“Nowhere. I’m listening to you guys.”
“Oh yeah? What were we just talking about?”
“Uh… Danae. You went to the—”
“Right.” Steve waved him off and glanced at Chris. “We talked about that ten minutes ago. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. Just thinking about exams. I’m a bit out of it.”
“Yeah, sure. Mr. Bookworm.”
“Maybe we should ditch TallGuy and start calling you NerdKing,” Chris joked, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement.
After a while, they got up to leave, trading quick goodbyes as they headed in different directions. Ody had barely stepped out of the café when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Anna’s name lit up the screen. “Hey. What’s up?” he answered.
“Christina called. She and Antony are good with booking for the twenty fifth of June.”
“Really? Steve and Danae are in too.”
“Great. Let’s book the tickets. Have you spoken to Mano?”
The question hit hard. A tight, unpleasant weight settled in his stomach. He swallowed, suddenly too aware of the thoughts he shouldn’t be having, and the kiss he hadn’t stopped replaying. It wasn’t just guilt, it was the sickening mix of wanting something he shouldn’t and hiding something he didn’t know how to face.
For a moment he couldn’t even answer, the silence stretching between them as the truth pressed against his ribs.
“Ody? Are you there?”
“Yeah, uh… I’ll ask him again today.”
“Alright. Let me know so we can finalize everything.”
“Will do.”
“Kisses. Talk later,” she said and hung up.
Ody stared at the dark screen with a heaviness he couldn’t shake, the guilt clinging to him long after the call ended.
Across the city, Mano wasn’t doing much better. He went to the bathroom while Ranya remained on the couch, her handsstill bound. She tested the cuffs, her expression caught between impatience and lingering heat.
When Mano returned, a towel slung low around his hips.
“Are you going to uncuff me?” She lifted her wrists.
He gave her a sideways grin. “Thinking I might keep you like this.”
She shot him a sharp look, more playful than offended, which made him chuckle. He grabbed the small keys from the table and unlocked the cuffs. Once freed, she stretched her arms and then slid them around his neck, surprised when he didn’t push her away.
She leaned in to kiss him.
He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, keeping her back.
“You didn’t let me kiss you at all today…” she pouted.
“Wasn’t a kissing kind of day,” he said, heading toward his bedroom.
“You kissed me the first time,” she muttered.
“Well, I didn’t want to today. What’s your problem?” He glanced at her, irritation flashing in his eyes.
