My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 173: He’s Done Holding Back (BC)

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I let out a deep sigh, the sound trembling as my heart raced so fast I could almost feel it in my fingertips. I pushed the door to my room open, stepping inside without really thinking to stop Adrien, who followed closely behind me.

The latch clicked softly as he shut the door, and the sound felt louder than it should have in the quiet room. Moonlight filtered through the half-open curtains, casting silver stripes across the soft carpet and the edge of my bed. Suddenly, the space that had always been my refuge felt smaller and warmer, heavy with everything we had just confessed in the hallway.

I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around myself like that could calm the wild flutter in my chest.

"Unfortunately," I whispered, barely audible, "I do have feelings for you."

Those words hung heavily in the air between us, thick and irreversible. Speaking them felt like a betrayal, a sharp twist of guilt in my stomach as Ethan’s gentle smile flashed in my mind, his careful kiss still fresh on my forehead. I was supposed to be his boyfriend, loyal and unwavering, and here I was, confessing something that broke all of that apart.

Yet, despite the guilt eating at me, there was also an undeniable relief, like a weight I’d been carrying alone without even realizing for months had finally slipped off my shoulders. Hiding had never felt right for me, and now that the truth was out, I found I could breathe a little easier, even if it scared me.

Adrien stared at me, completely still, his green eyes wide with shock that almost seemed like disbelief. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. He looked stunned, utterly undone, as though the idea that I could feel anything other than resentment or indifference toward him, after everything he’d put me through, had never crossed his mind.

Honestly, I would have thought the same just months ago. The boy who’d tormented me for years, who made me dread hallways and parties, even my own reflection at times... how could I possibly feel anything romantic for him?

Then, slowly, that familiar smirk appeared on his face, breaking through the stunned silence.

"I always knew I was irresistible," he said, his voice dropping low and teasing, though I could sense a slight tremor beneath the bravado. "But I didn’t think I was that irresistible."

I stared at him in astonishment, the tension snapping like a rubber band. A laugh escaped me before I could hold it back, and I reached out to swat his shoulder, maybe a bit harder than I meant to, but not with any real intent to hurt.

"Shut up," I laughed, shaking my head at him, the joy light and breathless. "You’re crazy."

He caught my wrist gently before I could pull away, his warm fingers against my skin making the laughter fade into something softer and quieter. We stood there for a moment, closer than we should have been, the playful spark giving way to the heavier truth lurking beneath.

"It’s strange, isn’t it?" he murmured, his thumb brushing absently over my pulse point. "Being in love with your step-sibling."

I nodded slowly, swallowing against the tightness in my throat. "Yeah...really strange." My voice dropped even lower. "It feels like... like a sin."

That word tasted bitter, just like it felt...something forbidden, something that would make people recoil if they knew. What would Mom and Keith think if they ever found out? They had blended our families with so much hope and joy, would they look at us with disappointment, confusion, disgust?

And everyone else, friends, classmates, the world beyond these walls...would surely judge me harshly for the butterflies tumbling in my stomach whenever Adrien looked at me the way he was looking at me now. Butterflies for my stepbrother.

It felt so wrong, even in my own thoughts.

Adrien took a step closer, closing the small gap between us until I felt his warmth. His hands lifted slowly, cradling my cheeks with a tenderness that made me catch my breath, his palms rough from old scars, thumbs gently stroking my skin as if I were something delicate and infinitely precious.

His gaze was soft and passionate, intense in a way that sent heat spiraling through me, pushing the guilt momentarily aside.

"The logical thing," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion, "would be to ignore this. Pretend it doesn’t exist. Go back to acting like nothing’s changed."

He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes fluttering half-closed. "But I’m done holding back. I’ve tried that for years, pushing it down, burying it under anger and distance and it never took me anywhere but to misery."

He pulled back slightly to look at me fully, raw honesty shining in his eyes. "I’ve never been in love before, Hamster. Not like this. And now that I am... I can’t run away from it. I just can’t."

Then, so softly it was almost a breath: "I love you, Noah."

Those words wrapped around my heart and tightened, stealing away whatever air was left in my lungs.

"You liking me back," he continued, voice rough with wonder and something that sounded like awe, "it makes me feel like I’ve been given something I don’t even deserve. Something I never thought I’d have."

This was wrong. Deeply, undeniably wrong, family lines blurred, promises to Ethan fraying, the risk of everything falling apart if anyone ever found out. But standing there with his hands on my face, his confession echoing in my ears, with my feelings laid bare between us... why did it feel so undeniably right?

Like the most natural thing in the world, like every hurt and every furtive glance over the years had been leading us here, to this quiet room where the truth finally felt bigger than the fear.

I didn’t have an answer yet, no idea what we’d do, or how we’d navigate the mess we’d created but in that moment, with his thumbs tracing slow, soothing paths along my cheeks and my heart beating in reckless harmony with his, I let myself feel it all without pulling away.