48. Chapter 48
The silence in the room felt unbearable. Anna stood farther away on the bed now, staring at him like she didn’t understand what had just happened.
Ody dragged a hand over his face, unable to look at her.
“What did you just say...?” she asked.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
“You yelled at me. To stop.” Her voice trembled. “You pushed me away.”
No. She must have misheard him. Her mind was already spinning through different explanations. “Is there something you need to tell me, Ody?”
He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Tell you what?”
“I don’t know! I touch you, and you yell at me to stop. You shove me away. Does that seem normal to you?”
“Keep your voice down…”
Anna narrowed her eyes at him. “Is something going on, Ody?”
“Like what?”
“You just shoved me away like you couldn’t stand me touching you!”
Ody let out a short breath. “All this because I didn’t feel like having sex?”
“It’s not about the sex,” Anna said. “It’s the way you reacted when I touched you.”
“I asked you to stop first,” he said. “You didn’t. That’s why I pushed you away. I’m sorry.”
“Fine, Odysseus. Whatever!” she snapped, jumping to her feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Wherever the hell I want!” She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Mano was walking down the hallway with a soda in hand when she nearly ran into him. He frowned as she brushed past him, looking furious, and watched her disappear down the hall. Then he turned toward Ody’s door and knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened. Ody stood there, his expression tense.
“What the hell happened? Anna just stormed past me like she wanted to kill someone.”
Ody let out a long sigh before turning and walking back into the room.
Mano stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “What?” he asked, following him.
Ody ran a hand through his hair, still rattled. “She started kissing me and I pushed her away.”
Mano’s expression faltered. “Because of what happened earlier?”
Ody didn’t answer right away. His mind twisted with a hundred thoughts at once. Anna’s hurt face. The car. The way everything had changed in the span of an hour.
He let out a shaky breath. “When she touched me…” he started, then stopped. He rubbed his face, struggling to explain it. “I didn’t want it.”
Mano stayed silent.
Ody finally looked at him. “I didn’t want her touching me,” he said.
“All I could think about was earlier. The only thing I wanted was your touch.” He paused, shaking his head.
“No... that’s not it.” He hesitated, searching for the right words.
“It’s not just that. I want you. I want all of you.
I want to actually know you. Spend time with you.
Talk to you. Do normal things together.”
For a moment neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other, something heavy and unspoken passing between them.
“I want to know you like no one else does.”
Mano held his gaze for a second longer before answering. “You already know me better than anyone.”
“You know what I think?” Ody said. “Everyone else knows two percent of you. I know twenty. But there’s so much more you won’t let me see.”
“I’m not that much of a mystery.”
“You are,” Ody said. “The bullying. The hospital. Your tattoos. Your brother. Your parents. There are so many things you’ve never told me.”
For a split second, something flickered across Mano’s face. The words hit too close. Bullying. Hospital. Brother. Parents. Each one landed like a spark against something raw he kept buried deep inside.
His shoulders stiffened. The softness that had been in his eyes a moment ago vanished, replaced by something colder. The wall went back up. “And I never will. Stop asking.”
Ody froze. “You never will?” he asked quietly.
Mano’s jaw tightened as his voice turned sharp. “What did you think? That we’d make out for a couple of days on vacation and I’d pour my heart out to you? Is that what you thought?”
Ody didn’t answer right away. For a moment he just stared at him.
The words hit him like a punch to the chest. All the warmth that had filled the room seconds ago seemed to vanish at once.
He searched Mano’s face, hoping he hadn’t meant it, hoping there was still something between them he had misunderstood.
But Mano’s expression stayed cold.
Something inside Ody sank. “Is that what you think this is?”
“What else would it be?”
Ody took a slow breath. “I asked you to come to Patra with me,” he said. “To meet my parents.”
Mano let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah? And then what? You go back to your girlfriend and sneak around to see me once a week?”
Ody blinked, clearly thrown. “I…” He shook his head. “I don’t understand. One minute you keep pushing me away, and the next you’re angry because I can’t be with you.”
“I’m not angry about that!” Mano snapped, taking a step closer. “I’m angry because you think this is something more than what it is!”
