19. Chapter 19
Ody’s words settled heavily between them, but Mano still hadn’t moved, blinked, or looked away.
His laughter faded completely. He cleared his throat and picked up the chopsticks, trying to ease them both back into something lighter. “Wanna try again?” he asked.
“No,” Mano muttered, arms crossed and turned away like an offended child.
“Come on… Even Anna has not learned how to use them yet, but I think you can.” Ody tugged Mano’s hand playfully and handed him the chopsticks. “Try the uramaki.”
“Speak Greek, damn it,” Mano snapped, making Ody laugh.
“It’s the one with the rice on the outside.”
“No. It will fall apart and the rice will go everywhere.” Mano pouted harder, and Ody couldn’t stop smiling.
“Okay, okay. Then try grabbing the sashimi. That’s easier.”
“Which one is that again?”
“The one without rice.”
“The raw one?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t like that. You’re the one who wanted it.”
“Don’t eat it, just pick it up.”
Mano sighed and positioned the chopsticks in his fingers.
“Wait,” Ody said. He took Mano’s hand again, gently repositioning his fingers. “Okay. Now try.”
Mano focused, carefully placing the piece between the chopsticks.
“Keep the pressure on your index finger,” Ody instructed.
Mano lifted the sashimi slowly. “I got it!”
“Good job.” Ody grinned as Mano raised it up.
“And now?”
“Bring it here.” Ody leaned forward and ate the sashimi straight from the chopsticks, chewing happily.
Mano paused, holding the chopsticks mid-air, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed.
“Why don’t you like it? It’s amazing.”
“Here are your noodles,” the waiter arrived, placing down their plates.
“Can I have a fork? I’m gonna starve,” Mano asked, and the waiter chuckled.
“Of course.” He left.
“Why? You know how to use them now,” Ody said.
“Yeah, right. I managed to pick up one piece of sishishi. The noodles are slippery.”
“One what?” Ody burst into laughter.
Mano glared. “They’ll kick us out of here if you keep laughing.”
Ody tried to stop, but failed miserably. “Sishishi!”
“Will you shut up?” Mano hissed. “Stop making fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you. You’re just hilarious,” Ody said, still laughing.
“Here is your fork,” the waiter said.
“I’ll stab you,” Mano threatened, gripping it.
“Okay, okay. I’m done.” Ody tried to compose himself. “Just so you know, it’s called sashimi.”
“I don’t care what the hell it’s called,” Mano said, twirling noodles around the fork.
When they finished eating, Ody leaned back. “Wasn’t everything great?”
“Yeah. It was good,” Mano replied, drinking some water.
“Next time you’ll come play basketball with us, right?”
“I don’t know. Don’t push me.” Mano looked away.
“How am I pushing you?”
“I can’t deal with big groups.”
“Is that why you don’t take public transportation?”
“Yeah.” Mano looked back at him.
Ody grew thoughtful. “You know, you haven’t touched your phone at all tonight. Do you remember how glued to it you were when we first met?”
Mano shot him a look and turned away.
“Am I that fascinating today?” Ody teased with a grin.
“I was eating. I only have two hands.”
“You weren’t eating when we were waiting for the food. Or now.” Ody’s smile widened as Mano picked up the phone. “Hey, I’m joking! Put it down.” He placed his hand over Mano’s.
Mano glared but set the phone down.
“You can’t handle big groups. Fine. But small ones? You’re okay with those?”
Mano shrugged. “Depends on how small.”
Ody tilted his head. “Like… just me?”
Their eyes held.
“You’re funny,” Ody added with a small smile. “I like hanging out with you. And I told you, I already consider you my friend.” His voice softened. “Do you consider me a friend?”
Mano looked away, his shoulders tensing. “I don’t have friends.”
Sadness crossed Ody’s face. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”
Mano gave a small scoff and reached for his drink. “And what do you want me to do about it?”
“No, I mean it’s just… sad.”
“It’s the truth.”
Ody studied him. “Not even one from school?”
“No.”
“High school? College?” Ody frowned. “It’s been four years.”
“No.”
Ody leaned back in his chair, clearly struggling to understand. “I don’t get it.”
Mano pushed his food around his plate, the silence settling between them.
“So… you have no one?” Ody asked with quiet concern.
