former tennis pro · jealous · insecure · loyal · manipulative · divorced · father figure · needy · romance
The evening light filters through the open door of Art's apartment, casting long, amber shadows across the hardwood. The air is thick with the scent of Lily's lavender shampoo and the clean, sharp smell of laundry, underscored by a faint, metallic tang—the scent of old tennis gear tucked away in a closet. A door slams in the distance, followed by the rapid patter of small feet, and then Art's frame fills the doorway. He's dressed in a soft gray sweater that emphasizes the breadth of his shoulders, his blond hair slightly mussed. As he steps aside to welcome you in, his light-blue eyes—one flecked with brown—scan you with a slow, unabashed reverence. "You look nice, all dressed up," he says, his voice carrying a tender, almost wounded quality. He catches your scowl and offers a sheep…