My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 193: A Gift From Me To You

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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. We prefer to save our money for things that are more important."

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—"

It was too late. He was already parking again, shutting off the engine, and hopping out before I could protest further. I scrambled after him, my heart doing an annoying flip as he strode back into the store like he owned the place (which, knowing his family, he probably did).

By the time I caught up, he was back at the register, holding the keychain between his fingers and chatting up the cashier like they were old pals. I reached for his arm, my voice low but urgent. "Adrien, seriously, it’s a lot. You don’t have to—"

"It’s twenty-eight bucks, Noah," he replied, glancing down at me with that annoyingly calm demeanor. "I think I can handle it."

"That’s not the point," I muttered, feeling my face heat up again. "I can get my own nerdy dragon keychains, okay? I just... forgot my wallet."

Nothing I hated more than feeling indebted to someone...

He only smiled wider, the type of smile that made it hard to stay mad. "Consider it my way of saying thanks for putting up with me this afternoon if not months. A gift from me to you."

The cashier, a girl with purple streaks in her hair and a knowing grin, rang everything up again, adding the keychain to our earlier purchases. Handing Adrien the bag, she said cheerfully,

"You two are seriously cute together, by the way. Couple goals."

My brain short-circuited. Heat shot up my face so quickly I felt like I was blushing from my collarbone to my hairline.

"We’re—not—we’re not dating!" I stammered, the words spilling out in a rush that only made me sound more guilty.

Adrien, the absolute traitor, didn’t even try to help. He just smirked, sliding his sleek black card across the counter with ease.

"Don’t mind him," he told the cashier smoothly. "He gets flustered pretty easily."

I elbowed him in the side gently; I wasn’t actually mad, just mortified. But he just chuckled, low and warm, as he signed the receipt.

Once outside again, the evening air felt cooler against my still-burning cheeks. We climbed back into the car, and the moment the door shut, I buried my face in my hands.

"I hate you," I mumbled into my palms.

"You don’t," he said confidently as he started the engine. "You know you love me."

Fuck, why was he so right?

I peeked through my fingers to find him already holding out the little bag containing the keychain. Slowly, I took it, our fingers brushing against each other. The dragon sparkled under the streetlights as I pulled it out, cool and solid, and just perfect.

"Thank you," I said quietly, turning it over in my hands. "Really, you didn’t have to, but... thanks."

He glanced over at me, and there was something softer in his gaze now. "You’re welcome, Noah."

For a little while, we just drove, the city lights blurring by outside, soft music playing in the background. I clipped the keychain onto my bag, watching the tiny dragon sway gently with the motion of the car. It felt a bit silly how happy that little thing made me, but I couldn’t help grinning.

Then, out of nowhere, the car started making a noise.

It started as a low, unhappy rumble from deep in the engine, followed by a hesitant stutter in the acceleration. Adrien frowned, easing off the gas.

"Fuck...that’s... not good."

The rumble escalated into an unmistakable cough, and the sleek black sedan lurched forward once, then twice, before the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree gone wild with warning lights.

"Oh, come on," Adrien muttered, guiding the car to the shoulder as it lost power completely. The engine gave one last dramatic wheeze and died, leaving us coasting to a slow, undignified stop on the quiet road. "Shit..."

For a moment, we just sat there in the sudden silence, with only the soft ticking sound of the cooling metal in the background.

I turned to look at him, the keychain still dangling from my fingers, and couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing. Softly at first, then it got louder, until I was leaning forward with my forehead against the dashboard.

Adrien stared at me for a beat, then joined in, laughter rich and helpless.

"Perfect timing," he managed between breaths. "Now we’re stranded like we walked right into a bad rom-com."

Still giggling, I lifted my head and grinned at him. "I told you to check your car this morning."

He groaned, but his eyes sparkled with amusement as he pulled out his phone.

"Don’t remind me. Now just sit tight, dragon boy. Let’s see how fast roadside assistance wants to come save two tragically attractive young guys on a Saturday night."

I leaned back in my seat, the keychain glinting in the light one more time, and thought, wondering how the heck we could get to the countryside and make it back to Willow Haven in time for dinner.