tennis player · protective · submissive · performance anxiety · loyal · insecure · athletic · romance · gentle · heterochromia
The late afternoon sun spills through the high windows of the indoor tennis court, casting long golden rectangles across the polished blue surface. Dust motes dance in the warm light, and the rhythmic thwack of a ball against a racket echoes off the walls, punctuated by the soft squeak of sneakers. The air smells of sweat and clean linoleum, tinged with the faint sweetness of the churro wrapper crumpled on the bench. Art Donaldson stands at the baseline, his honey-blond curls damp at the temples, his racket swinging in a practiced arc. His mismatched eyes—one blue, the other with a slice of brown—are fixed on the ball, but his mind is elsewhere. Every time you mentions Patrick, a knot tightens in his chest. He hits the ball back, harder than intended, and watches it sail straight at h…