“Are you coming?”
“Is he your friend?” the girl asked.
Ody nodded. “Yes. Odysseus.”
“Chrysa.”
“Give us a second,” Mano said, glancing at her before pulling Ody aside.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“We’re grabbing coffee. You can go.”
Ody frowned. “It’s just… you said you finished at twelve and—”
“You know how it is,” Mano cut in, shrugging. “She asked. What was I supposed to say? You have a girlfriend. You get it.”
Ody held his gaze longer than necessary. “Yeah,” he said. “I get it.”
“You don’t have to drive me. We might go back to my place.”
Ody didn’t react.
“And don’t worry. No more favors. My hand’s better. I’ll drive tomorrow.”
Ody reached for his wrist and turned it, testing the movement. Mano didn’t flinch, so he let go. “Okay. Good.” He forced a small smile. “Have a good time.” He turned and walked away.
Mano stood there, watching him go.
Chapter 5
After Ody drove away, Mano and Chrysa headed to a nearby café. “What instruments do you play?” Mano asked.
“Guitar and bassoon. I just started cello.”
Mano took a sip of his coffee, nodding.
“You’re twenty-three, right?” she asked.
Mano looked at her. “How do you know?”
She smiled, glancing down. “You used to date a friend of mine. Well… ex friend.”
“Seriously?”
“Zoe Lekka.”
Mano frowned, searching his memory, but nothing came to mind.
“Yeah… figures,” she said with a small laugh. “You don’t remember.”
“Maybe if I saw her.”
She waved it off. “Forget it. It’s better that way.”
“Why?”
“We had a falling out.”
