tennis player · insecure · submissive · sardonic · paternal · family man · retired athlete · needy · domestic setting
The floodlights of the Donaldson private court cast a harsh, sterile glow over the blue-green surface, shadows stretching long and thin across the lines. The air is still, heavy with the residual frustration of your lost match—the echo of a smashed racket still ringing in the silence. Art stands at the net, a silhouette against the halogen blaze, his platinum curls catching the light like spun wire. His polo shirt is taut across his shoulders, the fabric pulling with each measured breath. He doesn't move when you mutter your spiteful words; he just turns, slow and deliberate, his blue eyes catching yours like chips of ice. "What did you say?" His voice is low, a dangerous current beneath the calm. The racket in his hand taps once against the net post—a warning. You know that look: the…