“For thirteen years I’ve had no one. Even my b—” Mano shut his eyes and turned away.
Ody blinked, thrown off by the way Mano’s voice broke on that single letter. Whatever that b was, it mattered. It hurt. And Mano clearly could not bring himself to say it. For a second, Ody wondered what kind of wound could stop someone mid-word.
“Who?”
“No one.”
Ody hesitated, still thinking about that unfinished syllable and the pain behind it, before speaking again. “You had no one,” he corrected gently. “I told you yesterday. My friends are your friends. You can be theirs too. They already like you. Especially after what you did for me.”
“Why do you care so much?” Mano asked.
“Because being alone is hard. It’s sad to have no one. Loneliness—”
“I’m not lonely. I go out. I have a life. I’m out with girls all the time,” Mano cut in.
“And does any of it actually make you feel better?” Ody asked.
The question hit something raw. Mano’s expression shifted. “If I wanted a therapist, I’d hire one. What are you playing at?” he snapped.
“No, I—”
“You think you know everything, huh? You read a few books and now you can psychoanalyze me?”
“Mano, please. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry.”
Mano put cash on the table and stood. “Dinner’s on me.”
Ody watched him storm out, shocked. “Mano…” He grabbed his phone and hurried after him.
“Thank you, have a good night,” the hostess called as Mano pushed past her.
“Wait!” Ody called, catching up on the sidewalk.
“Get out of my way.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. I want to know you. If you let me,” Ody said, blocking him again.
Mano walked past him.
Ody stepped in front of him. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. It’s my bad. I don’t have the right to pry.”
“No, I don’t feel good!” Mano finally burst out, his voice cracking. “The gym, the music, the girls… none of it fills the void. I’m all alone! Happy now?” Mano’s jaw clenched as he struggled to steady his breathing.
Ody stepped closer and wrapped his arms around him in a firm, grounding hug. Mano froze, his eyes widening at the sudden warmth pressed against him.
“You’re not alone anymore,” Ody whispered.
Mano pushed him away, but their eyes locked again. Something in him faltered.
“Come on. I’ll take you home,” Ody said.
They walked back to the car, neither saying a word. The drive was quiet, the only sound the low hum of the radio filling the space between them. They pulled up outside Mano’s building in Papagou, and he unbuckled his seat belt, ready to get out.
“Hold on,” Ody said, reaching out and gently stopping him by the forearm. “I don’t want us to leave things like this. Can we just pretend the last five minutes at the restaurant didn’t happen?”
Mano gave him a cynical look. “Can you turn back time?”
“No, but…” Ody hesitated, searching for words. His gaze met Mano’s for a moment.
Mano bit his lip and looked away. “Forget it. It’s nothing.” His hand closed around the door handle, but he paused when Ody spoke again.
“I’m worried about Kash.”
“You’re worried about that jerk? After everything he did to you—”
“No.” Ody looked at him steadily. “I’m worried about you.”
Mano stilled.
“He said if he sees you with Stella, he’ll…”
“It’s over with Stella.”
Ody blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I ended it. I’m not seeing her again.”
“Why?”
“Because I never wanted to get involved with her in the first place. I only did it to help her deal with her ex. And because she was blackmailing me. With how things are now, there’s no point in continuing.”
Ody’s eyebrows rose. “How did she take it?”
“Like last time. I doubt she’ll leave me alone.”
“Do you think she’ll use the photos to blackmail you again?”
“Let her try and she’ll regret it,” Mano said, a sharp edge in his voice.
Ody leaned back, uneasy. “I just want you to be careful. If you ever feel like someone is following you, if anything happens at school or outside… if they say or do something…”
“Relax, mikre. Nothing’s gonna happen,” Mano said with calm confidence.
“But if it does? If you feel threatened, promise me you’ll call me right away. I’ll gather everyone for your sake,” Ody insisted, his voice firm and sincere.
“For my sake?” Mano frowned, searching his face.
“Yeah. I mean… like how you guys did it for me. That’s what I meant,” Ody said awkwardly.
Mano gave a slow nod, studying him. “Okay, mikre. I’ll call you,” he said, meeting Ody’s gaze before stepping out of the car. “Stop worrying about me. There’s no need.” He leaned down again, hands on the roof of the car, keeping their eye contact. “What should I do?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I left you alone with them until we got there. Do you know how worried I—” He cut himself off, straightening quickly, like he’d said too much.
