“Arrogant and full of mockery.”
“I’m not mocking you,” Ody said, brows pulling together.
Mano let out a humorless scoff, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “Oh no? Then what was that at the buffet? Talking about me eavesdropping, acting like my night was boring, and smirking like it was all a joke to you.”
Ody’s surprise was real this time. “Whoa, I didn’t think it’d bother you that much.”
Mano moved a little closer, water rippling between them with the motion. “You implied something with what you said. And you’re lucky I held back and didn’t punch you in the face.” His voice dropped lower, the anger in it burning instead of exploding.
His eyes were locked on Ody’s, and for a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Then Mano turned to swim away.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” Ody said quickly. His expression tightened as he reached out and grabbed his arm again. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It was out of line.”
Mano stopped. His shoulders tightened under Ody’s hand. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, genuinely confused. “You weren’t like this. You’ve changed.”
“And you don’t like the change?” Ody asked.
Mano looked at him, bewildered. “I... I just don’t understand how it happened. Before Serifos, you were different.”
Guilt tightened Ody’s chest like a knot. Kash’s name pulsed through his mind, a reminder he couldn’t escape. “So you preferred me when I was tucking you in with a blanket?” He asked, swimming a little closer. “Or when I was feeding you? Or when I kissed you?”
Mano’s breath hitched. A faint blush warmed his cheeks, barely visible but impossible to miss this close.
“I can go back to that if you want,” Ody whispered as he drifted toward him, closing the last inches of space. “Do you want that?” He wrapped his arms around Mano’s nape, his legs moving beneath the water to keep himself afloat.
Their eyes locked. Ody leaned in, slow enough for Mano to stop him, but close enough that he could feel the warmth of Mano’s breath against his lips.
This is another one of his games. He just wants to throw a number at me.Mano shoved him back, water splashing hard between them. “I don’t want anything. Especially not from you.”
“That’s not what you said that night,” Ody said.
Mano went still. “What night?”
Ody’s gaze softened with memory. “When Kash hit you. When I told you I’d walk away if you wanted. You held my face, Mano.” His voice grew quieter. “You told me not to go.”
Mano blinked, the softness of that night flashing in his eyes before he could hide it. His jaw tightened and he looked away fast, heat rising up his neck. “I said something stupid. You took it seriously.”
“Oh, really…” Ody lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah. Just like now,” Mano shot back, his words sharp enough to sting.
Ody’s expression shifted, frustration pushing through. “What’s happening now?”
“All this stuff you’ve been saying and doing since yesterday, it’s all crap to win your stupid little game.”
Ody stared at him. “You can’t seriously think that.”
“Why not?” Mano snapped. “You’re the one provoking me, smirking every time you walk away. You like messing with me, don’t you?”
Ody’s breath hitched, the accusation landing deeper than Mano probably meant it to. “That’s not why I’m doing it,” he said, softer now, eyes locked on Mano’s.
“Then why are you doing it?” Mano demanded, chest rising and falling faster, his face too close and too guarded at the same time.
The water swayed between them as Ody swallowed hard, his defenses collapsing in one instant. “Because I like you,” he said, the words tearing out of him before he could hold them back. The moment they left his mouth, he felt it, how true they were. How much of himself he had just exposed.
Mano’s eyes widened, lashes fluttering in shock, a flush rising across his cheeks as he blinked at Ody like he didn’t know how to breathe.
And that was when it hit Ody. His stomach dropped, pulse spiking.
