Title: Unwritten Rules

It started as a mistake. Or maybe it was always meant to happen.

Our parents got married years ago, blending our lives together in ways neither of us asked for. We were never close—not really. He was older, always surrounded by his group of friends, the kind of guys who spent their weekends at house parties and acted like they owned the world. And me? I was just his step-sister, the girl their parents forced into their family dinners and weekend trips.

But somewhere along the way, the bickering turned into something else. The late-night tension, the stolen glances, the way he would catch my wrist just a second too long when no one was looking. And then, one night, neither of us pulled away.

Now, it’s a game. Sneaking around, pretending we don’t notice each other in broad daylight. Sitting next to him in the car while our parents chat up front, acting like I wasn’t in his bed the night before.

“You took your time,” he murmurs as I slip into his room, door clicking shut behind me.

“You weren’t waiting,” I whisper back, crossing my arms.

He leans against his pillows, smirking. “You always come, though.”

And I hate that he’s right.