Never in his wildest dreams.
For now, he’d have to be comfortable sleeping in the living room of their two-bedroom apartment.
On the way up to the front door, Mateo and Rob eased around a couple making out on the steps, their wet noises turning his stomach. They pushed through the door to find the house party in full swing. A game of beer pong was in progress in the foyer, and behind that, Mateo could see a couple of people playing pool.
“She’s probably in the kitchen,” Rob said loudly, trying to speak over the sound of the music. Mateo followed him through the house and into the obscenely large kitchen where they found Valerie giggling with a group of girls and swiping through her phone. She looked as stunning as ever in a white button-front mini dress that she filled out nicely and her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. The cherry on top was the Cartier LOVE necklace that sat snug between her breasts.
“Hey!” she exclaimed, pulling them both into hugs. “I’m so glad you guys could make it. And you brought drinks!”
The girls beside Valerie took the drinks and tossed the paper bags, setting the bottles on the counter next to the others. Valerie reached into the drawer and pulled out two sets of plastic sunglasses.
“These are both for you,” she said.
Rob slipped his on, and when Mateo saw how they looked on him, he burst into laughter. They were ridiculously kitschy, colorful letters smashed together spelling out “Happy New Year” above the lenses. Mateo didn’t waste a second putting on his pair too.
Rob grabbed the bottle of tequila from the counter, and Mateo’s eyes lit up. “Hey,” he said, nudging his friend. “Let me drive the boat.”
“Yes, Matty!” Valerie exclaimed.
Rob happily obliged, holding up the bottle and pouring a shot directly into Mateo’s mouth. Valerie and the rest of the people in the kitchen cheered him on. When he stood upright, he wiped the corners of his mouth then proudly let his tongue hang out.
“That’s how the fuck you do it,” Rob said.
Once the drinks started flowing, Mateo’s nervous energy disappeared. No more was the anxiety in his stomach as people struck up random conversations with him. He didn’t stumble over his words trying to think of something funny, nor did he worry how his every word was received. He was comfortable, and damn if it didn’t feel good.
By eleven, even more people had shown up, and Mateo found himself playing a game of Cards Against Humanity with a group of strangers, laughing and shooting smartass comments like he’d known them for years. A girl his age brought him a drink, going far enough to put her head on his shoulder while he played.
“Just so you know,” he said, turning his head to look at her, “I’m…y’know, into dudes.”
She thoughtfully frowned for a moment, then smiled. “You should still be my kiss at midnight.”
Mateo hadn’t ever taken part in the tradition, and the opportunity to mark that off his bucket list was too great to pass up. With a little shrug of the shoulder she wasn’t leaning on, he said, “I’m down.”
Her smile widened and she wrapped an arm around him. “Perfect. To be honest, you’re the cutest guy in here. They’re all kind of busted.”
“Amen,” he said, glancing around. He wasn’t looking for anyone, but he could still admire the male specimen from afar. Unfortunately, not many lookers had cropped up. All of the straight guys were unattractive, and all of the gays that Valerie had invited were paired up with someone. Rather than sulking about the lack of eye candy, he decided to rope the girl beside him into helping him pick a card from his hand. To everyone’s surprise, the two of them made a damn good team, winning three rounds in a row.
Midnight approached like a speeding bullet, and before Mateo knew it, he and the girl who’d later introduced herself as Jennie were watching the clock next to Valerie and the others. They all joined in on the countdown, cheering and kissing when it finally hit midnight. Jennie was chaste, placing a quick peck on Mateo’s lips that left him grinning like a fool.
“Happy New Year!” Valerie said, hugging Mateo from behind. He laughed and leaned back against her, his head spinning and his smile never once shrinking.
That following morning, Mateo wanted to die. The faint smell of marijuana hung in the air, and his stomach gurgled. He wasn’t sure if it was because of nausea or hunger. Slowly, he pushed himself up from the pile of pillows under his head and looked around. He and a few other people had made little mats with blankets in the den. On the TV, Bob Ross stared back at him, paused mid-sentence. It all came back to him.
After partying a little more, Mateo and the others who were spending the night had retired to the den to smoke and watch a true artist go to work. As much as people made him into a joke, Mateo had a special kind of love and respect for Bob. Watching The Joy of Painting had been his and Angel’s thing when they were growing up, and he usually ended up getting teary-eyed thinking about that memory. Bob had inspired him to start creating art of his own, and ever since Angel bought him his first canvas, Mateo never stopped painting.
At that moment, Mateo was ready to paint the floor with last night’s drinks. He eased himself off the couch and stretched, looking for his phone once his muscles were loosened up. Panic began to spark in him when he couldn’t find it. Had someone stolen it? Mateo stepped over the unconscious bodies in the den, laser-focused on finding his cellphone. Eddie’s house was a mess after the party the night before, dented plastic cups littering the carpet and confetti decorating every surface in the living room. Mateo was sure he’d walked onto the set of a music video.
When he couldn’t find his phone in the living room, he got even more worried. He practically ran to the kitchen where Valerie sat at the bar. In her hands was his most prized possession. Relief flooded his system, cut immediately short when he realized she’d gotten past the password.
“Um, what are you doing?” he asked.
Valerie jumped in surprise and spun around. “Caught in the act,” she laughed guiltily.
Mateo approached her, looking over her shoulder to get a better view of the screen. “What’s that?”
She gave a tiny, coy smile and said, “SweetDates.”
“What?”
“It’s a dating site,” she explained. “But it’s better than normal dating sites. Instead of just looking for boyfriends, it’s all about sugar daddies.”
Mateo blinked in surprise. “What the hell would I want one of those for?”
“Because, Matty, you need some money! Listen, I’ve been on this app for a few months now and guys will literally send me two hundred dollars for pictures of my feet. I had a daddy pay for my trip to Belize last year.”
Mateo had always heard stories about girls that used websites like SweetDates, but he’d never expected Valerie to be on them. Her real dad made plenty of money to take care of her with.
“Don’t be mad, but I signed you up.”
“You what?”
“I know things are tough for you right now, and I know how you are about your friends helping. This is my way of helping without actually giving you anything. I didn’t use any of your real information, just a nickname, a few pictures, and a short bio.”