Mano’s words hung in the air. For a moment Ody just stared at him, the confusion on his face slowly giving way to something far more wounded.
His chest rose and fell slowly as he tried to steady his breathing. So that was it. Everything he had just said to Mano, everything he had tried to confess. None of it mattered. “You know what?” he said. “You’re treating me just like all the girls in your life.”
Mano went still, his eyes locked on Ody’s.
“A new one every week, right?” he asked. The bitterness in his voice was impossible to miss.
Mano’s fists clenched at his sides.
“Well?” Ody continued, holding his gaze. “Isn’t that what you do? Never get attached. Keep someone around for a week... then throw them away like they meant nothing.”
Silence fell between them. Neither of them looked away.
Then Mano gave a small shrug. “Maybe that’s just how it is.”
Something inside Ody cracked. For a moment he looked like he might say something. But whatever it was died in his throat. He turned away.
After a few seconds, Mano walked out. The door closed behind him. He stood in the hallway, staring at the floor. Ody’s words echoed in his head. Then he stepped into his own room and slammed the door shut.
“You scared me,” Ranya said from the bed, watching as he headed straight for the bathroom.
He shut the door behind him and braced his arms against the sink. For a moment he just stared at his reflection. Everything they’d said replayed in his head. Over and over.
He ran a hand through his hair and turned away from the mirror, pacing the small bathroom once before stopping again at the sink.
His reflection stared back at him, tense and exhausted.
He didn’t recognize this feeling. That tight pressure in his chest. That dangerous urge to let someone get too close.
So he did what he had always done when things started slipping out of his control. He shoved it down. Built the wall back up.
“Mano? Are you okay?” Ranya’s voice came through the door.
He dropped his head between his hands and said nothing.
The sixth day on the island of Serifos dawned bright and cloudless. Everyone came down for breakfast, but half the group barely spoke. Anna sat stiffly beside Ody. He hardly looked up from his plate. Mano kept his eyes on his coffee while Ranya stared out at the sea.
The others quickly noticed something was off. “We’re doing the island tour today, right?” Christina asked.
No one answered.
Ody, Anna, Mano and Ranya stayed focused on their plates, pretending to be busy with their food.
“Uhh… yeah. Great. Guys?” Christina tried again.
Anna finally lifted her gaze.
“What now, for fuck’s sake?” Steve muttered in frustration. “Don’t get me started with this vacation.”
“Yeah,” Ody said at last. “We’re doing the island tour.”
After breakfast, they changed into their swimsuits, grabbed their things, and headed to the cars.
In one car, with Antony, Christina, Steve and Danae, the music blasted from the speakers. They sang along loudly, laughing and chatting as the warm summer wind rushed through the open windows.
In the other car, the radio played softly, the signal cutting out every now and then. The silence between them was unbearable. Mano reached over and turned the volume up. Ody lowered it. Mano glared at him and turned it back up. Ody lowered it again. The girls exchanged uneasy looks.
“Don’t set it to fifty,” Ody said. “It’s too loud.”
“I’ll set it wherever the hell I want,” Mano shot back, cranking it up once more.
“It’s my car!” Ody snapped, turning it down.
“Boys…” Ranya tried carefully.
“We’re not sitting in silence the entire way,” Mano said, reaching for the dial again. “Put the music on!”
Ody pulled over to the side of the road. The sudden stop jerked the girls sideways in their seats as he yanked up the handbrake and shut off the engine. “If you can’t stand being around me, you should’ve gone with the others!” he shouted, locking eyes with him.
“Great idea! Why don’t you call them?” Mano yelled back.
“Guys, what the hell is going on?” Anna asked.
“You call them!” Ody shot back. “Since you hate being around us so much.”
Mano let out a harsh scoff. “Wow. Took you long enough.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Ody let out a bitter laugh. “Took me long enough to realize you always get bored after a week.”
They locked eyes, anger and something far more dangerous simmering beneath the surface.
Ranya finally stepped in. “What the fuck, you guys? Again?” she said, throwing her hands up. “Maybe you two on the same trip wasn’t a great idea, but we literally just started the tour. Can you not do this right now?”
