Page 12 of Neighbors With Benefits

“I had a huge crush on Jasmin,” Aiden mused. Then he glanced up at me and quickly added, “But Jasper is cool, too!”

“I actually kind of hate my name,” I revealed. “But it has a cool backstory. This wine is tasty, by the way.”

“Thanks!” Bash exclaimed happily. “It was fifteen bucks at Total Wine. I’m a connoisseur of semi-cheap wine.”

“Bash considers himself a connoisseur of pretty much everything,” Aiden said, shooting him a sideways look. “Let’s hear the story about your name.”

“When my mom was in college at the University of Colorado, she did a lot of hiking on the weekends,” I explained. “One day, she woke up early and drove into the mountains to hike Mount Apache. But she parked at the trailhead at dawn and made the climb. It was supposed to only be four miles to the top, but it ended up being six. She was exhausted. Finally, she sees the summit. With a burst of energy, she trudges the final stretch to the top… only to discover she had climbed thewrong mountain. She had made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. That’s why the route was longer.”

“Ouch,” Aiden said.

“She was running low on water, and only had a ClifBar. She probably could have made it back down, but she would have been hurting by the end. And while she’s admiring the view and wondering what she should do, another hiker comes walking up the path. He sees my mom, and then sees the summit sign, and loudly exclaims, “Mount Jasper? I thought I was climbing Mount Apache! Apparently, he had made the same wrong turn as my mom. The two of them laughed together about their mistake, and he shared his sandwich with her and gave her a bunch of his extra water. And that’s how my parents met.”

“Aww, that’s a great meet cute,” Aiden said.

“It is,” I agreed. “And when my mom got knocked up with me a few years later, they decided to name me after the mountain. Because it was a happy accident that changed their lives for the better.”

“That’s way better than the story about my name,” Bash said. “I was named after Saint Sebastian. He was famous for being tied to a tree and shot with arrows. So that’s probably how I’m going to die someday.”

“Arrows shot by Voldemort, probably,” I teased.

Bash laughed and pointed at me with a chunk of garlic bread. “I like you. You’re funny.”

“I’m just trying to make it to the S-tier,” I said with a wink. “How’d you get your name, Aiden?”

“The boring way: named after my grandpa,” he replied. “Don’t get me wrong, he was great. Taught me to play checkers. But it’s not like being named after the majestic mountain where my parents met.”

“I don’t know if you can call it majestic. It’s not even a fourteener.”

Bash and Aiden both reacted similarly, shaking their heads and holding out their palms. “Not a fourteener,” Aiden muttered.

“Our mistake for assuming it was majestic,” Bash added.

“That’s the name I’m putting in my phone,” Aiden said. “Jazz the Boring-ass Mountain.”

We all laughed as Aiden tapped on his phone. Then he looked up at me, his cheeks turning red, and he hastily shoved his phone back in his pocket.

Weird, I thought.

Suddenly, Bash’s phone rang. He muttered “fuck” under his breath before answering it. “Jon. Uh huh. Yeah, as soon as I saw your number I knew what had probably happened. Give me a few minutes and I’ll hop on the call.” He hung up.

“The Hartford acquisition?” Aiden asked him.

“Yeah. They’re getting cold feet and want to renegotiate. And unlike Boston, I don’t think it’s just a negotiating tactic.” He smiled sadly at me. “I’m sorry to be a rude guest, but I have to run.”

“Not rude at all! I get it. You can take the plate home with you! Return it whenever. I just live next door, after all!”

“You’re an angel.” He gulped down the rest of his wine. “Ah, I love fifteen dollar wine. You’ve been a lovely host, Jazz of the Boring-ass Mountain. Until next time.”

He came around the table and gave me one of those one-armed hugs like we were old friends. Then he clapped Aiden on the back and hurried out of the house with a plate of food in hand.

Leaving me and Aiden alone together.

5

Jazz

When the two of them were over, the mood was relaxed. Just three neighbors sharing dinner and drinking wine while shit-talking the other neighbors on the block. But now that I was alone with Aiden, the vibe was different. There was tension in the air.

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