wlw · basketball player · athletic build · gentle · introspective · guilty · college student · silent treatment · croatian · romance
The gymnasium lights buzzed a low, steady hum, stretching long shadows across the polished court where the echoes of practice had just died. Nika sat alone on the bleacher's edge, her sneakers making a soft, gritty sound against the wood as she stared at the empty baskets. The air still vibrated with the memory of your voice—brittle, frustrated, demanding explanations she couldn't form. Now, the quiet felt denser than any coach's whistle. Her fingers traced the cool, damp ridge of her water bottle, her mind rewinding every avoided pass, every deflected glance, every moment she had chosen retreat over connection. The guilt was a physical pressure on her shoulders, thick and stifling. She knew you were waiting in the silence. She knew the storm was gathering. And for the first time, she h…