Beneath His Rules

"Please, Trace?"

Trace sighs on the other end of the phone. "I'm obviously not going to say no, Mads. Of course you can live with me. But if you do, you need to-"

I cut him off, grinning even though he can't see it. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Thanks, bye!" I hang up before he can say anything else.

And just like that, I'm standing outside my apartment, well, former apartment. My landlord decided it was the perfect time to evict me, just because I was a few days late on rent. Some people really need to relax.

So here's the thing. I'm still in college, just trying to survive. My parents covered all of Trace's college fees, but when it came to me? Nope. According to them, an art degree was a "waste of time and money." So since eighteen, I've been on my own. They basically told me, pick a real career or get out.

I got out.

That's why I decided to ask Trace, my big brother, if I could stay with him for a while.

I've always been a little jealous of him. He's the golden child, the favorite, the one who made it big. He's a doctor now. Meanwhile, I've been... struggling.

For a while, I was fine. Good, even. I had a solid part-time job. I worked for three years there, decent pay, with pretty nice people. But a few months ago, they laid off a bunch of us. That's when things started to go downhill.

Then there's my ex. Parker. I wouldn't call him "toxic" exactly, but he was... unmotivating. You know those people who just drain the ambition right out of you? That was Parker. We met first year of college. That same year, he dropped out, and then just... refused to do anything. Literally anything. No job, no school, no plan. I kept telling myself he was going through something, and that he needed my support for a while, but months went by and nothing changed.

Somehow, he ended up moving in with me and my roommate, Stella. He was lazy, messy, never helped out. When I complained about school or work, he'd just say, "Why don't you drop out like I did?" Yeah. Real inspiring.

He'd never help out, never cook, never clean, never go grocery shopping, he'd borrow her stuff and eat our food without asking.

The final straw was when Stella, the sweetest girl on earth, moved out because she couldn't stand him anymore.

I was furious at Parker once she left, and all he had to say was, "Good riddance,"

Yeah, I dumped him after that. A two year relationship, down the drain.

The breakup was rough. After Stella moved out, another girl took her place, and she pretty much hates me. I can't even blame her. I've changed a lot since Parker. He had rubbed off on me in all the worst ways.

I got lazier, messier, more irresponsible, less motivated, and maybe even a bit ruder to people, talking to them like he would. And I haven't really figured out how to shake it off yet, and it's really annoying.

So yeah, a break is exactly what I need right now. I've got a month off school, and my only goal is to breathe, maybe find some kind of job, and hopefully pull my grades out of the gutter.

My brother doesn't really know any of this. We're not the closest, so whatever he knows about me, is whatever my parents tell him.

So to him, I'm just the same old irresponsible little sister who can't keep a job, can't afford rent, and can't keep up with her classes. I don't really want to correct him, either. I don't want him to feel bad for me. I just want to let loose and not worry about what my next meal will be for a while.

But there's one tiny problem with moving in with my brother.

Nick. Nicholas Carter.

Trace's best friend. His roommate. And the guy I've known basically my whole life.

I had a massive crush on him when I was younger. Like, diary entries, doodling his name, sneaking into Trace's room when he was around, type of crush. But to him, I was always just his best friend's annoying little sister who wouldn't stop hovering.

He stopped coming over to our house when I was 13, when they both got into college.

The last time I saw him after that, was a few months ago. Trace used to live with his girlfriend, but then she broke up with him, so he moved in with Nick. Once he did, he invited me and my parents over for dinner one night.

And let me tell you, time has been very kind to Nick Carter. He's six foot three now, broad shouldered, ridiculously huge veiny arms, covered in tattoos, sharp jawline, and curly dark hair that falls into his face a little.

And that stare. God. Hard to hold eye contact with him for more than a second. He has this strict, no-nonsense vibe, like he doesn't tolerate anything.

I swear, the butterflies came rushing back the second I saw him. He looked so fucking hot. Talk about aging like fine wine.

My heart was hammering as he walked over, but do you know the first thing out of his mouth?

"Do you know what time it is, Maddison?"

Of course. He still talked to me like I was some irresponsible little girl who couldn't manage herself. I was late, and he made sure to let me know it. His huge, tattooed arms folded across his broad chest as he glared down at me, like the world depended on me being on time to this dinner.

And as much as I hate, and I mean hate to admit it... I liked it. The butterflies in my stomach went absolutely haywire. And I don't even know why.

I think some part of me liked how he felt like he could talk to me like that.

Anyway, I'm running off track. To sum it up, Nick's uptight, boring, overly serious.

Basically, the opposite of what I need right now if I'm trying to relax. But whatever. It's not like he can actually do anything about it. He's gonna have to learn to live with me.

I haul my suitcase onto the bus, backpack slung over my shoulder, and tell myself this is it. The fresh start I need. The break I deserve.

~

Once I'm off the bus, I head over to my brother's house. I ring the doorbell, and wait.

