My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 123: What Do You Want? (BC)

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For a moment, neither of us spoke. Our breaths came out harsh and uneven, fogging in the cooling evening air. It felt like everything around us-the trees, the dirt, the dying sunlight-was holding itself still, waiting to see which one of us would explode first. My heartbeat was still thundering from the shouting, from the adrenaline, from the mess of emotions I couldn’t even begin to sort through.

Then Adrien moved.

Without warning, he grabbed my wrist...not painfully, but firm enough that it jolted me and tugged me toward the direction of the trail.

"Get in the car," he muttered, low and breathless. "We’re going home."

I yanked my hand back instantly.

"No," I said, backing a step away from him. "Don’t do that. Don’t just... pull me around like you get to decide what I do."

Something flashed across his face-anger, frustration, maybe something else entirely-but it twisted his features, and he dragged a hand through his hair as he let out a heavy, ragged breath.

"I’m not trying to control you, Noah," he snapped, voice tight. "I just want to get out of here before-"

He caught himself, jaw clenching.

"Just get in the damn car."

"I said no," I repeated quietly, refusing to let my voice shake.

He let out a sharp, irritated sound, turning away as if he needed a second to avoid yelling again. For a moment, the only noise was the rustling of the trees overhead and the thump of my pulse in my ears.

Finally, he spoke-still tense, but not shouting this time.

"I didn’t follow you," he said through his teeth. "If that’s what you’re thinking."

I blinked, thrown off. "What?"

He gestured vaguely toward the deeper part of the woods, his expression still stormy.

"I drove all the way to Clearwater and back." His voice cracked with frustration. "Clearwater, Noah. It took forever, and I was exhausted and starving. I parked for a second at the clearing to get a stupid energy drink and saw Ethan’s car just sitting there. I didn’t know what the hell he was doing out here in the middle of nowhere before sunset, so I followed the trail thinking he was doing some weird shit."

He let out a scoff and shook his head, almost like he still couldn’t believe it.

"What I didn’t expect," he continued, voice dropping, "was to find him practically glued to you on the ground."

Heat crept up my neck, but I forced myself to stay steady.

"Ethan didn’t take advantage of me," I said firmly. "He would never do that."

Adrien’s mouth twitched, like he wanted to argue but couldn’t find the right words fast enough.

"And what happened back there," I continued, trying to keep my voice even, "was my choice. Mine, not Ethan’s. Not yours." I exhaled slowly, feeling my chest tighten. "And I still don’t understand why you’re so mad about it."

He turned his head sharply, gaze burning into the ground as his jaw locked.

"And I’m serious," I pressed softly but firmly. "Stay out of my relationship with Ethan. Stop messing with him every time you get the chance. And leave him the fuck alone."

He finally looked up at me then-eyes dark, conflicted, and full of something I wasn’t prepared for. Something heavy. Something that made my stomach twist in a way I didn’t want to acknowledge.

But he didn’t say a word.

The silence between us felt thick enough to choke on, the air charged with something neither of us knew how to untangle.Adrien didn’t say anything else after that-nothing at all. He just stood there for a second, staring at me like he was wrestling with something he refused to voice.

Then he brushed past me and headed toward the car, shoulders stiff, steps heavy. For a moment, I stayed rooted to the spot, hugging my arms around myself as the forest breeze cooled the last of the heat on my skin. Everything inside me felt twisted and aching, like I’d been wrung out, squeezed dry of every possible emotion.

Finally, I forced myself to move.

I climbed into the passenger seat, shutting the door softly even though I wanted to slam it. Adrien was already inside, staring out the windshield with his jaw clenched so tight I could see the strain in the muscles at the side of his face. He didn’t look at me-not once. He didn’t even blink in my direction. The tension wrapped around the car like a thick fog, suffocating and icy, making the leather seat beneath me feel colder than usual.

He started the engine without a word.

The car rolled onto the forest path, the tires crunching over leaves and dirt. Streetlights eventually replaced the trees as Willow Haven’s quiet edges came into view, glowing gold against the deep navy sky. The longer we drove, the more suffocating the silence became.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

His hair was tousled from the wind, his knuckles pale as he gripped the steering wheel, and that stormy, unreadable expression hadn’t left his face since the cliff. It was like he’d locked himself behind some impenetrable wall, shutting me out, refusing to let me understand or even try to understand what the hell had gotten into him.

I turned away, pressing my forehead lightly against the cool window. The city lights blurred into long streaks of gold and white as we sped past them, reflecting the mess of emotions tangled inside my chest-guilt for leaving Ethan behind, confusion over Adrien’s outburst, anger at myself for caring so much about what he thought, and this deep, throbbing ache that I didn’t want to examine too closely.

By the time we finally pulled into the driveway of the Oakfield mansion, night had settled in fully. The house looked warm and bright from the outside, like some expensive snow globe you’d expect to see on a holiday display-glittering windows, soft lighting, and everything perfectly arranged.

It felt like a completely different world from where we’d just been.

As soon as the car stopped, I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the door open, eager to get away from all the tension boiling in the small enclosed space. Adrien didn’t say a word, didn’t even move as I got out.

Mom’s voice echoed from inside the foyer the moment I stepped in.

"Noah? Sweetheart, where have you two been?" she asked with a mix of relief and worry, stepping closer with a warm smile that dropped when she saw my face. "You both almost missed family dinner night. The chef made that rosemary chicken you like so much."

I didn’t slow down. I barely even looked at her. I just kept walking toward the staircase, needing space, needing air, needing anything that didn’t involve Adrien’s angry silence gnawing at me from behind.

"Honey," Mom called again, hurrying closer. "Wait–what’s wrong? Did something happen? Why do you look-"

"Why don’t you ask your stepson?" I muttered without thinking, the words spilling out sharper than I intended. But I didn’t take them back. I couldn’t. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Mom stopped dead, completely startled.

"Adrien?" she repeated, turning to look over my shoulder toward where he’d finally stepped inside, his expression unreadable and his posture tense.

Who else?!

But I didn’t wait for her to press him for answers.

I climbed the stairs with quick, heavy steps, every part of me trembling slightly from everything that had just happened. The moment I reached my room, I shut the door behind me, not slamming it, just firmly enough to feel the finality of it-and leaned back against it, letting my eyes flutter closed as a shaky breath escaped my chest.