My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 133: A Surprise Upstairs Awaits
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘❦✾❦∘∙⊱⋅•-
3rd Person POV
As soon as Adrien stepped into Jace’s mansion, it felt like a spotlight had hit him. Heads turned, conversations paused mid-sentence, and whispers started flying around the packed living room as everyone took him in.
He was dressed in a fitted charcoal button-down, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. The fabric hugged his lean frame just right, making a few girls near the staircase nudge each other with excitement.
A simple silver chain hung against his collarbone, shimmering under the neon lights from the DJ booth, while his dark jeans hung low on his hips in a way that even caught the guys looking at him with a mix of respect and envy. His tousled dark hair, as if he’d run his hand through it on the way over, only added to his effortless vibe.
A group of girls near the kitchen seemed to stop breathing as he walked past, one of them gripping her boyfriend’s arm a bit too tightly, her gaze shamelessly following him. Someone even let out a low whistle. Adrien chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head at the scene.
"Honestly," he mumbled, "it’s like half these people didn’t come for Jace’s party. They showed up to gawk at me like I’m some sort of prize."
He didn’t slow down and didn’t acknowledge the attention, and he certainly wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of a response. This kind of attention was old news for him, girls turning to mush when they saw him, guys trying way too hard to match his vibe and it hardly registered anymore. The truth was, there was only one face he was searching for tonight.
Noah.
But Adrien hadn’t spotted him yet.
The bass thumped through the walls, shaking the glasses stacked near the bar, but Adrien was too focused on finding her to care. He scanned the room like he was looking for clues at a crime scene, searching for any sign of curly brown hair or a glimpse of his petite hamster amid the dancing crowd.
Just as he was about to push further into the house, Liam appeared out of nowhere, nearly spilling two red cups all over himself as he thrust them into Adrien’s view.
"DUDE! You actually made it!" Liam shouted over the loud music, his eyes wide and crazy from the cheap beer. "I thought you were gonna bail again. Bro, look at this place, total chaos. Peak babes. Peak everything, man! WOO!!"
He shoved one of the cups toward Adrien, not waiting for a refusal. "Here. Drink before someone snatches it. I swear, two girls already tried to grab this in the hallway."
Adrien took the cup with a wry smile and had a sip, the taste sharp and fruity, followed by a burn as it went down. Meanwhile, Liam kept rambling, excitement spilling out of him.
"Seriously, man...the hot girls are all by the jacuzzi tonight. They’re practically half drowning each other but in a totally sexy way. You gotta check it out. There’s this brunette—oh man, she’s fucking hot as hell, you need to see those tits–"
But Adrien wasn’t really listening. His eyes drifted over Liam’s shoulder, beyond the grinding dancers, past the pulsing lights, and over the guys squabbling about the next track. The longer he looked, the more his jaw clenched.
"Adrien! ADRIEN. HEY! Earth to Mr. Fell," Liam finally hollered, waving a hand in front of Adrien’s face like he was shooing away a fly.
Adrien blinked back to the moment, exhaling through his nose, caught off guard. "What?" he replied, his voice short, but not angry...just preoccupied.
Liam furrowed his brow, perplexed. "Dude, what’s going on in that head of yours? You’re at a huge party, surrounded by half the senior class. There’s booze, music, hot people everywhere... and you look like you’re about to interrogate a suspect, what is this a crime scene?"
Then Liam laughed and Adrien raised an eyebrow, half amused but still distracted by whatever had captured his thoughts. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Liam leaned in closer, raising his voice to cut through the noise. "Seriously, man—what’s got you so focused? You should be living it up, not... searching for something."
Adrien stayed silent, still scanning the room.
Before he could gather his thoughts, Liam threw an arm around his shoulder, dragging him down to speak directly into his ear over the booming bass. Liam’s grin was big enough to raise suspicions; it was the sort of grin he wore when he was up to something.
"Bro," he said, a mischievous tone in his voice, half-lost in the chaotic music, "there’s someone waiting for you upstairs. One of the rooms at the end of the hall. If you go now, I promise you’ll have the best night ever."
Adrien shot him a flat, weary look. "Liam, what is it?" he asked, barely managing to hide his annoyance. He had no patience for Liam’s party-fueled shenanigans, especially tonight when his mind was already full of thoughts about Noah and his heart had been racing since he walked in. "Please don’t start with your nonsense."
Liam only laughed harder, nearly spilling his drink as he leaned back. "Chill out, dude. I’m not giving away any spoilers. Just go check it out for yourself." He winked and stepped back, already bouncing on his feet like an over-caffeinated kid. "Meanwhile, I’ll be at the jacuzzi with the hottest girls Brookstone High has to offer. Don’t take too long, okay?"
Before Adrien could argue, Liam disappeared into the crowd.
Adrien rubbed his jaw, exhaling through his nose as he shook his head. Classic Liam. Always over-the-top, always being cryptic, and sure he was doing someone a favor. Adrien didn’t buy it for a second. Still, something tugged at him—an instinct he couldn’t ignore.
Maybe... Noah had gone upstairs. The party downstairs was loud and chaotic, definitely not his scene. If anyone would slip away to find a quiet space, it would be him. The thought of Noah being up there alone, away from the chaos, was enough to push him forward without a second thought.
He pushed through the crowd of sweaty bodies and climbed the stairs two at a time. The music faded a little as he reached the second floor, leaving just the faint thumps of bass vibrating through the walls. The hallway was long and dimly lit, with a few flickering LED strips along the floor giving a half-hearted attempt at mood lighting.
At first, he walked slowly, checking each door. The first one opened to a couple tangled up in each other, the kind of scene he quickly backed away from. The next door was empty except for a pile of coats thrown haphazardly over the bed. The third held a group of guys vaping by the window.
None of them were Noah.
His heart raced, a strange mix of hope and anxiety twisting inside him. He moved farther down the hall toward a door that was slightly ajar, with a warm glow spilling out onto the floorboards.
Without pausing, Adrien reached out and pushed the door open.
The room was dim, lit only by a bedside lamp casting soft gold light against the dark walls. There was a faint scent of perfume in the air, something sweet he couldn’t quite place. As his eyes adjusted, he scanned the shadows, stepping inside.
The door clicked shut behind him, making him tense.
"Hello?" he called out quietly, his voice low and rough with a strange uneasiness he couldn’t yet explain.
What the hell was happening?
