When We Were Us [BxB]

Midnight

The stars shimmered above São João, their soft light reflecting off the dark expanse of the ocean, casting silver streaks across the waves. The heat of the day had long faded, replaced by the cool, velvet touch of night. The town, normally filled with life and sound, had fallen into a quiet lull, with only the distant crash of waves breaking the silence. It was a calm that should have been comforting, but to Lucas, it felt heavy with the weight of everything left unsaid.

He walked beside Matheus along the familiar path to the beach, their bare feet sinking into the warm sand. Matheus had suggested a midnight swim, as they had done every summer for as long as Lucas could remember. It was tradition, something sacred between them, a ritual that had come to define their friendship. But tonight, the air between them felt different—heavier, thick with an unspoken tension that Lucas couldn't shake.

The moon hung low in the sky, casting its silvery glow over the beach, making the ocean look like a vast, endless mirror. Lucas took in the cool breeze, the scent of saltwater filling his lungs. He wanted to hold onto that feeling, to ground himself in something familiar, but his mind wouldn't quiet. Everything had changed since the start of summer. Matheus. Isadora. The way the ground seemed to shift beneath Lucas's feet every time he was near them.

When they reached the water's edge, Matheus, always so sure of himself, tugged off his shirt and tossed it onto the sand. His skin glowed in the moonlight, his body moving with the kind of ease that had always drawn Lucas in. He turned toward Lucas with that infectious grin, eyes alight. "Race you in?" he called, his voice breaking the stillness.

For a moment, Lucas hesitated. His heart was racing, but not from excitement. He pulled off his own shirt, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of the churning in his chest. As he followed Matheus into the water, the cold shock of the ocean stole his breath. He dove beneath the surface, letting the water engulf him, its coolness muffling the world above. For a few precious seconds, everything was quiet. Peaceful.

When he resurfaced, Matheus was floating a few feet away, his face turned toward the sky, the moonlight glinting off the gentle ripples in the water. It was a scene that should have brought Lucas comfort. It reminded him of so many summers before—of simpler times.

"This never gets old, huh?" Matheus said, his voice soft as it carried across the water. He turned his head, his expression thoughtful, eyes shadowed but bright. "You and me, out here. It's like... nothing else matters."

The words hit Lucas like a wave, the weight of them pressing down on his chest. He wanted to agree, wanted to tell Matheus that these moments—their moments—were all that felt real to him anymore. But the words caught in his throat, tangled in the confusion and fear that had been building inside him for weeks. Instead, he floated closer, the water swirling around them as the tension between them grew heavier.

For a while, neither of them spoke. They drifted in silence, the ocean's gentle rhythm the only sound in the night. Lucas felt memories tugging at him—memories of summers spent with Matheus, nights like this when the world had shrunk down to just the two of them. Back then, everything had seemed simple. Now, things were complicated. Tangled in feelings Lucas didn't know how to make sense of, feelings he had been pushing down for too long.

"Lucas," Matheus said quietly, his voice pulling Lucas from his thoughts.

Lucas turned toward him, feeling the unspoken tension between them come to a head. Matheus's face was half-hidden in shadow, but his eyes were focused, intense, as if he were seeing something in Lucas for the first time.

"Why have you been so distant?" Matheus's voice was raw, vulnerable in a way Lucas had never heard before. "It's like you're not really here anymore."

Lucas's heart skipped a beat. He felt the question hit him like a punch to the gut. The truth was right there, ready to spill out—everything he had been holding back. The jealousy, the confusion, the fear of losing Matheus to someone else. To Isadora. But the words were stuck. How could he explain that every time he saw Matheus with her, it felt like a part of him was being ripped away? That he was terrified of losing the one person who had always been his constant?

Matheus floated closer, his gaze never leaving Lucas. "You can tell me, you know," he said, his voice steady but laced with concern. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Lucas felt the tension between them like a live wire, crackling with the weight of unspoken feelings. He wanted to tell Matheus everything, wanted to finally admit the truth he had been hiding for so long. But fear held him back. What if he said too much? What if it destroyed everything they had?

"I just..." Lucas's voice was barely above a whisper, drowned out by the sound of the waves. He looked away, his throat tight, the words refusing to come. "I don't know."

Matheus's brow furrowed, and he reached out, his hand brushing against Lucas's arm. The touch sent a jolt through Lucas, like electricity under his skin. "Lucas," Matheus's voice softened, almost pleading. "Whatever it is... I'm here. Just tell me."

Lucas's breath hitched. The closeness between them, the intensity of the moment, was overwhelming. He could feel Matheus's eyes on him, searching, waiting. The truth was there, just below the surface, ready to break free. But before Lucas could say anything, before he could give in to the weight of it all, the moment shattered.

A sound from the shore broke through the stillness—a rustling, a voice, something out of place in the quiet of the night.

Matheus's head snapped toward the shore, his expression shifting from vulnerability to guardedness in an instant. "Did you hear that?"

Lucas swallowed hard, the moment slipping through his fingers. "Yeah," he said, his voice shaking slightly. The spell was broken.

They both turned and swam toward the shore, their earlier conversation forgotten in the face of the sudden interruption. The quiet intimacy of their midnight swim was gone, replaced by a nervous energy, a shared curiosity about what—or who—had broken into their solitude.

As they reached the beach, dripping and breathless, Lucas's heart still raced, though now it wasn't from the closeness of Matheus, but from the jarring return to reality. They looked around, but whatever had made the noise was gone, leaving only the sound of the waves and the rustle of the wind in the palm trees.

They dressed in silence, the tension from earlier still hanging between them, unspoken. Matheus's earlier vulnerability had disappeared, replaced by the guarded expression Lucas had seen so often over the past few weeks.

By the time they reached the familiar path back to town, the easy rhythm they had always shared was gone. Matheus walked ahead, his face set in a thoughtful frown, his earlier openness hidden behind the mask he wore so well.

Lucas stole a glance at him, feeling the ache of everything he hadn't said, the truth he had been too afraid to reveal. It was all still there, just beneath the surface, waiting. But for now, the moment had passed. And Lucas was left wondering if he would ever get another chance to say what needed to be said.

4o

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