30. Chapter 30
Kash saw Anna’s name on the screen, the little heart beside it glowing like a warning. He didn’t say anything. He just waited to see what Ody would do. But Ody didn’t move. He sat there frozen, staring off to the side, his shirt still pushed up to his neck, chest exposed.
The ringing stopped. Slowly, he tugged his shirt back down and sat up straighter on the couch. “What did we do?” he whispered.
Kash’s expression softened. “You didn’t like it?”
“It doesn’t matter if I liked it,” Ody said, staring at nothing. “I… I have a girlfriend. I’m in a relationship. It’s not right to do this to her.”
“Do you regret it?” Kash asked.
Ody turned to him, hesitating. “It’s not right,” he said, more to himself than to Kash.
Kash watched him carefully. “If you didn’t have a girlfriend… would you still regret it?”
Ody dropped his gaze, shy and overwhelmed. Thoughts stumbled through his mind, memories of Kash’s kiss, his touch, his breath against his skin. “No,” he murmured, almost embarrassed by the truth.
A small smile appeared on Kash’s lips. “That’s good enough for me.” He grabbed his shirt and slipped it back on.
“You’re leaving?”
“You need time,” he said as he stood.
“Time for what?”
“To realize what’s happening to you.” His tone was gentle, but certain.
Ody’s eyes widened. “W-what do you mean?”
Kash walked toward the door. “I went through this stage too.” He glanced back at Ody. “Good night.” He opened the door and left.
Ody sat there, staring blankly, Kash’s words echoing in his mind. To realize what’s happening to me…
His thoughts were a mess. His pulse wouldn’t settle.
After a long moment, he unlocked his phone and opened an adult site.
He searched for videos of two men together, just to see what he’d feel.
At first, it was strange, unfamiliar, but when they kissed and touched, his breathing grew heavier.
The moment things went further, he flinched, exited the page, and set the phone aside.
It was all new, confusing, overwhelming.
He switched to videos of straight couples, like always. Those still affected him. They always had. Then why? Do I like both? No. How could I have gone twenty-one years without realizing anything? Or maybe I never had the chance…
The first time he saw Mano, he thought he was a good-looking guy. But the more he got to know him, the more something warm had started forming inside him. He told himself it was friendly. But if it was just friendly… Why did I kiss him?
He shut off his phone and tossed it onto the couch, then buried his face into the pillow, desperate for his thoughts to stop.
Sunday arrived, and Ody got ready for the coffee he’d planned with Mano. He had spoken to Anna later that night, forcing his voice to sound normal while guilt crawled under his skin. He told her he hadn’t heard the phone ringing. She believed him.
He barely slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Kash’s mouth on his, and Anna’s name flashing on the screen.
By morning, he still didn’t know what any of it meant, only that the lie sat heavy in his chest. He headed downstairs just as Mano pulled up on his motorcycle. He took off his helmet and looked at him. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Ody stepped closer.
“Where do you wanna go?”
“How about Kallithea?”
“Hop on.” Mano handed him the spare helmet.
Ody got on the bike and wrapped his arms around Mano’s waist. Mano took off, the wind rushing around them. Every time he braked, Ody’s body pressed against his back, making his chest tighten for reasons he didn’t want to examine.
They arrived in Kallithea and walked through the warm air, the breeze brushing against their faces.
“I didn’t expect you to text me to hang out,” Ody admitted.
“Why not?”
“I’m the one who texts first. And…” He paused. “After what happened at my place, you barely spoke to me at school.”
He didn’t have to explain. They both remembered.
Mano swallowed. “Uh… no… it was just that your friends were there and…” He stumbled over the words.
Ody could see the embarrassment. “Do you wanna sit on a bench? Grab some coffee?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
They got their coffees and walked for a bit before settling on a bench.
“Are you still seeing Ranya?” Ody asked.
“Yeah.”
“Oh… cool.” He stirred his coffee, staring ahead.
“I asked her to come with me to Serifos. We couldn’t just not go out.”
“That’s the only reason?” Ody looked at him, taking in the sharp line of his jaw.
“We have great sex too,” Mano said, meeting Ody’s eyes.
His stomach twisted at the words.
Mano’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, jaw tightening as he exhaled. “Where were we?” He put the phone on silent and looked back at Ody.
