“I’ll drive them over. Let me get dressed,” Ody said, disappearing into his room.
Mano grabbed his things and waited, heat creeping up his neck. When Ody returned, Mano mumbled something about taking the stairs and bolted down. By the time Ody reached the lobby, Mano was on his motorcycle with his helmet on, clearly eager to escape.
Ody took the flute and guitar cases to his car, setting them in the back seat before looking back at Mano. “See you at your place.”
Wearing his helmet, Mano gave a quick nod without looking at him, then started the engine and sped off.
Ody smiled to himself as he walked to the driver’s seat.He’s cute.
At Mano’s building, he snatched the cases from Ody’s hands. “Thanks. Bye,” he said quickly, practically fleeing toward the door.
The whole afternoon, Mano couldn’t focus. Studying was a joke. His mind kept drifting back to Ody’s warmth, to the way he’d clung to him like a terrified child. He’d woken up panicking and ended up wrapped around him, holding on like letting go would make everything fall apart.
The worst part was, he hadn’t wanted to move.
He shoved the thought away and forced his eyes back to the page, but the memory lingered, stubborn and unwelcome.
By Wednesday, their second exam day arrived.
Ody had already explained everything to Steve and Chris, from Kash cornering him in the hallway to Mano getting hit and crashing at his place.
“Morning,” Ody said as they met at the cafeteria.
“From now on, you’re not going anywhere alone. Not even to take a piss,” Steve declared.
“If you’re protecting someone, protect Mano. He’s the one that got hit, not me.”
“Yeah, but that bastard threatened you too,” Steve shot back. “Who knows what the hell he meant by ‘do as I say’?”
They headed inside together, still tense from the conversation. Kash was already at a desk with Pablo and Brandon, acting like nothing had happened. Steve shot him a glare sharp enough to make Chris shift uneasily.
The exam began, and the room fell into silence. When it was over, Kash couldn’t help noticing the way Steve and Chris flanked Ody, walking with him like bodyguards all the way out of the building. They didn’t leave him alone for a second.
Later that afternoon, Mano had his own exam. Between theory and performance, he did better than he expected. All the practice sessions finally paid off. By the time he left campus, exhaustion was settling in. Two more exams on Thursday. Then nine days until Serifos.
When he got home, his phone buzzed, Stella’s name lighting up the screen. Mano clenched his jaw. Not today.
He grabbed a quick bite, then collapsed onto his bed and started scrolling.
His thumb stilled.
Stella’s post. A photo.
Him. Shirtless. Lying in bed. Eyes closed.
He shot upright. “What the hell?” He opened their chat. A flood of messages filled the screen.
Stella: Can you stop dragging me into Kash’s dirty business?
We need to talk
Mano for fuck’s sake stop ignoring me!
You’re gonna regret this
You’re such an asshole…
Mano: What the hell do you want from me?!
