12. Chapter 12
They held each other’s gaze a second too long before Mano looked away. “I thought you were with your girlfriend.”
“At her place. I’ll call and explain.”
“What are you going to tell her?” Mano asked, giving him a knowing look. He knew Ody didn’t want anyone finding out about Kash.
“I’ll tell her…” Ody hesitated. “When I called you, I told her you’d been hit. I’ll make up an excuse.”
Mano exhaled and turned his head away.
“What?”
“Why don’t you just tell the truth?” Mano turned back, meeting his eyes again.
“To put them at risk?” Ody said, his voice tightening. “Look at yourself. If Kash or his friends find out people around me are getting involved, they’ll go after them too. Anna, my friends… anyone.” He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “This is my fault.”
Mano’s jaw tightened. “It’s not your fault.”
“Then whose is it? If I hadn’t dragged you into this… if you hadn’t seen him throw coffee at me, none of this would’ve happened,” Ody said, guilt weighing heavily on him.
“Don’t do that,” Mano said.
“Do what?”
“They’re the ones who hit me. They’re the ones to blame.”
Ody lowered his head. After a moment, he looked at him again. “What are you going to do? Are you planning to keep going with this?”
“Even if I wanted to, I can’t right now,” Mano said, gesturing to himself.
“When you’re better... Are you going after them again?” Worry flickered across his face.
Fragments of the beating flashed through Mano’s mind. “If they mess with you again…” he said, anger rising.
“Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself.”
Mano’s eyes met his, but this time Ody saw concern there. “They will. He told me so.”
Ody blinked, then sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I can take it. They’ve been doing this for a while now. It’s nothing. What they did to you, though, that’s…”
“I can’t just let them hurt you again.”
“Stop acting like a hero. Look at yourself! You’re not getting involved with me anymore,” Ody snapped.
Mano’s face tightened, but he said nothing.
Ody’s face fell. “No, wait. I didn’t mean it like that.” His voice softened. “I meant, don’t get involved if you see them messing with me.”
Mano clenched his fists, staring at Ody’s downturned face. He couldn’t leave him alone to deal with this. He’d promised to stand by him. But on the other hand...
Kash’s words echoed in his mind, the promise to hurt Ody if he ever interfered again.
Mano punched the couch cushion, making Ody flinch.
“What’s wrong?”
Mano turned his head away, exhaling as he tried to calm down.
“Turn around so I can put ointment on your back.” Ody lifted the towel of ice from his side. Mano tried to lie on his stomach, groaning in pain, and Ody helped him ease into position. He pushed the black compression shirt up past Mano’s waist. “Where exactly does it hurt?”
“Low.”
“Here?” Ody touched the area.
“And a little more to the right. They hit my whole side with that bat.”
Ody’s expression hardened. If only he could make them pay...
He opened the ointment and spread a thin layer across Mano’s lower back with careful fingers.
“Mmh!” Mano grunted into the pillow. “Be more gentle.”
“Sorry,” Ody said, softening his touch. “You still haven’t told me how they found you.”
“I was meeting Stella at a park.”
“The girl who threatened you?”
“Yeah. We’d planned a walk. I was going to tell her we’re done. So I waited for her.”
“And?”
“I felt a pain in my head and blacked out. When I woke up, I was at that school.”
“They hit you in the head with a bat?” he asked, horrified.
“Yeah.”
Ody’s fingers froze.
“What?” Mano turned his head as much as he could. Ody looked furious.
Mano continued. “I got worried about Stella because they clearly knew about our meeting. And guess what.”
“What?”
“Kash is her ex.”
Ody’s eyes widened.
“He had her phone. Stella told me he didn’t take their breakup well. He’s been bothering her about getting back together.”
Ody tried to process it.
“I don’t know how he found out about our meeting. Maybe he went by her place. I don’t know what he might’ve done to her.”
“Do you think he...?” Ody began, anxious, just as Mano’s phone buzzed.
“Can you get it?” Mano pointed to his right pocket.
Ody reached into his sweatpants and pulled out the phone. “The screen…” he muttered at the cracks.
“That’s the least of my worries.” Mano took the phone and Ody helped him roll onto his back.
He saw who the message was from and opened the chat. “It’s Stella.”
“What does she say?”
He tapped the audio message. Stella was sobbing. “Mano... what did they do to you? Are you okay?”
They both froze.
“He came to me and found out about the date... I’m sorry, I couldn’t do anything.” Her crying grew louder. “Please tell me you’re okay, please... I... I’m okay. He didn’t hit me much.”
At her last words, they looked at each other in shock.
“Please answer me when you hear this…” The audio ended.
Mano stared at the phone, stunned. “He... hit her?”
“This has gone too far. We should go to the police,” Ody said.
Mano looked away, his fingers curling into fists. Instead of answering, he texted Stella. I’m fine. Has he hit you before? What did he do to you?
A moment later, her reply appeared. Just let it go… I told you he wouldn’t leave me alone. How are you? He said he’d bring others
I’m fine don’t worry, Mano wrote back.
