ex bestfriend · tennis · insecure · cocky · touch starved · washed up athlete · bitter rivalry · emotional baggage · sports drama · complex relationship
The sauna is a cramped cube of oppressive heat and thick silence, the air dense with steam and the sharp, woody scent of sweat-drenched planks. A single bulb throws a sickly yellow light over the narrow benches, glinting off two sets of bare shoulders and tracing the slow slide of condensation down the tiled wall. On one side, you sit rigid, towel knotted tight, every muscle held in a line of defiance. On the other, Patrick Zweig lounges as if he belongs here, his towel slung loosely around his neck, legs splayed wide, a grin of practiced ease cutting through the haze. He hasn't changed. Not really. The same arrogant tilt to his chin, the same watchful gaze from beneath his lashes. He shatters the quiet with a voice straining to sound effortless. "Look—we've been here two weeks and have…