Neighbors With Benefits: Chapter 35

I changed out of my lingerie and into a pair of shorts and the least flattering pair of shorts I had. I was still cringing with embarrassment as I walked outside with two cups of steaming hot coffee.

Dante didn’t tease me about my wardrobe anymore, though. If anything, he seemed bored by my presence as I stood nearby and handed him tools whenever he requested them.

That was the extent of our day. Dante worked, and I stood there. We didn’t speak.

The next day, I put my AirPods in and listened to a podcast while Dante continued his repairs. That made the time go by quicker, but I still felt vaguely awkward that this guy was doing all this work for me and we were totally silent the entire time. I felt like I should have been friendly with him, thanking him several more times for what he was doing. But I knew that would probably just piss him off.

So we worked in silence.

That evening, Aiden and Bash were free at the same time for once. I stretched out on my couch and texted with them.

Me: I miss you guys! Especially since you’ve been working late.

Aiden: I miss you too. I’d rather be home right now.

Bash: I don’t want to play the game of who has the worst situation right now, but it’s definitely me. I’ve been putting out fires and mending relationships since I got here. It sucks.

Bash: And that’s on TOP of not getting to see Jazzy Wazzy.

Aiden: Jazzy Wazzy? Have I missed out on exciting new pet names?

Me: NO. That’s what Cat sometimes calls me, and I guess Bash overheard. I’m not a fan of it.

Aiden: Got it, Jazzy Wazzy.

Bash: What I’m hearing is that you love it when we come up with adorable pet names.

Aiden: Oh! What about Snazzy Jazzy?

Bash: Yes. Love it.

Me: Please stop.

Aiden: Teasing is one of our love languages 😉

Me: Apparently!

Bash: If I were there, I’d be teasing you in a different way.

Bash: SEXUALLY.

Aiden: I don’t think you needed to spell it out for her.

Me: He didn’t, but I liked it anyway! I wish you were teasing me sexually. Both of you.

Aiden: Amen to that.

Bash: I guess that’s a good segue: now that a few more days have passed, how do you feel about this whole thing? Sleeping with both of us?

Me: So far, it still sounds great to me. The more I wrap my mind around it, the more comfortable I am. Although it would be easier if you both weren’t away at the same time.

Bash: Yeah, this kind of ruins the point of us sharing you. Usually we alternate trips.

Aiden: It sucks, but this is a rare situation. It won’t be like this in the future.

Me: And I want to reiterate that I like how we’re all friends. That’s the most important part to me: I don’t want things to get too serious. That way if things end, we can all remain friends and neighbors without any drama.

There was a long pause before they answered, long enough that I began to question if they agreed with me, or if they wanted something more serious.

For that matter, I was still wondering if I wanted something more serious.

Eventually, I couldn’t wait any longer, so I texted them again.

Me: Does that sound good?

Aiden: I agree, keeping it casual is best.

Bash: Yup. We’re all on the same page. And don’t worry—I haven’t forgotten about your greenhouse. We can get started on it when I get home.

Me: Oh I meant to tell you. Dante is helping me with the greenhouse.

Aiden: Wait, seriously?

Bash: What?

Me: I woke up yesterday morning and he was in my backyard moving stuff around. Scared me half to death. We’ve repaired most of the metal framework already.

Bash: I mentioned the greenhouse to him, but I didn’t expect him to jump in and help without being asked.

Aiden: That’s not like Dante.

Me: He did make some demands. He wants half the greenhouse space for his plants, and he wants unlimited access to it around the clock.

Bash: There it is. I knew there was an angle.

Aiden: Yeah, he’ll do anything for those damn plants.

I was disappointed to hear them immediately assume that’s why Dante was helping me. Yeah, it made the most sense, but part of me was still hoping he was lying about not being into blondes.

When I got home from work on Monday, Dante was hauling two long metal bars out of Bash’s car. “Perfect timing. Get changed and meet me in the back. We’ve got three hours of daylight.”

I gestured down at myself. “You don’t think heels and a pencil skirt are the perfect clothes to repair a greenhouse?”

Dante glanced at me and snorted. It was the closest thing to a friendly laugh I had gotten from the brusque man, so I took it as a win.

