54. Chapter 54
Mano stood in the hallway a moment longer before walking back inside. He dropped onto the couch and pulled out his phone, checking the status of the order again.
Just shipped.
He locked the phone and tossed it beside him.
By the time Ody got back to his car, fragments of the night were already replaying in his head. But one moment refused to leave him.
Mano’s reaction. And the words he had said when he told him he wanted to break up with Anna.
Several hours later, in the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Ody frowned. He hurried to the door and pulled it open.
Kash leaned casually against the doorframe, his eyes slowly scanning him.
Ody’s smile faltered.
“Expecting someone else?” Kash asked, his gaze lingering on Ody’s face. “You look disappointed.”
Ody looked down with a quiet sigh, his hand still resting on the door.
“How was Serifos?” Kash asked.
Ody raised his head but didn’t answer.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Ody didn’t move. He just stared at him.
Kash glanced down the hallway. “I don’t mind talking right here,” he said. “If you’re okay with your neighbors listening.”
Ody exhaled and stepped aside to let him in.
Kash walked past him. “How was it?” he asked again once the door closed behind them.
“Good,” Ody replied. “What are you doing here?”
“You told me not to text you again. I respected that. I didn’t bother you,” he said, taking a slow step closer. “But what I wrote in that message… I meant it.”
Ody stepped back, raising his hands between them. “Look, Kash… I told you even before Serifos. Don’t expect anything from me.”
Kash searched his face. “Didn’t we have a good time together?”
“I-it was nice,” Ody admitted awkwardly, glancing down. “But I was still figuring things out.”
“So that’s it?” Kash said, his voice tightening. “I helped you figure yourself out… and now you’re done with me?”
“Were you expecting something from me?” Ody asked. “Because I never promised you anything.”
Kash stared at him. “So you don’t want me.”
Ody lowered his gaze.
“And who do you want?” Kash continued. “Anna?”
One look up was enough to make Kash raise his hands mockingly. “Whoa, whoa. My bad,” he said. “Maybe Mano?”
Ody swallowed. “I told you,” he said carefully. “Mano and I are just friends. I have a girlfriend.”
Kash scoffed. “Yeah, Ody. Sure.” He tilted his head. “Did you have fun in Serifos? Just the two of you… getting closer?”
“Why are you doing this?”
Kash opened his mouth to answer, but the words died before they came out.
He closed his eyes and exhaled, like he was trying to keep himself under control.
“You know what he did to my sister,” he said through clenched teeth.
“And you remember what happened between the three of us not long ago.” His jaw tightened.
“I don’t want to picture you with him. Not him. ”
“What’s your problem?” Ody shot back. “You told me you wouldn’t touch him again.”
“I did that for you!” Kash snapped. “I can’t stand him, and I never will.”
“And why are you telling me all this?”
Kash hesitated. “Because if you’re choosing him over me—”
“I’m not!” Ody cut him off. “Even if Mano wasn’t in the picture, nothing would ever happen between us.”
Kash stared at him. “You don’t know that.”
“I do, Kash.”
For a moment neither of them moved. Then Kash stepped forward and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him closer.
Ody shoved him away instantly. “Kash, leave!” he shouted.
Kash stumbled back a step, staring at him. His jaw tightened, the control he’d been clinging to finally slipping. “You think Anna’s gonna be okay when she finds out about you and Mano?”
Ody froze, his gaze locked on him. “What did you say…?”
“Something happened between you two in Serifos. I know it,” he said. “Did he see the message I sent you? Is that why you reacted like that?”
“Did you just threaten me?” Ody’s voice rose. “I kept your secret after everything you put me through, and now you’re blackmailing me?” He stared at him, anger burning in his eyes. “Threatening to tell Anna?”
Their gazes remained locked. For a brief moment, something uncertain flickered in Kash’s expression. Then he turned away and slammed his fist against the door. He yanked it open and stormed out. It slammed shut behind him.
Silence filled the apartment. What if he told Anna everything?
Ody dragged a hand through his hair. No.
He couldn’t let that happen. Not like that.
I have to stop him. But what am I supposed to say?
If I ask him not to tell Anna… it’ll be like admitting something did happen between me and Mano. And then it’ll be even worse.
