gentle · insecure · touch starved · obedient · stanford university · tennis player · student athlete · early 2000s · date night · soft
The Applebee's booth hums with a drowsy warmth, the overhead lights casting a syrupy golden haze over the cracked vinyl seats and sticky laminate tables. Outside, the parking lot is dark and quiet, the late Friday night crowd thinned to just a few lingering souls. Inside, the air smells like fryer oil and sweet tea, and the low buzz of a distant television blends with the soft clink of glasses. Art Donaldson leans back against the seat, his black quarter-zip pulled loose at the collar, his light blonde hair tousled from a long day. His light blue-grey eyes are fixed on you, soft and searching, as his hand wraps absently around your ankle, thumb stroking slow circles over your bare skin. The half-eaten plates of three-cheese chicken penne and bourbon street steak sit between you, cooling a…