He had a girlfriend. None of this was supposed to happen.
Panic lit up his whole body at once. Shame, fear, desire, guilt, all surging so fast he couldn’t think. His hand trembled in the water. He tore his gaze away, heart pounding like he’d been hit. He turned and swam away fast, almost desperate, water splashing around him as he tried to get distance between himself and the disaster he had just created.
“Ody, where are you, man?” Steve called out as Ody reached the shallows, the rest of the group trailing into the water behind him.
“The ball, you idiot,” Antony said, rolling his eyes.
“Oh... crap,” Steve muttered, realizing he’d left it on shore.
“I’ll get it guys,” Ody offered before anyone could argue, swimming back toward land.
Behind him, Mano stayed near the rocks, out of sight. Shoulders tense, he remained in the water, trying to process what he’d heard. Did Ody mean it? Or was it another twisted version of their game?
But what bothered him most was something he couldn’t shake. Where had Ody suddenly found all this confidence?
When Ody finally returned with the ball, the group fell into a game of water volleyball.
“Where’s Mano?” Ranya asked.
“Uh... I think he’s swimming,” Ody said, forcing steadiness into his voice as he hit the ball back.
Ten minutes later, Mano finally emerged from the deeper water, making his slow way toward them.
“Are you going to join us?” Ranya called out.
Mano’s eyes flicked to Ody, who quickly looked away. He joined without a word.
After a long round, Antony splashed Steve. “Race to the buoy?”
“Let’s do it. I’m gonna crush you.”
The girls stayed behind, chatting in the shallow water. Ody got out first and reached for his towel. Mano followed a moment later, both of them drying off in silence. They stood side by side, staring out at the sea, neither daring to look at the other.
Then Mano spoke. “Do we have any plans for tonight?”
Ody hesitated for a moment. His heart kicked hard against his ribs. Mano was talking to him. After what happened, after what he said. He wasn’t avoiding him. “Uh... yeah,” he murmured, keeping his eyes on the towel in his hands. “We said we’d go for drinks.”
Mano nodded, studying the side of Ody’s face. “Where?”
Ody swallowed, still not meeting his gaze. “That beach bar by the port.”
Mano stayed quiet. His eyes lingered on Ody, searching. Then he nodded again.
The others were making their way back to shore now, laughing loudly, oblivious to the storm sitting between the two boys.
Anna opened a pack of cookies and passed them around. Ranya lay face down in the sun while everyone complained about being hungry. By 2:30 p.m., they were back at the hotel.
Ody and Anna stepped into the room, the door clicking shut behind them. He dropped his towel onto the chair, trying to act normal, but everything still felt too loud in his chest.
Anna watched him for a moment. “Okay… what’s going on with Mano?” she asked.
Ody stalled, fingers hesitating on the waistband of his swim trunks. “What do you mean?”
“Come on.” She crossed her arms, studying him. “Since we got out of the water, you two haven’t said a single word to each other. You didn’t even look at him. Are you still fighting?”
Ody forced a shrug, his voice too casual for how tight his shoulders were. “No. We’re fine. We just… didn’t have anything to talk about.”
Anna watched him for another second, clearly not convinced, then grabbed her cosmetics bag and disappeared into the bathroom.
