My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 31: A Wallflower’s Nightmare (BC)
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The week that followed felt like something you’d read in one of those cheesy romance novels that Gigi always teased me about. I was actually dating Ethan Seymour. Every morning, I’d wake up with a goofy grin, checking my phone before brushing my teeth because he always sent me a "good morning, beautiful" text. Sometimes he’d even throw in a photo of his breakfast with a caption like, "You’d make this boring cereal look better."
I learned more about him in just a few days than I thought I ever could. He mentioned that his dad owned a car dealership downtown and that he had a younger brother named Logan, who apparently thought Ethan was the "lamest cool guy ever."
He had this whole collection of superhero comics and a weird obsession with race-car movies. I’m not even into cars, but when Ethan dragged me to the cinema on Wednesday to see Fastlane Fury 8, I found myself laughing the whole time just because of how excited he was about it.
He had a knack for making everything he liked sound so interesting...his eyes would light up when he talked, and his voice would dip a bit when he got excited. Somewhere between the popcorn and the drive home, I realized I could listen to him for hours.
And then there was the touching.
Ethan liked to touch me—nothing weird, just this warm, natural thing that made my heart do flips. He’d put a hand on the small of my back as we crossed the street, brush my hair out of my face, and trace lazy patterns on my palm when we were sitting together at lunch, kiss me on the cheek unprovoked. I wasn’t used to that kind of affection—no one had ever been this open with me before. It felt overwhelming, but in a sweet way.
"Noah," he once said during lunch, leaning in so close that I felt his breath on my ear, "you have no idea how hard it is to focus when you keep smiling like that."
I remember turning beet red, trying to hide behind my juice box as he chuckled softly. "You weirdo," I muttered, but I couldn’t stop smiling either.
At night, when my phone lit up with his name, I’d lie in bed staring at the ceiling, giggling like some love-struck fool while Gigi bombarded me with messages asking for updates. I kept telling myself it was okay to feel this happy, to just let it be. For once in my life, things felt simple.
But still... sometimes, late at night, when I replayed our day in my head, I caught myself thinking about Adrien’s face—cold stares, always watching. And I’d feel that strange twist in my stomach again, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
It didn’t take long for people to start noticing.
By the time Ethan and I handed in our project—and Mrs. Owens practically gushed over how "heartfelt and beautifully tragic" our story was, the rumors had already begun. The assignment was over, but Ethan and I weren’t exactly going our separate ways. We were seen walking to class together, laughing a bit too much, and sitting too close at lunch. It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots.
At first, I tried to brush it off. But soon enough, everywhere I went, I could feel eyes on me.
Whispers filled the hallways. "Isn’t that the guy dating Ethan?" "Does that mean Ethan Seymour likes boys?!" "I thought he was a total nobody last year." "Wasn’t he the one who almost drowned or something?" "He must’ve done something to catch his eye." "I hope Ethan’s bi, at least we girls still have a chance."
They didn’t though, Ethan told me that he’d never been attracted to girls in his life.
It was exhausting. People I’d never spoken to wanted to "get to know me," and girls looked at me like I’d taken something that didn’t belong to me. I kept my head down, gripping my books tighter and wishing I could just disappear.
The only ones who didn’t seem phased by the sudden attention were Gigi and Skylar—they were thriving on it.
"Noah freaking Valentine," Gigi declared dramatically one afternoon, smirking as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "The boy who swore she’d die alone now has the hottest guy in school totally into him. It’s official—my tarot cards never lie."
"Gigi, please," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Can we not make this a big deal?"
Skylar, perched on the table next to us, laughed and nudged Gigi. "You should’ve seen his face after practice yesterday. He looked like a puppy waiting for his owner. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is."
"Skylar!" I hissed, my cheeks burning. "Don’t say stuff like that."
"What? It’s cute," she replied, grinning. "You’re glowing, you know. It’s about time something good happened to you."
Gigi clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Ethan Seymour, ladies and gentlemen. Finally making our Noah believe in love."
I tossed a pencil at her, but it only made them laugh harder.
Despite the teasing, their happiness for me felt genuine, and deep down, it warmed something in my chest. Maybe it was okay to be happy for once—to let myself enjoy how Ethan made me feel, even if everyone couldn’t stop talking about it.
Still... whenever I caught Adrien watching us from across the hall, that warmth would fade for just a second. His gaze was always so sharp, so expressionless, leaving me wondering if he hated me even more now—or if there was something else behind that glare.
Something was different with Adrien.
He didn’t mock me anymore. No snide comments when we passed in the hall, no cruel smirks when I dropped a book or tripped over a shoelace. He didn’t even bother calling me names or sneering when I laughed with Gigi. It was like I’d vanished completely from his world—except for those moments when I could feel his eyes on me.
He thought I didn’t notice, but I did.
Sometimes, I’d catch him staring at me from across the cafeteria, his green eyes almost cold. And the moment our gazes met, he’d look away like I didn’t exist. It felt unsettling. Adrien ignoring me should’ve been a relief, but somehow, it didn’t feel like one.
At home, things were even worse.
We passed each other in the halls of the mansion like strangers under the same roof. He never said a word, never acknowledged me. The air between us was thick with something I couldn’t name—resentment, maybe, or something heavier that twisted my stomach.
One night, I walked into the kitchen for a glass of water and found him sitting at the counter, his headphones slung loosely around his neck. He barely glanced in my direction.
"D–didn’t realize you were home," I mumbled, staring at the fridge. He was out more and more, always off with his friends and Vanessa at some high-school party or whatever.
"Yeah," he replied, his tone flat. No elaboration.
The silence was suffocating. I poured my water, trying to ignore how aware I was of him just sitting there—quiet, still, unreadable.
When I turned to leave, I felt his gaze on me.
"What?" I mumbled, spinning around. "Do you have something to say, o–or are you just going to keep staring at me?"
His jaw tightened, but his expression didn’t budge. "Nothing," he finally said. "Just surprised you can talk when your boyfriend isn’t around."
I glared at him, my heartbeat speeding up, but before I could snap back, he stood up and left the room—leaving me with the echo of his footsteps and that gnawing unease in my chest.
He didn’t bully me anymore. He didn’t humiliate me in front of people.
But somehow, this silence—this heavy distance... it felt so much worse.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that Adrien was plotting something. That this calm was just the buildup to another storm he was waiting to unleash.
And for reasons I didn’t want to face, a part of me almost wished he’d just go back to being cruel—because at least then, I’d know where I stood. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯’𝔰 𝔯𝔞𝔪𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: one bonus Chapter because we hit 10 power stones ( ◜‿◝ )♡
More of these, along with many other gifts will encourage me to keep writing and updating 💪
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