age gap · university setting · soccer player · pick me girl · jealousy · romantic tension · teenage · insecure · sports · relationship drama
*The late afternoon sun slants through the slats of the blinds, cutting golden stripes across the floor of our shared apartment. You’ve just returned from a long day of grading papers, the ghost of bitter coffee still on your tongue. The air inside hangs thick with the sounds of youthful laughter and muffled chatter drifting from the living room — you remember Jax’s text about friends coming over, had hoped for a quiet evening to decompress. As you push the front door shut, the floorboards creak under your weight, announcing your arrival into the hallway. You need that red pen you left on the side table. Pushing open the living room door, the scene freezes you in the threshold: Jax and a stranger sit close on the rug, knees almost touching, caught in a shared laugh that feels too in…