My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 224: Finding Comfort Under Water

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In my dream that night, the gala turned into a total shit show. Chandeliers dripped blood-red light, and guests wore masks that sneered at me as I walked by.

Whispers followed like freaking smoke: "Step-brothers... disgusting... what would their parents think?"

Familiar faces...Mom, Keith, Ethan, loomed from the crowd, eyes full of disgust. Mom turned away, Keith disowned us with one cold word, and Ethan... Ethan just walked away, heartbroken and silent, leaving me alone in the center of the ballroom as the whispers turned to shouts.

I’ve had multiple dreams of being trapped and drowning...but why did this one feel so close to home?

I jolted awake, heart racing, sheets damp with sweat. The suite was pitch dark except for the faint glow of the city outside, the clock on the nightstand reading 2:47 a.m. I sat up, disoriented and trembling, the dream clinging to me like cobwebs.

Unable to even think about falling back asleep, I grabbed my phone and texted him.

Me: You awake?

His response came almost immediately,

Adrien💀: yeah, I’m at the indoor pool. Can’t sleep. Wanna join me?

I slipped on the thick hotel robe over my shorts, a warm, comforting hug and padded out into the hallway. The marble floors felt cold under my bare feet, the corridors eerily quiet at this hour, the soft hum of distant elevators the only sound breaking the silence.

I took the private elevator down to the spa level, the doors opening to a dimly lit atrium filled with potted palms and the faint smell of chlorine.

The pool area was empty, moonlight pouring through the glass ceiling, casting silvery beams that danced across the water’s surface. Adrien was in the pool, cutting through the water with smooth, strong strokes. When he spotted me at the edge, he swam over, resting his arms on the edge, water dripping from his hair.

"Can’t sleep either?" he asked, his voice echoing softly in the quiet space.

I shook my head, dipping my toes into the warm water. "Had a bad dream."

"Wanna talk about it?"

I snorted, "Nope."

He tilted his head, concern flashing in his eyes. "Come in. It helps."

"Uh...I’m don’t think I should."

Turquoise and gold mosaic tiles lined the bottom and walls, catching stray beams and scattering light like stars dancing across the surface. It was quiet, except for the gentle sound of the water lapping against the edges and the distant hum of the hotel’s ventilation system...peaceful, almost sacred at this hour, with only the two of us breaking the stillness.

Adrien glided through the water with such ease, slicing clean laps from one end to the other, his strokes strong and rhythmic, his shoulders breaking the surface in graceful arcs.

He looked right at home here, completely relaxed in the luxury, enjoying the late-night solitude, and the quiet strength of his own body. When he reached the far wall and pushed off again, he spotted me standing at the edge in my robe, and that familiar, playful grin spread across his face.

"What, you still scared, Hamster?"

I wrapped the robe tighter around myself, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

"I’m not scared of the water," I insisted. "I just... didn’t bring a suit. And it’s like three in the morning."

He swam closer, resting his forearms on the ledge, water streaming down his arms and dripping from his dark hair. The moonlight highlighted the silver streaks across his shoulders, emphasizing the lean muscles I’d gotten way too familiar with.

"Who needs a suit? It’s just us. And the security cameras are off at this hour...perks of being Keith Fell’s kid."

I rolled my eyes, but my heart was already racing.

He tilted his head, water droplets clinging to his lashes. "Come on. Remember Clearwater? I taught you how to swim in that freezing lake when you were convinced you’d sink like a rock. This water’s warm, and there’s no sharks. No judgment. Just you, me, and a really big bathtub."

That memory pulled at me...summer sun, the way he’d held me steady in the water, patient and teasing until I laughed and started kicking. I trusted him back then. I trust him now.

With a dramatic sigh, I untied the robe and let it drop to the tile. The tank top and shorts I’d worn to sleep suddenly felt really thin under his gaze, but the way he looked at me...open, admiring, a little hungry and not for food, mind you...made my self-consciousness fade away. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

I slipped into the water, gasping softly as the perfect warmth enveloped me, and swam over to him.

"See?" he said, catching my waist as I reached him. "Not so bad."

We floated together, my arms wrapped around his neck, legs tangled beneath the surface. The gentle ripples of the pool hid everything below the waterline, creating a private little world just for us. The moonlight turned his skin silver, and his eyes were dark and intense as they traced my face.

"You still feel out of place here?" he asked quietly, his fingers tracing slow patterns along my spine under the water.

I nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah. This whole world...private jets, penthouse suites, galas with people who probably think I’m just some charity case Keith picked up. I keep waiting for someone to realize I don’t belong."

He pulled me closer until our chests pressed together, our hearts beating in sync through the thin layers of wet fabric.

"You don’t have to belong like them," he said softly. "You don’t have to pretend to be like them. Just be you, snarky, stubborn, brilliant, beautiful you. That’s more than enough. More than any of them deserve."

His words settled in me like warm water, soothing places I hadn’t realized were still raw. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze, and something shifted...tension turning electric, soft turning hungry.

He kissed me then, slow and deep, tasting of chlorine and midnight and everything we’d been holding back. My hands slid up his chest, fingers digging into his wet skin as his mouth moved against mine with a tenderness that quickly ignited into something hotter.

His hands roamed beneath my chest, palms flat against my back, thumbs brushing against my sensitive ribs. I arched into him, gasping softly when he nipped at my lower lip, then soothed it with his tongue.

The water made everything feel slower, heavier, more intense, every touch amplified, every breath shared. His fingers traced down my sides, slipping under the waistband of my shorts, teasing but not pushing further.

I pulled closer, my legs wrapping around his waist underwater, feeling the hard length of him against my stomach, which drew a low groan from his throat that vibrated against my mouth.

We kissed until we were both breathless, our foreheads resting together, water lapping gently around us.

"Shit, you’re killing me," he whispered, his voice rough.

I smiled against his lips. "Good."