“No!” they both shouted at the same time. Then they stormed out of the car, each slamming their own door.
“Call them!” Mano yelled, standing by his own.
“You call them! You’re the one who wants to leave!”
“I don’t have their numbers,” Mano said through clenched teeth. “Are you gonna call or do I have to lose my shit?”
Ody stepped closer. “So what, you’re gonna hit me now?”
“I’d love to! You wanna see?” Mano moved in as well.
They closed the distance until their foreheads nearly touched, their breaths mixing, fists clenched like they couldn’t decide whether to punch each other or pull each other closer.
“Hey, hey!” The girls rushed out of the car, pushing themselves between them.
“Ody, call Antony,” Anna said. “Ask where they are. If they’re still close, we can switch cars.”
Neither of the boys looked away from each other.
Finally Ody pulled out his phone and dialed. “Where are you?” he asked.
“I don’t know, dude. We saw you stop on the side of the road. Is everything okay?” Antony replied over the sound of the wind.
“Pull over and tell me where you are.”
“Dude, what happened?”
“Mano and Ranya are getting in your car. Steve and Danae are coming with me.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do what I said and stop asking questions,” Ody snapped. “Pull over and call me.” He ended the call and glared at Mano. “Happy now?”
“Very,” Mano spat back.
The girls let out frustrated sighs.
When they caught up with the others, Steve and Danae switched cars, taking Mano and Ranya’s seats.
“Bro, what the hell?” Steve asked as he climbed into the passenger seat.
“Leave me alone,” Ody muttered, gripping the steering wheel.
In the other car, Antony and Christina didn’t dare ask what had happened. Mano looked like he might explode. The rest of the drive passed in tense silence.
Half an hour later they pulled up at a beach and headed toward the bar with their bags.
“I don’t think we should drive around the whole island today,” Christina murmured to Antony and Steve. “Those two are at each other’s throats. How are we supposed to enjoy a trip like this?” She glanced between them. “Do you know what happened?”
Antony exchanged a look with Steve. “No clue. But Anna wasn’t herself this morning.”
Meanwhile, the others were already in the water. Mano was farther out, swimming alone. Ody stayed closer to the shore beside Anna, though the tension between them was obvious.
They swam in silence for a while. “What happened with Mano this time?” she finally asked.
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“What?”
“Keep acting like this, Ody. Next thing you know, you’ll be ignoring me completely.”
“This has nothing to do with us,” he said, but even as he spoke, he knew that wasn’t true.
“I’m going back,” she said, turning toward the shore and joining the others at the beach bar.
Everyone was enjoying cold drinks except Mano and Ody, who were still in the water.
The beach bar was busy. Waiters moved constantly between the tables carrying trays of drinks and food. Some people lounged under umbrellas while others lay in the sun reading. Upbeat summer music played from the speakers.
A man from another group stood up, staring toward the water. “What the hell are they doing?”
People nearby turned to look. “What’s going on?” a woman asked.
A bad feeling crept over the group. Steve was the first to walk closer. Then he recognized them. “Shit!” he shouted, already breaking into a run. “It’s our guys!”
As he rushed toward the shore, the scene came into focus. Mano had Ody pinned in the sand, throwing punches. Whenever Ody managed to move, he tried to shove him away or lock his arm around his neck.
He finally rolled free and lunged at Mano, trying to tackle him. It didn’t work. As he lifted his head, Mano’s fist crashed into his face, sending him straight back into the sand.
“You idiots!” Steve yelled, rushing in and grabbing Mano from behind.
Ody wiped his mouth and looked up at him, breathing hard.
Mano tried to break free and lunge at him again, but Steve held him back with all his strength.
The others rushed over. Anna dropped to her knees beside Ody.
“Let go!” Mano shouted, shoving Steve away.
He took a step forward, but Antony blocked him. “Mano, calm down!”
He shoved Antony aside and towered over Ody, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head up.
Anna gasped. For the first time, Mano genuinely scared her.
His eyes burned with fury as he stared down at Ody.
Ody glared right back, despite the pain shooting through his scalp.
“We’re done. You hear me? Stay the fuck away from me!”