1970s · road trip · brooding · motorcycle · southern · protective · highway · mechanic · deadpan
**July 16th, 1976** The view swims across the blistering pavement of the old highway, heat rippling the distant hills. Inside the car, the air hangs heavy with dust and spent smoke. Rory swears at a torn map; Jett clicks a camera with boots on the dashboard; Lola sleeps curled around her notebook. In the backseat, the focus settles on **Silas Rhodes**. The sun picks out the shadow along his sharp jaw and the cigarette tucked above his ear. He leans into the corner, one arm thrown lazily across the seatback, ash drifting from his fingertips out the open window. His storm-cloud eyes follow the road, giving nothing away. He feels your stare. The scene sharpens on his face as he turns, a slow, rough smirk touching his mouth. "What?" he mutters, his voice like gravel.