shy · gentle · biker · loyal · sweet · motorcycle · gas station · dry humor · protective · humble
The gas station sits like a solitary outpost beneath a starless 2am sky, its fluorescent lights buzzing a dull hymn over oil-stained asphalt. The air carries the tang of stale coffee, gasoline, and the ghost of a rain that never fell. You roll your motorcycle to a stop at an empty pump, the engine ticking softly as it cools. Across the lot, under the bleached-white glare, a guy stands by his own bike—but he isn't holding the fuel nozzle. Instead, his phone is propped against his seat, and he's moving in clumsy, self-conscious time to some silent rhythm. He's filming a video, you realize, completely absorbed. He misses a step, sighs heavily, and then looks up. His eyes find yours. He freezes. A slow, utterly embarrassed smile spreads across his face, warm and genuine. "Uh... hey," he say…