24. Chapter 24
Days passed as exam season drew near. They hadn’t spoken in ten days. Not one word. Ody blamed himself entirely. Mano had made it clear he didn’t want contact, and Ody couldn’t force his way back in.
But Serifos was already set. Eleven days left. Mano with Ranya. Ody with Anna. Two separate rooms. Minimal contact if they were careful.
Still, dread twisted in his stomach.
He drove to campus for his pharmaceutical chemistry exam, parked, and joined Chris and Steve in the hall.
“Good luck,” the professor said as they began.
When time was up, they handed in their papers. They left the exam hall together and stepped into the main corridor, students drifting past in every direction.
“I’m catching the bus,” Steve said. “You coming, Chris?”
“Yeah. I’m dead, I need sleep.”
Ody gave them a quick nod. “I’m going the other way. I need the restroom before I head to the parking lot.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow,” Steve said as the two walked off.
Ody turned down the hallway alone. Walking through the main building, he had just rounded the corner toward the restrooms when a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. He jolted, spinning around.
Kash stood there, his short dark hair tousled, smiling in a way that wasn’t a smile at all. “What’s up, Ody? Long time no see.” His gaze was sharp, threatening, his hand still squeezing Ody’s shoulder.
Ody stared. He hadn’t seen Kash in over two weeks, not since that day at the school, where Mano and the others had left him bloodied.
“Come on, don’t look at me like that. It’s all good. Nothing’s wrong.” He slung an arm around Ody’s nape and steered him toward a bench. “Sit.” He shoved him down.
Ody sat rigid, nerves tightening under his skin.
“I didn’t know you had so many friends,” Kash said, looming over him. “They care about you a lot, huh? That move at the school… I’ll give it to you, it was clever. You caught us off guard.” His expression twisted, half amused, half dangerous. “Whose idea was it? Mano’s?”
“No!” Ody snapped, blinking fast.
Kash laughed. “You’re a terrible liar. Man, I’m so sick of fighting, but that guy ticks me off so much I can’t just let it go.”
The anger in his eyes made Ody’s stomach drop. “He’s not alone! He has all of us. If you dare touch him—”
“Yeah? What are you gonna do?” He bent down to Ody’s eye level, wearing that sly, unsettling smile.
“Let’s just stop this,” Ody said. “You saw we’ve got people too. Don’t keep pushing it.”
“And what if I send him to the hospital first? What’ll you or your little buddies do then?” Kash asked, smirking.
Ody’s breath caught. “Leave him alone.”
“Why do you care so much?” Kash barked, slamming his hand down on Ody’s knee.
He flinched back instinctively.
Far down the hallway, Mano turned the corner. He stopped cold. Kash was looming over him. Ody’s chest rose and fell too fast, panic tightening his shoulders.
Their eyes met. Mano blinked once, jaw tight. He walked past them, straight ahead. Like he hadn’t seen a thing.
Kash shouted behind him. “I’m talking to you!”
But Ody’s focus stayed locked on the empty space where Mano had been.
“He’s just… he’s my friend, and I want you to stop,” Ody said, still shaken.
Kash’s gaze sharpened. “What if I do the same to Steve and Chris?”
“Don’t you dare!” Ody leaned forward, his hands curling into fists.
Kash laughed inches from his face. “You’re too funny. Here’s how this is gonna work. You’re gonna do whatever I tell you, or I’ll beat all your friends to a pulp. Don’t let the fact that you outnumbered us fool you. I can bring twice as many. Got it?” He leaned in. “Don’t mess with me.”
“You won’t,” Ody shot back. “Because Mano knocked you out cold, and I know you’re scared of him.”
Kash shot upright, fury slamming across his face. “I’m not scared of him.”
A hand grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him backward.
Ody stared, stunned, as Mano dragged Kash down the hallway, then leaned in close and whispered something that made him stiffen.
Outside, Mano shoved him against the wall and drove a fist into his stomach.
Kash doubled over, coughing for breath. Mano said something low, too quiet for Ody to catch, then shoved him aside and turned away.
Kash clutched his stomach, groaning. Mano stepped back inside and spotted Ody watching him.
