Archer’s gaze slipped back to Mateo. His stomach jolted when he discovered Mateo was watching back. Archer offered a small smile. Mateo’s face remained blank as he looked away, wiping his forehead with the hem of his shirt.

“Well. We’re polishing up our Club Retro show right now, or we’re trying, God help us. Why don’t you three watch a full run-through and see what you can pick up, then the others can break it down for you after. From the top!” Stewart spoke with very few pauses. He stood at the front of the stage this time as they did another run. Archer’s brain hummed trying to take it all in.

Stewart frowned again when they were done. “Passable. Mateo, you’ll see to these three? Eight o’clock sharp tomorrow morning, do not be late. Dominik, yes, I’m looking at you. Come, Judy.” His dog yipped. He turned and swept off stage right, the back door clattering shut behind them in the silence.

“Alright.” Mateo looked at them like it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. “I’m Mateo, this is Dominik, Gage, Iris, River, Seta, Caleb…” Mateo rattled through the names of the other twelve, making sixteen dancers in total. All Archer could remember was Dominik, because he had a purple mohawk and made a horrified gasp when Stewart Harpham-Lale called him out, and Caleb, because he was beautiful and smirking right at Archer. “You can learn names tomorrow. They’re going to go eat while I run you through Retro.”

The crowd shuffled out, a few saying hi and offering handshakes and backslaps on their way. They laughed and joked with each other like they’d been dancing together for years, although Archer supposed that some of them had.

“Hi, I’m Archer.” He took a step toward Mateo, hand out, insides churning, and suddenly, he was living his teenage fantasy. He’d imagined walking up to Mateo a thousand times, introducing himself, Mateo smiling, taking his hand. It’s so nice to meet you, Archer, dream Mateo would say. Tell me, are you a fellow dancer? Then sometimes he would even lean in for a kiss—

Actual, very sweaty Mateo looked at Archer’s outstretched hand a second too long before shaking it without enthusiasm. “Mateo.”

“Yes, I know, I—I’m a huge fan.”

Mateo raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. “A fan?”

“I saw you in Grease.” Archer was about to start babbling, but he couldn’t help it. “My parents took me for my fourteenth birthday, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I never got to see Robin’s Egg live but I—”

“That was a long time ago.” Mateo cut him off as his gaze swept over Archer.

This was not going as expected. “You were brilliant, that’s been my favorite show—”