Page 11 of Flirty Dancing

11

Happy Birthday

The weight of Caleb’s warm body climbing into bed with him wrenched Archer from his sleep early Tuesday morning. “Happy birthday, Archer!” Caleb whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Hmm?” Archer mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “I am now. And how the hell did you know it was my birthday?”

Caleb slid an arm around him and burrowed up against his side, the fresh scent of his shower gel settling over them. “Betty saw your ID on Sunday when you ordered your beer. She might have told everyone.” He pecked Archer on the cheek. “Hope that’s okay?”

Archer considered. He loved birthdays when he was younger, using them to wheedle more ice cream or musical soundtracks out of his parents. But birthdays became less fun as his twenties crept by. And if twenty-seven was maybe too old, twenty-eight definitely was. “It’s okay,” he decided. Better to let his friends distract him for the day.

“Great!” Caleb sat up and patted Archer’s thigh. “Then get up! There’s a surprise for you in ten minutes.”

“Is it a surprise if you tell me it’s a surprise?” Archer wondered out loud as he searched for a wearable shirt from his collection on the floor.

“Hmm, good point. Make sure you act surprised, okay?”

Caleb allowed him a minute to brush his teeth, then dragged him to the dining hall. He was nearly vibrating as Archer loaded his plate with eggs and bacon, then skipped ahead of him into the dining area.

An enthusiastic chorus of “surprise!” greeted Archer when he stepped through the doorway. He did his best to look surprised through the grin stretching over his face. The dancers were crowded around a table decorated with a white and sky-blue polka-dot tablecloth, matching napkins and paper plates, and a cake. The rest of the dining hall paused to clap and cheer for him, too.

“Happy birthday!” Betty squealed, darting out from behind the table and throwing her arms around him.

Archer laughed before giving her a stern look. “I hear you’re the one that gave it away?”

“Don’t be mad! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to see your birthday, it just happened. And it was impossible to ignore since it was only two days away!”

“Are you mad?” Caleb slid his arms around Archer.

Archer kissed him. “Hard to be… I can’t believe you did all this for me!”

Caleb waved at the chair at the head of the table. “Let’s have some cake!”

They let Archer inhale his breakfast before Dominik led the entire hall in a loud, off-key “Happy Birthday to You.” Archer tried not to visibly cringe— why is the horrendous awkwardness of people singing to you a required part of birthdays? —and avoided eye contact by studying the cake instead.

It was round and tall, with smooth, blue icing that matched the tablecloth dots exactly, and it had its own white fondant polka dots. It was beautiful, really—professional looking—and Archer wondered if maybe Caleb had talked the resort pastry chef into making it for him. And, mercifully, it had only a single white candle on it. They cheered when Archer blew it out. When he cut into the cake, he discovered that it was three layers, two chocolate with vanilla in the middle. Archer dished out the pieces and Betty helped pass the plates around the table.

Archer dug into his first bite with relish. “Oh my God… It’s amazing,” he mumbled through his mouthful.

“Mateo made it!” Betty said, giving Mateo’s shoulder a squeeze. “Can you believe it?”

“You made this?” Archer repeated, dumbfounded. “How? When?”

Mateo blushed. “I think I mentioned my mom was a baker? I helped her all the time, since before I can even remember. I made this last night… well, I guess it was actually this morning. Chef let me use the kitchen after they closed, then I got up early to decorate it once it had cooled. They had some extra fondant and…” He trailed off, cheeks turning a darker pink.

Archer’s heart fluttered, his face heating to what he figured was a matching shade. “That’s… so sweet of you, I—Thank you so much, Mateo.”

Mateo studied his plate, scooping up another bite onto his fork. “You’re welcome.”

“Yes, a man of many talents,” Caleb chimed in. “I guess it helps that you’ve had a lot more time for baking these past few years.”

An awkward silence fell over their end of the table.

“Caleb,” Archer muttered. “That’s—”

“No, it’s fine,” Mateo said quietly to Archer. Then he looked up at Caleb and smiled—the least friendly smile Archer had ever seen, eyes two black pools of disgust. “I heard you didn’t have time to make your boyfriend’s cake, so I was happy to step up.”

Caleb’s smirk faltered, lips pressing into a thin white line.

“I love the cake,” Archer said before Caleb could respond. “Thank you so much for making it.”

