My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 171: The Urge To Evaporate

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The hallway was long and dim after dinner, with sconces casting warm pools of light on the polished hardwood floor as Adrien and I walked side by side toward our rooms we finished dinner and we were free of our lovey dovey parents.

We didn’t speak at first; the only sounds were the soft thud of our footsteps and the distant clatter of dishes being cleared downstairs. The air felt thick between us, buzzing with everything we weren’t saying, and I crossed my arms tightly over my chest like that might contain all the swirling confusion within me.

Eventually, Adrien cleared his throat and glanced my way, sporting that familiar half-amused smile.

"So...our parents are fucking weird," he said, his voice low and casual, almost like he was testing the waters. "A hundred-and-twentieth day anniversary? Who even keeps track of that? Next, they’ll be celebrating the anniversary of the day they had their first kiss."

A surprised laugh escaped me before I could stop it, easing some of the tension.

"Right? Mom looked like it was their actual wedding again. And Keith with the hand-kissing... I thought I’d die of secondhand embarrassment."

He snorted softly, hands in the pockets of his hoodie as we turned the corner toward the east wing. "You’re not in the position to say that, shortie. You and Golden boy are even more gross"

"How dare you, Asshole?" I said while throwing a punch to his arm that barely made him flinch. "You take that back, Ethan and I are great!"

"It’s the truth... do with it what you wish, Hamster." He said with a shrug.

The words hung in the air a moment too long, and the light banter stumbled. My cheeks warmed again because being romantic was the last thing I wanted to think about—his lips on mine, how desperately he’d held my face, that confession that flipped my world upside down.

I wanted to say something, anything, to close the strange new gap between us, but every time I opened my mouth, the words just tangled and fell flat. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Adrien slowed his pace, looking at me again, and this time a faint smirk curled at his lips. "And you’ve been staring at me all evening, Noah. If you’ve got something to say, just say it. I don’t bite." His tone was light and teasing, but his eyes held something sharper, something watchful.

I almost laughed, thinking how absurd it was, how could he sound so calm and collected after what had just happened? Was this all just a mask, another layer of the cool indifference he’d honed over the years?

Or was he genuinely steady while I felt like I was crumbling inside?

How do I acquire this life’s skill?

"I—" The word stumbled out, and I hated how small it sounded. My fingers twisted together nervously in front of me as heat rushed to my face. "It’s just—"

He stopped walking altogether, turning completely towards me, one brow raised in that infuriatingly patient way. When I still couldn’t gather my thoughts, his expression softened into a frown, concern flashing across his features.

He stepped closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. "What is it?" he asked quietly, his voice dropping to something gentler. "Talk to me, Elf."

I let out a shaky breath, staring at the collar of his hoodie instead of his eyes. "I don’t know," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper.

Adrien chuckled softly, the sound warm and unexpectedly affectionate. Out of nowhere, he reached out and ruffled my hair like I was some little brother he’d known forever, messing up the strands I’d tried to smooth earlier. Annoyance flared inside me, cutting through the knot in my chest.

"Cut it out, shitface," I muttered, swatting his hand away while trying to fix my hair and glaring up at him.

He grinned, unabashed, hands raised in mock surrender. "See? Still the same. Don’t overthink it, Noah. Nothing has to change between us."

Those words were meant to comfort, but they hit me like a punch. I stopped messing with my hair and met his gaze fully, the hallway suddenly feeling too quiet again.

"But, I’m not good at pretending," I whispered, my voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady. "Things have changed, Adrien. You know they have."

He froze, the grin fading as he watched my face. After a long moment, he nodded slowly, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "They have."

His gaze searched mine, soft and serious now. "So... how do you feel about it?"

My throat tightened. I swallowed hard, staring at the floorboards between us like they might give me some kind of script.

"I don’t know," I said again, softer this time. Then, because honesty felt like all I had left, I forced myself to meet his eyes. "But... I think I kind of like that you like me. It’s weird and confusing and probably terrible, but I wanted to be honest."

My voice dropped even lower. "I’ve always admired you, you know. You’re so confident, so sure of yourself. Popular without even trying. And—" .

Heat rushed to my cheeks again. "—you’re good-looking. Really good-looking. I used to hate admitting that, even to myself, but I did like you even when you were a complete waste of oxygen. I liked you a little...From afar. For a long time. But I liked Ethan more because he was actually nice. But now..."

That confession hung between us, raw and unsteady, and I braced myself for whatever was next.

I thought of how annoyed I was when I saw Vanessa draping herself all over Adrien...did that mean I was jealous in those moments without even realizing it?

How much of my feelings for Adrien had I buried because he was a bully without even processing them?.

Did that make me a masochist? A sadist or whatever the word was?

Who on earth falls for their bully?!

At first, Adrien’s expression didn’t change, he just watched me, his green eyes unreadable in the dim light. Then the corner of his mouth lifted, not quite a smile, but something warmer.

"So you like me back, then," he said, his voice low and steady, as if weighing the words.

My throat went dry. The hallway seemed to shrink around us, the air thick with something electric and terrifying. I couldn’t answer, couldn’t even nod, just stood there with my heart racing so loudly I was sure he could hear it, thinking about how we ended up here, and what on earth we were supposed to do now.

Yes, I did... I know I did.

Fuck, as if life isn’t hard enough. I just had to go ahead and fall for my stepbrother, my former enemy.