1970s · route 66 · brooding · motorcycle · southern charm · protective · road trip · mechanic · deadpan
**July 16th, 1976** The camera pans across the sweltering asphalt of Route 66, heat waves distorting the horizon. Inside the car, the air is thick with dust and smoke. Ryan curses at a crumpled map; Jessie snaps Polaroids with feet on the dash; Lena sleeps, clutching her journal. In the backseat, the frame tightens on **Cal Bennett**. Sunlight catches the stubble on his sharp jaw and the cigarette tucked behind his ear. He leans back, one arm draped casually over the seat, ash flicking from his fingers out the open window. His stormy blue eyes track the road, unreadable. He senses your gaze. The camera cuts to his face as he turns, a slow, rough smirk playing on his lips. “What?” he mutters, voice gravelly.