“You’re not gonna answer that?”
“No.”
“A girl?”
“Worse. What were we saying?” His tone held irritation now. Ody didn’t respond. “Oh, right. The fucking with Ranya.”
Ody shot him an annoyed look. “You don’t have to be so graphic.”
Mano chuckled, smirking. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like you’re not doing it with Anna. We’re guys. It’s normal to talk about this stuff.”
Ody knew that. His basketball friends talked like that. So why did it feel different hearing it from Mano? Why did it bother him so much?
“We’re friends, right? So tell me… how often do you do it?” Mano asked, grinning at Ody’s pure awkwardness. “Ranya’s wild, by the way. She loves being tied up and slapped—”
“Stop it,” Ody snapped, turning forward, jaw tight.
“Why?”
“I don’t care how you do it with Ranya,” Ody replied, still staring ahead.
“We’re just talking about girls. What’s the problem?”
Mano’s phone rang again. He rejected the call and went on. “The second time we did it, I ripped her underwear off and she had to leave my place naked under her dress, dude.” He laughed.
Ody closed his eyes, exhaling.
“And another time—”
“Stop telling me about your hookups!” Ody turned toward him, their faces inches apart.
Mano studied him. “Why? What’s your problem?” His tone grew serious.
Ody’s breath came slow, heavy.
“Your friends talk about their sex lives, don’t they?” Mano went on. “So what’s the problem with me telling you?” His gaze sharpened. “Unless you were lying when you said we’re friends.”
“N-no… we are.”
“And do you cuddle up with your friends when you sleep?”
Ody froze. His gaze locked on Mano’s.
Why was he asking that? What was he trying to hear? Why was he talking about Ranya like that?
“Is this all because of… what happened at my place?” Ody asked, looking away, a chill creeping over his skin.
“You’re not answering me.”
“What do you want me to say? I told you why I did it. You pulled me into a hug after your nightmare and wouldn’t let go. If you don’t remember, that’s not my—”
“I remember just fine,” Mano said.
Ody turned to him, shocked. He remembers. Then why is he pushing this?
“My question is…” Mano’s eyes stayed locked on his. “Why didn’t you push my arms off you? Why did you stay next to me?”
Ody swallowed, pulse racing. “B-because… I didn’t wanna wake you up.”
“Oh,” Mano echoed, arching an eyebrow. “You didn’t wanna wake me up.”
Ody struggled to hold that gaze.
A message appeared on Mano’s screen. Pick up the phone. He exhaled and looked away. His phone rang again. He answered the call with a sharp, irritated tone. “What do you want?”
The response was too faint for Ody to make out.
“Speak Greek,” Mano said. “You called just to ask me that?” He listened for a moment.
“Is this some kind of joke? I don’t need your fucking money,” he snapped in English, his accent sharp and clearly not Greek.
“Worried?” he scoffed. “Give me a break,” he muttered in Greek.
He sighed and switched to English. “Are you seriously asking me about school right now?”
He leaned back, listening again. “I’m doing fine.
Stop calling me about that.” A few seconds passed before he spoke again.
“No, I’m not coming. Forget it.” His tone hardened.
“Oh, so you’re worried about your precious board meeting.
Am I not always there for that?” He listened for a few more seconds.
“But I don’t wanna see you. Stop calling me, or I’ll block you.
” He hung up and exhaled, his eyes closing as if the call had taken something out of him.
Ody kept watching him. “Was that from England?”
Mano exhaled through his nose and switched back to Greek. “Every time he calls, I wanna beat the shit out of someone. Where the hell is that asshole from uni now?”
Ody froze when he realized who he was referring to. He swallowed, trying to keep his expression neutral.
Dusk had settled in, painting the sky with gentle shades of pink, yellow and orange.
“You have a nice accent,” Ody said.
Mano huffed a faint laugh. “Do I?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t sound Greek at all.”
“Probably because I learned English before I properly learned Greek,” Mano said, staring ahead. “It used to sound stronger when I was younger.”
“Still, your Greek sounds completely natural,” Ody said.
“My parents are Greek.” Mano went quiet for a second. “Were.”
Ody quickly changed the subject, trying to steer him away from the pain. “What language did you speak at home?”
