Mano’s phone rang again. He rejected the call and went on. “The second time we did it, I ripped her underwear off and she had to leave my place naked under her dress, dude.” He laughed.
Ody closed his eyes, exhaling.
“And another time—”
“Stop telling me about your hookups!” Ody turned toward him, their faces inches apart.
Mano studied him. “Why? What’s your problem?” His tone grew serious.
Ody’s breath came slow, heavy.
“Your friends talk about their sex lives, don’t they?” Mano went on. “So what’s the problem with me telling you?” His gaze sharpened. “Unless you were lying when you said we’re friends.”
“N-no… we are.”
“And do you cuddle up with your friends when you sleep?”
Ody froze. His gaze locked on Mano’s.
Why was he asking that? What was he trying to hear? Why was he talking about Ranya like that?
“Is this all because of… what happened at my place?” Ody asked, looking away, a chill creeping over his skin.
“You’re not answering me.”
“What do you want me to say? I told you why I did it. You pulled me into a hug after your nightmare and wouldn’t let go. If you don’t remember, that’s not my—”
“I remember just fine,” Mano said.
Ody turned to him, shocked.He remembers. Then why is he pushing this?
“My question is…” Mano’s eyes stayed locked on his. “Why didn’t you push my arms off you? Why did you stay next to me?”
Ody swallowed, pulse racing. “B-because… I didn’t wanna wake you up.”
“Oh,” Mano echoed, arching an eyebrow. “You didn’t wanna wake me up.”
Ody struggled to hold that gaze.
A message appeared on Mano’s screen.Pick up the phone.He exhaled and looked away. His phone rang again. He answered the call with a sharp, irritated tone. “What do you want?”
The response was too faint for Ody to make out.
“Speak Greek,” Mano said. “You called just to ask me that?” He listened for a moment. “Is this some kind of joke? I don’t need your fucking money,” he snapped in English, his accent sharp and clearly not Greek. “Worried?” he scoffed. “Give me a break,” he muttered in Greek. He sighed and switched to English. “Are you seriously asking me about school right now?”
He leaned back, listening again. “I’m doing fine. Stop calling me about that.” A few seconds passed before he spoke again. “No, I’m not coming. Forget it.” His tone hardened. “Oh, so you’re worried about your precious board meeting. Am I not always there for that?” He listened for a few more seconds. “But I don’t wanna see you. Stop calling me, or I’ll block you.” He hung up and exhaled, his eyes closing as if the call had taken something out of him.
Ody kept watching him. “Was that from England?”
Mano exhaled through his nose and switched back to Greek. “Every time he calls, I wanna beat the shit out of someone. Where the hell is that asshole from uni now?”
Ody froze when he realized who he was referring to. He swallowed, trying to keep his expression neutral.
Dusk had settled in, painting the sky with gentle shades of pink, yellow and orange.
“You have a nice accent,” Ody said.
Mano huffed a faint laugh. “Do I?”
