43. Chapter 43
Mano’s face turned bright red. “Y-you’re just making shit up!” he snapped, blinking rapidly. He shoved the door open and stormed out.
Ody followed right behind him. “Hey! Aren’t you going to help with the stuff?” he called.
Mano ignored him and headed toward the others. Ody let out a quiet laugh, watching the embarrassed retreat.
Steve and Christina checked the bags they had carried, making sure everything was there. They all settled onto the loungers. Mano, however, sat a little farther away by himself.
The others began undressing to go into the water, and Ranya walked over to Mano in her swimsuit. “Baby, are you coming in?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Oh, come on!” she said, reaching for his shirt and tugging it off.
“Hey! What are you doing?” he complained.
“Let’s go in!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.
“Hold on, let me take off my shorts.” He pulled his hand back and slipped off his athletic shorts, Ody’s gaze lingering on him from a distance.
“We’re coming!” Ranya shouted as she dragged Mano toward the shore.
“The water’s perfect!” Christina called excitedly.
“Ahh! Something touched me!” Anna screamed, thrashing in the water.
“Calm down. It’s probably just a crab,” Steve teased.
“A crab?”
“Ody, come on in!” Antony called.
Ody stripped off the rest of his clothes, walked toward the water, and dove in headfirst.
Steve splashed him, and Ody splashed back. Within seconds Antony joined in, and the three of them were sending waves crashing in every direction.
“Hey!” Anna and Christina protested, retreating as the water hit them.
Mano stayed farther out on his own.
The boys finally stopped, laughing as they wiped their faces.
“You know you’re an idiot, right?” Anna said, swimming over and wrapping her arms around Ody.
“Do you want some too?” he teased.
“Don’t you dare!” she warned and he laughed.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving. I’m getting out,” Antony said, swimming toward shore.
“Same. I want those croissants!” Ranya called, swimming after him.
They all followed her out of the water. Except Mano.
Soon the group crowded around the bags, already digging through the food. “Mano, what are you doing? Come on!” Ranya called.
Everyone glanced toward the sea. “There won’t be anything left in five minutes. These girls are going to eat us alive,” Steve joked.
Mano finally headed out of the water. He grabbed his towel from the lounger, drying himself off while laughter and overlapping voices filled the air behind him as everyone fought over snacks.
He stayed where he was and Ody noticed. He grabbed a bag of croissants and stood. As he walked over, Mano looked up and their eyes met. Ody set the bag beside him without saying a word.
Mano glanced at the bag, then back at him. Something softened in his expression.
Ody looked away first and walked back toward the group. Mano watched him go before opening the bag and taking the first bite.
Anna groaned and lay back on her lounger, clearly stuffed. Ody teased her about how much she had eaten, earning a playful slap to his bare chest.
For a moment, the group relaxed on their loungers, chatting and laughing as the night settled around them. Then Ranya’s gaze drifted toward Mano, who was still sitting a little apart from everyone. “You two are still not talking?” she asked Ody.
The group fell silent. Ody knew she meant Mano, but he didn’t answer.
Antony frowned and glanced between them. “Seriously? You guys are still doing this?”
“Come on,” Christina said. “We’re on vacation. Whatever it is, just talk it out.”
Ody dropped his gaze to the sand. The others thought this was about them fighting. But the real reason for the tension was something he couldn’t tell them.
Ranya stood and walked over to Mano. He looked up as she sat on the lounger across from him, studying his face. “Why don’t you go talk to Ody and fix this?” she said softly.
Mano frowned. “Fix what?”
“This weird tension between you two,” she said. “And baby, you never join us. You always sit by yourself.” She glanced back toward the group where Ody sat, then returned her gaze to Mano. “So go talk to him.”
Antony jerked his chin toward the far end of the beach, where they had come from. “Walk it off somewhere and figure it out.”
The group’s persistence finally pushed Ody to stand.
When Ranya saw Ody approaching, she got to her feet and glanced between the two of them. “Work it out, okay?” she said before heading back to the others.
