“Why are you taking care of me?”
Ody set the spoon down. “You’re like this because of me. And I care about you.”
Mano didn’t move. Ody held the spoon up again, but Mano kept staring at him.
Ody sighed and set the tray aside. “I know I overstepped. I shouldn’t have kissed you, and I’m sorry. I’m not asking you to forgive me or even talk to me after tonight. Just let me take care of you now. After that, if you want me gone, I’ll go.”
Their eyes met, a long, held moment, until Ody finally looked down.
Mano reached up, his thumb brushing Ody’s cheek.
Ody went completely still, his breath catching as he lifted his gaze to meet the soft honey eyes watching him. They were full of something wounded, gentler beneath it, something Mano didn’t seem able to hide.
He traced Ody’s cheek once more, lashes lowering as his voice slipped out quiet. “I don’t want you gone.”
Chapter 25
Ody wasn’t sure he’d heard right, not at first. But Mano’s eyes didn’t lie. Not with the softness in them, not with the way his thumb lingered for a moment longer before he pulled his hand away.
Ody swallowed hard, a strange tightness forming in his stomach. He didn’t understand it, couldn’t name it, but it made his chest feel too small.
Mano blinked, almost shy, and turned his face toward the wall. “…Give me the soup,” he murmured.
Ody was still frozen, trying to process the words he’d been waiting for and dreading at the same time. Mano didn’t want him gone.
“The soup,” he repeated, looking at him.
It pulled Ody back to reality. “Oh. Right.” He reached for the tray, handed it to Mano, and watched as he settled it on his lap.
He ate slowly, flinching whenever the warmth stung the split inside his lip.
Ody couldn’t look away. Mano shifted under the attention, a faint flush creeping up his cheeks. “Stop staring at me like that.”
“S-sorry.” Ody tore his gaze away and grabbed the remote, needing something to do with his hands. He turned on the TV. A chase scene filled the screen, shouts and gunshots echoing through the room.
“Change it!” Mano snapped.
Ody switched the channel. He glanced sideways and saw Mano’s shoulders tense, eyes unfocused, breath too quick. He blinked the panic away and returned to his soup in silence.
Ody waited until Mano’s breathing evened out before speaking. “What is it… that you can’t watch?”
Mano’s eyes flicked up to him, then away just as quickly. He didn’t answer.
When he finished eating, Ody took the tray and returned with a small tube. “Put this on your gums.”
Mano inspected the tube, turning it between his fingers with clear disinterest. “Is it safe to put cream in my mouth?”
“It’s a soothing gel. It helps with the irritation.” Ody nodded toward the sink. “Go wash your hands first.”
Mano slouched back on the couch with a sigh. “Oh, come on.”
Ody crossed his arms. “Mano.”
Mano glanced at him.
“Go.”
He sighed, got up, and disappeared into the bathroom. When he came back to the couch, Ody handed him the tube without a word.
