Page 83 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

Ody didn’t say anything at first. Then he pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for singing for me,” he murmured. “Your voice is beautiful.”

Mano stayed there, eyes closed, tucked into his arms.

When they pulled back, Mano didn’t move far. “What do you want to do now?” he asked.

“Uh…” Ody hesitated, looking down. “Anna texted me. She wants to meet.” He looked back at him, noticing Mano glance away. “Mano… I’m going to talk to her,” he said. “I’m breaking up with her. Today.”

That made Mano look back at him. Ody held his gaze, waiting. He expected something, a reaction, anything.

Mano’s eyes drifted. “Do whatever you want,” he said, already turning away. He headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

Ody stayed where he was, watching him. Mano didn’t stop him. Didn’t argue like he usually did. Something tightened in Ody’s stomach. Was that… approval? The thought took hold before he could question it.

He wanted to go right now. End it. Be with him.

Soon, a message from Anna popped up, asking him to come over while her parents were out.

On the way there, Ody went over what he was going to say. He wasn’t going to bring Mano into this. That wouldn’t be fair, especially after Serifos, with Mano just a room away. This was between him and Anna. He wasn’t in love with her anymore, and she deserved someone who was. Someone who could give her everything.

He rang the bell, drawing in a breath. The door opened. Anna’s eyes were red, full of tears. She sniffed and turned away without a word, walking inside.

“Anna?” Ody stepped in, closing the door behind him.

She dropped onto the couch, pulling her legs up, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

Ody hesitated, then moved closer. “What happened?”

No answer.

He sat beside her. “Hey…” he said, quieter now. “Talk to me.”

“Apparently, I’m doing everything wrong,” she said, her voice breaking as another tear slipped down her cheek.

Ody swallowed. “Why would you say that?”

“We had a mock test in German…” she said, struggling to keep herself steady. “And I didn’t pass.”

A breath left his chest. “You’ll do better next time.”

She turned to him. “Tell that to my parents, who think it’s the end of the world! They make me feel like I’m worthless. Like I don’t matter unless I get perfect scores.” She dragged a hand under her eyes, but it didn’t help. “You know how hard I’ve been studying for college… but they act like if I’m not perfect, I’ll never make it.”

She let out a choked laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Other kids don’t even get the chance to study, and I fail one test and suddenly I’m nothing.” She clung to him, her face buried against his shoulder, her body shaking as she cried.

A few seconds passed. Then she shifted. “…Ody?” She pulled back just enough to look at him, her brows knitting together. “Why aren’t you hugging me?”

That snapped him out of it. He wrapped his arms around her, and she sank into him again.

“If I didn’t have you, I don’t know how I’d handle all this,” she whispered.

Ody’s grip tightened without meaning to. The words were right there, sitting on his tongue. But she was shaking in his arms. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

An hour later, Mano’s doorbell rang. He opened the door to Ody looking worse than when he’d left.

He frowned. “What happened?”

Ody sighed and stepped inside, dropping onto the couch, his fingers lacing together over his knees. “It was bad. She’d fought with her parents… she was a mess. Crying. I couldn’t tell her.”

Mano’s gaze stayed on him for a moment. “Oh…” His eyes flickered away. “Doesn’t matter. No big deal.” An empty laugh escaped him.