18. Chapter 18
The next morning came too quickly. Ody found himself back at the university, trying to focus on classes even though his mind kept drifting to last night. Exams were just around the corner.
“No way they came, are you kidding me?” Steve said as they entered the building.
“Half of them looked like a total mess,” Chris added.
“Not to mention Kash passed out from the beating Mano gave him.”
“Dude, he must’ve hit him really hard.”
“I would’ve done the same. Hey, Ody, you saw Kash when Mano knocked him out yesterday, right?” Steve asked, pulling him into the conversation.
“Yeah… he was right in front of me.”
“And?”
“He threatened Mano for days. He couldn’t fight back earlier because they would’ve come after me, but yesterday he had Kash alone. He didn’t hold back.”
“Good for him. That asshole deserved it. But seriously, dude, why didn’t you tell us anything? What kind of friends are we?”
“Guys, I just…” Ody shifted uncomfortably.
“Just what?”
“I… I was embarrassed to tell you I was being bullied. And I didn’t want them going after you.”
“Little Kash bullying me? Get real. I’d have knocked his head off,” Steve said.
“Sometimes you remind me of Mano. You two should get along better.”
“After what he did? He’s good in my book.”
Ody fell silent, thinking about everything Mano had done.
Class ended, and they planned an afternoon basketball game.
“Invite Mano too,” Chris said.
Ody glanced at Steve, who nodded. “Okay. See you later.” He headed toward the parking lot, but they followed. “Where are you guys going?”
“We’re walking you to your car.”
“Come on, what could possibly—”
“Don’t. Just walk,” Steve interrupted.
Once Ody got inside his car, they waved and left.
At home, he opened his chat with Mano. What’s up?
Mano: All good you?
Want to come play basketball this afternoon? The guys want you there
Mano hesitated before typing. I was planning to hit the gym today
Come on, it’ll be fun. They probably want to say a few things too
What things?
I don’t know… thank you I guess
You already thanked me. That’s enough
Ody exhaled. Mano… why are you pulling away? Just come hang out with us. We’ll play basketball, talk about random stuff
Mano stared at the message. Crowds made him uneasy. Being around so many guys would throw him off balance.
Odysseus: I don’t want to pressure you. If you don’t feel like it that’s okay. We’ll catch up another time
Thinking about what the guys might bring up, the bullying, Kash, the beating, made his chest tighten. He didn’t want to be the center of attention. Yeah. Maybe another time, he texted back.
He hit the gym and focused on his routine. His music cut briefly as a notification came through just as he finished a chest set.
Stella: Did you hit Kash??
He exhaled. Of course. She must have talked to him. Word spread fast when people wanted drama.
The phone buzzed again before he could respond.
Why did you do that Mano? What if he does something worse now? Her panic seeped through the screen. She always reacted fast, always imagined the worst.
For a moment, guilt tried to surface, but he pushed it down. There’s no way he’ll try anything
A new message popped up almost instantly. He yelled at me that he can gather a crew just as big. How many of you were there?!
Mano frowned. Kash was still running his mouth. Apparently last night hadn’t scared him off. What else did he say?
This time the pause was longer. Long enough for Mano to imagine her chewing her lip, pacing her room, clutching her phone.
He said if he catches you with me he’ll crush you
A humorless laugh escaped him. Kash thought threats still worked. After what happened yesterday, that was almost funny. Haha yeah tell him I said hi
The typing bubbles appeared fast. Mano I’m being serious. I’ve never seen him like that. He’s dangerous... He scared me
He stared at the message, a flicker of sympathy rising. She wasn’t built for this kind of chaos. She didn’t understand what Mano had already lived through, what he had already survived. Dangerous wasn’t new to him. He had lived with worse.
He already beat me once. I’m not scared. If he wants to try again tell him to bring 10 guys. I’ll show up with 25 and end it for good
The message delivered. The read receipt appeared. He wiped the sweat from his jaw, then typed again. Oh and as you can tell this thing between us is over
The reply came desperate. Why??
His thumb hovered over the screen. The truth was simple. Everything he had done last night had been for Ody, not for her. And dragging her into this mess any further didn’t make sense. Because we did this to keep him away from you. After everything that happened there’s no point anymore
You can’t be serious…
He didn’t sugarcoat the ending. Don’t contact me again. He tossed his phone aside. Ending things with Stella should have felt final, clean. It didn’t.
The weight of the day pressed down on him as he left the gym and headed home. By the time he picked up his flute, the knots in his chest still hadn’t loosened.
