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Awesome! Dancing.

Carter turned, sweeping his eyes over the writhing crowd. He was absolutely sure he was going to find Marco wrapped around someone else, looking like he was going to get fucked right there on the dancefloor. His lip curled until his eyes happened upon one of the raised platforms that stood at each corner of the dancefloor. There were fewer people up there, and while he thought it was the perfect place for the customary stripper pole, they were just platforms for people to dance on.

And there was Marco, dancing near one corner of the platform just opposite Carter. He was near other people while he danced, but no one had their hands on him, and he wasn’t wrapped around anyone else.

Carter barely acknowledged it when his face went slack. His arm dropped to his side, and he barely held his phone.

Whether or not it’s good dancing. Right.

Marco had chosen a bright red shirt with a low collar, which went brilliantly with his darker skin tone. His shoulders weaved and bobbed smoothly as he twisted his hips, somehow looking like he was a part of the music instead of just moving to it. Carter stood fixated, as he realized Marco had also chosen a brilliant pair of black denim pants. They hugged the curve of his ass as it swung and flowed with each shift of his hips, and Carter felt his mouth go dry.

Then someone beside Marco leaned over and said something Carter couldn’t hear. Marco’s rhythm stuttered, but that was okay because he tipped his head back and laughed. Carter sworehe could hear it from where he stood, knowing the sound would come from deep in his stomach and probably roll over the crowd if it wasn’t for the music.

Marco’s eyes were still crinkled with laughter when he dropped his head, turning his face to Carter. They widened, smile faltering for the briefest moment, and then he grinned. He leaned back, saying something to his friend, who grinned back, patted Marco on his side, and turned back to the crowd.

Twisting around, Marco hopped off the platform, swatting at a hand reaching out from the crowd. Carter’s face twisted into a glare as Marco darted away before the hand's owner could try again.

Oh yeah, he wasdefinitelyteaching Marco how to break a few body parts.

Marco hurried toward him, and his eyes widened as his feet found something on the carpet. Carter darted forward, grabbing Marco by the arm and jerking him upright before he could land face-first on the floor.

The man was laughing again as he stood straight. “Saving me again? You’re nice to have around, Carter.”

“Are you drunk already?” Carter snapped, ignoring the pleasant twist of his gut at the man’s words.

Marco shook his head, still grinning. “Nope, only had a couple of drinks. Surprise! I’m actually uncoordinated as hell and almost kill myself daily.”

“Uncoordinated?” Carter asked in annoyance before he could stop himself. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

Marco leaned in closer, brow bunching in curiosity. “What do you mean?”

Carter rolled his eyes, nodding his head toward the platform. “I saw that.”

“Me dancing?”

“Yeah.”

Marco grinned again. “Well, I guess you got to see me dance like you wanted to.”

“I never fucking said that,” Carter retorted, and it sounded lame even to his ear.

Marco leaned in closer so he could be heard a little more clearly. “Let’s get a drink and find somewhere we don’t have to scream to be heard.”

“Fine,” Carter barked back, shivering as Marco’s breath brushed his neck.

The bar was only a few yards from them, but it took as long as walking a city block to reach it through the crowd. People brushed and bumped against him, and Carter resisted the urge to push them away. It wasn’t any better when they had to wait what felt like an eternity for the most basic cocktail for Marco and a beer for Carter. Then, they had to go through the process again to leave the bar area. The only reason he didn’t end up shoving anyone was because Marco closed his hand around Carter’s wrist gently and pulled him through the crowd.

They stopped at one of the booths behind the dance floor. Marco had chosen well. It was a relatively quiet spot, with a partition between each booth, allowing for a bit of privacy and separating them from the blasting music.

Marco sat on the bench and scooted in so Carter would have a place to sit. Without thinking, he plopped down next to Marco so he could glare at his beer.

“Better?” Marco asked.

Carter looked up. “What?”

“You looked like you were ready to go somewhere with fewer people,” Marco said, dark eyes on his face.

Carter snorted, nodding his head. “Yeah. Guess I did. How’d you know?”