31. Chapter 31
Ody’s eyes locked onto Mano’s. “W… what? No. I don’t like you. I mean, I…” His words tangled together. He tore his gaze away, cheeks burning.
Mano let out a short breath of a laugh.
Ody snapped his head back. “Why are you laughing?”
Mano’s smirk faded. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly defensive. “Relax. I’m just teasing you.” He wasn’t smiling anymore. He blinked quickly and glanced aside.
Ody had started noticing the pattern. Whenever something hit too close to the truth, Mano blinked a little too fast before looking away.
Ody looked down at his hands. His pulse wouldn’t settle. The air between them felt strangely heavier now, like something had almost happened and both of them were trying to pretend it hadn’t.
Mano cleared his throat and forced a smirk back onto his lips. “You turn bright red every time I mess with you, you know that?”
“I don’t,” Ody muttered, but his voice was soft, almost shy.
“Sure, you don’t,” Mano said, looking out at the city lights ahead of them.
The ride home was quiet. Both of them pretended nothing had almost happened on that hill.
When Mano dropped Ody off, their eyes met through the raised visor for a little longer than usual. Neither commented on it. Neither knew how to.
The next morning, Ody woke up with a knot in his stomach. Not because of the exam, but because he kept replaying Mano’s voice. “What, do you like me or something?”
He pushed the thought aside and forced himself to get ready. He met Steve and Chris outside the campus like always, trying to act normal. But once he stepped into the classroom, his chest tightened.
Kash was sitting in the back. Instantly, everything from two days ago came rushing back, the touches, the kisses, the heat of Kash’s mouth on his skin.
He shook off the memory and took a seat in the front row, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the back of the room where Brandon and Pablo were already causing a ruckus.
When the exam ended, Ody handed in his paper and headed for the door. “Stavrinos, come to my office for a moment,” the professor called.
“Is something wrong, sir?” he asked.
“You mentioned a mistake in the system. I have your exam paper there.”
“Oh, right. Of course.”
“Go on ahead. I’ll be there in two minutes,” the professor said as the last students turned in their papers.
Ody stepped out with Steve and Chris.
“We’ll grab coffees and wait for you out front, okay?” Steve said, and headed off with Chris.
Ody walked down the corridor. He stopped outside the professor’s office, finding the door locked. Behind him, the classroom door opened. Kash walked out and stopped short when he spotted Ody at the end of the hall.
“Oh, look who we have here,” Pablo muttered.
“It’s been a while since we messed with him. I’m in the mood,” Brandon said, his voice low and eager.
Ody turned his head just in time to find all three of them staring straight at him.
Kash’s expression shifted. His eyes widened as he shot Ody a desperate look, silently urging him to go inside the office now.
Ody’s chest tightened. He understood exactly what Kash meant, and exactly what the other two were about to do. But his legs refused to move.
Brandon and Pablo moved toward him. Kash mouthed, “Go.”
Ody stepped back as they closed in.
“Long time no see, Stavrinos,” Pablo said, every word carrying a threat.
“How’s life treating you?” Brandon added with a mocking grin. “Your friends aren’t here to save you this time.”
“Odysseus, come on in. I’m done,” the professor called from behind them. All three boys turned. “Do you need something?” he asked, eyeing them directly.
“No, sir. Have a good afternoon,” Kash said quickly, stealing one more anxious glance at Ody without letting his friends notice.
“Come,” the professor said as he unlocked the door and held it open for him.
“Damn it,” Brandon muttered once Ody was out of reach.
“When are we gonna catch him alone? He’s always with those other assholes,” Pablo complained.
“Maybe we should make sure they can’t always be with him,” Brandon said with a smirk. The two of them laughed while Kash stayed silent.
When Ody finished in the office, he stepped outside and found his friends waiting for him with coffees in hand. They stopped at a quiet spot on campus, talked for a bit, then walked him to the parking lot.
After he got into his car, they headed off.
Ody had just put his keys in the ignition when movement caught his eye. Kash. Pushing a girl toward the back of the building, looking over his shoulder like he didn’t want anyone to see.
He leaned closer to the steering wheel, trying to get a better look at her face. When they disappeared behind the corner, something in his stomach twisted.
Without thinking, he got out of the car. He followed, every step careful, his pulse rising for reasons he didn’t understand yet.
“Stop pushing me, Kash!” the girl snapped.
“I’ve told you a thousand times not to come here,” he hissed.
“You said that if I asked, you would! Why are you changing your mind now?”
“Stella, for fuck’s sake, I already explained!”
Ody froze mid-step. Stella. The name hit him like cold water. Kash’s ex. The one who also dated Mano.
