When We Were Us [BxB]

Summer

The last day of summer arrived quietly, like a sigh carried on the wind, slipping in unnoticed as the sun dipped low in the sky. São João was bathed in a golden light, casting long, soft shadows that made the town feel like a fading memory, a postcard from a moment already gone. The streets were quieter than usual, the hum of the season slowly fading as the town braced itself for the inevitable return to routine, to life beyond summer.

Lucas stood at the edge of the beach, staring out at the ocean, where the water stretched endlessly toward the horizon. The tide was calm, the waves lapping gently at the shore as if in no rush to go anywhere. He felt the stillness inside him too, a quiet ache that mirrored the slow rhythm of the sea. This place—this beach—had been the backdrop to so many of his summers, a constant in the ever-shifting landscape of his life. But now, as the last day of summer pressed down on him, everything felt different. The weight of what had been left unsaid hung in the air, unresolved, like the final notes of a song that hadn't quite finished playing.

Behind him, the soft sound of Matheus and Isadora's laughter broke through the quiet. They were packing up the last of their things, getting ready for the bus that would take them back to the city. Their voices blended with the sounds of the waves, a bittersweet harmony that filled Lucas with a sense of loss. The trio that had once felt inseparable now felt fractured, like something essential had shifted beneath the surface, pulling them in different directions.

Lucas kept his eyes on the horizon, watching the sunlight dance on the water's surface. It looked peaceful, serene, but inside, he was anything but. His mind kept drifting back to that last conversation with Matheus a few days ago—the one that had cracked open everything, exposing feelings Lucas had tried for so long to bury.

"I need time."

Three simple words. But they echoed inside Lucas's head, filling the empty spaces with uncertainty. He had bared his heart to Matheus, laid everything out in the open, and now he was left waiting. Waiting for Matheus to figure out what he wanted. Waiting for answers that might never come.

The sound of footsteps on the sand pulled Lucas from his thoughts, and he turned to see Matheus walking toward him, hands shoved into his pockets. His expression was unreadable, a careful mask of neutrality that only deepened Lucas's sense of unease. Behind him, Isadora lingered by the bags, her energy quieter than usual, as though she too sensed the growing distance between her and Matheus.

Matheus stopped a few feet away from Lucas, the space between them heavy with unspoken words. They stood in silence for a moment, the tension thick, neither one willing to break it.

"You ready?" Matheus asked, his voice quieter than usual, almost hesitant.

Lucas nodded, though the word felt too simple, too small for the mess of emotions swirling inside him. He wasn't ready—not for the end of summer, not for leaving São João, and certainly not for leaving things unresolved between him and Matheus. But he had no choice. The moment was slipping away, just like everything else.

The silence stretched on, punctuated only by the gentle crash of the waves. Lucas's heart pounded in his chest, the weight of everything he hadn't said pressing down on him like a heavy stone. He wanted to reach out, to ask Matheus if he had figured anything out, if their friendship—or whatever was left of it—could survive this. But the fear of pushing too hard, of losing Matheus completely, held him back.

Matheus shifted his weight, his gaze flicking toward the ocean. "It's weird, isn't it?" he said softly. "How everything can change so fast."

Lucas swallowed, his throat tight. "Yeah. It is."

They stood there, side by side, but the distance between them felt vast. The unspoken words hung in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating. Lucas could feel the ache in his chest growing, a hollow, gnawing pain that told him this was it. This was the moment that would define everything between them. He wanted to say something—anything—to break the silence, but the words wouldn't come.

It was Matheus who spoke first.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said," Matheus began, his voice barely audible over the sound of the waves. He glanced at Lucas, his eyes clouded with uncertainty. "About us. About... everything."

Lucas's breath caught in his throat. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for. The moment when Matheus would finally tell him how he felt, when everything would come into focus. But Matheus hesitated, his words hanging in the air, heavy and unfinished.

"I just... I don't know yet," Matheus said, his voice cracking slightly. "I don't know what I'm feeling. I don't know what any of this means."

Lucas felt his heart tighten, the hope he had been holding onto slipping through his fingers. He nodded, though it felt like he was on autopilot, his mind numb with disappointment. He had known this might happen, had prepared himself for the possibility that Matheus wouldn't have the answers he so desperately needed. But that didn't make it any easier to hear.

"I get it," Lucas said quietly, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. "Take all the time you need."

Matheus's eyes met his, and for a brief moment, Lucas thought he saw something—something raw, unguarded, like Matheus was on the verge of saying more. But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced by the familiar guardedness that Lucas had come to expect from him.

"Thanks," Matheus said, his voice clipped, looking away.

The conversation felt unfinished, like there was still so much left to say. But Lucas knew that pushing now would only make things worse. So he stayed silent, letting the weight of their unspoken words press down on him like a burden he wasn't sure he could carry.

In the distance, the low rumble of the bus engine echoed through the quiet streets, signaling the end of their summer in São João. Lucas turned toward the sound, his heart sinking as reality settled in. It was time to go.

Isadora joined them, her usual brightness dimmed, her eyes flicking between the two boys as if she could feel the tension radiating from them. There was a sadness in her gaze, an unspoken understanding that whatever had happened this summer had changed things between them all, maybe for good.

The three of them walked to the bus stop in silence, the weight of the summer's end hanging heavy over them. When they reached the stop, Lucas turned to Matheus, his heart pounding with the finality of it all.

"I'll see you around," Lucas said, his voice barely steady.

Matheus nodded, his gaze flicking to Lucas for the briefest second before dropping to the ground. "Yeah. See you around."

Lucas boarded the bus, his steps slow and heavy, as though the weight of everything unsaid was dragging him down. He found a seat by the window, his hands trembling as he sat down. He watched as São João faded into the distance, Matheus and Isadora growing smaller and smaller until they were nothing but memories.

The bus rumbled down the familiar streets, the quiet inside contrasting sharply with the storm raging in Lucas's chest. He had told Matheus everything, and now all he could do was wait. Wait for Matheus to figure out what he wanted. Wait for answers that might never come.

As the bus crossed the bridge out of São João, Lucas's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Matheus's name on the screen.

We need to talk.

Lucas stared at the message, his pulse quickening. The words were simple, but they carried the weight of possibility—of something unfinished, something still waiting to be said.

He looked out the window at the ocean, vast and endless, and for the first time all summer, he felt a flicker of hope.

The bus rolled on, the future uncertain, but maybe—just maybe—there was still time for them to figure it out.

4o