“Don’t talk,” Mano snapped, eyes fixed on the road.
They reached the beach first. Mano spotted a tall tree and sped toward it, braking hard as he parked in the shade. He yanked the handbrake and tossed the keys onto Ody’s lap before getting out. Anna and Ranya exchanged a look. They opened the trunk to grab their things, as Mano was already walking across the sand.
“Aren’t we waiting for everyone?” Ody called, but Mano didn’t even look back.
“I’ll go with him,” Ranya said quickly, grabbing her bag and hurrying after him.
Anna picked up the beach ball and frowned. “Babe, what happened? And don’t say nothing. He’s clearly pissed.”
Up ahead, Ranya called, “Mano, wait. I can’t run in flip-flops.”
“Who told you to follow me?” he snapped, turning.
She stared at him, taken aback. “Why are you talking to me like that?”
He let out a heavy breath, turned away, and kept walking.
“If you’re mad at Ody, don’t take it out on me!” she called after him, but he didn’t respond.
She stopped at the shore as Mano pulled off his shirt and headed straight into the sea.
“Wait. Aren’t you going to put on sunscreen?”
He ignored her and kept walking. A moment later, he dove into the sea and swam out farther.
“It’s really hot,” Christina said behind her as the rest of the group arrived.
“Let’s set up the umbrellas,” Antony said. “Where’s Mano?”
“He went in,” Ranya replied.
“Already?”
They started setting up their spot on the sand. Anna offered to put sunscreen on Ody, and he pulled off his shirt without answering. She rubbed it onto his shoulders and back, but before she finished, Ody stood up. “I’m going in.”
“Let’s all go together,” Steve called out.
“I’m boiling,” Ody said, heading toward the water. He stepped in slowly, letting it rise along his chest as he adjusted to the temperature. Then he ducked under.
He scanned the surface when he came up. No sign of Mano.Where the hell is he?He took a breath, dove again, and swamtoward the rocks. When he surfaced this time, he finally spotted a head far out in the distance.
By the time he reached him, his breathing was heavy. “You got here fast,” he panted.
Mano swam right past him without a single word, but Ody reached out and grabbed his arm. The moment his fingers closed around Mano’s skin, he tensed like he’d been shocked.
“Come here.” Ody pulled him back, turning him until their faces were close enough that he could see the water clinging to Mano’s lashes.
Mano’s anger sharpened. “What do you want?” he jerked his arm back so violently that water splashed between them.
Ody flinched but held his ground. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Because you’re full of crap, that’s why.”
Ody blinked. “It offended you that much?”
Mano’s chest rose with a shallow breath. “The look on your face pisses me off even more.”
“What look?” Ody asked.
