Mano’s head jerked up, his eyes widening.
“He’s gay. No one knows except his sister,” Ody added but hesitated. Stella’s name hovered on his tongue, but the words wouldn’t come out yet. “I was confused,” he continued, voice uneven. “But not because of Kash. He wasn’t the reason. He was just… there. The opportunity. The experiment.” He forced himself to look up. “The confusion came from you.”
Mano stared at him, stunned.
“I didn’t know what to do with what I felt,” Ody said. “I had never looked at a man like that. Ever. And suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It messed me up. It scared me. I didn’t know what it meant.” His throat went dry. “So when Kash showed up acting different and kept pushing… I gave in for a moment. Not because I wanted him. Because I needed to understand what the hell was happening to me. What I was feeling for you.”
Mano slowly pushed himself up from the bed, stepping closer. His hands curled into fists at his sides, knuckles whitening. For a second he looked like he might hit something. Instead, he forced the words out. “Did you like it?” Their eyes locked. “Did you like what he did to you?” he asked, every muscle tight. “Did it make you feel good?”
Ody’s expression tightened, hurt flashing across his face. “No. It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it? Explain it.”
Ody dragged in a shaky breath. “I was trying to understand what I felt. I didn’t want him.”
“So you used him.”
The words hit hard enough to make Ody flinch. “He was the person who made me realize I like men too,” Ody admitted, stripped of the last bit of pride he had left.
Mano didn’t speak. He just stared at him, breathing heavier now, trying to make sense of everything crashing together in his head. “So you just hooked up with someone who—”
“I couldn’t kiss you, so I kissed Kash,” Ody cut in, shutting his eyes in shame.
Mano scoffed. “Kiss? The text says he can’t wait to do more to you. Sounds like more than a kiss.” His jaw clenched. “Did he fuck you?”
Ody’s eyes widened. “No.”
“Did you fuck him?”
“No, I…” Ody blinked hard as he looked away for a second, heat rushing to his face. “Please, don’t do this.”
“Be honest with me for once, Ody.”
Ody forced his gaze back to Mano’s, looking straight into his eyes. “You want honesty?”
“Yes.”
Ody took a breath that shook through his whole body. “I wanted you so bad I was going crazy. Kash came close to me and I didn’t push him away… because it felt like it was you.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a shaky whisper.
He swallowed hard, struggling before forcing the words out. “He was sucking my dick and all I could see was your face between my legs.”
Mano’s eyes widened, heat rushing to his face.
“How’s that for honesty?” Ody took another step toward him.
Mano reacted instantly, taking a step back. His eyes were still wide, the flush on his cheeks deepening as he tried to steady his breathing. The sudden shift unsettled him. A moment ago he had been the one pressing for answers. Now Ody was the one closing the distance.
He noticed the way Mano’s cheeks had flushed, the way his breathing had grown uneven. And he didn’t stop. He took another slow step forward. Mano’s back nearly hit the wall. His gaze flickered between Ody’s eyes and his mouth, something uncertain and unguarded creeping into his expression.
The anger was still there. But something else had slipped in with it. Something that made him hesitate instead of pushing Ody away. Ody knew he had crossed a line. But it was the truth Mano had demanded, and saying it out loud had made him bold.
Mano should have stopped him.
But he didn’t.
Chapter 42
Ody took another slow step forward. Mano’s back touched the wall with a soft thud, shoulders pressing against it as if the cold surface might steady him. His chest rose, lips parting like he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