Chatter resumed around them as Mateo and Caleb continued to stare each other down.

“Did you enjoy the cake, Caleb?” Mateo asked.

Caleb sniffed. “You know I can’t eat that.”

“Shame.” Mateo popped a bite into his mouth.

They glared for another beat before Betty cleared her throat. “Okay, so… we have to be out of here by nine, but let’s go down to the cabin for presents.”

“Presents?” Archer asked. “You guys, this is too much!”

Caleb gave him a warm smile, the chill of the moment gone. “Of course you need presents!”

Mateo muttered something under his breath that Archer couldn’t quite catch.

They cleaned up their decorations and trooped down to the cabin, Archer carefully transporting the rest of the cake. “Why did you make that comment about Mateo having time to bake now?” Archer whispered when he and Caleb were mostly alone on the path.

Caleb rolled his eyes. “I was joking.”

“But that’s, like… not really something to joke about.”

“Mateo is a big boy. He can take it and dish it out as good.”

“Maybe, but—”

“Don’t worry about Mateo, Archer.” Caleb smiled at him, the sunlight poking through the trees and giving his skin a burnished glow. “It’s your birthday!”

They settled around the couches in their usual Game Night positions, and Betty presented Archer with a pair of vintage sunglasses from the boutique in Hallfield—large, square aviators with gold-tinged lenses.

“Those look amazing on you!” Betty announced when Archer tried them on. “The gold goes so well with your hair.”

“Thank you, I love them,” Archer told her.

The group put a wad of money into the beer fund to cover him for the next month, then Mateo handed him a small, flat paper bag stamped with purple flowers. “It’s just something small,” he said, shifting in his seat. “I saw it on Sunday when we were in town.”

It felt like a book, but when Archer reached in, his fingers first brushed a smaller square of paper. He slid it out of the bag and unwrapped the purple tissue to reveal a fridge magnet—a little wedge of pie that said LIFE IS SWEET IN HALLFIELD in a round script.

His heart squeezed, emotion welling up his throat. “Aw, that’s so cute, Mateo. Thank you.”

Mateo shrugged. “I thought it would be a fun memento.”

“It will be, thank you.” Unexpected tears pricked Archer’s eyes. He reached into the bag again, head down, and pulled out an old illustrated copy of The Hobbit . His jaw dropped.

“And I found that at the used bookstore, if you can believe it.”

Archer blinked. “How did you…”

“I saw the copy you had in your room. It was falling apart.”

“Thank you so much, Mateo.” Archer shook his head. “I love it.”

Mateo shrugged again, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re welcome.”

“I—”

“And now my gift!” Caleb crowed, handing Archer a paper bag with the resort’s logo on it. “I didn’t know it was your birthday until we got back”—he shot a pointed look at Betty—“so this was the best I could do.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Archer insisted, peeking into the bag. It was an assortment of snacks from the gift shop, including his favorites. “Yum! Thank you, Caleb.”

“And…” Caleb gave him a meaningful look with an eyebrow waggle. “I have something else for you later tonight.”

“Um…” Archer flushed, for some reason looking over at Mateo, who was examining the armrest. “Okay. Thank you.”

The gang scattered after that, some heading out to the dock to swim, others wandering back to the dorm. Archer’s phone buzzed as he stood, and he smiled when he saw the caller ID. “I’ll meet you out there,” he told Caleb, and then he took the call out onto the deck and leaned on the railing overlooking the lake. “Lynnie!” he said when he answered.

“Happy birthday, Archer!” Lynn cried. “Oh my gosh, I miss you so much.”

“Aw, thank you. I miss you too.”

“Are you having a good day? I wish I could be there.”

“I wish you could, too. But I’m having an awesome day. The dance crew threw a little party for me.”

“Tell me all about it.”

So he did, but she cut him off when he got to the part about Mateo’s gift.

“Wait, wait, so… Mateo made you a cake and got you an incredibly thoughtful and personalized gift?”

“… Yeah?”

“Archer… he totally likes you.”

Archer opened his mouth to argue but it took his brain a second to come up with the argument. “I don’t know, Lynn. I really doubt it. He’s usually so grumpy.”

“Is he?”

“Yeah, he’s always barking orders and giving me shit.”

“But always at work, right? When you’re dancing?”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts. I’m telling you.”

