Tempted by my brother's roommate

Chapter Four – The Warning

James came home late that night, carrying bags of groceries. I helped him put them away while Nathaniel leaned against the counter, quiet as always. He didn’t offer to help, but he didn’t leave either. He just stayed there, like a shadow with tattoos.

James dropped a carton of milk into the fridge and turned to me. “So, how’s your first full day here? Settling in?”

I nodded, forcing a smile. “It’s… different.”

“Different good, or different bad?” he pressed.

“Different… both,” I admitted.

James ruffled my hair the way he used to when we were kids. “Don’t worry, April. You’ll get used to it. You’re safe here.”

That word again. Safe. But safe didn’t explain why my stomach twisted every time Nathaniel walked into a room.

When James left to shower, I started cleaning up the counter. Nathaniel was still there, watching me with that unreadable expression.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said.

“I like things neat,” I murmured.

He gave a small smile, almost amused. “I noticed.”

Silence wrapped around us again, not heavy, not light—just full of things unsaid.

Then James came back, hair wet, voice sharp. “April.” He looked right at me, then at Nathaniel, then back to me again. His jaw tightened like he’d just decided something.

“Listen,” he said firmly, “there are rules while you’re here.”

I blinked. “Rules?”

“Yeah.” His eyes flicked toward Nathaniel, then returned to me. “Rule number one: stay out of trouble. Rule number two: don’t… get too close to people you don’t know well.” His voice lowered just slightly, but I knew what he meant.

Heat rose in my cheeks. “James, I’m not a kid.”

“You’re my little sister,” he said quickly, like that explained everything. “And Nathaniel—” He paused, glancing at him with narrowed eyes. “He’s not—”

“Not what?” I asked, my heart racing.

James’s face hardened. “Not for you.”

The words dropped like stones into the room.

I stared at him, then at Nathaniel. But Nathaniel didn’t say anything. He didn’t argue. He didn’t laugh. He just stood there, calm, still, like a statue covered in secrets.

My chest ached, like James’s words had pressed too hard on something delicate.

Finally, Nathaniel moved. He pushed off the counter and walked toward his room without a word. His footsteps faded down the hall, leaving the silence even heavier than before.

James sighed and turned back to me. “I mean it, April. I know him. He’s… complicated. And I won’t let you get hurt.”

I bit my lip. “I didn’t say anything about him.”

“You don’t have to,” James said. “I see the way he looks at you. And I know the way you look back.”

I wanted to deny it. I wanted to laugh and roll my eyes. But I couldn’t. Because deep inside, I knew James was right.

That night, when I lay in bed, his warning echoed in my head. Not for you.

But the more I tried to believe it, the less true it felt.

Because every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Nathaniel’s quiet face, his half-smile, and the way he didn’t argue...like maybe he wanted me too, but he was already fighting against it.