When We Were Us [BxB]

Truth

The next evening, the beach was alive once again, the soft hum of music blending seamlessly with the rhythmic crash of the waves. The sky had turned a deep indigo, and the stars had begun to dot the horizon, casting a serene glow over São João. The bonfire from the night before lingered in Lucas's mind, but tonight felt different. There was a restlessness in the air, something unspoken simmering beneath the surface, ready to break free at any moment.

Lucas, Matheus, and Isadora sat with a few others from town—a group they'd known for years, but whose faces now felt like distant memories, as if they belonged to a different life. They gathered in a loose circle on the sand, the firelight dancing across their faces, flickering shadows playing tricks on their features. Laughter echoed across the beach, mingling with the scent of saltwater and the warmth of the alcohol. Bottles of beer and rum passed from hand to hand, the humid air thick with the buzz of summer nights.

It was Isadora who first suggested the game. Her voice carried a hint of mischief, her eyes gleaming in the firelight as she twirled a strand of her thick, coily hair. "How about a little Truth or Dare?" she said, her smile teasing as her gaze settled on Matheus, who lounged beside her with an arm casually draped across the sand.

A murmur of excitement rippled through the group, a mix of groans and laughter signaling their readiness for the night's inevitable awkward and embarrassing confessions. Lucas felt a familiar knot tighten in his stomach, but he said nothing. He hated games like these—their veneer of fun often masking raw truths and hidden secrets. But with Matheus and Isadora here, there was no way out. He couldn't back down, not now.

The first few rounds passed easily, filled with harmless dares and lighthearted truths. Matheus, ever the showman, was dared to chug a beer in under ten seconds. He did so with flair, grinning as the group cheered him on. Isadora, when her turn came, recounted a story about an embarrassing moment in high school, drawing laughter from everyone around the fire. Lucas remained quiet, watching the game unfold around him, a spectator on the edge of a growing tension he couldn't yet name.

As the game progressed, however, the tone began to shift. The questions became more intimate, the dares riskier. Lucas could feel the tension tightening, like a taut string ready to snap. Every look, every word exchanged between Matheus and Isadora seemed to cut deeper, making the atmosphere heavier with each passing moment.

When it was Isadora's turn again, she leaned back, her smile gleaming in the flickering firelight. Her eyes glinted with something playful but sharp as they flicked toward Matheus. Lucas, watching her carefully, felt the air grow thick, weighted with something more than just the game.

"Truth or dare?" Isadora asked, her voice carrying a challenge beneath its softness.

Matheus, never one to shy away from a risk, grinned and replied, "Truth."

Isadora's smile widened, and Lucas could feel the tension mount before she even spoke. "Who was your first love?" she asked, her voice smooth, but the question hit the air like a stone dropped into still water.

The group fell silent. Even the waves seemed to pause, as if the ocean itself waited for Matheus's response. Lucas's heart skipped a beat, his chest tightening as he turned to Matheus, anticipation and anxiety building inside him. He wasn't sure why, but something told him that this moment was pivotal—that Matheus's answer would change something fundamental between them.

Matheus chuckled, the sound light but strained, as if the question had caught him off guard. He leaned back on his hands, his eyes flicking briefly to Lucas before settling back on Isadora. "That's easy," he said, shrugging. "There was this girl in high school. Nothing serious."

Lucas's heart sank. The casualness of Matheus's response stung more than he had expected. He had hoped for something deeper, something more revealing, something that would reflect the intensity of what Lucas had been feeling. But hearing Matheus brush it off as a fleeting crush on some girl—a girl Lucas had never heard of—felt like a betrayal. Was this all there was? Had their connection always been one-sided, a friendship for Matheus, while Lucas harbored feelings he couldn't even begin to express?

Isadora nodded thoughtfully, her smile softening. "A girl from high school, huh? I guess we all have one of those."

The group laughed lightly, the tension easing for a moment, but Lucas felt no relief. Instead, the cold knot in his chest only grew tighter. He stared into the flames, watching as the fire flickered higher, its heat biting at the night air, but nothing could thaw the cold that had settled inside him. Was Matheus's answer the truth? Or was he hiding something deeper, something that Lucas had always suspected but could never bring himself to confront?

Lucas was lost in thought when someone called his name, snapping him back to the present.

"Lucas. Truth or dare?"

He blinked, suddenly aware that the entire group was watching him. His mind raced. He had always chosen truth, preferring the safety of words over the unpredictability of action. But tonight, the weight of the unspoken tension between him and Matheus pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. Something inside him shifted—something reckless.

"Dare," Lucas said quietly, his voice almost swallowed by the crackle of the fire.

A ripple of surprise passed through the group, a murmur of excitement building. But it was Isadora who spoke first, her eyes locking onto Lucas with a playful, dangerous glint. "I dare you to kiss someone," she said, her smile widening. "Anyone you want."

Laughter erupted around the circle, but Lucas's heart plummeted. The dare was simple enough, but the implications were anything but. His mind raced, his gaze darting between Matheus and Isadora. Matheus sat there, still grinning, but something unreadable flickered in his eyes—a tension Lucas couldn't quite decipher.

Lucas took a deep breath, his pulse pounding in his ears. He stood up slowly, the soft sand shifting beneath his feet as he walked toward Isadora. He could feel Matheus's eyes on him, the air between them charged, electric, like a live wire waiting to snap. Isadora's smile softened, becoming something warmer, more inviting.

Lucas bent down and kissed her.

The kiss was brief, just a brush of lips against lips, but it felt hollow, wrong—like he was missing something vital. He pulled away quickly, his heart racing, but for reasons that had nothing to do with the dare. He couldn't bring himself to look at Matheus, but he could feel the shift in the air, the unspoken tension that hung heavy between them, thickening with every passing second.

The group cheered, oblivious to the undercurrent running beneath the surface, but Lucas knew something had changed. Matheus's expression had shifted—just enough for Lucas to notice it. Jealousy. Confusion. Something more than just friendship.

The rest of the game passed in a blur for Lucas, the laughter and dares fading into the background as his thoughts spun out of control. He had kissed Isadora, but all he could think about was Matheus. And the look on Matheus's face when he did it.

By the time the fire began to die down, the group had thinned out, leaving only a few of them still sitting by the embers. Isadora was chatting quietly with one of the others, her laughter soft in the night air. Matheus sat beside Lucas, the space between them charged with everything left unsaid.

Matheus turned to Lucas, his voice low. "What was that about?"

Lucas shrugged, not trusting himself to speak. The truth was too close, too raw, and he wasn't ready to face it. Not yet.

But Matheus wasn't backing down. "Lucas," he said, his tone more serious than before. "Why didn't you just..."

Lucas finally met his gaze, the firelight reflecting in Matheus's dark eyes, and for the first time, he saw it—the same confusion, the same longing. The same question that had been gnawing at Lucas all night.

In that moment, something cracked open between them, fragile and unspoken.

But before either of them could say anything, Isadora called out, breaking the spell. Matheus glanced over, his attention momentarily pulled away, and Lucas was left with the ache of everything that could have been said but wasn't.

As the night faded into silence and the embers of the fire cooled, Lucas knew one thing for sure: whatever had started between him and Matheus, whatever had been simmering beneath the surface, it was far from over. And the summer was only just beginning.