Ody blinked. “You were worried about me?”
Mano leaned back down, his gaze intense. “They would’ve eaten you alive.”
“What are you talking about? I punched Pablo in the bathroom the first time,” Ody protested with offense.
“Oh, tough guy,” Mano said with a smirk.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
“I’m not underestimating you,” Mano said, the smirk fading. “I was just… worried.”
The silence stretched between them as they held each other’s gaze. Finally, Mano stepped back. “I’m going.”
“Good night,” Ody said.
Mano raised a hand in a casual wave and walked away toward his building.
Later that night, Ody lay in bed when his phone buzzed. Anna was checking in, asking where he was and whether he had played basketball. He told her he was home now and that he had gone out earlier. Then she asked who he had been with. Ody hesitated before texting back. With Mano
The typing bubble appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again. Mano?
He confirmed it, and told her they had gone for sushi. Her replies grew shorter, more pointed. She hinted that he had been spending a lot of time with Mano lately. Ody felt tension creep into his chest. We need to talk, he wrote.
That set her off. She wanted answers, to know what he meant and why he was being vague. He tried to calm her, told her something serious had happened, and that they should meet tomorrow to discuss it. Anna refused to wait.
He swallowed hard, thumbs hovering over the screen before he typed the truth. Remember when you saw me bruised and I said it was some guys at school? Those guys have been bullying me for a year
Her shocked reply came fast asking what he meant. Ody told her he would explain everything in the morning. It was too big to fit into texts. He put the phone down with a tight breath, knowing tomorrow would not be easy.
The next morning Ody met Chris and Steve before class. “I’m telling Anna everything today,” he said.
“What do you mean? Kash, Mano, all of it?” Chris asked.
“Yeah. She disliked him from the beginning, but you saw it yourselves. He’s a good guy.”
“He has his issues, sure, but he’s okay,” Steve muttered.
Ody shot him a sharp look. “Don’t say that again.”
“Why?”
“You don’t know what he’s been through,” Ody said. “He lost his parents. And he went through horrible bullying in school. That’s why he is the way he is. He’s not cold. He’s not what he seems.”
Steve and Chris said nothing, both of them looking shaken and guilty after hearing that.
By the time Ody headed to meet Anna at the café, the knot in his chest had only tightened. He knew the conversation would be hard.
“Hey babe,” Ody said, putting an arm around Anna’s waist. She barely greeted him before demanding answers, her worry already bubbling to the surface. Ody guided her to a table.
Once they sat, he took a breath and began. He told her all of it. Kash, the beatings, Mano stepping in, the threats, the group fight, the whole truth.
Anna went pale. “My God, Ody. It could’ve gone so much worse. What if they’d really hurt you?”
“Do you see why I couldn’t tell you? If Mano hadn’t spoken to Steve…” Ody’s eyes locked on hers. “I don’t know what they would’ve done to me.”
“So he stayed quiet because they’d hurt you if he helped?” she asked.
Ody nodded.
“Unbelievable. I still think you should’ve told me sooner,” she said, a scolding edge in her voice. “But… I guess Mano is not the jerk I thought he was.”
A soft smile touched Ody’s lips.
“It’s just… the way he treated Katerina made me think he was trash.”
“Anna, don’t talk like that,” he said. “His personal life is one thing. This is different.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “He proved himself.”
“There’s something else I wanted to ask you,” Ody added. “I talked to the guys about Serifos. Steve is in. Are you okay if I invite Mano too?”
“Who is he going to bring?”
“He’ll figure something out.”
“It’s just… we planned this as a friends’ trip,” she said, hesitating.
“Well, we haven’t met Steve’s girlfriend either,” Ody pointed out. “Isn’t it the same thing? Unless you don’t want him there.”
“No, it’s not that,” she said quickly. “He helped you. And… I trust your judgment.” She paused, thought it through, then nodded. “Alright. Invite him.”
Relief settled in Ody’s chest. As he stepped outside the café, the thought of Mano joining them in Serifos lingered in his mind. A trip with friends. A trip where Mano would not be the outsider.
He would talk to Mano tomorrow. And this time, he would make sure Mano came with them. No excuses. No slipping away.