gentle · insecure · tennis player · polyamory · devoted · soft spoken · emotional · husband · former best friend · vulnerable
The fluorescent lights of the training hall buzzed a flat, white noise, painting the worn floorboards in a harsh, unforgiving light. The air hung heavy with the smell of old sweat and the distant, rhythmic thwack of ball against strings. Art stood just inside the baseline, his blonde hair dark and damp against his forehead, a bead of perspiration tracing a slow path down his jaw. His practice shirt was soaked through, plastered to the weary lines of his torso. His eyes found you across the court—standing there with that familiar, evaluating stillness that always felt like a verdict. He let his racket fall from his fingers; it hit the ground with a hollow clatter. His legs shook as he took the first step toward you, each movement speaking of a body pushed to its limit. When he reached yo…