Neighbors With Benefits: Chapter 26

It all felt like a dream.

A wonderful, sexy dream.

Playing Pickleball with Bash. Sharing a beer between rounds. Facing the asshole Schultinators in the final round while the crowd cheered us on. Celebratory drinks and appetizers while we admired our trophy.

Then the second half of the evening: almost kissing Bash outside. Him dramatically barging into my house and kissing me against the wall. Having sex on the table, hard and fast and desperate. Showering together at his place before round two in the bed.

I replayed it all in my mind while slowly waking up. Finally, I opened my eyes. Yeah, definitely not a dream. I was still in Bash’s bed, the beautiful man sleeping on his belly next to me, his face hidden beneath his mop of messy blond hair.

Last night was amazing. The culmination of weeks of flirting. And like a roller coaster that spent a long time climbing to the top, the thrill was eventually worth it. Lying in bed with him, I felt satisfied on pretty much every level.

I hadn’t been in his room before, and last night I was distracted, so I looked around while remaining still so as not to disturb Bash. The walls were painted a shade of blue so light it was almost grey. Across from the bed was an antique wooden dresser with a wide mirror mounted on the wall above. I remembered that part; I was facing that mirror while riding him. He had a walk-in closet to the right of that, and the door to the bathroom on the left.

The rest of the room was filled with framed photographs. Some were landscapes showing deserts or mountains, while others were photographs of people. Friends and family. Dogs and cats. There were lots of photos of Bash and a bearded guy with rusty red hair. That must have been their other roommate.

And of course, there were photos of Aiden.

Aiden dressed as Frankenstein for Halloween.

Aiden posing on top of a hill with his chin balanced on a fist.

Aiden and Bash wearing bright neon workout clothes, arms around each other on a Pickleball court.

Everywhere I looked were pictures of Aiden. The man I had already slept with. The same man I’ve been in a sexual relationship with, weeks before Bash and I began spending time together alone.

The guilt rose up inside of me like a volcanic eruption. We weren’t exclusive, and Aiden had reiterated to me that I could sleep with whoever I wanted, but this still felt wrong. Bash was his best friend. His roommate. If Aiden knew, he would certainly be upset.

What had I done?

“Good morning,” Bash said, one eye peeking out from beneath his hair. “I like waking up next to you.”

“Yeah, uh, same,” I said, gently touching his arm. Even that gesture felt wrong in the sober light of morning. “I need to get ready for work.”

“You said you didn’t have to be there until nine,” Bash replied, rolling over and wrapping his arms around my midsection. “Let me make you breakfast. I’m not the chef that Aiden is, but when it comes to bacon and eggs, I’ve got him beat.”

“I don’t want to talk about Aiden,” I snapped.

Bash sat upright. “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”

“No.”

He stared at me.

“Okay, yes I’m freaking out,” I said in a rush. “Look, there’s something I need to tell you…”

“You and Aiden were sleeping together,” he said for me.

“No, we…” I blinked at him. “Yeah. That’s actually what I was going to say. How’d you know?”

“He told me a few weeks ago,” Bash admitted. “Not intentionally. He wasn’t bragging about it or anything. He let it slip by accident.”

I gawked at him. “You’ve known this whole time?”

“I didn’t want to make it awkward by acknowledging it,” he explained. “And I was afraid that once it was all out in the open, you wouldn’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

I reached out and took his hand. “Bash. Why would you think that?”

He shrugged. “I thought that you were only continuing game night because you wanted to keep up appearances. If you knew I knew, I would feel like a third wheel, rather than a real friend.”

“That’s not true. Not even a little bit. These past few weeks, getting to know you better, becoming closer friends… It has meant so much to me.”

I didn’t realize the truth of the words until I heard them out loud. My friendship with Bash had meant a lot to me, regardless of what happened last night. And based on the relieved smile on his face, he felt the same way.

“I really like you, Jazz,” he said softly.

“I like you too! That’s why I’m freaking out.” I slid out of bed and collected my clothes from the floor. They were the neon workout clothes from the Pickleball tournament, I saw with a wince. Fortunately I only had to walk thirty feet to get home.

Bash stepped out of bed. “Jazz, I want to tell you something.”

“You haven’t told Aiden yet, have you?” I asked. “You didn’t, like, text him last night after I fell asleep?”

“I have not told Aiden we slept together,” he said. “But Jazz—”

“Promise me you won’t tell him,” I said in a rush. “I know you two are best friends, but let me tell him first.”

“I’m glad you want to tell him,” Bash said, “but—”

“Promise me!” I insisted. It felt like I was having a panic attack.

Bash wrapped his arms around me and held me in a tight hug. Slowly, all the tension left my body and my pulse returned to normal.

“I promise to let you tell him first,” Bash said, pulling back slightly.

I sighed. “Thank you.”

“But there’s some information you need first.” He braced my arms and smiled at me. “It will set your mind at ease.”

I couldn’t imagine what might set my mind at ease. Not after I had slept with one man, and then his best friend—both of whom were my freaking neighbors.

“Aiden…” Bash began.

A door slammed somewhere else in the house, and the unmistakable sound of footsteps moved through the living room on the other side of the wall.

I gasped. Aiden wasn’t supposed to land until this afternoon. He must have come home early!

I scrambled to don my neon workout clothes and then threw open the bedroom door, rushing out into the living room. Maybe if I intercepted him before he saw anything scandalous I could soften the blow, maybe…

But the man standing in the living room with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder wasn’t Aiden.