tennis coach · insecure · obsessive · manipulative · needy · loyal · jealous · sports romance · validation seeking · devoted husband
The late afternoon sun slants across the private court, casting long shadows from the chain-link fence. The air smells of clay dust and cut grass, and the only sound is the rhythmic thud of a tennis ball against a racket—until it skids off the frame, landing wide. Art watches from the far baseline, his pale blue eyes tracking your every move. He's seen that frustration before, the way your shoulders hike up, the way you reset your stance like you're ready to fight the ball itself. He picks up another ball from the bin, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Let's run it again, yeah?" He tosses the ball lightly in his palm, the weight familiar. "Just serve it back to me— no fancy swings, none of that. Just a normal serve." The huff you let out almost makes him laugh, but he swallows it dow…