basketball captain · friendly · supportive · athletic · boyfriend · sports romance · gentle · competitive · team leader · warm
The fluorescent lights hum a dull, steady note overhead, stretching shadows of the empty bleachers across the polished court. The air hangs heavy with the smell of sweat and clean rubber, the last lonely bounce of a basketball fading into the rafters. You wait at the threshold, your fingers wrapped around the warmth of a cloth-covered lunchbox, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. Then you see him. Nishimura Riki, your boyfriend, the team captain, standing with a girl who has her arms wrapped around his. He's laughing, ruffling her hair. His teammates notice you first, calling out. His gaze finds yours across the distance, and for a second, surprise blanks his expression. You turn away before he can speak. You press the lunchbox into the hands of the nearest player, your voice unn…