Ody and Mano looked at each other, neither sure where to begin. Ody jerked his head down the beach, silently telling him to follow, then turned and walked away. Mano hesitated for a moment before getting up and trailing after him.
They stopped near the first row of empty loungers, far enough from the group, and sat facing each other. “The others basically forced me to come talk to you,” Ody said. “They still think we’re mad at each other.”
Mano let out a dry laugh. “Oh, they forced you?” he said. “Relax. We’ve got nothing to talk about.” He moved to get up, but Ody grabbed his wrist.
“Actually, I do,” he said. “I need to tell you something.”
Mano raised an eyebrow. “What now? Is this about Kash? Did he send you another message?”
“No. I haven’t answered him.”
Mano’s jaw tightened. He looked down, dragging his foot through the sand.
“But what I need to tell you is about him.”
“Ody…” Mano sighed. “I don’t want to hear anything more about Kash, okay?”
“Just listen for a second.”
Mano looked at him, clearly irritated.
“Do you remember when I told you the only person who knows about Kash, besides me, is his sister?”
“Yeah,” Mano said impatiently. “So what? Why should I care?”
Ody hesitated for a moment. “His sister is Stella.”
Mano froze, his gaze flicking between Ody’s eyes. A quiet laugh slipped out. “Ody, what are you talking about? Stella is his ex.” He shifted on the lounger, dismissing the idea.
Ody shook his head. “That’s what she told everyone. But she’s not.”
Mano frowned.
“I heard them talking at school,” Ody continued. “They were calling each other brother and sister. And Kash confirmed it later.”
Mano stared at him. “I…I don’t get it,” he said slowly.
His gaze dropped to the sand as he tried to make sense of it.
“Kash knew about our meeting because of her messages…” He went still.
Then his head snapped up. “Wait. Stella told us her ex hit her too.” He fell silent, staring ahead as the thought settled in.
“She told me her ex wouldn’t leave her alone.
She asked me to keep him away from her. Her ex was Kash.
He even told me not to go near her again—” He stopped mid-sentence.
The memory hit him all at once. That night at school, Kash hadn’t acted like a jealous ex trying to win Stella back. He hadn’t even told Mano to stop seeing her. He had only warned him to treat her better.
Mano’s stomach dropped. He stared at the sand for a second, his jaw tightening. Then he jumped to his feet. “That fucking bitch!” he shouted.
The others glanced over from across the beach.
Ody stood. “Mano, calm down—”
“She fucking lied to me!”
Steve pushed himself up from the lounger, looking over like he expected another fight.
“Shhh,” Ody said quickly, grabbing Mano’s shoulders and pushing him back down. “Don’t yell. I’ll explain.” He glanced toward the group. When he saw Steve sit back down, he exhaled in relief. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a slow breath. “Stella wants revenge on you, Mano.”
“What?”
“Kash and Stella are close,” Ody explained. “He told me everything. When you were seeing her… you slept with her best friend, right?”
“I never dated her.”
“That’s not how she sees it,” Ody said. “She thinks you ruined her friendship.”
Mano’s expression darkened.
“Kash beating you up… that was mostly because of her,” Ody said. “The others jumped in because you stepped in to protect me. They don’t know she’s his sister.”
Mano stared at him, fury flashing in his eyes. “So she got her big brother to beat the hell out of me?” he snapped. “Slash my tires? All of it?”
“She asked him to, yes,” Ody said. “Kash was angry about how you treated her. But he doesn’t want to hurt you anymore.”
Mano’s jaw tightened.
“Stella fought with him about it. She’s obsessed with you,” Ody added. “But Kash promised he won’t help her again. The worst she can do now is post pictures.”
Mano let out a dark laugh, running a hand over his mouth. Ody didn’t like the sound of it. “Do you remember those voice messages she sent?” he asked.
Ody nodded.
“She was crying,” Mano said, his voice low with rage. “Saying her ex hit her.” His eyes burned as he drew in a slow breath. “I swear I’ll fucking kill her.”
“Mano, no. It’s over. She can’t touch you now.”
“And what about everything she already did?” Mano snapped. “She set me up. Sent her brother and his friends to beat the hell out of me!”
