Chris shrugged beside him. “You could’ve passed more.”
“We won,” Ody said pointedly, glancing between them. “That’s what matters.”
Mano looked at Steve. “I could dunk. Why pass?”
Steve held his gaze. For a second, neither of them moved. The tension was obvious.
Ody cleared his throat. “We’re showering and heading out after. You coming?”
“No. Got plans.” Mano turned his back and started walking toward the exit. “See you.”
When Mano was gone, his friends turned to him.
“What?” Ody asked, brows knitting.
“Seriously?” Steve said.
“What?”
Steve shook his head. “That guy’s annoying. He barely said hello, and he played like it was all about him.”
“Come on,” Ody said. “You don’t know him.”
“He’s rude.”
“Don’t judge someone after one hour,” Ody snapped. “He’s not like that. You just have to approach him the right way.”
Steve and Chris exchanged a look. Then they both stared at him. “How do you know?” Steve asked.
Ody hesitated. “I just do.” Before they could say anything else, he turned and walked away.
The next evening, Mano met Stella outside the bar.
The street was already crowded, music leaking through the door every time someone stepped inside.
“Heeey,” she sang when she spotted him. She walked toward him with easy confidence, her long copper-red hair spilling over her shoulders, muted green eyes gleaming under the streetlights.
“I told you not to be late.”
“It was ten minutes. Relax.” She stepped closer and tried to link her arm through his, but Mano pulled away.
“Why are you so obsessed with me?” he asked.
She smirked. “My ex won’t leave me alone. I told him I’m seeing someone. He doesn’t believe me.” She shrugged. “So we go out. Publicly. He backs off. Simple.”
“And I’m supposed to play boyfriend?”
“You will,” she said. “Don’t make me push.”
Mano’s eyes narrowed. “Push how?”
“I’ve kept things,” she said. “From when we were together.”
His jaw tightened.
“I don’t want to blackmail you.” Her tone stayed light, almost pleasant. “So don’t make me.”
For a moment he just stared at her.