“What did you say to him?” Ody asked, but he ignored him. “Mano!” He reached for his arm.
Mano yanked it away and glared at him, eyes hard.
Ody froze mid-movement. The guilt and awkwardness of the kiss crashed over him. He lowered his head, and Mano turned to leave. “Thank you,” he said.
He didn’t expect a response. Instead, Mano reached into his pocket, then walked toward him and pressed something into his chest. Ody caught his hand and looked down. Three fifty-euro bills rested in his palm.
“For the tickets,” Mano said, voice cold.
Ody frowned. “But… it’s one twenty.”
“Keep the change.” He turned and walked off, jaw tight. He pushed through the doors into the parking lot and grabbed his helmet from the seat, lifting it in one sharp motion.
A light tap landed on his shoulder. He barely had time to turn before a fist crashed into his left cheek. The impact snapped his head sideways. The helmet slipped from his grip, clattering against the asphalt as he went down hard, the taste of metal flooding his mouth.
“What do you gotta say now, huh?” Kash’s voice exploded above him. “Who’s not walking out of here on their feet this time?”
Before Mano could recover, another punch drove into the same spot, then another. The world tilted. A flash of pain tore across his face, turning everything fuzzy for a second.
“Huh, tough guy?” Kash shouted, breath ragged with fury. “Get up. I’m not done with you.”
A final blow split his lip. Mano’s hand came up, his fingers brushing his mouth. Blood smeared across his knuckles.
The noise drew attention fast. Two guys sprinted over and grabbed Kash from behind, hauling him back while three girls nearby stood frozen, horror etched across their faces.
Kash thrashed against their grip, still shouting. “You’ve started a war, you son of a bitch!”
Ody headed into the parking lot just as Kash was being dragged away. His steps slowed, confusion rising as his gaze drifted to Mano’s fallen helmet, and the streak of red on the pavement.
His stomach dropped as he ran straight to him.
Mano pushed up onto one hand, lifting his back off the asphalt, blood dripping from his lip.
“Mano,” he choked out, falling to his knees beside him.
He spat blood onto the concrete, breathing hard, pain clouding his face.
Ody froze, horrified at the sight of him. Without hesitation, he slid Mano’s arm over his shoulder and helped him up.
“What are you doing?” Mano rasped as Ody guided him toward the car. “Where are you taking me? Leave me alone,” he said through clenched teeth, wincing with every movement.
Ody unlocked his car and opened the passenger door, guiding Mano inside. Mano didn’t resist, his jaw tight as he sank into the seat. Ody grabbed the helmet and the keys, tossed them into the back, then leaned in to fasten his seat belt.
“I don’t need your help. Just leave me the fuck alone,” Mano muttered, blood slipping down his chin.
Ody opened the glove compartment, pulled out a packet of tissues, and wiped the blood from Mano’s mouth.
Mano slapped his hand away. “I said leave me alone.”
“Stop it!” Ody snapped, louder than he intended.
Their eyes locked. Ody’s expression was stern, worried. Mano softened for half a second before he looked away.
Ody clenched his jaw and kept cleaning the blood anyway, slow and careful. Mano didn’t stop him this time.
When he finished, he closed the door, got into the driver’s seat, and buckled himself in. Mano had his eyes shut, breathing through waves of pain. His jaw throbbed violently.
As they drove, Mano coughed, bothered by the blood pooling in his mouth. Without taking his eyes off the road, Ody opened the glove compartment again, pulled out more tissues, and held them toward him.
Mano stared stubbornly. Ody flicked the tissues toward him, silently telling him to take them. With a sigh, Mano did.
When they arrived outside Ody’s building, he helped him out of the car, unbuckling the seat belt and sliding Mano’s arm over his shoulders.
“I can manage,” Mano said, so Ody let go and watched him hobble out on his own. “Why did you bring me here?”
“Just move,” Ody said as he led him toward the elevator.
Inside the apartment, Mano stood with a hand pressed to his jaw while Ody went straight for the first aid kit. “Go wash up,” he said, nodding toward the bathroom.
