Archer changed quickly, then, with another glance at the pictures, bundled up his dance gear and headed back downstairs. The party was in full swing. River had joined the girls on the coffee table. Archer hoped the ancient piece of furniture would hold up.

“There you are!” Caleb cried, appearing at his side. “Mateo’s clothes look good on you.” He put his hands on Archer’s waist and leaned in for a kiss.

“Thanks.”

“Listen.” Caleb whispered in his ear. “Those guys from maintenance are back, and I think it’s time we took the smug bastards down.”

Archer didn’t see Mateo the rest of the night, but he thought about him, the scent of forest and sunshine lingering in his nostrils.

8 No One Wants to Be the Stormtrooper

Archer woke up Tuesday and found his phone lit up with seventeen messages. He had lost it in the couch cushions at some point the night before, then was too drunk to bother with it once he found it again.

“Shit,” he mumbled when he saw they were all from Lynn. That many messages had to mean the bar-in-the-alley proposal either went really well, or really, really bad. He began scrolling.

It’s raining. Fuck.

Never mind, it stopped raining.
Okay, I’m doing this.

We’re here, and there is a huge line.

Fuck, I heard someone say “y’all.”
The tourists have found it.

Do we bail?

Okay, the line is going fast. We’ll be
in soon. I should at least see what it
looks like, right?

Sasha just asked me who I keep
texting. I said you were having a
cute boy crisis.

Is it bad that I’m lying to Sasha
on the night I want to propose to
her?

We’re in. Okay, the lights are
gorgeous but it smells like
vanilla-scented piss and garbage,
Archer.

I think they tried to use vanilla
air-fresheners.

I don’t think I can do it.

Sasha looks so hot,
though.

The bartender wants $50 to use the
ring as garnish???

Aaaand it’s raining again.

Welp, they’re closing because of the
rain. They turned all the lights off.
So now we’re just in a wet alley that
smells like vanilla piss and garbage.
Guess there’s no proposal tonight! It
was a good try.

Hope the first show was amazing!
Tell me all about it!

Also tell me how Caleb was.

“Ah, fuck.” Archer sat up and scrubbed his face before sending her a reply. Wow, I really blew that one.

Her answer popped up right away.

So Caleb was good?

Archer laughed. Lol, you know what I meant, you saucy minx. But seriously, sorry the bar was a bust! No one wants their engagement to smell like vanilla piss and garbage.