Ryder:
The last guy left with a grin on his face and a pair of metal flaming wings from the wall in his hands like he’d just stolen a piece of heaven.
I almost stopped him.
Almost told him to put it back, that those wings belonged to her—only her.
But Phoenix just laughed, kissed his cheek, and let it go. Said it was good luck. Said we could always make more.
That was the thing about her—she didn’t cling. She gave.
Even when it cost her.
And now… it was just us.
The lights were dim. The music had gone quiet. Dad had left a bottle of whiskey near the edge of the merch table, and her boots were kicked off beside the couch in the corner.
She stood in the middle of the shop barefoot, turning slow circles under the low hum of lights, her fingers trailing along the handlebars of her cu