He pressed himself back into the shadows, barely breathing.
“Yeah, you don’t wanna upset your little boyfriend!” she spat, fixing him with a furious glare, her muted green eyes blazing. “Kash, I don’t care! You know exactly how Mano treated me! You said you’d take care of him, and now you’re leaving me to deal with this alone!”
Kash lowered his voice fast, panicked. “I don’t wanna keep this going, do you get that?”
“So you’d rather leave me alone than stick to our deal?” she shot back. “You promised you’d beat the shit out of him!”
Ody’s heart stopped. A deal. To hurt Mano.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink. Pressed against the concrete wall just around the corner, he stayed perfectly still, his chest tightening with every word.
“You were pissed too,” Stella continued. “When you found out he stayed over at Ody’s place. When you made him bleed.”
Ody’s stomach dropped.
“Yeah, I was mad. And I hate Mano,” he said, pushing a hand through his tousled dark hair. “But I’m not gonna hurt him again because Ody would hate me for it.”
“It’s always about Ody!” She exploded. “You’re putting some guy above your own sister!”
Ody froze. Sister. For a second, his mind refused to register the word. It just sat there, heavy and impossible.
Kash didn’t react. He didn’t correct her, didn’t laugh it off. He didn’t deny it.
Stella kept shouting, but Ody barely heard any of it. His pulse thundered in his ears. Every memory rearranged itself at once. The “toxic ex.” The threats. The manipulation. The lie Mano had believed. The lie Ody had believed.
Siblings. Stella and Kash were siblings.
Kash’s voice cut through the ringing in Ody’s ears. “Stella, I love you, and you know that. But after a whole year I finally got him to notice me. To see who I really am. I can’t ruin everything. Because that’s exactly what’ll happen if I go after Mano again!”
The fight in that school. The hatred. The obsession. It all snapped together like broken bones clicking back into place.
Ody pressed himself harder against the wall, breath tight and shallow.
They lied to Mano’s face. They lied to everyone. They played a role. Together.
His entire body went cold.
“So you’re letting him get away with it? After he treated me like trash?” Her voice cracked. “After he fucked me, dumped me, and then fucked my friend too!”
Ody’s breath hitched. When? How? Why didn’t Mano ever say—
“You were supposed to play my ex and send him to the hospital, and now you’re letting him off the hook because of Ody?” She shoved him hard, making him stumble.
“Stella… enough,” he said, softer now. “You already got your revenge. Just stop.”
“I won’t rest until I ruin his life!” she screamed. “With or without your help!” She turned and stormed away, her footsteps echoing off the concrete.
Ody stayed pressed to the wall long after she left. His breathing was uneven. His chest felt tight, almost painful. This can’t be real.
Kash ran a hand over his face and kicked at the gravel in frustration.
Ody stepped forward. Kash spun around, his face draining of color the instant he saw him.
“Your sister.” Ody fought to keep his composure.
Kash swallowed hard. “Ody… wait—”
“This whole thing.” Ody walked closer, eyes locked on him. “You two planned it together… To get back at Mano?”
Kash took a shaky step toward him. “N-no, listen to me. Please.”
“What else is there to listen to? I heard everything.”
“Ody, please. It was Stella’s idea. She wanted to teach Mano a lesson. I—”
“You hate him,” Ody cut in. “I heard you say it.”
“I-I don’t hate him, I just—”
“Your sister.” The words came out sharp. “I should’ve realized. You like guys, so why would you want her back?”
Kash’s eyes widened in panic, his gaze darting around. “Please keep your voice down. I’ll explain. I’ll explain everything. Just… not here. Please.”
Ody didn’t move.
“Please,” Kash repeated, almost whispering. “Ody, I’m begging you.”
He didn’t speak. His stare alone made Kash shrink back a little.
Ody’s chest rose and fell slowly, fury tightening every muscle.
He wasn’t listening because he cared or wanted to understand.
He wanted the truth because he was owed it.
Because Kash had lied to him. Because he had let Kash touch him, kiss him, pull him in…
and now every moment between them felt poisoned.
After a long moment, Ody inhaled, steadying himself just enough to speak. “Get in the car. You’re gonna tell me everything.”
Kash nodded fast. He followed him without another word.
The ride to Ody’s place was silent. Kash kept rubbing his palms on his jeans, stealing terrified glances at Ody, who never once looked back at him.
Once they stepped inside, Ody didn’t offer him a seat. He sat at the dining table, arms crossed, jaw tight. Kash stopped a few steps away, unsure if he was allowed to sit at all. He finally sank onto the couch, head lowered.