Chapter 4

"Oh my god, we're finally here," Matt groaned as he dropped their luggage on the floor.

"You act as if you're the one who drove," Ambrose said, rolling his eyes.

"Shush," Matt said before throwing himself on the bed.

"You're going to destroy that bed if you keep doing that," Ambrose said.

"I just did it once. We just got here and you're already nagging me," Matt grumbled.

Ambrose rolled his eyes once again and started to unpack the toiletries from their luggage. After he was done arranging the bathroom, he grabbed both his and Matthew's swimwear before throwing MAtt's boardshorts at his face. Matt quickly caught the pair of shorts before it hit his face and he bolted up from the bed, sticking his tongue out at Ambrose.

The two changed into their boardshorts before going to the shore. Matthew slung his arm around Ambrose's shoulder as they stare into the edge of the sea, letting the waves touch their feet.

"Remember when we used to swim over to that cave in that cliff over there?" Matt asked, pointing towards the direction of the cliff.

"Yeah, I do," Ambrose chuckled. "I always beat you whenever we race."

"Yeah, because you were in the swim team for most of our lives. I had no chance against you," Matt grumbled.

"Stop grumbling. You're not four," Ambrose said.

"Stop" *flick* "nagging" *flick* "me," *flick*. Matt said through gritted teeth while flicking Ambrose's forehead after every word.

Ambrose didn't flinch, not even a bit. He was not going to give Matt the satisfaction so he just stuck his tongue out at him.

"We should race again," Ambrose suggested.

"If I win this time, I get a foot massage," Matt said with a smug on his face.

"As if you can," Ambrose scoffed before diving into the water and swimming up to the cave.

Matthew cursed under his breath and quickly swam after Ambrose. Matthew swam as best as he could, thinking that he could outswim Ambrose just this once. As soon as he reached the cave, Matthew emerged from the water. He looked around and didn't find Ambrose anywhere. Instead of celebrating, Matthew became worried.

He looked around the cave and when he still didn't see Ambrose, he ventured deeper. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Ambrose crouched down in a nook in the deep part of the cave. Ambrose was holding a small jewelry box in his hand and when Matthew saw it he panicked and snatched it out from his hand.

"Woah, calm down. I just found that here on accident," Ambrose said before going back by the cave entrance.

"Sorry. I just didn't think someone would find it," Matthew said.

"That's yours?" Ambrose asked.

"Yeah, I hid it years ago. I almost forgot about it until I saw you holding it," he said as he placed the box in his pocket.

"What is that anyway? Why did you hide it in there?" Ambrose asked.

"I'm not telling you," he said, splashing water towards Ambrose.

"Hey, I'm your husband. You have to tell me," Ambrose pleaded.

"No, I'm still not telling you. Don't pull the husband card," Matt said before sticking his tongue out.

"Fine," Ambrose huffed. "Anyways, I won so I get the foot massage," Ambrose said, pushing his foot towards Matthew.

"No. The deal was, if I win, I get a foot massage. I didn't say that if I lose, you get a foot massage," Matthew reasoned out.

"Uh, no. I don't care about that. I still won so you have to give me a foot massage when we get back at the house," Ambrose said while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Kiss me first," Matthew said while pouting his lips.

Ambrose scrunched his face in disgust and Matthew's heart twisted a little.

"What's up with you? You've been more 'kissy' in private. Are we being followed by cameras that we don't know about?" Ambrose asked.

"What's wrong with that? Am I not allowed to ask for kisses from my husband?" Matthew said, trying to brush off the weird feeling he got from Ambrose's reaction.

"Now you're pulling the husband card? If I can't use it then why can you?" Ambrose asked.

"Because I was the one who suggested we got married," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"You know what, fine. We swim back and if I win, I get a foot massage and if I don't I'll give you one," Ambrose said.

"Fine," Matthew agreed while rolling his eyes.

Ambrose had a satisfied smile on his face. He then sat down on the rocks, facing the sky. Matthew sat beside him.

"I remember when I saw you here crying because you got rejected by that guy from the football team," Ambrose said, reminiscing the time they were in high school.

Matthew chuckled at the memory. He finally had the guts to confess to this guy he's been crushing on for a while and when he did, he got rejected. Matthew didn't know that the guy was straight so he escaped the school grounds and went to the cave despite it being hours away from their home.

