Ody’s breath hitched. His gaze dropped to Mano’s lips before he could stop himself.
He knew Mano was injured.
He knew the first kiss had been a mistake.
He knew this was wrong.
So why did he want to kiss him again?
Chapter 26
Mano pulled his hand away first. “Give it a try,” he said, a little too quickly. Ody lingered for a moment before turning to the guitar and strumming the six strings with his right hand. The sound was beautiful.
“Good job,” Mano said.
Ody glanced back at him. “I still need practice, but… I’ll let you do yours.” He handed the guitar over.
Mano took it and returned to his seat, scanning the sheet music before continuing. Ody stayed for another ten minutes, letting the melody fill the room, then stood. “I’ll go review some notes. I need to study for Thursday’s exam tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll stop.”
“No, keep playing. I don’t mind. I’ll just close the door. It’ll be a nice background melody.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Sometimes I study with music anyway. It helps me focus,” Ody said with a reassuring smile. Mano hesitated, so Ody added,“I mean it. Don’t let me catch you stopping,” he teased, and Mano smiled.
Ody retreated to his room to study toxicology while Mano practiced in the living room.
Some time later, Ody’s door creaked open. Mano looked up and saw him dressed to go out. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, going out for a bit with Anna,” Ody said, a quiet tension settling between them.
A few days ago he kissed him. Now he was going out with his girlfriend.
“Have fun.”
“Thanks. Make yourself at home. If you need anything, call me. See you later.” He opened the door and left.
He met up with Anna, walking hand in hand and chatting about their upcoming trip to Serifos. By eight, he returned home and found Mano sprawled on the couch, scrolling through his phone while the TV played. “I’m back.”
“Hey,” Mano said without looking up.
“Everything okay? Did you eat?”
“Uh… not yet.”
“You’re not hungry? You only had soup,” Ody said, slipping off his shoes and placing his keys on the counter.
“Yeah, I’ll eat now.”
“Want me to toast some bread? That soup won’t fill you up.”
“I don’t think I can chew anything,” Mano said, his expression firm.
Ody remained still for a moment. The way Mano held his jaw, the pain he was trying to hide, landed hard. The kindness slipped into something sharper, a familiar anger he’d been holding back all morning.
“What the hell does he want from us?” He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the edge of the couch. “Why does hekeep pushing this? After the beating he took, he and his friends should’ve learned their lesson.”
