34. Chapter 34 #2
“That’s it. All the way,” he said, hips moving in a slow rhythm. He groaned before pulling back. “Get up.”
She rose, breathless. He pinned her to the wall again, one hand at her throat. “Now be a good girl and touch yourself for me.”
Her breath caught. Slowly, her hand slipped between her legs while her eyes stayed fixed on his. Mano watched her without moving, his hand still wrapped around her throat.
Water still glistened on their skin as they stepped out to dry off. Ranya dressed slowly, while Mano pulled on athletic shorts and dropped onto the bed.
“Did you see the pool? We should go later.”
Mano shifted on the bed, barely opening his eyes. “Sure.”
“And we’re going out tonight. So maybe pool around six.”
“Fine.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Keep it down. I need to rest.” He pulled the white sheet to his waist, his chest exposed to the warm afternoon light.
The hours passed. Outside, the hotel stayed calm, the sound of cicadas humming faintly through the windows.
By five, everyone drifted into the small hotel restaurant for something light. The break had left most of them refreshed, and planning dinner felt easy.
After they ate, the group wandered toward the pool. Sunlight shimmered across the water, warm and clear. Some lounged under umbrellas, others stretched out on chairs.
“I’m going to sunbathe,” Ranya said, standing up. She returned a moment later in a sarong and lay beside Mano.
Twenty minutes passed in lazy conversation and the sound of water lapping. Eventually, Anna and Christina got up to change as well. Ody talked with Steve and Antony while Mano lay back with his eyes closed, relaxed under the heat of the sun and the quiet breeze.
“Boys, are we getting in?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Ody said, heading to change. On his way back, he saw Mano still stretched out. “Mano? You coming in?”
“Yeah,” he murmured, dragging himself to his feet. They each disappeared into their rooms.
Mano tied the knot on his swim trunks when a knock came at the door. He opened it, expecting Ranya, but Ody stood there instead, wearing only his swim trunks.
Mano frowned. “What?”
Ody hesitated for half a second, like he almost reconsidered being there. “Are you ready for the pool?”
Mano blinked. “Yeah. I was just about to head out.”
Ody didn’t move. He stood there, eyes fixed on Mano with a tension that didn’t match the casual question he just asked.
Mano noticed and his expression sharpened. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Ody said, too quickly.
Mano crossed his arms. “Then why are you standing at my door like you forgot how to talk?”
Ody exhaled through his nose, annoyed at himself, at Mano, at whatever was hanging between them since yesterday. He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation and shut the door behind him.
Mano took a step back. “What the hell are you doing?”
Ody looked at him for a long moment. His jaw tightened, his eyes steady. “I want to test something.”
Mano’s confusion flickered into irritation. “Test what?”
Ody took one step forward. “You said seeing me naked wouldn’t freak you out.”
Mano scoffed under his breath, trying to play it off. “Why would it,” he said, a faint smirk forming even though his shoulders had tensed.
Ody didn’t buy it. “I don’t know. You tell me.” He closed the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps.
Mano stepped back on instinct until his back hit the wall.
Ody planted both hands on either side of him, caging him in completely.
Mano’s eyes widened, the smirk dying on his lips. “Ody… what are you doing?”
Ody leaned in just enough for Mano to feel his breath. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he whispered, repeating Mano’s words from yesterday.
Mano shoved him. “Have you lost it? What the hell are you do—”
Ody shoved him right back. Mano hit the wall again, breath catching. “Why do you keep provoking me?” he asked, his voice low, sharper than before. His green eyes locked onto Mano’s with an intensity that made his stomach twist.
“Provoking you?” Mano repeated, completely thrown.
“One minute you talk about how you do it with Ranya. The next, you pin me to a door and ask why I freaked out seeing you naked. Why do you keep provoking me? Weren’t you the one who pushed me away when I kissed you?”
“Shh! Are you insane?” Mano hissed, panic flickering in his eyes. “You can’t say that in here.”
“Answer me!” He slammed both palms into the wall on either side of Mano’s head.
Mano flinched at the sudden movement. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, unable to hold Ody’s stare.
Ody reached out and tilted his chin up with two fingers, forcing their eyes to meet.
Mano’s breath hitched. His hands hovered helplessly at his sides, unsure whether to push, grab, or stay still.
Ody stayed close. “I’m waiting.”
Color spread across Mano’s cheeks. He didn’t know if Ody wanted an answer, a confession, or a reaction he couldn’t give. The closeness scrambled every thought he tried to form.
For a second, neither of them moved. The silence pressed in tight and hot between their bodies. Ody held his stare, watching the way Mano’s throat worked, how his eyes kept flicking down and back up again.
Ody’s mouth twitched, then he laughed. Sudden and sharp.
He stepped back, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe how easily Mano froze.
Mano blinked, thrown completely out of his own panic.
“I won,” Ody said, still laughing under his breath. “You really freaked out.” He let the silence hang for a second, watching the way Mano’s face tightened.
Then he turned away, voice light again. “I’m going back to the pool. You coming?” He didn’t wait for an answer. He opened the door and walked out, letting it fall shut behind him.
Mano stayed against the wall, breathing unevenly. His pulse hammered in his neck, louder than the quiet room around him. Heat crawled under his skin, not from desire this time, but from the sting of being caught off guard. Of losing control, of letting Ody see him flinch.
His jaw tightened. His fists closed.
Ody thought this was a game. Maybe to him it was. Mano hated that he couldn’t treat it the same way. But if Ody wanted to play, then fine.
The game’s on. Let’s see who backs down first.