“I can’t hold these things,” Mano muttered.
“Come on, it’s sacrilege to eat sushi with a fork,” Ody said dramatically.
“Why?”
“It’s like… eating a burger with a teaspoon.”
Mano burst into loud laughter. Ody stared at him, stunned and delighted.
“No way, dude, I just imagined that,” Mano said between laughs.
Ody chuckled with him, unable to stop staring. The sound of Mano laughing like that felt rare… and kind of beautiful.
Once the laughter faded, Ody leaned forward. “So you’re going to learn chopsticks,” he said. “I can’t believe you, of all people, can’t.”
“Why me of all people?”
“You play so many instruments. You’re used to positioning your fingers precisely.”
“The truth is, I never bothered to learn.”
“Well, you’re learning now.” Ody split the chopsticks apart and handed them to Mano. “Here, hold them.”
Mano took them.
Ody demonstrated. “Watch my fingers. This one goes here, and this one here. Then you grab them and… click-click.”
Mano bit back a laugh, and Ody lit up seeing him like this.
“Now tilt the nigiri sideways and grab it like this.” Ody dipped it lightly in soy sauce and ate the whole piece. “So good. Your turn.”
Mano tried.
“Hold the hashi properly.”
“What husky?”
“The chopsticks. That’s what they’re called in Japanese,” Ody said, laughing.
Mano shot him a side-eye but adjusted his hands.
“Tilt the nigiri… like that… and now grab it.”
The nigiri slipped from the chopsticks and plopped back onto the plate.
“Fuck!” Mano shouted, frustrated.
Ody laughed and quickly checked if anyone heard. “Let’s try maki. It’s easier.” He pointed at the round rolls. “Grab it from the sides. One stick here, the other there.”
Mano tried again, struggling. Ody reached out without thinking, his fingers sliding over Mano’s to guide them into place. “Like this,” he said, his voice softening. Their hands stayed touching longer than necessary, and when Mano looked up, their eyes locked in a brief, breath-stealing moment. “Now grab it,” Ody said.
Mano moved carefully and managed to grip the sushi.
“Good. Now lift it and eat it.”
They both leaned closer, like they were performing delicate surgery.
Mano lifted it an inch and exclaimed, “I got it, I got it!” The sushi slipped and fell. “Die!” he yelled in frustration, and Ody burst into uncontrollable laughter.
