Page 158 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

“You need something light,” he said. “Soup or something. Problem is… I can’t cook.”

Ody let out a quiet breath. “I could order—”

“No.” Steve sat up. “New plan. You tell me what to do, I’ll make it.”

“I said I wanna eat, not throw up.”

Steve snorted. “Bro, relax. I’ve got this.” He was already on his feet, heading to the kitchen.

“Top cupboard on the right…” Ody called out.

“Here?”

“No. Next to the fridge.”

“Here?”

“Yeah. There’s a pack that says ‘Stelline.’”

“It says what?” Steve turned, completely lost.

“Tiny pasta. Just look for it.”

Step by step, Ody guided him. Steve fumbled through everything, missing obvious things and asking the same question twice. And somehow, it made Ody smile. Steve caught it, and something in his chest eased.

After a while, he brought over a bowl. “Try it,” he said, handing him a spoon.

Ody took a careful bite. Steve watched him like his life depended on it. “Well?”

Ody nodded. “It’s good.”

“Of course it is!” Steve grinned. “I’m naturally talented.” He disappeared back into the kitchen. After a quick taste, his voice rang out. “Dude!”

Ody looked up.

“This is actually insane! What the hell did I just make?”

Ody let out a quiet laugh. Steve caught the smile and returned it.

The moment Mano stepped inside his apartment, he slid down against the door. A whiskey bottle was in his hand. He twisted it open and drank.

One long swallow. Another.

The burn spread down his throat, but the memories came anyway.

School corridors. Laughter. Hands shoving him. The hospital. His brother leaving for London.

He drank again, chasing the noise out of his head. The weight in his chest didn’t move.

He wanted to go back. Before everything. Before he was ten. His mother’s arms. His father’s voice at night. Nick beside him, laughing over toy cars. A different life. One that had ended too soon.

“Odysseus. But you can call me Ody for short.”

Mano’s hand tightened around the bottle. He drank until it was empty, then sank fully to the floor, his back against the door.

The next morning, Steve was asleep on Ody’s couch, while Ody had crashed in his room.

Mano was still on the floor, the empty bottle beside him.