“When we moved there when I was two, we mostly spoke Greek at home. But my parents got comfortable with English too. Since we heard it everywhere else, they kept speaking Greek with us so we wouldn’t forget it.”
“Us?” Ody echoed. “Who’s us?”
Mano sighed, his gaze fixed ahead.
“You have siblings?” Ody pressed.
“Brother.”
“Was that him on the phone?”
Mano’s silence was the answer.
“I have a sister,” Ody said. “She’s seventeen, lives in Patra with my parents. Her name’s Anastasia.” He waited, but Mano stayed quiet. “What’s your brother’s name—”
“I don’t wanna talk about him.” Mano cut him off.
Ody fell silent and took a slow sip of his coffee. “When’s your last exam?” he finally asked.
“Thursday.”
“Oh, the day before we leave? I finish on Wednesday. Are you bringing a big suitcase?”
“No,” Mano said curtly.
Ody scrambled for something else. “Wanna get up?”
Mano turned. “Why?”
“Uh… let’s take a walk.”
Mano stood, and Ody followed. They walked on, neither of them breaking the silence.
“Let’s go to the bike,” Mano said eventually.
“You wanna head back? You’re bored, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m taking you somewhere.” He looked straight into his eyes.
Ody blinked. “What? Where?”
“You’ll see. Come on.”
They walked to the motorcycle. Mano handed him the helmet, and Ody put it on. “Where are we going?”
“I told you. You’ll see.” Mano started the engine, flipped up the kickstand, and pulled away. As they took off, Ody wrapped his arms around his waist.
The ride was long and warm, the wind rushing past them. It felt strangely freeing. By the time they reached a small hill, night had fully fallen.
Mano cut the engine. “Get off.”
They walked along a narrow path lined with tall, dark trees. After a few minutes, the scenery opened up to a stunning view of scattered houses below, their lights glowing against the dark sky.
“Wow,” Ody breathed.
“It’s nothing fancy like the Acropolis, but I like it better here. It’s quiet,” Mano said as he settled on a low ledge.
“It’s really nice. I’ve never been here before,” Ody said, sitting beside him.
“I found it in my first year and kept coming back.”
“Alone?” Ody asked. For some reason, he’d expected Mano to bring girls here.
“Always alone.” Mano looked at him. “This is my place. I never wanted anyone to know about it.”
“Then why did you bring me?” Ody frowned.
“You’re different.” Mano froze as soon as the words left his mouth. He looked away for a second, then cleared his throat. “I mean… you’re the only friend I have.” He then forced a smirk, trying to shake off the softness. “Even though you don’t let me talk about my hookups.”
Ody’s eyes dropped, heat creeping up his neck. He didn’t know how to answer that, so he didn’t.
“Have you ever been to Volos?” Mano asked.
“No.”
“If I go for a few days this summer, would you come with me?” Mano’s voice was quieter this time, his eyes drifting back to him.
Ody’s breath hitched. He stared at him, stunned, something warm and confusing curling deep in his chest. He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
Mano saw the hesitation and shut down. “Forget it,” he muttered, looking away like he regretted saying anything at all.
“No, I want to,” Ody said quickly, lowering his gaze. “I want to go… with you.”
Mano looked at him for a long moment, then turned back to the view.
“I’m definitely going to Patra to see my parents,” Ody said. “Do you… wanna come? I could show you around my city.”
Their eyes met again.
“We could take the car. Make a road trip out of it,” he added.
“For how long?”
“For as long as we want.”
“And where would I stay?”
“At my place. My parents would love you.” Ody smiled. “And Anastasia is going to love you too.”
Mano didn’t speak. He just stared at him, frozen in place. He had forgotten what a family felt like. Thirteen years without one. And here was this boy, offering it to him like it was the easiest thing in the world.
But it wasn’t just that. Something else was stirring inside him. Something he didn’t dare name.
“Why would your sister love me?” Mano asked.
“Oh, well, at her age, if she sees a pretty guy… yeah, you know how they are.” Ody let out a small laugh, but Mano didn’t laugh back. He kept looking at him, serious and unreadable.
“This is the second time you’ve called me pretty,” he said, studying him.
Ody’s smile faded. Heat rushed to his face.
Mano watched that reaction for a long moment. His gaze dipped, then lifted again, as if he was deciding whether he wanted to risk the question at all.
“What, do you like me or something?”