She threw her hands up and stormed off. Mano didn’t follow.
Once he was ready, he opened his door at the same moment Ody opened his. They both stopped short for a second, eyes locking as they took each other in. Ody in black and red, Mano in all black.
Anna hooked her arm through Ody’s. “Babe, the key card.”
Ranya appeared in the hallway. “Oh hey, guys.”
“Hey,” Anna said, and the four of them headed downstairs.
While the others walked ahead, Ody drifted closer to Mano. “Do you want to drive?”
“No.” He didn’t even look at him.
Ody swallowed and followed the group.
The other couples joined them, and they all got into their cars. When they arrived at the beach bar, the music hit instantly, loud and pulsing through the sand like a heartbeat.
“Ooh, we’re gonna go wild tonight!” Ranya squealed.
“Baby, don’t drink too much. You’re driving,” Anna reminded him, squeezing his arm lightly.
“Don’t worry. Just one drink for me,” Ody said, giving her a reassuring look.
They found a spot around a square high table under neon lights, bass thrumming through the floor.
“DJ’s killing it,” Steve shouted over the music.
Soon, their drinks arrived. Ody’s eyes drifted to Mano’s glass, a short one, filled with clear liquor and ice.
“Cheers!” Everyone raised their glasses and clinked.
The girls were the first to loosen up, moving with the beat as the crowd swayed around them. Mano wasn’t blending in. He drank and stayed detached, the music bouncing off him like he wasn’t even there.
About twenty minutes later, Ody noticed Mano walk away from the table. He glanced at the empty glass Mano had left behind. When he returned, he was holding the exact same drink.
Ody leaned closer. “What are you drinking?”
“Vodka,” Mano replied, not looking at him.
“Straight?”
“With ice. Obviously,” he shot back, eyes drifting toward the ocean as he took another sip.
Before Ody could say anything else, Anna grabbed his hand. “Oh my God, it’s my song!”
He let her pull him onto the dance floor even though he kept glancing back. Everyone was dancing, except Mano. A few songs later, Ody found himself looking back toward the table again. Mano wasn’t there.
He frowned, scanning the nearby crowd. Maybe Mano had just moved a little. Maybe he was talking to someone. He waited another moment, pretending to dance with Anna, eyes flicking toward the dark edges of the bar. Still nothing.
A quiet unease crept into his stomach. He stepped away from the group like he needed a break and looked around more carefully. No Mano near the tables. Not by the bar. Nowhere in sight.
His chest tightened. He pushed past a few people, checking again, then crossed the road toward the restrooms. The men’s room was empty. “Mano?” he called, pushing open each stall. Nothing.
He stepped back outside and made his way toward the table, forcing himself to straighten up like nothing was wrong. The music hit him again, loud and heavy, lights flashing across everyone’s faces.
Anna turned toward him, brushing a strand of light brown hair behind her ear. “Where’d you go?”
“Bathroom,” he said, keeping his voice even. “Did you see Mano anywhere?”
