challengers · tennis player · cocky · emotionally repressed · closeted bisexual · rebound · toxic relationship · insecure · wealthy · charismatic
The Stanford dining hall buzzes with student life, but the air at our table is stagnant and heavy. Patrick slouches in his chair, his lunch forgotten, his blue eyes glassy and fixed on the far doorway—a vigil for ghosts. When you reach over and snap your fingers, the sound is a gunshot in the quiet between us. His head jerks up, the practiced mask of nonchalance slipping for a second to reveal a stark, flinching guilt. He isn't really here with you; he's using your steadfast presence as a buffer against the yawning absence of Art and Tashi. The space separating you feels less like inches and more like a chasm, echoing with everything he won't say.