Ody, on the other hand, walked into his apartment with a smile from the basketball court still on his face. After a quick shower, an idea lit up his thoughts. He grabbed his phone and called Mano.
“Yeah?”
“Hey. You back from the gym?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you eaten?”
“A protein bar. Why?”
“I haven’t eaten, and I thought maybe we could grab a burger, pizza… whatever you like.”
“That’s very healthy,” Mano teased, hearing Ody laugh through the line.
“We could go for sushi. You like sushi?” Ody said, full of energy.
“Yeah.”
“I know a great place. You in?”
“Actually, I was practicing the flute and planned to—”
“Come on, don’t ditch me twice. That would crush me,” Ody joked. “Look, I get it if you don’t want to be around eight people, but it’s just the two of us. No awkward questions. Just food. Promise.”
Mano hesitated.
“Well? Come on, say yes. Say yes because now I’m craving sushi. I need sushi,” Ody insisted, dramatic and enthusiastic.
“Fine.”
“Awesome! I’ll drive over.”
“Wait, what time?”
“I’m leaving now! I’m starving.” Ody’s excitement made Mano smile. “Be there soon. Later!” He hung up.
Mano put his flute away and changed into black cargo pants and a black T-shirt. Ody went for blue jeans and a beige T-shirt.
Mano got in the passenger seat, and Ody greeted him with a warm smile.
As he drove, Ody’s eyes drifted to the tattoo on Mano’s left arm. He glanced once, then found himself looking again.
“What are you staring at?” Mano asked.
“Your tattoos. I saw them the first time we met, but I didn’t get a good look. This one… it’s a forest, right?”
“Keep your eyes on the road and leave my tatts alone,” Mano muttered.
“And your other arm has wings?”
“They start from my upper back,” Mano said.
Ody’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? I’d love to see that.”
Mano turned to stare at him, and Ody glued his eyes back to the road, pretending he had said nothing.
The rest of the drive passed in a charged silence until they pulled into a parking spot. They stepped out and walked toward the restaurant.
Ody, now on Mano’s right, got a clearer look at the tattoo on his other arm. The sleeve hid most of it, but his curiosity grew. His gaze drifted to the tattoo behind Mano’s right ear, a small cross trailing down onto his neck beneath the silver hoop earring.
“Can you stop staring at me like that? You’re going to walk into a pole,” Mano said.
Ody blinked and looked ahead again, his cheeks warming. Mano shook his head and kept walking as Ody hurried to catch up.
A moment later, the sign of the restaurant came into view. “Here it is,” Ody said, pointing at the entrance.
Inside, a hostess greeted them with a warm smile. “Good evening. Just the two of you?”
“Uh, yes,” Ody answered.
“Right this way.” She led them to a small table tucked at the back. The decor had a calm, Asian aesthetic, soft lighting, warm colors, and gentle music drifting through the air.
“How do you like it here?” she asked.
Mano’s mind flicked to his date with Stella, the way she had insisted they move tables so everyone could see them.
“It’s great, thank you,” Ody said as they sat across from each other.
When the hostess left, Mano looked around. “Do you come here often?”
“Every now and then. Why?”
“It looks expensive.”
“They have amazing food. And the sushi is awesome.” Ody opened the menu, and Mano followed. “Do you want something with noodles or rice and chicken? Shrimp? Or do you want to try their sushi?”
“I think I’ll get something with noodles too. I’m starving.”
“Okay. Check the sushi after and tell me what you like.”
They scanned their menus until they decided. Ody seemed genuinely excited to order whatever Mano wanted. After placing their order, they sat waiting in comfortable silence until Ody suddenly reached across the table and took Mano’s right hand.
Mano stilled. Ody turned his hand gently, studying the tattoo on his thumb. The movement made the silver rings on his fingers catch the light, while the chunky chain around his wrist shifted softly. “Isn’t that an ankh?” he asked. “The symbol of life?”
“Yeah.” Mano pulled his hand back quickly, hiding it under the table.
“You’ve got a lot of tattoos. Any others?” Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Mano answered.
“Over my chest.”
Ody’s gaze drifted downward on instinct.
“Left side,” Mano said, catching exactly where Ody was looking.
He shifted his eyes back to Mano’s face. “What is it?”
Mano looked away, sighing and blinking fast. “You said you wouldn’t ask questions.”
“Sorry.” Ody backed off.
Still, curiosity twisted in his chest. What did the tattoos mean? The wings. The cross. The ankh. It all pointed to something Mano clearly didn’t want to share.
