“You okay?” he asked, staying close.
Mano lifted his gaze for a brief second, then looked away and walked past him without answering.
“Wait.” Ody stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “What happened? Why did you react like that? Do you wanna talk about it?”
Mano brushed his hand off and walked away. Ody felt the rejection but didn’t push. Whatever had just happened, Mano was in no state to explain it.
Then he remembered. They had come together. In his car. He jogged to catch up. “Want me to drive you home?”
Mano didn’t respond. He just kept walking, jaw tight, shoulders tense.
“I won’t ask anything,” Ody said. “I promise.”
That made Mano stop. He turned, met Ody’s eyes, and after a moment, gave a small nod. They walked back together and got into the car.
Inside, Mano checked his phone. Eight missed calls from Stella. His face darkened.
“What is it?” Ody asked when he noticed.
Stella: So that’s how it is Mano. If you’re going to ignore me, I hope you like what you’re about to see
He tapped the notification. A picture filled his screen. Rage flashed across his features.
“What happened?” Ody glanced over, then looked back at the road.
The image showed Stella and Mano lying on white sheets. Mano’s chest was bare, eyes closed. Stella was smiling at the camera, one hand on his chest.
The caption read:Isn’t he adorable when he sleeps?
Mano slammed his fist into his thigh. Ody flinched at the sound and pulled over.
“I can’t believe her,” Mano said through clenched teeth. “She actually fucking posted this.”
Ody glanced at the screen, his expression changing as he saw the photo. “Why would she do that?”
“She threatened to. Said she’d post something if I didn’t go out with her.” Mano shut his eyes, furious.
“Wait, I thought you said youaregoing out with her.”
“I missed her calls. Now she’s punishing me.”
“Tell her to take it down.”
“Oh, shewilltake it down.” He opened his chat with Stella, anger boiling.
“Not like that,” Ody warned. “Don’t make it worse.”
“I’m not begging her.” He typed furiously.Take it down now or you’ll regret it
“Don’t send that,” Ody said. “Can I?”
Mano hesitated, then handed him the phone.
Ody deleted the message and typed something new.Why did you post that without asking me? That was private, I didn’t want anyone else to see it.He showed the screen. “Is this okay?”
“No! She’ll think I’m some kind of softie,” Mano snapped.
“Being polite is not being a softie,” Ody said, pressing send before Mano could argue.
