Page 56 of Flirty Dancing

“Archer, I really like you.” Caleb took his hand. “A lot. Yes, I should have told you. I just wasn’t sure you were that into me, to be honest. But after last night and our amazingday on the boat…” The boat. It was a distant memory now. “I want to be with you.”

A hundred thoughts swirled through Archer’s brain. “You were kissing him.”

Caleb squeezed Archer’s hands. “It was a goodbye kiss, I swear.”

Admittedly, from what he had seen, it was a very brief kiss. Archer sighed. “Okay.”

A tentative smile slid onto Caleb’s face. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

Caleb heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you for trusting me. I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, right?” He wrapped his arms around Archer and pulled him in for a hug.

“I know.”

“Let’s head back to the dorm, okay?”

“No, it’s fine. You go ahead. I’m so tired, I just want to pass out.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Caleb kissed him. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Archer trudged back up the path, trying to make sense of the situation. Yes, Caleb should have told him earlier, but he could also see Caleb’s point that it hadn’t been anything serious until last night, and Caleb told Steve it was over the first chance he got.

His brain was grinding to a halt and crying out for the sweet oblivion of sleep when he opened the door to his room. But instead of blissful silence, he heard angry voices suddenly hush.

Ben and Beau stared at him from where they stood in the middle of the room.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Archer said, swaying on his feet. “I really need to go to bed.”

“It’s fine,” Ben said wearily. “You’re not interrupting.”

Beau glared. “Yes, once again, my feelings are unimportant.”

“You know what?” Ben shrieked, going from zero to sixty, clearly a man at the end of his rope. “Maybe weshouldbreak up! Because you obviously don’t trust me!”

Archer eyed his bed as Beau’s face crumpled.

“I mean honestly, Beau! What more do you need me to say? I’m withyou, I loveyou. I don’t want anyone else here, or anywhere!”

Beau nodded and wiped at a tear. “I’m sorry, my love. You’re right.”

Ben sagged. “Am I? Because I can’t keep having this same fight.”

Archer eased into the room, avoiding eye contact with them, and crawled under his covers, nearly weeping with relief as his body sank into the mattress.

“You are.” Beau’s words were muffled.

“Then please, trust me. There is no one else for me.”

Trust…The word throbbed through Archer’s head.Do I trust Caleb?He tried to give himself over to sleep, but sounds and images from the day played in his brain like a television recap—being late for the show, Mateo’s seething anger, Ben and Beau’s fight, Caleb with Steve… It took Archer a long time to fall asleep, despite his exhaustion.

13Cheating

Archer woke up feeling hungover Thursday morning, shoulders screaming in protest when he stretched. In an unusual turn of events, his three roommates were still quiet lumps under rumpled blankets. Archer studied Caleb in the bed next to him, long lashes resting on his smooth cheeks, plump lips parted as his chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of a deep sleep.

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