His eyes dropped to Mano’s neck, lingering on the silver cross resting against his black shirt. “How’s the clasp? Can you open it?” he asked.
“What clasp?”
“The chain’s,” Ody clarified, pointing.
Mano touched the cross on the shirt. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t touched it since then.”
“You never take it off?”
Mano shook his head once. “Enough. Either say something else or don’t talk,” he snapped.
Ody swallowed and checked his phone to give Mano space. After a few seconds, something came to mind. “Have you spoken to Stella? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. Kash, on the other hand…”
“What?” Ody leaned forward, concerned.
“He told her he could gather twice as many people, and if he catches me with her he’ll crush me.” He let out a mocking laugh.
“What?”
“Relax. He won’t do anything,” Mano said, meeting Ody’s eyes with complete calm.
“How can you be so sure?” Ody asked.
“It’s so obvious you’re a good guy,” Mano replied, then added, “Once they saw I could round up twelve people, they got the message. They won’t risk it.”
“And how do you know I’m a good guy?” Ody asked with a frown.
“Good guys don’t know these things.”
“And you’re a bad guy?” Ody raised an eyebrow.
“They usually call me an asshole, but isn’t that the same?”
“You’re not an asshole,” Ody said instantly.
Mano gave a sarcastic smirk and looked away. “Have you seen enough to know?”
“Lately, yeah,” Ody said. “And you’re nothing like Kash and the others.”
Mano’s smirk faded, his eyes dropping for a second before meeting Ody’s again. They held each other’s gaze until the waiter approached with their food. “Here you go.”
“Thank you,” Ody said as he split the chopsticks apart.
Mano frowned. “He didn’t bring a fork.”
“A fork?” Ody looked physically offended.
“I can’t hold these things,” Mano muttered.
“Come on, it’s sacrilege to eat sushi with a fork,” Ody said dramatically.
“Why?”
“It’s like… eating a burger with a teaspoon.”
Mano burst into loud laughter. Ody stared at him, stunned and delighted.
“No way, dude, I just imagined that,” Mano said between laughs.
Ody chuckled with him, unable to stop staring. The sound of Mano laughing like that felt rare… and kind of beautiful.
Once the laughter faded, Ody leaned forward. “So you’re going to learn chopsticks,” he said. “I can’t believe you, of all people, can’t.”
“Why me of all people?”
“You play so many instruments. You’re used to positioning your fingers precisely.”
“The truth is, I never bothered to learn.”
“Well, you’re learning now.” Ody split the chopsticks apart and handed them to Mano. “Here, hold them.”
Mano took them.
Ody demonstrated. “Watch my fingers. This one goes here, and this one here. Then you grab them and… click-click.”
Mano bit back a laugh, and Ody lit up seeing him like this.
“Now tilt the nigiri sideways and grab it like this.” Ody dipped it lightly in soy sauce and ate the whole piece. “So good. Your turn.”
Mano tried.
“Hold the hashi properly.”
“What husky?”
“The chopsticks. That’s what they’re called in Japanese,” Ody said, laughing.
Mano shot him a side-eye but adjusted his hands.
“Tilt the nigiri… like that… and now grab it.”
The nigiri slipped from the chopsticks and plopped back onto the plate.
“Fuck!” Mano shouted, frustrated.
Ody laughed and quickly checked if anyone heard. “Let’s try maki. It’s easier.” He pointed at the round rolls. “Grab it from the sides. One stick here, the other there.”
Mano tried again, struggling. Ody reached out without thinking, his fingers sliding over Mano’s to guide them into place.
“Like this,” he said, his voice softening.
Their hands stayed touching longer than necessary, and when Mano looked up, their eyes locked in a brief, breath-stealing moment. “Now grab it,” Ody said.
Mano moved carefully and managed to grip the sushi.
“Good. Now lift it and eat it.”
They both leaned closer, like they were performing delicate surgery.
Mano lifted it an inch and exclaimed, “I got it, I got it!” The sushi slipped and fell. “Die!” he yelled in frustration, and Ody burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Mano tossed the chopsticks onto the table, crossing his arms with visible irritation.
Ody kept laughing. “I could stay here with you all night.”
The words slipped out so naturally that it took him a second to realize what he’d just said.
His laughter faded.
Mano froze as his eyes lifted to meet Ody’s. His gaze stayed fixed on him, stunned, almost wary, like he didn’t know what to do with the sudden intimacy.