“Yeah. It doesn’t sound Greek at all.”
“Probably because I learned English before I properly learned Greek,” Mano said, staring ahead. “It used to sound stronger when I was younger.”
“Still, your Greek sounds completely natural,” Ody said.
“My parents are Greek.” Mano went quiet for a second. “Were.”
Ody quickly changed the subject, trying to steer him away from the pain. “What language did you speak at home?”
“When we moved there when I was two, we mostly spoke Greek at home. But my parents got comfortable with English too. Since we heard it everywhere else, they kept speaking Greek with us so we wouldn’t forget it.”
“Us?” Ody echoed. “Who’s us?”
Mano sighed, his gaze fixed ahead.
“You have siblings?” Ody pressed.
“Brother.”
“Was that him on the phone?”
Mano’s silence was the answer.
“I have a sister,” Ody said. “She’s seventeen, lives in Patra with my parents. Her name’s Anastasia.” He waited, but Mano stayed quiet. “What’s your brother’s name—”
“I don’t wanna talk about him.” Mano cut him off.
Ody fell silent and took a slow sip of his coffee. “When’s your last exam?” he finally asked.
“Thursday.”
“Oh, the day before we leave? I finish on Wednesday. Are you bringing a big suitcase?”
“No,” Mano said curtly.
Ody scrambled for something else. “Wanna get up?”
Mano turned. “Why?”
“Uh… let’s take a walk.”
Mano stood, and Ody followed. They walked on, neither of them breaking the silence.
“Let’s go to the bike,” Mano said eventually.
“You wanna head back? You’re bored, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m taking you somewhere.” He looked straight into his eyes.
Ody blinked. “What? Where?”
“You’ll see. Come on.”
They walked to the motorcycle. Mano handed him the helmet, and Ody put it on. “Where are we going?”
“I told you. You’ll see.” Mano started the engine, flipped up the kickstand, and pulled away. As they took off, Ody wrapped his arms around his waist.
The ride was long and warm, the wind rushing past them. It felt strangely freeing. By the time they reached a small hill, night had fully fallen.