“Well…” His brain was still spinning. “It doesn’t matter, does it? I’m with Caleb.”

“And what did Caleb get you?”

“Um. A bag of treats from the gift shop.”

Her silence was deafening.

“It’s not his fault! He didn’t know it was my birthday until we got back from town.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“It’s the thought that counts, Lynn! He didn’t have to get me anything at all.”

“He kind of does, if he’s regularly making out with you.”

But at Archer’s noise of protest, she relented. “Okay. It was sweet of Caleb to get you a present. I’m just saying… Mateo likes you.”

Archer’s gaze landed on the dock. Caleb was laughing with Dominik, then they turned and tried to heave River and Gage into the lake. A scuffle ensued, and the four of them went tumbling into the water in a hollering mass of well-toned arms and legs.

Mateo was on the dock, too. He didn’t join them often, and he had removed himself from the crowd a little now, stretched out on a red and white striped towel and watching the antics with a straight face.

Caleb was the obvious choice. He clearly liked Archer a lot, was fun and affectionate, and had the easy lightness that came with being only twenty-four… and it wasn’t like Archer wanted anything serious that would last past the summer. But Mateo… Archer’s gaze lingered over his thick, sculpted shoulders and long limbs… Yes, he was ideal teenage crush material, stupidly hot, and could set the dance floor on fire, but in person… mercurial, closed off, older, and overly serious… None of those things sounded like a good idea for a summer fling.

“I don’t think he does,” Archer said to Lynn. “He just likes to bake and… buy people stunningly perfect birthday presents.”

Lynn laughed. “Okay, Archer. As long as you’re happy.”

He looked back at Caleb, who was now trying to drag Ben into the water. “I am.”

“Good. Listen, when you’re back, I’m going to take you out for the most incredible belated birthday dinner. There’s this new, sort of over-the-top Italian-but-not-really place Sasha found in Brooklyn you have to try.”

“Sounds amazing.” Archer strolled along the porch toward the back of the cabin and a quieter view of the lake. “Hey, speaking of Sasha, have things slowed down at work? Any more proposal ideas?”

Lynn sighed. “Yes, they have, but not really.”

“What if,” Archer said with a flash of inspiration, “you did it old-school—baked the ring into a cake?”

She laughed. “You want me to bake a cake?”

Archer considered the sketchy old kitchen in their apartment. “Or hire someone else to do it?”

“Hmm… you know, that’s so unexpected for me, I kind of love it. I could bake a cake! Maybe if we win the trial, I’ll tell her we’re celebrating. Or, I guess if we lose, moping.”

“There you go! And get some champagne. A bottle of nice champagne, one that costs more than two-ninety-nine.”

“Thanks so much, Archer! I have to run now, though. Hope the rest of your day is amazing!”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for calling. Love you.”

When he got down to the dock, he barely had time to pull off his T-shirt before Caleb hauled him into the lake. He surfaced, laughing and wiping water from his eyes, and he found Mateo watching him. Archer smiled and flicked a few drops at him. “You coming in?”

“Nah.” Mateo lay back, a lazy smile on his face. “I like it up here.”

“Come on, Mateo,” Caleb called, sloshing him with a wave of water.

Mateo sat up, spluttering. “Fuck off, Caleb!”

Caleb rolled his eyes and splashed him again. “It’s only water.”

Mateo stood and, with another glare at Caleb, marched off down the dock.

“Okay, seriously, what’s your problem with Mateo?” Archer asked, pulling himself onto the edge of the dock.

Caleb followed. “I’m sick of him acting like he’s better than everyone else.”

Archer sighed. There was no denying Mateo held himself at a distance from the rest of them.

“He’s not that bad,” River said from where they were reclined on the dock. “He’s just… you know, a little older. Not into partying.”

“Then why is he even here?” Caleb continued. “He was a fucking Broadway star. It’s embarrassing.”

Archer had no reply to that so he tried another angle. “Look, it’s my birthday, and he made me a cake—”

Caleb rolled his eyes.

“—so can you give him a break? Please, for me?”

“Don’t know why you like him so much,” Caleb muttered.

“Hey…” Archer took Caleb’s chin in his hand, then leaned in for a kiss. “I like you .”

“Do you?” Caleb asked with a small smile sneaking onto his face.

“I do.”

“Good. I like you too.”