Mano didn’t move, just stared. Ody stepped closer, took his arm, and guided him in. He turned on the faucet. “Spit the blood out and rinse.” Then he stepped out, giving him space.
Mano rinsed his mouth, watching the water swirl faint red. His gums were irritated, his lip was split, and every throb reminded him of Kash’s fist. That bastard… He didn’t get enough last time. He’s fucking dead.
He walked back out to find Ody setting out cotton pads and antiseptic.
“Sit,” Ody said.
“There’s no need. I’ll go home.”
“I said sit!”
Mano stilled, then walked to the couch and sat down, leaving some space between them.
Ody pressed a cotton pad gently to his lip. Mano jerked back, and their eyes locked. He watched Ody’s green eyes glisten as he dabbed at the blood.
It’s all my fault. He met Kash because of me. He keeps getting hurt because of me…
A tear slipped down Ody’s cheek. He wiped it off before it could fall further.
“Why are you crying?” Mano asked, his voice low, steady.
Ody sniffed, trying to keep himself together as he kept tending to the wound. Another tear escaped.
Mano caught his wrist this time, stopping him. “Why are you crying?”
Ody’s gaze fell. He pulled his hand from Mano’s and stood. “You don’t want me around you, I know. Just let me take care of this and then you can go.” He walked to his room and closed the door, wiping his eyes again.
Mano stared at the door for a long moment. He noticed an ice pack on the couch, pressed it to his jaw, then kicked off his shoes and lay down. The cold stung, then numbed.
Twenty minutes later, curled on his side and lost in thought, he heard the door open. He shut his eyes quickly.
Soft footsteps approached. Then a thin blanket draped over him. He almost opened his eyes in shock.
Ody adjusted it, tucking it gently around him, his hand lingering on Mano’s shoulder before retreating.
When he walked away, Mano opened his eyes. Thirteen years. It had been that long since anyone had taken care of him like that. His eyes burned. He turned toward the wall, his vision blurring. He breathed slowly until sleep pulled him under.
When he woke, he heard the faint hum of the range hood. Ody stood in the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Mano asked hoarsely.
Ody looked back. “Making soup for you.”
Mano sat up, wincing.
Ody brought over a tray with a bowl and spoon, stirring the soup to cool it. “Does it hurt a lot? Can you eat?” he asked.
“I don’t know…”
Ody sat beside him, lifting the spoon toward him. “Try.”
Mano’s eyes stayed fixed on him.
Ody lowered the spoon, looking down at the soup. “What did you tell him?” he asked. “In the hallway. When you pulled him aside.”
Mano said nothing, but the memory came back to him.
He leaned in close, his eyes fixed on Kash. “Where are your buddies? Left you all alone? Shame.” He kept dragging him toward the exit, the grip on his shirt unrelenting. He shoved him hard against the wall and Kash hit it with a grunt.
Ody followed at a distance, as Mano drove a punch into Kash’s stomach.
The air left Kash in a harsh gasp as he folded forward, and Mano leaned in again, his voice quiet but cutting.
“Leave him alone. You know I could handle you with one hand tied behind my back. If you want to walk out of here on your feet, leave. Now.”
Mano looked away, silent.
Ody waited, but got no reply. He sighed. “Try.” He lifted the spoon once more.
Instead of eating, Mano whispered, “Why are you doing this?”
Ody blinked. “Doing what?”
“Why are you taking care of me?”
Ody set the spoon down. “You’re like this because of me. And I care about you.”
Mano didn’t move. Ody held the spoon up again, but Mano kept staring at him.
Ody sighed and set the tray aside. “I know I overstepped. I shouldn’t have kissed you, and I’m sorry. I’m not asking you to forgive me or even talk to me after tonight. Just let me take care of you now. After that, if you want me gone, I’ll go.”
Their eyes met, a long, held moment, until Ody finally looked down.
Mano reached up, his thumb brushing Ody’s cheek.
Ody went completely still, his breath catching as he lifted his gaze to meet the soft honey eyes watching him. They were full of something wounded, gentler beneath it, something Mano didn’t seem able to hide.
He traced Ody’s cheek once more, lashes lowering as his voice slipped out quiet. “I don’t want you gone.”