My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 128: Prove It

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For what felt like an eternity, we just stood there, locked in a stare across the hallway. Neither of us moved, and that silence was so tense, it felt like a thin sheet of glass separating us. Finally, Adrien broke the spell, his voice low and uncertain.

"Hey."

I was so taken aback that I almost forgot how to respond.

"Hi," I managed to mumble, my eyes darting everywhere but his, focused on the wall, the banister, the chandelier, even the carpet fibers. The moment I glanced in his direction, my mind betrayed me, dragging up that ridiculous daydream from the day before.

You know, the one where he had me pinned against the wall like a scene from a K-drama, whispering in my ear like he owned every ounce of me.

I swallowed hard, mentally shoving that whole scenario away and locking it up tight.

Adrien shifted his weight and rubbed the back of his neck in that awkward way he rarely did, only when he was feeling nervous, guilty, or attempting one of those rare "I’m just being a normal person" moves that usually led to an apology.

"So..." he started, his eyes bouncing between my face and the floor. "Where did you... spend the night?"

That question made my spine stiffen. "At Gigi’s," I replied, trying not to sound defensive, but I knew it came out sharper than I intended. "What? Is that a problem?"

He immediately shook his head. "No, I just... wanted to know." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The awkwardness hung between us like a heavy fog. Adrien wasn’t the awkward type. He was usually so annoyingly confident, or sarcastic, or just plain infuriating. But right then, he seemed... hesitant. Almost vulnerable. Like he was wrestling with something he didn’t quite want to admit.

I sighed. "Adrien," I said slowly, exhaling, "do you... want to apologize?"

His gaze shot up to meet mine, and I could see he was actually debating whether to bolt or stay put. But then he nodded quickly, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Okay," I crossed my arms and waited. "Go ahead."

He took a deep breath, his jaw tightening, then relaxed as if forcing the words out took real effort.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly. "For... everything that happened at the Mystic Woods. I shouldn’t have shown up like that. And I definitely shouldn’t have..." He paused, closing his eyes for a second to find the right words. "I shouldn’t have invaded your privacy. Or ruined your date. That wasn’t my place, no matter how uncomfortable I am with... you and Ethan."

His voice trailed off, and I could hear the strain in it, like admitting that cost him something.

My fingers loosened at my sides, and even though I wasn’t ready to fully forgive him, the tension slipped from my shoulders. Hearing those words...no shouting, no fighting, it felt like the tiniest olive branch.

Maybe the first real one he’d ever offered me. I nodded slowly at his apology, letting the silence stretch a moment before I replied.

"Alright," I said, my voice steady. "Thanks for saying that. I really mean it."

But then I looked into his eyes—I mean, really looked and something inside me tightened. "But I still want to know why you did it in the first place. And... I need the truth this time. The real truth."

Adrien’s expression shifted, just a flicker, but it told me he hadn’t been expecting that. He glanced at the floor, then at my face, then away again, the silence closing in on us like a weight.

Finally, he let out a breath. "I just..." His jaw clenched, and he pushed the words out. "I just hate Ethan. That’s all."

As soon as he said it, I knew. It wasn’t just the pause or the awkwardness; it was the way he wouldn’t meet my gaze after. Like he was scared I’d see right through the lie.

I tilted my head, studying him. "That’s it?" I asked softly. "That’s all? No others reason why you were such a dick?"

Adrien froze for a second, his eyes darting back to me. And wow, why did he have to look like that? So intense and unreadable, like everything else in the hallway had faded away.

For a moment, I thought about Ethan’s eyes when he told me he loved me...warm, open and sincere.

Adrien’s stare wasn’t like that at all. It felt sharper, heavier, as if he was holding back something that might tear him apart.

But then he blinked, and just like that, the intensity faded behind a mask of calm.

"...Yeah," he said quietly. "There’s nothing else."

A tiny smile tugged at my lips before I could help it, humor creeping into my voice. "You’re lying."

That made him actually smile...a small, reluctant one that he never let anyone else see. The kind that softened his eyes just a bit and told me he knew I’d caught him, even if he’d never admit it.

"Then prove it," he challenged softly. "Come on, hamster. Let’s see what you’ve got."

I laughed, really laughed this time and some of the weight between us lifted. "Oh, I will," I grinned, crossing my arms and trying not to look like a total dork. "Just give me a little time. I’ll gather all the evidence and expose you, jerk."

His eyebrows shot up, amused. "Expose me? Sounds dramatic."

"Good," I shot back, stepping past him toward my door. "You deserve dramatic."

He let out a quiet laugh behind me—just a whisper of sound, but enough to warm my chest despite myself.

Adrien’s smirk lingered for just a second before something in his expression shifted,.like a sudden thought kicked in. His brows furrowed, and he glanced behind him, then down the hall, almost suspiciously.

"Speaking of evidence..." he murmured.

Before I could ask what he meant, his hand shot out and grabbed mine, it was warm, firm, surprisingly gentle. And then he tugged me along.

"Adrien, what the hell?!" I exclaimed, stumbling as he pulled me down the hall toward his room of all places. "What are you doing?"

"Just get in," he muttered, swinging the door open and ushering me inside before I could protest.

He shut the door.

Then locked it.

My heart raced. "Okay, I need you to use your words right now because this is giving serious kidnapper vibes."

He let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Relax. I’m not going to throw you in a basement."

"That’s totally the kind of thing a kidnapper says, Adrien."

He shot me a look, but there was a spark behind it, excitement, maybe? Urgency? It was weird seeing him like this.

"I finally know who Rachel is," he said.

For a split second, everything in me froze. My spine straightened and confusion melted away. "What?"

"I know who she is," he repeated, moving toward his desk like he was already ten steps ahead. "And I know how to find her."

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. "How—Adrien, how did you—? You went to Clearwater right, but—"

He nodded briskly. "Yeah. After school yesterday, I drove down because I thought most of my mom’s old things would still be at the house. Or the shed."

"And?" My voice cracked, my heart racing.

Adrien opened a drawer and rummaged through old papers and notebooks until he pulled out something thick, dusty, and leather-bound. He placed it carefully on the bed between us.

"I found this," he said. "An old phone book."

I stared at it, blinking. "A phone book? Like... an actual phone book?"

"Don’t judge, my mom wasn’t that old." he said, flipping it open. "It was my grandpa’s. The old guy kept every number from vineyard workers, managers, suppliers and everyone who worked for him at some point."

He flipped through the pages quickly, then suddenly stopped, his fingers hovering.

"There," he said quietly, tapping a name written in faded ink.

I leaned in closer, breath hitching.

Christiana "Rachel" Greene.

A number and an address.

And that address, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest was just two towns over. Barely a thirty-minute drive from Willow Haven.

I looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Adrien... you actually found something. You...t–this is huge. This is—this could be the clue we need to figure out who L.S is!"

His jaw tightened like he struggled not to smile. "Yeah. I know."

I pressed a hand to my chest, practically breathless. "Oh my God, Adrien... we have her full name. And she lives nearby. This... this is—this is unreal!"

I picked up the phone book, holding it carefully as if it were a precious artifact that could fall apart at any second. My fingers traced the name as if it might come alive under my touch.

He was watching me, his gaze softer than usual, a side of him I hadn’t seen before. Something unspoken flickered in his eyes.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I thought you’d want to know right away."