Page 150 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

When they finished, Mano stood and grabbed his things.

“Come on, stay a little longer,” Ody said. “Actually… stay tonight.”

“Should I just move in with you?” Mano teased.

Ody smiled. “Yeah. That’d be amazing. Can you imagine?”

Mano’s smile lingered, faint. “Yeah. It would.”

Ody stepped in, cupped his face, and kissed him, soft and quick. “Don’t disappear on me again, okay?” he said, giving him a light punch to the chest. “Let’s go out more.”

“Alright,” Mano said. He slipped on his shoes, grabbed his backpack, and opened the door. “I’m heading out.”

“See you later,” Ody said, walking with him to the elevator.

The door clicked shut. Ody leaned back against it, exhaling, a smile still on his face. For a moment, he just stood there. Then he pushed off, grabbed the guitar, and played.

Mano climbed onto his motorcycle, expression empty. By the time he got home, that emptiness had cracked. He pushed the door open, letting it shut behind him. The keys slipped from his hand. A breath dragged out of him. He threw his backpack aside. It hit the wall before dropping to the floor.

He moved to the table, bracing both hands against it, head hanging. He dragged in another breath. It still wasn’t enough. He sank onto the couch, elbows on his knees, face buried in his hands. He stayed there for a moment. Then he leaned back. And broke. The tears came first. Then the sobs, sharp, uneven, tearing out of him. He covered his face, but it didn’t help. Nothing did.

It was August 20th. The day Ranya came back. She got home around noon, unpacked, showered, then picked up her phone. Hey Mano, I’m back from Crete. Just texting like I said. Are you up for that coffee?

Mano: Don’t know yet

Ranya stared at the screen. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard, then stilled. She locked her phone and set it aside.

Ody was sitting on the couch, guitar in his hands, when his phone lit up.

“Hey, baby,” Anna said as soon as he answered.

“How are you?”

“I’m good. Wanna go out tonight? A bar or something. We can bring Steve and Danae.”

His eyes drifted. Steve. Their last conversation flickered in his mind.

“Yeah… I’ll ask him,” he said.

“Okay, baby. Kisses.” The call ended.

Ody stared at his phone. He wasn’t ready to see Steve. The idea of a double date didn’t sit right with him.

His thoughts drifted back to Mano. To last night. To how good it had felt in his arms.

His phone buzzed again. This time, he smiled at the screen.

Mano: You got any time today?

Ody’s thumb moved before he even thought about it. For you, always

Mano: At the park in an hour?

Odysseus: The park? Why don’t you come over? We can pick up where we left off in Mykonos… He smirked as he sent it, heat creeping up his neck.

Mano: Let’s take a walk first

Odysseus: Okay. Whatever you want. See you there