1. Chapter 1 #2
“N-no…” Anna rushed to explain. “Just so we can get to know each other.”
“Twenty-three,” he answered, then returned his attention to his phone.
“Oh, so you’re the oldest here. I’m twenty, same as Katerina, and Ody is twenty-one,” Anna went on, smiling.
An awkward silence settled over the table until the waiter arrived with their drinks. Mano stirred his iced coffee with the straw and took a sip, his attention still on his phone.
“Um… Mano?” Katerina leaned closer while the other couple seemed distracted. “Can you put the phone away?”
He turned his head toward her. “Why?”
She gestured, reminding him they were with company. Mano shifted his gaze to the couple across from them and, with a sigh, locked his screen. He set the phone down on the table and picked up his coffee instead. Taking another sip, he looked at them, waiting for someone to speak.
Anna stepped in again. “Have you seen the new movie that’s playing in cinemas?”
“No, was it good?” Katerina joined.
“Yes, I loved it! Ody and I went the other day. It was packed; the whole theater was full.”
“Not surprising, everyone’s talking about it. Maybe I’ll go see it too. How long is it playing?”
“I think three more days.”
“Mano, do you want to go?” She turned to him, and he looked back at her.
“To the movies?”
“Yeah.”
“No.”
The bluntness made the other three exchange uncomfortable glances while he kept drinking his coffee, completely indifferent.
“So, Mano, do you play any instruments?” Ody asked this time.
Mano nodded.
“What do you play?” Ody pressed.
“Piano, guitar, flute. Been learning violin and drums for the past two years.”
“Wow! All of those?” Anna exclaimed, before muttering under her breath, half-skeptical. “Guitar and drums, okay. But I can’t picture him playing the rest.”
“What did you say?” he asked, having caught only part of it.
“Do you sing?” Ody redirected the conversation.
Mano held his green gaze for several seconds before answering. “No.”
“Why?” Anna asked. She instantly regretted it when his sharp eyes landed on her.
Katerina swallowed and glanced at the couple, an apologetic look on her face. Soon the three of them continued talking while Mano went back to his phone.
“Mano, are you from here, from Athens?” Anna asked much later, as they were discussing Patra’s Carnival.
“No.”
“Katerina and I are from here. Ody is from Patra. You?”
He looked up, the same bored indifference in his eyes. “Volos,” he replied, slipped his phone into his pocket and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Katerina asked.
“Bathroom.” He went inside and entered one of the restrooms. When he came out, he washed his hands and studied his reflection. He adjusted a black lock of hair that fell neatly across his forehead, held in place by the styling clay he had used.
The door opened and two young guys walked in, one of them bumping clumsily into his shoulder. “Sorry, man,” the guy said quickly.
Just before reaching the main exit of the café, his phone rang. He looked at the screen and sighed. “What do you want, Stella?” he said, irritation obvious the second he answered.
“At least say hi first.”
“Hi. What do you want?”
“You can’t just disappear on me after all this, Mano.”
Ody, still talking with the girls, noticed Mano in the background, standing with his phone to his ear.
“Just tell me what you want. I’m out,” Mano said, impatience clear in his voice.
“I want you to come over.”
“What?” His eyebrow lifted.
“I guess you forgot the sex we’ve had. Didn’t we have fun all this time?”
“This is sudden.”
“Not at all. Maybe you should check your DMs once in a while,” she snapped. “So, should I expect you?”
“No.”
“If you don’t come, I’ll message the girl you’re seeing this week. Katerina, isn’t it?” she asked, anger sharpening her tone.
Mano clenched his teeth so tightly, a sharp line formed along his already sculpted jaw. “Are you threatening me? Tell her everything. You think I care?” He let out a dismissive chuckle.
“Okay, Mano, your choice. Bye!” She hung up.
He walked back to the table, visibly irritated. “I’m leaving,” he announced.
All three looked at him.
“Why, what happened?” Katerina asked.
“I’m pissed off.” He grabbed the helmets from the chair.
“Wait... Mano!” she called, jumping to her feet. “Guys, I’m so sorry, I don’t even know what to say. I’ll go see what happened.” She looked at the couple.
“Yeah, don’t worry,” Anna reassured her as they watched her run after him.
“Mano!” She grabbed his arm when she caught up. “Are you gonna tell me what happened?”
“Mind your own business,” he said, turning back and walking on.
“Can you just talk to me like a normal person?” she said, her voice rising.
He spun around. “Can you stop busting my balls?” he snapped. “I’m leaving. If you want a ride, come with me. If not, go back to your boring little couple.”
“What is wrong with you? They were being nice.”
“Yeah, sure.” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “The girl firing questions at me non-stop and her wimpy boyfriend.”
“They were just trying to make you feel comfortable and include you in the conversation!”
“I told you from the start I didn’t wanna go out with your friends and you kept pushing!” he shouted back.
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed. She looked down and saw a message from a girl named Stella. There was a photo in the chat that she had to tap to open. “Who’s this?” she muttered before clicking. Her mouth fell open as her eyes lifted to Mano.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
She turned the screen toward him, fury building inside her. Mano saw himself lying in a bed, shirtless. Stella was beside him, taking a selfie while he slept.
“Five days ago, huh? While you were going out with me! You asshole!” she shouted, shoving him as hard as she could. He barely moved. She turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction.
Back at the café, Anna frowned. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know. He was on the phone earlier. Maybe something came up. You wanna stay a bit longer?” Ody asked.
“No, baby, let’s go. I don’t think this was such a good idea.”
“It was a bit awkward, and he was pretty cold, but—”
“He was worse than I thought. I don’t even know how Katerina’s with him,” Anna said, disbelief in her voice.
“I’m gonna go to the bathroom and then we’ll leave, okay?” He stood and gave her a quick kiss.
Inside the men’s restroom, something clinked under his shoe. He lifted his foot and looked down.
A silver necklace.
He bent to pick it up, turning it in his fingers. A thin chain with a small cross. His mind flashed back to the table, to the necklace around Mano’s neck when they first sat down.
It had to be his. How did it end up here?
He returned to the table, the necklace resting in his palm.
“Ready?” Anna asked, shifting in her seat, about to stand.
“I found this in the bathroom.” He opened his hand, revealing the necklace.
“Oh.” She leaned in. “Someone must’ve dropped it. Let’s give it to the staff.”
“I think it’s Mano’s.” He turned the chain between his fingers.
“Mano’s?” She frowned.
“Yeah, he was wearing one just like it. Didn’t you notice?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Then… wait, let me call Katerina. If she’s still nearby, she can take it and give it back to him when they see each other again.” She unlocked her phone and called her.
The moment she answered, Anna stilled. “Katerina, what happened?”
Ody looked at Anna, confused.
“He’s an asshole! The biggest jerk alive. I don’t wanna know him!” Katerina sobbed into the phone.
“What happened?”
“It’s been ten days and he already slept with someone else. Can you believe it? Like he couldn’t go without sex or something!”
Ody gestured to Anna, picking up on the shouting.
“Calm down. Where are you?”
“A little further down, by the stadium.”
“Okay. I’m coming,” Anna said quickly. She hung up, turning to Ody. “Baby, I have to go.”
“Wait, what happened?”
“She didn’t tell me everything, but they fought. They basically broke up, if you can even call it that. So I can’t give her the necklace. She’ll probably just throw it away.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” he asked, frowning.
“I’m going to Katerina now. Why don’t you give it back to him yourself?”
“Me?” His eyes widened.
“Yes, baby. I have to go, bye.” She blew him a kiss and hurried off.
Ody stayed there, staring at the silver necklace in his palm.