Page 22 of Falling For My Best Friend's Brother

He appeared in the kitchen, holding a freshly brewed cup of coffee like he was in his natural habitat, already dressed for work. He glanced at the whiteboard with a satisfied nod before turning to me, his expression was almost bored. He didn’t even bother with a greeting.

“What?” he asked bluntly, not even pretending to care.

I gestured wildly at the whiteboard. “What the fuck is this?”

“It’s called organization,” Knox replied dryly, taking a slow sip of his coffee. “Something this place desperately needs.”

“Organization? This is insane! We’re not in boot camp, Knox. We’re roommates.”

“Exactly,” he shot back, his tone sharp. “Which means we both need to pull our weight. This isn’t your personal playground, Nina.”

My jaw tightened. This fucking man… “I know how to keep an apartment clean without turning it into a military operation.”

His voice took on a patronizing tone. “Look, Nina, I’m not interested in living in a mess. If you have a problem with that, maybe you should try being a little less… chaotic.”

I didn’t need this shit this morning. It was too fucking early.

“Chaotic?” My voice rose an octave. “Just because I don’t live by a rigid schedule doesn’t mean I’m chaotic! I function just fine.”

Knox snorted, clearly unimpressed. “Sure, iffunctioningmeans leaving dishes in the sink for more than an hour and never putting things back where they belong.”

I glared at him, fists clenched at my sides. “I’m not a slob, Knox. I clean up… Eventually.”

“Eventually isn’t good enough. I’m not asking for much. Just follow the fucking schedule.”

I could feel my blood boiling. “You’re not my boss, Knox! You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

He rolled his eyes. Actuallyrolled his eyesat me. I scoffed. He was impossible. How the hell could anyone stand him?

“As long as we’re living under the same roof, I have every right to make sure this place doesn’t turn into a disaster zone because you can’t handle basic responsibilities,” he said.

It was obvious that he only wanted to control things around here. Well, I would not let him. I opened my mouth before I remembered it’d just be a waste of breath. Besides, I didn’t want to escalate things any further.

“Fine,” I snapped, making my voice low and dangerous. “I’ll stick to your stupid rules. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

All I got as a reaction was a blank stare. “I don’t care if you’re happy. Just do your part.”

I glared at him, hating the way he could get under my skin so easily. Grabbing a cup, I poured myself some of the stupid coffee he’d stupidly brewed, trying to ignore the burning resentment building inside me. This wasn’t over—not by a long shot.

***

The next morning when I woke up, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the house. It was becoming a thing now, waking up to the scent of caffeine. I yawned, stretched, and shuffled into the kitchen. Knox was already there, reading the news on his MacBook, coffee mug in-hand. He didn’t bother glancing up at me as he nodded toward the counter where a basket of muffins was.

“Morning,” he drawled, his voice devoid of emotion.

I scowled, reaching for a muffin before turning to the coffeemaker.

As I took my first sip, I noticed a bright yellow Post-it note stuck to the fridge. In Knox’s—obviously—precise handwriting, it read:Don’t forget to take out the trash.

I stared at the note, my grip tightening on my mug. I glanced at Knox, who was still engrossed in his MacBook. The audacity of the guy—did he really think I needed a reminder for something so basic? I swear, he was the human version of period cramps. Unnecessary and entirely annoying.

Here, I thought as I crumpled the note in my hand and tossed it into the trash,let me file that under “fuck you.”

It was past nine already. No office today for him. Though the fact that he was wearing one of those illegal compression shirtswasn’t good for my overall mental wellbeing. I mean, come on. I was ovulating. It just wasn’t fair.

“Right.” I said, a lightbulb shining over my head as I bit into the muffin. I opened my mouth to speak, but Knox’s sharp gaze stopped me.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

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