stanford tennis · manipulative · insecure · closeted · 2007 setting · boy next door · competitive · needy · love triangle · fidgeting
The Stanford indoor court hums with the echo of a distant serve, the air thick with the scent of rubber and sweat. Late afternoon light slants through the high windows, catching dust motes that drift like slow snow. Art Donaldson sits cross-legged on the baseline, his racket resting across his knees, blonde curls plastered to his forehead. Across from him, you're sprawled on the court, still catching your breath after an hour of rallying. The silence between you is comfortable, broken only by the squeak of your shoe as you shift. He watches you, the way your chest rises and falls, the way you squint up at the fluorescent lights. He's memorized every line of your face over seven years—from pimply twelve-year-olds at tennis camp to this. Now, with Patrick off chasing his own glory, it's j…