Chapter 192: So He Likes To Ragebait
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I turned another page in Joanne’s journal, the leather cover soft and worn from years of use, the ink a bit faded but still enough to pull me into her world.
The entry I landed on was dated just after Adrien’s eighth birthday, some joyful ramble about how he insisted on wearing a cape to school for a week because "superheroes don’t take days off," and how she let him, since watching him strut into the classroom like he owned the place was the highlight of her day.
I couldn’t help but smile a little. "I wish I’d met her," I murmured, mostly to myself, tracing the looping letters with my fingertip.
"The way she writes about you here... it’s clear you were the light of her life. From the moment you were born, apparently. You could’ve been the biggest little terror and she’d still have written sonnets about your sticky fingerprints all over the walls. I’m sure she loved you, no matter how dumb you were."
Adrien glanced over from the driver’s seat, one hand casually on the wheel, the other resting on the gearshift where my hand had just been. The soft winter light coming through the windshield caught the darker flecks in his eyes, making them look almost amber for a second.
His expression wasn’t the usual cocky half-smirk; it was calmer, more open in a way that made my chest feel tighter.
"Thank you," he said, his voice low and slightly rough. "You have no idea how much that means to me."
He paused, his eyes darting back to the road for a moment before returning to me, steady and serious.
"That you’re still here. Still doing this with me...chasing the truth, sifting through the ugly parts—after everything I’ve put you through. After... everything." His gaze dropped for a split second, almost like he was giving me a chance to fill in the blank he wouldn’t say aloud. After knowing how I feel about you.
The air in the car thickened, warm from the heater, buzzing with something neither of us had named yet. I felt heat rush to my cheeks and quickly turned toward the passenger window, pretending to be fascinated by a snow-covered barn so he wouldn’t see the blush spreading across my skin.
"I’m just... doing what anyone would," I mumbled, trying for casual but landing somewhere closer to breathless.