My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 53: He’s Infuriating

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Just a three days had passed since our parents disappeared into their own world of irresponsibility, and somehow Adrien and I had already fallen into a quiet routine of avoiding each other. He stayed on his side of the cabin, I stuck to mine, and we only really crossed paths for meals or when we both needed the kitchen which was awkwardly neutral territory.

Still, even in silence, he found ways to annoy me.

Everywhere I turned, there was evidence of Adrien’s presence scattered around. A hoodie carelessly thrown over the couch. A half-empty water bottle perched on the porch railing. His basketball bag sprawled wide open in the hallway, just waiting to trip me up. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

At first, I figured it was just his lazy side showing—until it hit me. Back at the mansion, Adrien was annoyingly tidy. He kept his sneakers perfectly lined up and his room looked like something out of a design magazine.

So, clearly, this mess wasn’t just a fluke.

That realization made me clutch my sticky notes a bit tighter as I jotted down a bright yellow note in a fit of passive-aggressive anger:

"Clean up your mess, Your Highness."

I slapped it on the fridge right above the milk carton he’d left open.

The next morning, my note was still there, but he’d added his own messy handwriting underneath mine.

"You missed a spot to clean, Loser."

I groaned loud enough for the walls to hear and stomped back to my room, mumbling, "I can’t believe he’s actually doing this on purpose."

He definitely was. I could feel it in my bones. Adrien, with his annoying smirk and air of superiority, was pushing my buttons in the most mundane way possible.

I wasn’t a cleanliness fanatic, but having trash and random junk lying around bothered me sometimes.

Later that afternoon, I walked by the living room and saw him lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone like he was king of the world. A jacket lay discarded on the armrest, and an empty soda can proudly sat on the coffee table.

I crossed my arms and said, "Seriously? You do see the trash can right next to you?"

He didn’t even lift his gaze. "I see it."

"...and you’re not going to toss it in?"

Finally, he looked up, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief as he smirked. "I’m just seeing how long it takes you to notice."

I felt my jaw drop. "You’re impossible!"

He just shrugged, completely unfazed. "You keep cleaning up after me. Maybe you enjoy it."

I blinked, stuck for words, as he turned back to his phone, clearly relishing my frustration.

As I grabbed the empty can and marched to the bin, I muttered, "I swear, one of us isn’t making it out of this cabin alive."

He chuckled softly, a teasing sound. "Better hope it’s not you, Loser."

I didn’t even look back. "I hope it’s me, then I wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore."

"Careful what you wish for!" he called after me, the smirk practically audible in his voice.

God, he was infuriating.

And somehow, I was beginning to think he was fully aware of it.

Dinner that night was... well, more than just edible. It was amazing.

Adrien decided to whip up some spaghetti, and somehow, it ended up being better than anything I’d had in a restaurant. The sauce was rich and flavorful, the pasta cooked to perfection. I tried not to let my surprise show as I twirled the noodles around my fork, acting like this was completely normal.

He sat across from me, eating quietly, one hand resting against his jaw like he wasn’t the reason I was about to fall in love with a bowl of pasta.

I wanted to say something like, "Wow, this is really good," or even "Thanks for saving me from starving," but pride got in the way. Complimenting Adrien Fell felt like handing him a loaded weapon.

So instead, I kept my head down, silently gobbling up the meal like it was my last.

Across the table, I could feel his gaze flicker toward me every few minutes. It was hard to ignore, especially when my fork quivered a bit under his scrutiny.

"You gonna glare at your food all night?" he drawled lazily, though his eyes had that teasing glint again. "Don’t you like it?"

I forced a shrug, trying to play it cool. "It’s fine."

"Fine?" he echoed, mock-offended. "You’re eating like you haven’t seen food in days, and all I get is fine?"

"Would you rather I thank you again?"

He smirked. "Yeah, actually."

I rolled my eyes so hard I almost hurt myself. The last time I complimented him, he told me to stop being a softie. I knew he was just trying to get a rise out of me—maybe he secretly enjoyed my attention.

"Just leave me alone, Adrien," I said, too mentally drained to play his games.

He chuckled quietly, satisfied with himself.

After dinner, I let him take care of the dishes, mostly because he’d taken over the kitchen again, humming some low tune while he worked.

But of course, peace with Adrien was always short-lived.

When night fell and the air got chillier, I found him sprawled on the couch by the fireplace, hogging all the warmth like he owned the place. I’d been sitting there for a while, but then went into the kitchen for a glass of water and, of course, he took my spot.

"Seriously?" I muttered to myself.

He cracked one eye open and smirked. "You snooze, you lose, Loser."

"I was literally in the kitchen for five minutes!"

"Then you should have moved faster," he stretched his legs toward the fire, looking blissfully unbothered.

I shot him a glare for a few seconds before deciding he wasn’t worth the trouble. With a sigh, I grabbed my blanket and book and headed out to the balcony. The night air was cold, but at least it was quiet—far away from him and his annoying smirk.

The lake shimmered faintly under the moonlight, and the distant sound of water lapping against the shore filled the quiet. I cozied up in the chair and tried to concentrate on my book, but the words blurred as my thoughts wandered—specifically to Ethan.

Was he still mad?

Was he even thinking about me?

I stared at my phone for what felt like the hundredth time that day, scrolling through our old texts.

I sighed and hugged my knees to my chest, feeling all the weight of this situation—the distance, the silence, the confusion. For a fleeting moment, I wished I could talk to Adrien to break the silence. But then I remembered who he was, and that thought vanished.

From inside, I heard Adrien moving around, and I grumbled under my breath, "This is ridiculous. He’s warm and comfy while I’m freezing to death."

The stars twinkled above, as if mocking my misery, and I tightened my blanket around myself.

"Can’t wait for this to be over," I whispered.

But deep down, a small part of me wondered if freedom at the end of this would really feel as peaceful as I imagined it would.