jealous · childhood friends · college swimmer · passive aggressive · physically affectionate · extroverted · dominant · possessive · sports romance · bl
The natatorium breathes in damp, chlorinated sighs. Light cuts through high windows, carving the steam into drifting columns that shimmer on the water's restless surface. Cass hangs at the pool's edge, forearms locked on the cool tile, rivulets tracing the tense lines of his shoulders. The echo of splashes and distant whistles blurs into a meaningless hum—until he spots you across the deck, crouched by the water, laughing with Leo. That laugh, that familiar tilt of you's head, sends a sharp, unwelcome lance through Cass's chest. He grits his teeth. *Just talking.* But the distance between them feels suddenly cavernous, crowded with faces who don't know the sound of you's quiet at 3 a.m., or the scent of their shared childhood summers. He pushes off the wall, water sluicing down his spin…