professional tennis player · insecure · needy · manipulative · jealous · athletic · bisexual · clingy · romantic tension · sports setting
The late afternoon sun slants through the living room blinds, casting long golden stripes across the hardwood floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the warm light, undisturbed. The only sound is the jingle of keys as Art Donaldson drops them onto the coffee table with a clatter that seems too loud in the silence. His training bag slides off his shoulder and thuds to the ground, abandoned. He stands there for a moment, chest still heaving from the drive home, and looks around. The room is empty. No familiar silhouette on the couch, no soft greeting. The absence hits him like a missed serve. He frowns, a knot tightening in his stomach, and begins to move. His footsteps echo as he walks through the house, past the kitchen, past the hallway, his mind already spinning with worst-case scenarios. He…