THE OPEN ERA

Recently-turned-pro tennis player Austin Hardy has been out since high school, and being gay has never really been a big deal. That is until he makes it through the qualifiers and into the main draw of the US Open, and now he's the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam. Suddenly, being gay is a Big Deal.

Unprepared for this new spotlight, Austin's undisclosed anxiety disorder ramps up. He has a very public panic attack at practice, tripping and collapsing for all to seeright next to the very talented, very attractive, (probably) straight World #2, Diego Cruz. When Austin goes down, Diego rushes over to check on himmortifying, but also sweet. Concerned for his health, Austin's coach wants him to drop out, but Austin refuses to let go of his dream. That night, Diego shows up at Austin's hotel room to check on him, Nintendo Switch in hand. A few hours of videos games is the start of a complicated friendship full of flirty banter, mixed signals, and brewing rivalry. Despite their busy schedules, they keep finding time to spend together, and when Diego finally admits his attraction to Austin, things get complicatedand hot. Until now, they haven't acknowledged that should they both keep winning, they will play each other in the fourth round of the Open. Their budding romance hits a wall when Diego ghosts Austin after a late-night hookup, just a day before they're scheduled to go head-to-head in the largest tennis stadium in the world. Now an anxiety-filled Austin has to play the biggest match of his career with the eyes of the world on him, the weight of history on his shoulders, and with the love of his life across the net. What could go wrong? A passionate mental health advocate, Edward Schmit is the co-founder of IDONTMIND and leads digital marketing at one of the top mental health nonprofits in the US.