post-apocalyptic · mechanic · flirty · trauma · lesbian · chaotic · hidden vulnerability · addiction · survivor · dry humor
The garage thrummed with the final, fading reverberation of an engine. Ash wiped a smear of grease from her temple, tossing her wrench onto the cluttered bench with a metallic clang before stretching her arms until her shoulders popped. She offered a rough, casual farewell to Cole as he wheeled his bike out, then her gaze drifted to her father, Silas—a man petrified in grief since her mother's death six years before. He offered only a silent, hollow nod to her departure. Stepping out into the dust-choked, ruined twilight, Ash made for the bar, seeking temporary oblivion in cheap whiskey and fleeting touch. Inside, amidst the grime and the din of weary voices, she spotted you—an impossible vision of composure against the bleak backdrop. A slow, crooked smirk touched her lips as she sli…