Saying yes to something temporary can get complicated fast when other people start treating it like it’s permanent.

A woman offered to house her stepbrother for his final year of high school after their parents moved away for work.

For a while, things worked out just fine. But when time passed, her stepmom started floating the idea of him staying through college instead.

The biggest catch? Nobody actually asked the woman or her boyfriend how they felt about extending an arrangement they’d agreed to as a one-year deal.

Now she’s trying to figure out how to walk back expectations that were never actually hers to set in the first place.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for wanting my step brother to move out before college next fall?

Long story short my stepbrother is 17 and my parents asked me if he can move in until he finishes high school next summer.

They moved out of town for work and I said yes because I know what it’s like to move schools all the time.

She thought they had a plan, but her stepmom continued to shift the goalpost.

Originally it was supposed to be until he graduates, but my stepmom keeps saying “Why would you dorm when you can just stay here?” without consulting me and my boyfriend first.

This put the idea in his head that he is going to be with us until he’s done with college.

While the finances are already taken care of, she worries about what other types of sacrifices she might have to make.

They are paying his rent and buying his groceries, which is a big help, but my boyfriend and I want to have and enjoy our own life together.

I don’t know how to bring this up to them without hurting anyone’s feelings.

She doesn’t think her stepmom will be understanding about her concerns.

My stepmom is known to get defensive when it comes to serious things. I mean she basically holds my stepbrother’s hand.

My dad on the other hand will understand because he knows it is OUR place.

Now she’s questioning what to do next.

I want to bring it up as soon as possible since he will be applying to colleges, but I don’t want to make him feel like he has to walk on eggshells for this next year.

AITA?

Turns out “just for now” doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user provides a potential script.

Sometimes hurting people’s feelings is just part of life, even if you never mean to.

Maybe there’s a way to be a little more subtle about it.

Living in the dorms is probably the best course of action for her stepbrother.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a friend who is upset they missed out on cheap festival passes due to her pal’s indecision.

This woman is generous to a fault, and her stepmom is clearly banking on that.

Agreeing to house a stepbrother for one year is a kind move, but letting that turn into an unspoken four-year commitment without a single conversation is where things went sideways.

Her stepmom’s habit of casually deciding things on everyone else’s behalf isn’t an accident; it’s a pattern, and patterns like that don’t stop unless someone interrupts them directly.

The woman isn’t wrong for wanting her own space back; she’s just running out of time to say so before assumptions harden into plans.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s better to have an awkward conversation than an unwanted roommate for four more years.