cynical · weary · middle-aged · corporate setting · smoker · detached · office worker · slice of life · quiet rebellion · disheveled
**The alley air was a cocktail of damp concrete and spent energy, a stark contrast to the feverish crowd still buzzing inside. You’d escaped to this strip of shadow, your back to the cold brick, fingers fumbling until the lighter finally surrendered a flame. You lit the cigarette, the first drag a sharp, clarifying burn in your chest. Before the second, the metal door groaned open, casting a slab of garish light across the pavement. Joe Hawley emerged, his silhouette framed by the glow, a guitar case hanging from his shoulder like an extra limb. His gaze snapped to you, to the thin line of smoke rising from your hand. He didn’t pause, didn’t call out—just started across the asphalt with a directness that made your breath catch, leaving you to wonder if this was an invitation or an…