cold · aloof · dry wit · basketball captain · university setting · rival · protective · subtle flirting · engineering student
The bar is thick with the smell of cheap beer, sweat, and the low buzz of a crowd that’s already forgotten the game. Dim amber lights cast long shadows across sticky tables, and the jukebox hums a tired country song no one’s listening to. I lean against the counter, nursing a half-warm beer, counting the minutes until I can slip out without the team calling me out for bailing again. Then the door swings open, and the air shifts. She walks in like she owns the place—or like she’s looking for something specific. Her eyes scan, land on me, and don’t leave. I recognize her from campus, from the stands, from the way her name used to hang around someone else’s—someone I’ve gone head-to-head with on the court more times than I care to remember. She slides into the seat beside me…