My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 89: Highway To Hell

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I hesitated, blinking at him as if he’d just suggested driving me to another planet. "You don’t have to," I insisted, waving my hands. "Really, it’s fine. I can just ask Carlby to drop me off."

Adrien leaned against his car door, keys hanging lazily from his fingers, the morning sun glinting off the metal. "Carlby’s not available," he said, his voice calm but laced with that teasing undertone of his. "He’s busy driving my dad to a meeting in Heyseville."

I frowned, glancing back at the mansion as if my chauffeur might appear out of thin air. "Of course he is," I muttered under my breath. "Why wouldn’t he be?"

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "So what’s it gonna be then? You want to walk the whole way in those shoes?" His gaze flicked down to my white sneakers, and he smirked that annoyingly smug half-smile. "I’m sure you’ll make it by... I don’t know, lunchtime?"

I crossed my arms, shooting him a glare. "It’s just two and a half miles!"

He shrugged, pretending not to care. "Then go ahead, princess. I won’t stop you. But you might want to think about how long it’ll take to recover from heat exhaustion."

I glanced at my watch: 7:55. The history essay loomed in my mind. It absolutely had to be in before the first bell. My stomach twisted at the idea of explaining to the teacher why I was late due to a scenic marathon through Willow Haven.

Adrien was watching me, that subtle smirk growing like he knew I was seconds from giving in. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Immensely," he said without missing a beat. "So, what’s it going to be? A ride or a morning workout?"

I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose in mock frustration. "Fine," I relented. "But only because I have to turn in this essay, not because I want to be stuck in a car with you."

He grinned, unlocking the car with a soft beep. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I shot him a glare as I opened the passenger door, but my annoyance fizzled out once I got inside. The car was sleek and pristine, smelling slightly of leather and something fresh, maybe pine or his cologne. The seats enveloped me as I sank in, and I couldn’t help but mutter, "Of course your car is this nice."

Adrien slid into the driver’s seat, casting me an amused look. "What? You expected duct tape on the seats and a missing window?"

"Honestly, it would’ve made you more relatable," I said, buckling my seatbelt.

He chuckled softly as the engine roared to life. "Sorry to disappoint you."

As we cruised smoothly down the driveway, I looked out the window, watching the familiar trees blur by. My heart raced in that odd, uneasy rhythm it always did when I was alone with Adrien. The silence wasn’t as heavy as before...it had softened and become almost comfortable, but it still felt strange.

I turned to him, trying to sound casual. "You really don’t mind driving me?"

He kept his eyes on the road, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. "If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered. Besides, it’s not every day I get to play chauffeur to Mr Perfect Attendance."

I rolled my eyes, hiding a smile. "I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Nope."

And just like that, we slipped into an easy rhythm as the city started to come into view—this kind of silence that wasn’t uncomfortable anymore, just filled with unspoken thoughts neither of us were quite ready to name. As we merged onto the main road, the morning sun filtered through the windshield, warming my face.

The car hummed softly, and for a bit, I just let the world outside slip by, the rows of houses, the trees with golden leaves, the glimmering city in the distance.

But the question nagged at me, and eventually, I couldn’t hold back. I glanced over at him; his usual unreadable expression focused on the road ahead. "Can I ask you something?"

He hummed in acknowledgment, fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel.

"Why are you even driving me to school?" I asked. "Didn’t you say back then"...my voice sharpened unexpectedly, "that you didn’t want to be associated with people like me?"

He didn’t respond right away. His jaw tightened, and his eyes flicked toward me for just a second before returning to the road. "That was months ago," he said finally, his tone low and steady.

"Still," I pressed. "What if people start putting two and two together and realize that Noah Valentine and Adrien Fell are step-siblings? You used to care about that kind of stuff."

Adrien let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Yeah, used to." He shifted a bit, the morning light cutting across his sharp features. "I don’t fucking care about that anymore."

I blinked, surprised by the calmness in his voice. "You don’t?"

He glanced at me briefly, his expression hard to read, but his tone was surprisingly sincere. "Don’t get me wrong—you’re still a loser and all." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

I glared at him, but he just smirked slightly before adding, "But pretending nothing’s changed between us? That seems pointless. So if the school finds out or people start whispering, whatever. Let them talk." He shrugged, his gaze steady on the road.

His words hung in the air longer than they should have.

I looked away, gripping my phone tightly. I wanted to believe him, that maybe he wasn’t the same boy who’d once humiliated me in front of everyone. But those memories still lingered: the cruel laughter, the taunts, the way he’d looked right through me. He’d never truly apologized. Not once.

So even if he was treating me better now, even if he was... changing, I just couldn’t bring myself to forgive him. Not yet.

The car fell into another quiet rhythm. It wasn’t awkward, just heavy. I stared out the window, trying to focus on anything but the strange ache in my chest.

After a moment, Adrien broke the silence. "You’re quiet," he said casually. "Usually, you’d be chatting my ear off about something."

I forced a small smile, still looking outside. "It’s nothing," I said softly. "Just thinking."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but didn’t push. "You sure? You look like you’re plotting someone’s murder."

Before I could respond, my phone pinged in my lap. I glanced down, my heart softening at the sight of Ethan’s name lighting up my screen.

Ethan💙💖: Good morning, beautiful. Hope you’re surviving your first day back. Again, I missed you.

A smile spread across my face as I read it. Ethan had this way of making everything feel warm and less complicated.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrien glance over, a frown forming. "What’s got you smiling like that?" he asked, his tone dry but edged with something I couldn’t quite place. "Ethan?"

I looked up, startled by the sharpness in his voice. "Maybe," I said, trying to play it cool. "Focus on the road, okay? I’d rather not die before homeroom."

He scoffed, though his grip on the steering wheel tightened a bit. "Trust me, I can multitask."

"Could’ve fooled me," I murmured.

His gaze flicked to me again, a smirk playing on his lips. "You really like testing my patience, huh?"

"Only because you make it so easy," I shot back, grinning despite myself.

He shook his head, a soft laugh escaping him, but the tension in his jaw didn’t completely fade. I turned back to my phone, rereading Ethan’s message, feeling that flutter in my chest.