why are you at the party, then?” The question burst out of Archer’s mouth before he could think about it.Shut up, Archer.He smiled, trying to soften it.

“My room is upstairs,” Mateo replied shortly, jerking his chin up at the ceiling. “Not much point in sitting up there trying to read or sleep with music blaring down here.”

“Yeah, okay. Makes sense.” Archer bobbed his head.God, as if he cares what you think.“And,” he continued too quickly, “you don’t need much sleep anyway.”Oh, Christ. Shutup, Archer.

“I—what?” Mateo’s eyebrows pinched together.

“Uh.” Archer scratched out a laugh, tugging at his shirt. “I remember reading that about you once. In an interview or something.”

Mateo’s brow softened. “Oh.”

“Like I said, I’m a fan.” He shrugged and took a sip of his beer, cheeks flaming.

Mateo studied him for a second, then clenched his jaw. He huffed a humorless snort. “You’re going to have to get over that pretty quick.” He turned to leave, then tossed over his shoulder, “We have a lot of work to do.”

Archer blew out a breath.Way to go, Archer. Mateo Dixon hates you.

The night got blurry after that—two beers became four, then beer pong broke out, then shots. Archer was introduced to every person at least twice by an increasinglygregarious Betty, even when she didn’t know their names, and Beau and Ben ended up shirtless and doing a rather explicit rumba in the middle of the cabin, much to the delight of the crowd. Archer didn’t see Mateo again after their brief conversation.

When Archer’s alarm went off at seven the next morning, he cracked open an eye with great difficulty. He spent most of his life running a few minutes late for everything, and getting up early was not his thing, but he’d be damned if he was going to be late to his very first day of rehearsal.

Caleb was already gone, and it was a relief not to have to face him a little hungover first thing in the morning. A few sips of Gatorade helped settle Archer’s stomach, then it took him a good couple minutes to shake Ben and Beau awake and out of bed. He pulled on shorts and a tank top and grabbed his duffel. They stopped by the dining hall for eggs and sausage, then made their way to the theater with a few minutes to spare.

The troupe was milling around, downing coffee and Gatorade in equal measure. There was no sign of Stewart Harpham-Lale yet. Archer studied the wheeled whiteboard that was up against the wall stage right that showed the weekly performance schedule and daily rehearsal plan. There would be two shows every night in the theater, at six and nine o’clock. There wasClub Retro,Latin Flame, a hip-hop night calledUrban Beat,Around the World,Broadway Boulevard, and a contemporary show calledFrom the Heart. Every Sunday was a drag show, and the dancers had the night off.

They would be working onLatin Flametoday, according to the sense he could make of the scrawled writing. There was the Argentine tango, paso doble, samba, and cha-cha, and his partner was… Mateo?

“Uh…” He turned to Betty when she appeared at his elbow. “This can’t be right?”

“It sure is,” she said when she saw where he was pointing. “Every show has some same-sex couples.”

“But I—” His heart hammered its protest against his rib cage. He was going to be dancing with Mateo Dixon? Like, with him? In his arms?

Betty smirked. “Wow. You must be feeling a lot of feelings right now.”

He glared at her. “I’ve just… never danced ballroom with a man before. I mean, who even leads?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That’s all.”

“Your face is sure bright red about it.”

Archer’s jaw flapped.

Betty patted his cheek. “You’re adorable, Archie. This is going to be really fun for me.”

4Tango

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