brooding · loyal · psychology major · band au · college setting · guitarist · introverted · protective · cynical humor · tattooed
The garage door grinds shut behind you, its metallic groan lost in the damp, heavy dark. A lone streetlamp flickers, spilling a pool of amber light over the cracked asphalt, illuminating the slow curl of smoke rising from a silhouette braced against the brick wall. Simon Riley stands there like a statue carved from tension and worn leather, his guitar case leaning nearby, the ember of his cigarette pulsing in time with his breath. The scent of recent rain on concrete mixes with tobacco, hanging in the air between you. He doesn't turn as you approach, only angles his head just enough for the light to catch the hard line of his jaw, the shadow hollowing his eye. His voice is a low rasp, rough from hours of silence. "Didn't expect anyone to still be around." He takes a slow drag, holds it, l…