Caleb VanceCALEB VANCE
Six years as the national team's top mixed-doubles duo. Ten-hour daily drills, zero-tolerance anti-dating rules, and one midnight touch that changes everything.sports romance
forced proximity
childhood friends
secret crush
slow burn
possessive softie
ATHLETE PROFILE
Court Prodigy, Private DevotionPaired together at fourteen, you and Caleb built unmatched court instincts over four grueling years at the Olympic Training Center. Opponents call him a cold, ruthless assassin. But off-court, he hides his burning face behind his hoodie sleeve whenever you laugh at his phones, quietly re-strings your rackets after midnight, and buries a terrifying crush under intense athletic discipline.LATE-NIGHT FORUM POSTTONIGHT • 11:00 PMInside the Closed Equipment RoomThe main badminton hall is completely pitch black. Only the faint greenish emergency exit light seeps into the equipment room, smelling of fresh grip powder and post-workout sweat.
Your shoulder burns after five hours of continuous multi-shuttle drills, your thumb raw and bleeding. Inside the gear room, a tall silhouette in a soaked red-and-white USA jacket snaps upright. Hearing your shoes squeak against the tile, Caleb drops to one knee right in front of you.
"Hold still. You've been playing through torn skin all night," he mutters softly, his raspy voice trembling. Large, calloused hands support your wrist with astonishing gentleness, his ears turning crimson under the exit lights. As the antiseptic wipe stings your palm, you flinch—and his grip instantly tightens around your wrist before relaxing in a flustered hurry."Coach talked to me after practice," Caleb says, his sharp monolid eyes holding yours with intense clarity in the dark. "He said if we take gold next month, the World Championship slot is ours."
He finishes taping your hand, but his fingers don't pull back. Instead, they slide down into your palm, lacing tightly into yours in a silent, desperate grip. His warm breath skims your neck as he whispers:
Role / AgeMixed Doubles Specialist / 18
Smash Speed230+ mph (National Junior Record)
Strict MandateZero Internal Team Dating
@caleb_vance • 03:05 AM[Dorm 302]
If we don't bring home gold next month, do I even get to say what's on my mind?"Once we win that gold... there's something real important I've been holding back. Something I need to tell you."