Page 129 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

Mano stilled.

“When you touch me…” Ody continued. “When you look at me like that…”

Mano stepped closer, his hand coming up to cup Ody’s cheek.

Ody’s eyes closed, a quiet breath leaving him.

“Like this?” Mano murmured.

Ody opened his eyes, their faces close, his pulse loud in his ears.

Mano leaned in. Their lips met, slow at first, then deeper, Ody melting into him as Mano pulled him closer. When they pulled back just enough to breathe, they stayed close, eyes locked.

“You’re the only one who makes me feel like this,” he whispered.

Mano didn’t speak. He drew him in and pressed their mouths together again.

In the morning, alarms went off one after the other, though no one woke up. They’d only gone to bed at dawn, while Pierce and Chris had crashed much earlier after drinking themselves into oblivion. It was close to two in the afternoon when Ody finally opened his eyes and found Mano still asleep beside him. A small smile tugged at his lips as he reached out, brushing his fingers over his cheek.

For a moment, everything felt quiet.

“Bro, open up!” Elias’s voice crashed through the door, followed by loud banging. “I’m dying out here!” he shouted, laughing.

Ody sighed, sliding out of bed while Mano didn’t stir. “What’s going on?” he asked, opening the door.

“Pierce woke up, so I told him he almost hooked up with Chris last night. He nearly threw me off the balcony,” Elias said, laughing as he pushed past him. He paused when he saw Mano. “Oh. He’s still asleep?”

“Yeah.” Ody glanced back at the bed. “Keep it down.”

Elias rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s already two.” He jerked his chin toward the door. “Wake him up, let’s go mess with them.”

Ody let out a quiet breath. “You seriously have nothing better to do?”

“I’m not missing Chris’s reaction to this,” he said, laughing as he headed out. “Wake him up and come to my room.”

The door shut behind him. Ody exhaled, rubbing his face. He woke Mano and told him what happened. A few minutes later, they joined the others.

“WHAT?” Chris shouted.

Elias doubled over laughing. Steve just shook his head, while Ody stayed quiet, eyes on the floor.

“What the hell, guys? First thing in the morning? You couldn’t come up with something better?” Chris looked around.

“We’re not joking,” Steve said.

Chris turned to Pierce. “Is it true?”

“I don’t know, dude, I don’t remember anything,” Pierce muttered, looking away.

“Exactly! You’re messing with us,” Chris said.

“I told you we should’ve recorded it,” Elias added, still laughing.

“Hey, Ody,” Chris looked at him. “You don’t mess around like that. What actually happened?”

All eyes turned to him.

Ody looked up. “I went to get water. When I came back…” He hesitated. “Your lips were touching.”