My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 62: What If I Teach You?

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"Whatever," Adrien muttered, raking a hand through his hair while turning away from me. "I’d rather pluck my eyes out than hear another word about your epic love story with Golden Boy."

I frowned and crossed my arms. "You’re just jealous," I blurted out before I could hold back.

That caught his attention. He turned back, raising an eyebrow and smirking ever so slightly. "Jealous?"

"Yeah, jealous," I replied, lifting my chin defiantly. "You probably wish you could be as honest about your feelings some girl as Ethan is with me. But you’re too caught up in being a massive jerk to admit it."

Adrien scoffed. "Please," he said, shaking his head. "I’m not interested in real relationships."

I blinked in confusion. "Wait...then what about Vanessa?"

He gave me a blank stare for a moment before snorting. "You really don’t get it, do you?"

Before I could even wrap my head around that, he suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt and started to pull it over his head.

"W–what are you doing?!" I yelped, my eyes widening as his shirt came off, revealing toned muscles and skin that glowed softly in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Adrien glanced at me sideways, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "Taking off my clothes," he said casually. "What does it look like?"

"Why?!" I demanded, backing away as my face turned crimson.

"Because I’m going for a swim, genius." He kicked off his shoes and began unbuttoning his jeans as if it were the most normal thing ever. "Are you blind or something?"

"Adrien!" I spun around, my cheeks blazing. "Y–you can’t just—! I mean—! Put your freaking clothes back on!"

He chuckled softly, obviously enjoying my reaction. "Relax, Hamster," he said, the amusement clear in his voice. "It’s not like I’m naked. You act like you’ve never seen a guy before. News flash, Noah... you’re a guy too."

"Not one half-naked and crazy enough to strip in the woods!" I snapped, still refusing to face him.

"Well, that’s your problem," he teased, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Go to hell, Adrien," I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Already there," he shot back smugly. Just then, I heard the splash of water followed by his satisfied sigh drifting across the quiet lake. "Who knows, maybe your one and only Ethan is already there waiting for me."

I stood there, staring stubbornly at the ground, my face still hot. This boy was going to drive me insane.

The water shimmered like glass as Adrien dove under, sending ripples spreading across the lake in perfect rings. I hesitated for a moment before finally turning around, my heart racing from embarrassment. He swam like a pro, cutting through the water with smooth, powerful strokes, his hair slicked back and glistening under the sun.

For a long moment, I sat at the edge of the lake, pretending to be captivated by a leaf in my hand as it floated slowly across my palm. But my eyes betrayed me, darting up every few seconds to follow how his muscles shifted under his skin, the sunlight reflecting off the droplets clinging to his shoulders.

Oh my God, I was totally staring.

I quickly averted my gaze, cheeks burning as I forced my eyes to face the tree line instead. I wasn’t a weirdo—just appreciating a fit dude when I saw one. That wasn’t weird... right?

I was just admiring the human anatomy at its finest. Totally normal.

God, I needed to stop this behavior.

He paused mid-swim, treading water as he glanced over at me. "You just gonna sit there and gawk, Hamster?"

"I wasn’t staring," I shot back, gripping the leaf like it was proof of my innocence.

"Sure, you weren’t," he replied with a playful grin, his voice echoing across the calm lake. "Come on in. It’s not as cold as it looks."

I blinked, my body going stiff. "What?"

"Come swim," he repeated, splashing water in my direction. "It’s getting boring out here by myself."

I shook my head so fast I probably looked ridiculous. "No way. I’m good right here."

Adrien smirked, floating on his back like it was no big deal. "What’s wrong? Scared of a little water?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I’m not scared of water," I defended.

"Oh, really?" he asked, tilting his head. "Because it kinda seems like you’re scared of everything, thunder...water."

That hit harder than I wanted to admit. I crossed my arms tightly, trying to hide my irritation. "I’m not scared," I mumbled, staring down at the lake. "I just... can’t swim, okay?"

That made him pause. For a moment, the teasing disappeared from his face, replaced by something softer. "You can’t swim?"

I nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Yeah. You’d know that if you remembered me nearly drowning at the pool, genius."

He fell quiet, his expression shifting as if he hadn’t expected me to bring that up. "Oh." The word came out low, almost guilty. I blinked, was he... perhaps feeling guilty about that day or was I just hallucinating it from the fear of being next a large body of water?

I focused on the leaf in my hand again, suddenly feeling awkward. The memory of that day, the panic, the feeling of helplessness, the water closing in—still made my chest tighten.

He stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again, his tone surprisingly gentle. "What if I teach you?"

My head shot up. "What?"

He swam closer to the edge, the sunlight catching in his wet hair. "If I taught you how to swim," he said, his voice steady yet softer than usual, "would you come in then?"

I stared at him, unsure if he was serious or just messing around again. The water lapped gently against the shore, and the air was filled with the scent of pine and moist earth. His eyes met mine, waiting for a response, and for once, there wasn’t that usual smirk or teasing in them, just a quiet, almost sincere curiosity.

I didn’t know how to respond. My heart was racing.

Yep, I was definitely hallucinating.