The door swings open.

"Hey, Mads!" My big brother grins, pulling me into a bear hug before I can even answer. He grabs my bags and ushers me inside, leading me straight to my room.

"Woah," I breathe. The space is massive, definitely bigger than anything I'm used to.

"Yours for the next month," Trace says with a proud smile.

Relief washes through me, and I return the smile. "Thanks, Trace."

He shows me the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and where everything was. I couldn't help but wonder...

"Where's Nick?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

He smirks. "At work. He'll be home soon,"

Once he's shown me the entire house, Trace heads off to the living room, leaving me to unpack a little. I don't even bother organizing my stuff. I just dump my suitcase by the bed, flop down on the mattress, and scroll through my phone for a while.

Half an hour later, the sound of the front door unlocking makes my heart jolt.

I panic. Do I stay here? Do I go out and say hi?

I manage to calm myself down, fix my hair, and slowly open my door.

I can hear low chatter in the living room, and I take a deep breath before walking in.

And there he is. Nicholas Carter.

Oh God. he's bigger than I remember. He's towering in the doorway, black button-down rolled up at the sleeves, tie loosened. He looks tired, serious, like someone who doesn't even know how to relax. He probably doesn't.

The second his gaze turns to me, my stomach does a flip.

He looks me up and down, then gives me a small smile. "Hey, Maddison,"

"Um, Hi... Nick," I stammer.

He then turns back to my brother. "You explain everything to her?"

Trace rolls his eyes. "Relax. She just got here,"

"What?" I ask.

Trace shakes his head. "It's nothing, Mads. We just wanted to explain how we manage things here. Do you wanna sit down?"

I bite back a sigh and sit down. So much for no rules.

Trace points to the kitchen. "Rule number one, coffee. We both work long hours. If you finish the pot, you refill it. Same goes for milk, creamer, sugar, whatever you use, replace it. No exceptions."

"That's fair," I mutter.

Nick leans a shoulder against the wall, arms crossed. "You said that about curfews once too. Didn't stop you from breaking them, did it?"

I glare at him, cheeks flushing. "I was thirteen."

"Point still stands," he shrugs.

Trace ignores him and keeps going. "Rule number two. We take turns cooking dinner. Now that you're here, you get to cook Wednesdays and Saturdays. We get takeout on Sunday night. "

I perk up. "Wait, you guys want me to cook? I can't cook."

"Then what would you do in college?" Trace asks.

I shrug. "DoorDash," I say simply.

"You'll learn," Nick says firmly. "I can teach you. Or else you're on dish duty every time you skip. But you don't get to act helpless."

My jaw drops. "Excuse me? I don't act helpless."

He waves dismissively. "Sure, Maddison."

Trace pinches the bridge of his nose. "Moving on. Cleaning. Chores are split. We clean the common areas every Sunday morning. Dishes don't sit in the sink overnight, trash goes out on Tuesdays and Fridays, laundry's your own problem."

I flop dramatically onto the couch. "Ugh, this feels like boot camp."

"It's called being an adult," Nick says dryly.

I shoot him a glare. "Thanks, Dad." I hiss sarcastically.

That earns me a glare, making me gulp.

Trace claps his hands together. "Okay. That's it. Maddie, you can handle that, right?"

I plaster on a grin. "Of course. Piece of cake."

Trace nods and heads toward the kitchen. "I'll get started on dinner. You two can... catch up."

Great. Just what I needed.

Nick doesn't move at first. He just studies me from where he's standing, arms crossed, like he can see right through me. It makes my skin prickle, and not in a bad way, which is annoying in itself.

"So," he says finally. "Why are you here?"

I scoff. "Wow Nick. Welcoming as always,"

"Still as sassy as ever, huh?" He asks, voice low.

I glare at him, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Still as bossy as ever. Figures."

He gives me that look again. "I'm not bossy. I just don't put up with nonsense. Trace might let you slide, but don't expect me to."

I fold my arms. "You're not in charge of me, Nick." I mutter.

His smirk deepens. "Whatever you say, little girl." With that, he turns and strolls toward the kitchen, completely unbothered.

I just sit there, completely flustered.

~

The rest of the night went fine. Nick and Trace asked a little about what happened, and why I got evicted. But honestly, with my brother being a doctor and his irritating roommate an engineer, I wasn't about to admit that losing my minimum wage job had wrecked me enough to leave me behind on rent. Instead, I just shrugged and said I hadn't been able to land anything solid.

They traded one of those looks. Like they'd already decided I was just being irresponsible.

I just shrugged it off. I don't need their help, and I definitely don't need their pity. All I want right now is to breathe, to let go, and just relax for a while.

I tried not to think too hard about the whole little girl thing. Seriously. Who even says that? It should've made me mad, but instead it... ugh. Let's just say it lingered in my head longer than I'd like to admit.