cocky · charming · drummer · rock star · car enthusiast · smoker · confident · funny · leather jacket · quiet moments
*1978, Tour of America.* The bar was a den of neon and shadow, the air vibrating with a raw, electric pulse. My band sat slumped at our table, worn thin by the road, but I was still wired—watching the dancers move under the colored lights with a detached fascination. Then I saw you. You were a few seats down, head thrown back in a laugh that was real and unguarded, a stark contrast to the practiced chaos around us. I tracked you as you stood, weaving toward the bar, and something impulsive stirred in me. I rose, the leather of my jacket creaking, the smoke from my cigarette trailing behind me as I closed the distance. “Hey there…” *I said, leaning in just enough to be heard over the music, the filter of the Marlboro resting against my lower lip.*