My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 212: Toast With A Side Of Goodbyes

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Rachel set the table with a cheerful clatter, sliding plates of golden toast and fluffy scrambled eggs in front of us like she was serving a fancy brunch instead of what was left over from a power outage.

The eggs were surprisingly perfect—creamy and just the right amount of pepper and the toast came with little pots of homemade jam that tasted like summer in a jar.

We all squeezed around the small kitchen table: Rachel at the head, her mom beside her with a plate cut into bite-sized pieces, and Adrien and I crammed together on the narrow bench, because personal space wasn’t really a thing in this house.

The conversation started off light, Rachel asking Adrien about school and if he played any sports (he admitted to basketball with a shy grin that gave me butterflies), and whether he enjoyed the vineyard tours his dad sometimes dragged him on.

Adrien, in full charm mode, told a ridiculously exaggerated story about the time he’d accidentally knocked over a whole display of vintage bottles during a "very important" investor tasting last year. Rachel threw her head back and laughed so hard that she had to wipe her eyes, saying he was "just like his mom when she was young...equal parts graceful and disaster."

I mostly stayed quiet, alternating between shoveling eggs into my mouth to stifle any accidental moans over how good they were and sneaking glances at Adrien. Every time our knees bumped under the table, he’d flash me the tiniest smirk, like he knew exactly why I was suddenly so interested in my toast crusts.

I kept waiting for Rachel to catch on to the weird energy buzzing between us, but she seemed too happy just to have company to notice.

Halfway through a second helping, the lights flickered once, twice, and then blazed to life overhead. The refrigerator hummed back on, the radiator in the corner gave a triumphant clank, and the little clock on the wall started ticking again like it had never stopped.

Rachel let out a cheer that would’ve made any sports fan proud. "Hallelujah! Power’s back! No more freezing!"

She reached over and squeezed her mom’s hand, her eyes shining. "We made it through another one, Mama."

Her mom gave a faint smile, and a warm, bittersweet feeling settled over the table.

After we’d polished off the last of the crumbs, I slipped outside onto the snowy porch to call my mom. The air was crisp and still, the storm finally done, leaving everything muffled under a thick white blanket. Mom picked up on the second ring, sounding both relieved and ready to ground me for life.

"You’re alive," she said, sounding grateful. "Thank God. How’s the weather? Are you on the road yet?"

"The storm’s let up," I told her, watching my breath fog up in the cold. "The mechanic’s supposed to bring Adrien’s car soon. We’ll head home as soon as he gets here."

"Good. Drive safe. And Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you decide to vanish into a blizzard, maybe give us a heads up first. Keith and I are not impressed by this...when you guys get home, we all need to talk."

Yikes, so not only was I grounded...I was also getting another scolding.

Lucky me.

But I laughed and promised about ten times that I would, hanging up feeling only a little guilty.

An hour later, after we’d helped Rachel wash dishes and Adrien charmed her into letting him fix the wobbly leg on her kitchen chair...the crunch of tires on snow announced the mechanic. Adrien handled the payment with the ease that comes from growing up with money, tipping extra because "the guy drove out in a storm." Rachel tried to protest the tip, but Adrien just hugged her sideways, saying it was the least he could do.

Then it was time to say goodbye.

We stood on the shoveled path in front of the little house, our breath fogging in the bright morning cold, bags slung over our shoulders. Rachel had bundled up in a coat two sizes too big, her mom watching from the window behind her.

"Thank you," I said for maybe the fifth time, "for everything. The room, the food, letting us crash at your house like stray cats."

Adrien nodded beside me. "Seriously. You saved us."

Rachel laughed, waving us off. "How many times are you two gonna thank me? It was nothing. I only wish..."

Her voice softened, eyes glistening. "I wish I could’ve done more for Joanne when she needed it. So if you ever need anything...more information, a place to stay, someone to talk to, you call me. Promise." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Adrien’s expression turned serious. He glanced at the sagging porch, the peeling paint, the wheelchair ramp that could use some work.

"You know," he said quietly, "I could help. We could help, get your mom better doctors, fix the house up, get you a new one...whatever you need. Money’s not—"

Rachel’s eyes widened, and I felt my own jaw drop a little. It was a really generous offer, maybe too generous from someone we’d just met...but it seemed genuine, I nodded in agreement.

But Rachel just smiled, sad and proud all at once, and shook her head.

"That’s really sweet, honey. But I’ve always taken care of myself and Mama. Always will. Hard times come and go—I’ll get through this one too, just like the others." She reached out and cupped his cheek like he was still that ten-year-old from the birthday party. "but you’ve got your mama’s heart. Don’t ever lose that."

Adrien swallowed hard, then pulled her into a hug...careful but tight. She hugged him back just as fiercely, and I felt my eyes sting watching them.

When they pulled apart, Rachel turned to me, offering the same warm embrace.

"You take care of him," she whispered in my ear. "And let him take care of you too."

I nodded against her shoulder, unable to trust my voice.

We said one last round of goodbyes.. promises to visit, to call, to not be strangers and climbed into the newly repaired SUV. Adrien started the engine, the heater blasting warm air, and we waved until Rachel and her little house faded from view.

The road ahead was clear, snowplowed and sparkling under the winter sun. Adrien reached over and laced his fingers through mine on the console, squeezing once.

"Ready to go home, partner in crime?" he asked, his grin crooked and perfect.

I squeezed back, my heart full and a little terrified in the best way.

"Yeah," I said. "Let’s go home."