~ROUGER~
I didn’t make it far.
By the time I hit the edge of town, I’d already slowed twice, once at the stoplight, again at the old gas station where the air smelled like rain and hot asphalt. I told myself I was being smart…getting distance, cooling off. But every mile only made the noise in my head worse.
Her voice wouldn’t leave me. Then maybe I’m tired of decent.
Damn her. And damn me for wanting that sound in my ear again.
The sky had gone the color of bruised steel, and the wind carried the sharp scent of wet earth. I pulled the bike over near the bridge, killed the engine, and sat there with my hands still gripping the handlebars. My pulse hadn’t slowed since I’d walked out her door. Leaving her there like that had felt like self-preservation. Now it just felt like cowardice.