Their kiss was cut short by Dominik charging up behind them and shoving Caleb back into the lake. “Get a room!” he cried, and the brawl was back on.

The day ticked away in a pleasant haze of cool plunges and warm kisses. Archer had the last slice of cake for lunch, basking on the sunbaked dock. It was really, really hard when it was time to get moving for the night’s show. “I should get the night off for my birthday,” he grumbled as the rest of them began to gather their towels and other belongings.

“Let’s go, princess,” Caleb said fondly, threading his fingers with Archer’s. “You can dance some of that cake off.”

Archer patted his stomach. “Rude.”

Archer was waiting in the wings before the six o’clock Latin show in his black pants and shimmery scarlet and purple shirt when Mateo approached.

“Hey,” Archer smiled, feeling shy with Lynn’s words ringing in his head. “Thanks again for the cake.”

“It was no problem.”

“And I’m sorry about Caleb. I don’t know what his issue is.”

Mateo grimaced. “People get weird when you get a little famous. And I know I’m not… the friendliest person on earth.”

“Still…” Archer looked up and saw Caleb watching him and Mateo from the other wing. “I’m sorry.”

Mateo looked like he had more to say, but Francisco started his welcoming announcement, and he had to bolt to get around back to the other side for his entrance.

Archer turned his smolder on as he and Mateo began their walk toward each other at the start of their tango duet. When they met in hold, Mateo’s hands were jolts of electricity on Archer’s skin. Archer tilted his head, their lips closer than ever before. He breathed Mateo in, the scent sending sparks through his brain, and then they were dancing.

It was their hottest tango yet.

Mateo held him tighter, their bodies slotting together like they were one. Hips brushing, feet flicking in perfect sync, eyes locking at each pause. Archer’s throat squeezed as the heat flooded through him.

When they finished, heart pounding, head dizzy, Archer swayed toward Mateo’s lips, the urge to kiss him nearly overtaking him. But the roar from the audience was a douse of cold water, and he turned so they could take their bow as Caleb and Ben began their duet.

Archer couldn’t find any words to say to Mateo when they got backstage. They drank their water in silence, mopped their brows, and got back out there.

The nine o’clock show was much the same—a dizzying, electrifying connection—except in their final pose, instead of his hand being on Archer’s shoulder, Mateo’s hand rested on the back of Archer’s neck. He let out a whoosh of air as their eyes met. Fuck. His hand is on my neck. If they weren’t in front of an audience right now, Archer didn’t know what he might have done. They looked at each other another long moment, then took their bows.

After the show, Archer hurried to the greenroom to change, brain spinning with confusion and afraid of what he might say to Mateo. He was momentarily distracted when he checked his phone and found a missed call from his parents— Nine thirty P.M. on my birthday, good job, guys —but returning it would have to wait until morning.

“Wow, you were sizzling again tonight, sexy,” Caleb said, peeling his shirt off and giving Archer a steamy kiss.

“Thanks, you too,” Archer replied, trying to name the emotion that was settling in his gut. Anxiety? Guilt? Excitement?

When Archer and Caleb got back to their room after a shower, just in their towels, there was no sign of Beau and Ben. Archer slid his arms around Caleb and kissed him. “Thank you for an amazing birthday.”

Caleb kissed him back and pulled Archer down onto his bed. “You’re welcome.”

Archer snuggled up against him, wiping at a drop of water trickling down Caleb’s chest. “I can’t believe you pulled it all together so quickly.”

“Yeah, it was fast! We had to scramble a bit when we got back. It was lucky Betty thought to run and grab the decorations right away, but I wish she had let us know when we were still in town.”

A thought clicked in Archer’s brain. “So, no one knew until you got back here?”

“I don’t think so… Why?”

“No reason.” His stomach flipped. Was it really possible Mateo hadn’t known about his birthday until they got back? No, Betty must have run into him in the store. Why would he have bought those things for him otherwise? But before he could puzzle it out further, Caleb’s tongue was in his mouth.

The heat of the kiss grew until their bodies were pressed together, hands roaming, and the flames lapped at Archer’s insides.

Caleb tugged Archer’s towel loose. “Do you want to stay back here tonight?” he whispered.

Archer pulled Caleb’s muscular body tighter against his. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Caleb said, teeth scraping at Archer’s neck, then lips trailing down his chest. “I haven’t given you the rest of your present yet.”