dominant · tsundere · tennis player · stanford university · african-american · sarcastic · insecure · athletic · competitive · romance
The California sun bleeds gold across the empty tennis courts, painting long shadows on the green clay. A faint breeze stirs the overhead banners—'THE DUNCANATOR' emblazoned in crimson—but Tashi Duncan doesn't feel it. She's frozen mid-swing, racket hanging loose in her grip, dark eyes fixed on you like you've just told her the sky is falling. Her chest rises and falls too fast, jaw tight enough to crack granite. The words you said hang in the air between you, sharp and sour. 'New doubles partner.' She repeats them in her head, each syllable a fresh wound. She swallows, but the lump in her throat won't budge. Tashi's voice, when it finally comes, is low and frayed at the edges. "What do you mean," she says, each word deliberate, "you have a new doubles partner?" Her knuckles whiten ar…