Ambrose knew exactly where to find him when he was missing after school. He rode his bike all the way to the beach house and swam to the cave in his uniform in a panic. He was so relieved seeing Matthew in the cave and then immediately proceeded to tease him about being rejected.

"I didn't think anyone would find me there that day," Matthew said.

"Really? You didn't think that the guy who has been with you for all those years getting into trouble wouldn't know where you are? You didn't remember that?" Ambrose asked rhetorically.

He didn't know that Matthew didn't cry just because he got rejected. He cried because he felt like he lost his chance to forget and is now forced to hide what he truly feels.

"I just thought you would've given me some space," Matthew said.

"I can't. I was worried. You were gone for a few hours. I just had to find you," Ambrose said in a soft tone.

"Thank you for coming to me that day," Matthew said, turning his head to face Ambrose.

"You're welcome. You know I'll always be there for you," he said, facing Matthew.

Their eyes met and Matthew felt as if time stopped for a moment. His gaze fell on Ambrose's lips, making him swallow dryly. He so badly wanted to kiss him. He just wanted to feel his lips against his, even just for a moment, when it was just the two of them. When they don't have to pretend.

"The sun's setting," Ambrose said, snapping Matthew out of his thoughts.

Matthew cleared his throat and quickly stood up from the ground. "We should go now, then," Matthew said as he wiped his hands on his shorts.

"Wait, let's watch the sunset first," Ambrose said as he stood up.

He wrapped an arm around Matthew's as he watched the sunset. Matthew watched as the glow from the sun caressed Ambrose's face. He was watching the sunset through Ambrose's eyes. The sky turned dark yet his face still glows in his eyes.

Ambrose then pulled away from Matthew and dove into the water, leaving him behind. Matthew chuckled as he watched Ambrose swim under the moonlight. He knew that he can never compete against him, but he will on challenging him to race. Matthew finally dove into the water and swam to the shore.

Once he reached the shore. Ambrose was already there, waiting for him impatiently. Matthew rose from the water and kicked the sand on Ambrose's feet. Ambrose groaned in annoyance before grabbing Matthew's leg and pulling him towards the outdoor shower. The two stood under the water, washing off the sand and saltwater on their skin.

"What do you want for dinner?" Matthew asked.

"It's your birthday dumbass. I hired a private chef. We're having a dinner date tonight. Mostly because it's just the two of us," Ambrose said.

"Thank you," Matthew said.

"You're welcome. It's your birthday so you get a day off from cooking," Ambrose said.

He turned off the shower and the two went inside the house. Ambrose introduced Matthew to the private chef before the two proceeded into their room to change clothes. Matthew put on a white loose cotton shirt and a pair of linen trousers while Ambrose wore a beige linen dress.

They went to the dining area where the private chef served their first course. The two enjoyed their meal, talking about their time in school when they would skip off to somewhere and then getting picked up by their parents from the arcade in the middle of the day. Matthew was enjoying their time together when Amrbose's phone started to ring. Ambrose was about to turn it off when he saw his dad's name on the caller I.D.

"It's dad," Ambrose told Matthew.

"Go and answer it. It's fine," Matthew said.

Ambrose stood up from the table and walked outside before answering his phone. Matthew continued eating as he waited for Ambrose to come back. After a while, Ambrose came back with a sad look on his face.

"Uhm, dad needs me for work. He said it's urgent," Ambrose said.

Mathew tried to mask his disappointment with a smile. "It's okay. You can go if it's really needed. I'll be fine. You can just pick me up here tomorrow or I can get a cab. Whichever's more convenient."

"I'm sorry, Matthew," he apologized.

"It's fine. I understand," Mathew said, waving Ambrose off.

"I'll go now," Ambrose said as he took the car keys and his wallet. "Happy birthday," he said before kissing Matthew on the cheek.

Matthew walked Ambrose to his car and waved as he drove off. He let out a sigh of disappointment once Ambrose was out of view. He went back inside and downed the glass of wine in one go. He gave the chef a tip before they the go. Matthew slumped on his chair as he filled his glass with wine. He was going to spend the rest of his birthday alone and he already hates every second of it.