“I know,” Ody said quickly, lowering his voice. “And I hate what she did too. But it’s done. Kash swore he won’t bother you again.”
“Oh sure,” Mano sneered. “He gave his sacred vow to his boyfriend.”
Ody stiffened. “I’m not his boyfriend.”
“Right,” Mano said mockingly. “Just a one-night thing.”
Ody glanced toward the group to make sure no one was listening. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because it pisses me off!” Mano snapped, slamming his hand against the lounger. “We went through all that shit because of him, and you hooked up with him!”
“Stop yelling!” Ody tried to cover his mouth, but Mano shoved him away and stood.
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
Ody grabbed his arm. Mano tried to yank free, still seething, while Ody dragged him up the beach toward the rocks.
“What are you doing?” Mano snapped, stumbling after him.
Ody didn’t answer. By the time they reached the rocks, Mano was still fuming.
“You scared Anna might hear?” he spat. “You’ve got Anna as the girlfriend, Kash on the side, and me for entertainment.”
“You’re more than that to me,” Ody shot back.
Silence settled between them. Mano stood there breathing hard, his glare locked on him.
Ody held his gaze. “You think this is a game to me? I’ve never been this serious about anyone.”
Mano scoffed. “Yeah. Right.”
Ody’s jaw tightened. “It’s just you.” He blinked, then added, “…and Anna, I know.”
Mano let out a bitter laugh. “If you’re not someone’s first choice, you walk away.”
Ody stared at him. “What if I told you you are my first choice?”
Mano didn’t blink. His gaze stayed locked on Ody, unreadable. “You prove that with actions. Not words.”
Ody clenched his jaw. “What do you want me to do?”
Mano sighed and looked away. “How should I know?”
“Do you want me to break up with her?”
Mano’s eyes flickered. For a moment he didn’t say anything. Then his expression hardened again. “I’m not giving you the answer. It’s your life.”
Their gazes stayed locked in the silence.
Mano took a step back, ready to walk away, but Ody grabbed his wrist. “Don’t walk away, damn it.”
Mano looked at him, eyes hard. “We have nothing else to say.” He yanked his hand free.
“I’m not done talking.” Ody stepped in front of him, blocking his path, pushing him in the chest.
The touch only fueled Mano’s anger. “Move.”
Ody didn’t. “I just told you how I feel and you’re not saying anything,” he said, frustration bleeding into his voice. “Why can’t you be honest with me?”
Mano’s jaw tightened.
“I know you want this,” Ody added. “I can see it.” Before he could stop himself, he stepped closer and cupped Mano’s face with both hands.
The gesture was gentle. Too gentle. And it was the last thing Mano wanted at that moment. Everything inside him was still burning. The lies. Stella’s manipulation. The humiliation. The beating. “You know nothing,” he said, shoving Ody back.
Ody staggered a step, staring at him. “Stop pretending you don’t care!” he snapped, shoving him right back.
For a split second they glared at each other, breathing hard. Then something inside Mano snapped. His fist came up and slammed into Ody’s face. The impact shot through his arm, and the moment it landed he knew he’d crossed a line. But it was too late.
Ody’s head snapped to the side with the blow. When he looked back at him, his eyes were blazing. He lunged forward and drove into Mano, sending them both crashing into the sand.
Mano reacted on instinct. He rolled him over easily and pulled back his fist. Ody caught his wrist before it could fall and twisted, using the momentum to flip them again.
Now Mano was on his back. Ody hovered above him, breathing hard, his fist raised. For a moment he didn’t move.
Mano stared up at him, a crooked grin forming on his lips. “Come on, mikre,” he challenged. “Hit me.”
Ody’s hand trembled.
Mano gave a short laugh. “What’s wrong? Can’t do it?”
Ody’s jaw tightened. His fist stayed suspended in the air, but the anger inside him had nowhere to go.
Mano was still looking at him with that infuriating half-smile. Sand in his hair. Breath coming fast. Eyes burning.
And somehow Ody still wanted him.
It made no sense.
“God, you drive me insane.” He grabbed the front of Mano’s shirt and crashed his mouth onto his.