Page 2 of Neighbors With Benefits

Cat finished her wine and put her glass on the counter. “Say no more. I’ll go size him up for you. Just like when I was your wingwoman in college.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said.

“Youliterallytold me this morning that you’ve been on a dry spell.”

I looked around our immediate area, then lowered my voice. “Not so loud! I don’t want everyone here to know about my sex life.”

“Or lack thereof,” Cat muttered.

“Forget about him. You don’t shit where you eat.”

Cat’s eyes widened. “What kind of wingwoman do you think I am? None of my plans involve shitting.”

“It’s a metaphor,” I said with a laugh. “It means that if heismy neighbor, he’s too close to home. If we get involved and it goes poorly, then it will be awkwardforever. Don’t you remember Dave Kirkpatrick from our junior year apartment?”

“Jesus, Jazz,” Cat muttered. “I’m not going to invite him to fuck you after the party the way you did with junior year Dave. I’m just going to talk to him about how amazing you are.”

Before I could say anything else, she made a bee-line through the party and said hi to the unknown guest.

I didn’t want to see how that interaction turned out, so I left the kitchen and walked to the bathroom. The door was closed and the fan was on inside, but there was no light underneath the door. I knocked politely, waited a full second, and then opened the unlocked door.

I froze. A man was washing his hands at the sink.

“I… I…” I stammered.

He flashed an easy smile. “Sorry. I’m still on my first happy birthday.”

I didn’t know what that meant, and was already halfway dead with embarrassment, so I retreated and closed the door behind me. Then I leaned against the wall and groaned.

I didn’t recognize him. Which probably meant he was another one of my neighbors. Perfect.

Before I could run to another room, the bathroom door opened and the guy stepped out into the hallway. He was wearing jeans, brown leather shoes, and a blue button-down shirt with thesleeves rolled up to the elbows. He was tall, at least six-foot-three, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.

He had a sharp, attractive face and piercing blue eyes. Of course I walked in on maybe the hottest guy at the party. Even more perfect. Way to go, Jazz.

“I knocked!” I blurted out a little too defensively. “And you should lock the door.”

The man gave me that same easy smile. “I didn’t hear the knock, probably because of the music thumping in the living room. Also, the lock doesn’t work.”

I blinked. “It doesn’t?”

He twisted the lock on the doorknob, then gave it a test from the other side. “Yup. The lock doesn’t work.”

“Oh. I, uh, just moved into this house.”

“Ah, so you’re Jazz! I got your invite. I’m going to give you a do-over on our meeting. I’m Sebastian, but everyone calls me Bash.” He extended his hand. “Don’t worry. I just washed up. But you already know that!”

I shook his hand. “What did you mean about your first happy birthday?”

“You’re supposed to wash your hands long enough to sing Happy Birthday twice,” he explained, running a hand through his wavy blond hair. It was messy, but in an intentional sort of way. “I live next door in the green house.”

“Oh!” I said, seizing on the information. “You’re the house with all the plants! I love the vibe.”

Bash grimaced. “Thanks, but my roommate is the plant guy. I’ve got whatever the opposite of a green thumb is. All of my plants die.”

Damn. So much for having a hobby in common.

While I tried to think of another topic, Cat came walking over with the mystery man from earlier. “Jazz! This is Aiden. He lives next door, and he wants to meet you.”

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