Stella quickly blamed herself, apologizing for dragging him into the mess and saying she never expected Kash would hurt him so badly just because they were seeing each other.
He didn’t hit me just because of that. Forget it, Mano replied.
She kept pressing, asking why else Kash would target him, until Mano finally admitted they knew each other from university.
Her next message came almost immediately. Oh my God why didn’t you tell me?
Mano explained he hadn’t known Kash was her ex. She admitted she had dumped him when she realized what he was really like, but the conversation faded after that.
If I can get up tomorrow I’ll come check on you, Mano wrote.
Better not, Stella replied. My parents are coming back
Alright. We’ll talk
Goodnight Mano
Goodnight, he set his phone aside and sighed.
“Everything okay?” Ody asked.
“As okay as it can be,” Mano said, staring blankly ahead.
“You gonna go to bed?”
“Where?”
“My bed. Better than sleeping on the couch. Go lie down.”
“And you?”
“I’ll take the couch.”
“I don’t want to kick you out of your room.”
“No arguments. You’re sleeping in there.” Ody stood and walked toward the kitchen.
Mano frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making something quick. You need to take your medicine in a few hours.” He turned on the stove, pulled out a pan, and soon the sound of frying filled the apartment.
Mano’s eyelids grew heavy.
About twenty minutes later, Ody returned with two plates. “Rea...dy.” He stopped when he saw Mano asleep. He sat beside him, setting the plates down. “Mano,” he whispered. “You need to eat.”
He studied his face. At the corner of his full lips was the small cut he’d cleaned earlier. His eyelashes were long and black.
He lifted his hand and brushed Mano’s cheek with the back of his fingers. For a moment, he found himself watching the softness of that light skin, the dark lashes, the full lips. Then he pulled his hand away quickly. “Mano.”
Mano opened his eyes, turning his head. “I must’ve fallen asleep.”
“Yeah. I would’ve let you, but you need to eat. The food’s ready.” Ody reached for the plate.
Mano pushed himself up with a wince, then blinked in surprise. “Mushroom risotto?”
“It’s quick. And I had pasta yesterday.” Ody chuckled.
Mano met his eyes, then took the spoon.
“Let me know if you like it.” Ody smiled.
Mano scooped a bite.
“Careful, it’s hot.”
“I’m fine.”
“Blow on it. You’ll burn yourself.”
Mano kept staring at him instead of blowing.
Ody sighed, took the spoon from his hand, and gently blew on it. Mano’s gaze drifted to Ody’s lips as they puckered.
“Here.” Ody held out the spoon.
Mano looked at the food, then at him. For a moment, the sight pulled him somewhere else.
“One more for me.”
“Come on, Dad, I’m stuffed!”
“One more for Mom, then.”
“My stomach’s gonna burst!”
“Your stomach’s not gonna burst, Mano,” his dad laughed. “Eat the last bite and I’ll get you that ball you like. I promise.”
Little Mano leaned forward and swallowed it quickly.
His dad chuckled. “Good job, my boy.”
“You’ll get me the ball, right?”
“Of course. I promised. And what do we do when we make a promise?”
“We keep it.”
“That’s right. Now get up, we need to brush our teeth.”
The memory faded as quickly as it had come. Mano’s honey eyes met Ody’s green ones again, slowly filling with tears. His expression tightened, unable to hold it in.
Ody’s face fell. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he heard the stifled sobs.
Mano wiped his eyes.
Ody set the spoon aside and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Mano, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“It hurts…” he managed between tears.
“Where does it hurt?”
Mano turned forward but hid half his face behind his arm. Ody could only see his trembling lips. “It hurts that they’re not here.”
Ody’s expression softened. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Your parents?”
Mano nodded through his sobs, then turned toward the wall. Tears slipped down his face.
Ody reached out and gently wiped one cheek. Mano flinched at the touch, his teary eyes snapping to his.
“When did you lose them?” Ody asked.
“When I was ten. In London.”
Ody blinked. “In London?” he echoed.
“I grew up in England. I came to Greece after they died.”
Ody’s eyes softened with sympathy. “How?”
That question hit too deep. Mano’s face twisted. He turned away and tried to sit up, even though it hurt.
Ody gently guided him back down. “Where are you going? Lie back. I won’t ask again. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”
Mano’s short, shaky breaths didn’t stop.
Ody leaned in and wrapped his arms around him. Mano froze at the unexpected tenderness.
“If you don’t want to talk, don’t,” Ody whispered. “But if you ever do, I’m right here.” He pulled back and wiped another tear from Mano’s cheek with his thumb. Their eyes met. “As long as you don’t cry, yes?” he said, almost pleading.
Mano didn’t look away.
Ody finally stood. “I’ll let you calm down. I know you need space. Just eat, please.” He picked up his plate and walked toward the room.
Mano watched him through teary eyes.
For the first time in years, someone cared enough to stay. Someone cared enough to hold him.
And he needed that.
More than he could ever admit.