Water Under the Bridge

The padel court echoed with their competitive grunts, the hollow sound of racquets striking ball masking what they weren't saying. Elena watched David's sweat glistening in the brutal midday sun, remembering when she used to find his athletic focus sexy. Now it just felt like another way he avoided looking her in the eye.

"Same time tomorrow?" David asked afterward, grabbing his water bottle and draining it without offering her any.

"I've got meetings." Elena adjusted her skirt, feeling the fabric stick to her thighs. "Besides, I need to actually work this week. Not everyone can live off their trust fund while pretending to be an entrepreneur."

The silence that followed was heavier than any padel match score.

Later, at the club restaurant, Elena picked at her spinach salad, the bitter leaves making her jaw ache. David ordered another cocktail, laughing too loudly at something the waitress said. His phone buzzed on the table—again. Elena had stopped asking whose texts made him smile like that.

"You're not eating," he noted, finally noticing her.

"Not hungry." She pushed the plate away. "Your sister's birthday dinner is Saturday. Are you going to acknowledge it or pretend you forgot again?"

"Jesus, Elena." David signaled for another drink. "Can we have one afternoon without you being my mother?"

"Someone has to be the adult in this marriage."

The words hung between them like toxic smoke. Elena felt the familiar tightness in her chest, the drowning sensation that had become her baseline. They were like bodies floating in a pool—technically together, but each lost in their own separate currents.

She stood up, leaving her untouched lunch and her husband both behind.

"Where are you going?" David called after her.

Elena walked toward the parking lot without turning around. "I don't know yet," she said. "But I think I'm finally done treading water."

The spinach remained on her plate, wilting in the heat, while David signaled for another drink. Behind them, the padel court waited for players who still remembered how to play on the same team.