I brought beers out with me after changing. Dante gave me an appreciative nod and chugged half the bottle with a satisfied sigh.

Two wins in one evening? Maybe I’d make Dante like me after all.

Not for the purposes of joining the weird relationship I had with Aiden and Bash, of course. At this point, I just wanted him to treat me like anything other than an enemy.

He tossed me a pair of protective goggles and then pulled out his blowtorch thingy. I didn’t know the exact name for it, but it was hooked up to a tank of flammable gas, and he used it to melt metal. I gripped the long bar with gloved hands while he cut it into three smaller lengths, measuring before the cutting and after.

“So,” he said while climbing up the ladder to repair the last remaining hole in the greenhouse. “You and the guys still getting along?”

I gave a start. Was he actually trying to make conversation?

“Getting along? Is that what we’re calling it?”

He didn’t respond.

“Yeah, things are good,” I admitted. How much did he want me to say? “It sucks they’re both out of town at the same time.”

“They usually aren’t,” Dante said.

“That’s what Aiden said. This was just some emergency. It sucks.”

“Nah. It’s great.”

“It’s great? Why do you say that?”

Dante paused to do something at the top of the ladder. “I usually never get any alone time. It’s nice having the house all to myself.”

“Ah, I bet. I haven’t had a roommate since college. I like my own space.”

“Same,” he admitted. “But it’s nice to save money. And have someone who can water the plants. And since we’re all out of town so often, it makes less sense to live alone.”

“Definitely,” I said. This was the most conversation we’d had since I discovered him in my back yard Saturday morning.

“It’s definitely strange,” I said. “The whole… situation, I mean. It took me a while to wrap my head around it.”

“Uh huh.”

It felt like he was done chatting, but I decided to press my luck. “It’s cool, though. If it works. Being in a relationship with multiple guys, and they know about it… I never thought something like this could happen.”

“It’s easier with three guys,” he said. “Women are needy.”

“You’ve been hooking up with the wrong women, then.”

To my surprise, Dante barked a laugh. “That’s the first true thing you’ve said since moving in.”

I blinked at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you hide things.”

“What? No I don’t.”

Dante glanced down at me. “First you hooked up with Aiden. You kept that a secret. Then you hooked up with Bash and kept that a secret, too.”

“Only because I wanted to tell Aiden in person!” I argued. “Besides, you guys kept the biggest secret from me. And Aiden lied about the text, and used his work phone to cover up the lie.”

“Yup,” Dante agreed. “Too much lying.”

“I hate lying,” I insisted. “I’m bad at it. Please don’t use the situation with your two roommates against me.”

“Okay,” he said.

“What do you mean, okay?” I asked.

“I mean okay. Does okay mean something else to you?”

“You said it with an attitude.”

He grunted. “Okay, Jasmin.”

“I told you,” I gritted out, “Jasmin isn’t my name.”

“It suits you, though.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Here,” he interrupted. “Take this.”

Dante had removed a large pane of glass in order to access part of the metal framework that needed repairing. He lowered it to me, and I reached up and took it with both hands. It was the size of a car door.

“Careful,” he said before letting go of the top. “It’s heavy.”

“I know,” I said testily. “We’ve moved a dozen panes of glass just like it.”

But as soon as he let go of the top, I realized I had misjudged the glass. It was thicker than the other pieces, and almost twice as heavy. I widened my stance to bear the weight, but my foot slipped out from under me.

I cried out as I fell backward, landing first on my butt, then on my back. Somehow I had managed to keep a grip on the glass, holding it wide in front of me. It hadn’t broken.

But my back ached.

Dante jumped off the ladder, landing next to me and immediately taking the glass. “Nice save,” he said, setting the glass against the greenhouse. “I guess you’re not totally useless.”

He extended a hand, and I took it gratefully. I was annoyed by how much his backhanded compliment made my heart race. I was also annoyed by the flutter I felt in my stomach as he pulled me to my feet like I weighed nothing, the corded muscles in his arm tightening in the late-afternoon sun.

After pulling me up, he gently clapped me on the back and turned to examine the pane of glass. Why was my skin tingling? And why was there a growing ball of warmth in the pit of my stomach?

That feeling was desire, hot and urgent. Especially as Dante bent over, allowing me to admire his ass and back.

Damnit.