My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}

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I found myself standing there, frozen a moment longer than I intended, my eyes glued to the little rack by the register. The keychain hung there, seemingly innocent, catching the fluorescent lights just right—the tiny silver sword along with the intricately painted dragon that curled around it, a perfect replica of the one wielded by Kaelen Stormblade in the Chronicles of the Ashen Throne series I couldn’t stop reading when I was younger.

I’d been wanting something like that for ages, ever since the third book tore my heart apart in the best way possible. It was kind of ridiculous how much a simple piece of metal and enamel could send a thrill of excitement rippling through me.

Adrien’s voice snapped me out of my little trance. "Noah? You coming, or are we camping out here?"

I blinked, my cheeks warming as I realized I’d been staring like a total fool. With a heavy sigh that felt a bit more dramatic than necessary, I turned from the display and walked over to him, where he was already waiting by the counter with bags in hand. The keychain’s little dragon seemed to watch me leave, and I tried to shake off that theatrical feeling.

Of course, he noticed. Adrien always picked up on things like that, the little hesitations and the lingering looks I didn’t think I was giving. As we stepped into the cool evening air and made our way to his car, he shot me a sideways glance, that familiar half-smile creeping onto his face.

"You wanted it, didn’t you?" he asked, his voice low and teasing, like he already knew what I’d say.

I tightened my grip on the shopping bags and stared out the passenger window as he started the engine. "It’s fine. It was just cute, that’s all."

"Cute," he echoed, stretching the word out like he was savoring it. "That’s high praise coming from Noah Valentine."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t quite hide the smile creeping onto my face. "Some of us didn’t come into this world with an endless supply of black cards, Adrien."

He chuckled softly as he pulled out of the parking lot. But out of nowhere, he made a sharp U-turn, and I found myself gripping the edge of my seat.

"What are you doing...Adrien, no, we already paid—"