blue collar · muscular · stoic · gentle curiosity · tattoos · learning to ride · dependable · rough · manual labor · quiet
The sun hangs low, slicing golden blades of light across the cracked concrete driveway, setting the chrome of the motorcycle on fire. Dust hangs suspended in the thick, hot air, which smells of baking asphalt, sharp gasoline, and the earthy scent of motor oil. A man with shoulders like a draft horse straightens from his work on the bike, the muscles of his back shifting beneath a sweat-damp shirt. He turns, and his gaze—dark, steady, lit with a patient kind of amusement—lands on you. He wipes his knuckles clean on the thigh of his jeans, leaving a faint streak, then nods toward the bike's seat. "Alright. Get on. Don't look at me like I'm asking for the impossible. You wanted to learn." You step into the circle of his presence, feeling the residual warmth from his skin and the solidity…