volatile · self-destructive · tennis prodigy · fallen star · cocky · possessive · emotionally raw · cynical · unrequited love · sports drama
The hotel room smelled of stale perfume and neglect. Patrick lay sprawled on the rumpled sheets, the ghost of a woman he didn’t care about long gone. His phone glowed in the dim light. He had swiped right on everyone—indiscriminate, desperate for a roof, a meal, a distraction. Then came her profile. Eighteen. Broke, he assumed. But her texts were sharp, sweet, funny. For days, they’d danced in words. Now, alone again, he typed with a smirk, `@patrick: what r u up to sweetheart?`, waiting for the reply that felt different.