The next morning, Ody was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when his phone buzzed on the counter. He wiped his hands and picked it up.
Mano: Can you come over?
Ody frowned, a knot tightening in his stomach. What happened? He texted back.
Nothing. Just come
Ody stared at the screen. Are you okay?
I’m fine just come
I’m on my way
He left his breakfast half-finished and grabbed his keys. His mind went straight to Kash. What if he had gone to Mano?
The drive felt longer than usual. By the time Mano opened the door, Ody was visibly tense. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Mano frowned. “What’s with you? I’m fine.”
Ody stepped inside hesitantly. “It’s just… you’ve never really asked me to come over like that before.”
“I have,” Mano replied. “When I got beat up at school and called you.”
Ody’s chest tightened. For a moment he almost told him about the conversation with Kash. About the threat. But that would mean explaining everything. And if Mano found out Kash had tried to blackmail him… Ody could already imagine how that would end.
He swallowed the words. He’d deal with Kash himself. After this, he’d go find him and talk to him. Make him understand. Kash had been angry, jealous. Maybe he hadn’t really meant what he said.
If Ody could just calm him down… convince him to stay quiet… then none of this would blow up in Anna’s face. Not like this. She couldn’t find out from Kash. And Mano couldn’t get dragged into it too.
If Anna learned the truth, she’d realize Mano had lied to her too. About all of it. Mano didn’t need that kind of fallout. So for now, it was better not to say anything.
“What did you call me over for?” Ody asked.
“Sit.” Mano gestured toward the couch, and they walked over together.
Once they sat down, Mano reached for something on the table. “I wanted to give you this,” he said. “It arrived this morning.” He handed him a small black box.
Ody looked at it, confused.
“You gonna take it or what?” Mano asked, his eyes fixed on him.
Ody hesitated before finally taking it. “What is it?”
“Remember when you were making crepes and asked what I was looking at on my phone?” Mano said. “I was choosing your gift. I didn’t want you to see.”
Ody blinked. “My gift? But it’s not my birthday.”
Mano sighed in annoyance. “Right. Because we only give gifts on birthdays. Give it back, then.” He reached for the box.
“No!” Ody pulled it away quickly, and their eyes locked. “I’ll open it.” He lifted the lid and froze. A sleek black luxury watch, its dial a deep, dark blue.
For a moment he just stared at it. Then he looked up. “Mano… where did you get this?”
Mano studied his reaction. “Do you like it?”
“This is insanely expensive. Where did you get that kind of money?”
“Do you like it?” Mano repeated, his face hardening.
Ody lowered his gaze to the watch again. “Y-yeah… a lot. But it’s way too expensive.”
“What are you afraid of?” Mano asked, irritation creeping into his voice. “That I stole it? Or that I’m dealing drugs?”
“No! It’s just… this definitely costs over a thousand.”
“Why do you care about the price?” Mano said, clearly annoyed. “It’s a gift.”
Before Ody could answer, Mano took the watch from the box. His fingers brushed against Ody’s wrist as he fastened it carefully around it. Then he leaned back slightly, looking at it. “It suits you.”
Ody stared at it, still stunned.
Mano watched him. “You looked happier eating crepes.”
Ody looked up. “No, that’s not it…”
Mano glanced away. “Yeah… You don’t look very happy about it.”
“No! It’s beautiful. How could I not like it?” His attention returned to the watch. “And thank you for thinking of me. But… you really didn’t have to spend so much. Even a cologne would’ve been more than enough.”
“Alright,” Mano said indifferently. “Next time I’ll get you the one I wear.”
“How much does that cost?”
“About five hundred. Depends on the bottle.”
“What?!”
“Five hundred,” Mano repeated. “Not a thousand.”
“Obviously!” Ody said, still in shock. “But five hundred euros for a cologne is still insane.”
“Relax. It would’ve been a gift.”
Ody stared at him. “Mano… I don’t know if I should accept something this expensive.”
“Why not?” Mano asked, his expression tightening.
“Because it’s insanely expensive. And besides… people will ask where I got it from. What am I supposed to say? That my boyfriend gave it to me?”
Mano went completely still.
Ody’s eyes widened the moment the word left his mouth. He scratched the back of his neck, clearing his throat. “What am I supposed to tell Anna?”
