My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 18: Green Eyed Monster

•⋅⊰∙∘☽✼☾∘∙⊱⋅•

When the bell rang, it jolted me out of the bubble we’d somehow formed around that table. Ethan looked up at the clock, blinking like he couldn’t believe how much time had flown by.

"Guess we’ll have to save the tragic ending for tomorrow," he said, shoving his notebook into his bag.

"Yeah," I replied, hurriedly gathering my notes before I started overthinking the fact that he’d just spent an hour talking to me like we were friends. "We can start writing the story then."

"Perfect." He got up and pushed in his chair, and I followed, trying not to stare too much as he threw his backpack over one shoulder. He made it all look so easy and natural, while I was just trying to remember how to act like a normal person.

I hesitated, clutching my books to my chest as we walked to the door. "Hey, um... Ethan?"

He paused and turned back with that same patient look he always had.

"I just wanted to say sorry," I blurted out, my words tumbling over each other. "For that day... when I kind of ran off after you helped me. I didn’t mean to be rude, I just—"

"Felt embarrassed?" he finished for me, smiling knowingly.

I let out a small, mortified laugh. "Yeah. That."

He shook his head lightly. "Don’t worry about it, Noah. You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt that day."

There was something in his tone—gentle, but firm—that made my stomach flutter in a really annoying way. I opened my mouth to thank him again, but before I could get it out, he was already turning to leave.

On a whim, I shouted, "Wait!"

He halted mid-step and turned back, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

I took a breath, my heart racing. "W-why are you being so nice to me?" I asked before I could second-guess myself. "It’s like you don’t even know about the whole crush thing everyone teases me about. You’re just acting like none of it happened aren’t you grossed out? To be around me?"

"Why would I be grossed out?"

I blinked in shock.

For a moment, Ethan looked genuinely surprised. Then a slow, teasing smile spread across his face. "You know," he said, tucking his hands into his pockets, "I was wondering when you’d finally ask me that."

I blinked again, completely thrown. "So... why then?"

"You know what?" He tilted his head, his eyes sparkling in that infuriatingly charming way. "I’ll tell you tomorrow. When we’re working on the project."

And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there like a statue in the middle of the library aisle.

I stared after him, my mind racing. "What does that even mean?" I muttered to myself, earning a disapproving glance from the librarian nearby.

As I threw my bag over my shoulder and started towards the hallway, I couldn’t shake the thought that if Ethan Seymour kept talking to me like that, I was either going to be totally confused... or fall even harder.

3rd Person POV

As Noah left the library, the soft sound of his footsteps faded down the hall until everything fell quiet again. Behind one of the tall bookshelves, Adrien stood still, hidden in the dim light filtering through the blinds. He hadn’t moved for several minutes, just watching.

He’d seen his laugh with Ethan, how he leaned in closer when he spoke, how his face turned the softest shade of pink whenever he smiled at him. That sight unsettled him. His jaw clenched ever so slightly, his hand flexing against his side before he shoved it back into his pocket. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Adrien’s eyes lingered for just a beat too long as he left. There was no real anger on his face, just a quiet irritation simmering beneath the surface.

When Noah finally walked away, Adrien pushed off from the shelf and stood tall, his movements calm and measured, although his face was hard to read. He glanced back at the empty table where they’d been sitting, then towards the doorway where Noah had just vanished.

After a moment, he turned and walked out of the aisle, his steps steady and quiet, though the slight tension in his shoulders gave him away.

Noah’s POV

I lay on my bed, my phone hovering above my face, as the late afternoon sunlight spilled through the curtains in soft, golden stripes. I was completely focused on the glowing screen.

Ethan’s name was right there at the top of our chat, and just seeing it made my stomach flip a little. We’d been texting about the project for the last ten minutes—mostly he was texting, and I was doing my best not to analyze every word like it was part of a secret code.

He’d asked where I wanted to meet after school tomorrow to start writing, and I told him anywhere was fine. A moment later, his reply came through.

Ethan💙💖: How about you wait for me till after practice? We’ll go to Shellie’s diner after. My treat.

I couldn’t help but smile, rereading it a couple of times before I typed back something casual like, Sure, sounds good!—then immediately regretted how plain that sounded. I was debating whether to add an emoji when another message popped up.

Ethan💙💖: Cool. Just make sure to cheer for me while you’re waiting 😏. Every player needs his own personal cheerleader.

I froze.

My thumb hovered over the screen, my brain short-circuiting for a solid three seconds before I straightened up, staring at the message like it might change if I looked long enough.

"Wait," I whispered out loud, the words slipping out before I even realized it. "Was that... flirting?"

The little smirk emoji seemed to wink at me.

My heart raced, and I dropped my phone onto my pillow, covering my face with both hands. "Oh my God," I groaned into the fabric, my voice muffled. "He was flirting with me. The whole time at the library—he was flirting!"

I peeked out from under my hands, grabbed my phone again, and scrolled back through our earlier texts just to confirm it. The compliments, the teasing, the way he said I looked cute when I was flustered... it all clicked into place.

"He’s been flirting all day," I muttered to myself, a mix of horror and excitement flooding me.

I fell back onto my bed with a soft thump, staring up at the ceiling as my phone buzzed again with another message.

Ethan💙💖: See you tomorrow, Noah 😉

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep the goofy grin off my face. "Okay, maybe I’m imagining things," I told myself weakly, but deep down, I knew I wasn’t.

Because no matter how much I tried to deny it, Ethan Seymour had definitely crossed into flirt territory, and judging by the way my chest fluttered, I was already in way too deep.