“The truth,” Mano said.
“That I got it as a gift from—”
“Mano,” he interrupted. “You’ll say you got it as a gift from Mano.”
“Why?”
“What?”
“She’s going to ask why you bought me something like this.”
Mano’s jaw clenched. “I bought it with honest money, if that makes you feel any better.” He turned and walked to his room, shutting the door behind him.
Ody remained on the couch, staring at the watch on his wrist. He was almost afraid to move his arm, worried it might get scratched.
But Mano… Where had he gotten that kind of money? The apartment was bigger than most students’, but it didn’t exactly scream wealth. Neither did the clothes he wore. Most of them were branded, sure, but nothing outrageously expensive.
Then it hit him. The motorcycle. He had always thought of it as Mano being obsessed with bikes, but that thing had cost a fortune too. And after Kash and his friends slashed the tires, Mano had replaced them the very next day without even hesitating.
Ody’s parents had helped him get his car. Mano had bought that motorcycle himself.
How the hell…?
He stood and walked to Mano’s room. He knocked before opening the door.
Mano was sitting against the wall with his knees bent, scrolling on his phone.
“Mano…” He sat beside him and touched his shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.
I was just surprised.” His voice softened.
“The fact that you even thought about getting me a gift makes me really happy. Thank you.”
Mano stayed turned away.
“But I feel bad,” Ody admitted, and Mano finally turned to look at him. “Because I want to get you a gift too… but I don’t think I could afford something like this.”
Mano frowned. “You think I want an expensive gift from you?”
“No, but… I still feel bad.”
“I got it to make you happy,” Mano said. “Not to make you feel bad.”
“You make me happy even without gifts.”
Their eyes locked. Then Ody leaned in and kissed him gently. “Alright,” he said with a small smile. “I’ll wear it. People can ask whatever they want.”
A faint smile appeared on Mano’s lips.
“It’ll be like the cross around your neck,” Ody added. “I won’t take it off.”
Just then, Mano’s phone buzzed with a notification. He unlocked the screen and sighed the moment he saw the sender’s name.
“What is it?” Ody asked.
“Stella,” Mano muttered. “What does that bitch want now?” He opened the message.
You and Odysseus Stavrinos?! Wow… Anna is going to love this
Mano went completely still, all the color draining from his face.
Ody noticed the change. “What is it?”
Mano didn’t answer.
Frowning, Ody shifted nearer and glanced down at the screen.
Stella: You do realize what happens now that I know… right? This is going to be fun
Ody’s heart lurched. A cold wave of panic rushed through him.
Stella knew. She hated Mano.
And if she talked to Anna, it would destroy everything.
Another message appeared. I think I should set up a little get-together with her. We have a lot to talk about…
Ody felt his chest tighten. The room suddenly felt too small. The air wouldn’t reach his lungs. He couldn’t hear anything except the frantic pounding of his own heart.
Mano’s voice reached him like a distant buzz, distorted and far away. Ody couldn’t focus on the words. He caught fragments of sentences, questions, but none of them fully registered.
Then silence.
Mano was staring at him now.
Ody slowly lifted his gaze.
“How does she know about us?” Mano demanded.
Ody barely processed the anger in his voice before Mano grabbed his shoulders. His green eyes stayed fixed on him, dazed. His breath shook.
“Ody, talk to me. How did she find out about us?”
But Ody could only see the tension in Mano’s face, his eyes searching him, trying to understand what had just happened.
Anna would find out. She would understand what had happened between them in Serifos. Steve would hate him for the lies, for the game he had played behind everyone’s backs.
And Stella… Stella would destroy them. She would drag everything into the open. She would humiliate Mano. Get her revenge in the cruelest way possible.
He had ruined everything.
He was going to lose everything.
He should’ve told Mano about Kash. But he hadn’t. He’d convinced himself he could handle it. That he could calm Kash down before things got worse.
And now Stella knew.
A terrifying thought hit him.
What if this made him lose Mano too?
Ody could already see the shift. The confusion. The tension. The way Mano was looking at him now.
And nothing terrified him more than that.
Mano’s grip tightened on his shoulders as he searched his face. “Ody…”
Something dark flickered in his eyes.
“What did you do?”