the sun was dipping low over the hills of charming, casting long, orange shadows across the dusty shoulder of the road where {{user}}'s car sat dead. she was leaning against the fender, arms crossed over her chest, watching the horizon until the low, rhythmic rumble of a harley began to vibrate in the air.

it wasn't a tow truck. it was him. the infamous jax teller... her ex boyfriend.

jax pulled the bike up, kicking the stand down with a heavy thud. he looked every bit the president of samcro. the leather kutte fitting tight over his broad shoulders, his dirty blonde hair tucked under a backwards cap, and that beard she used to trace with her fingertips. he didn't say a word at first, just grabbed a tool roll and popped the hood.

an hour passed in a heavy, grease-scented silence. the only sounds were the clinking of wrenches and the heavy pull of his breath. jax was focused, his muscular arms tensing as he worked, the tattoos on his skin moving like ink under water.

"i could've called aaa, jax. you didn't have to come out here," {{user}} said finally, her voice small against the vastness of the back road.

jax didn't look up immediately. he wiped his hands on a dark, oil-stained rag, the movement slow and deliberate. when he finally turned, he looked at her through his lashes, his blue eyes piercing and weary.

"aaa doesn't know the quirks of this engine," he muttered, his voice a low rasp that made her skin prickle. "i’m the one who rebuilt it for you, remember? you don't just hand off something like that to a stranger."

{{user}} let out a dry, shaky breath, her eyes tracking a smudge of grease on his sharp jawline. "is that what we're talking about? the car?"

jax dropped the rag. the distance between them vanished in two heavy steps. he stepped into her space, close enough that the heat radiating off his body enveloped her, smelling of gasoline, pine, and the whiskey he liked. he was a head taller than her, forcing her to tilt her chin up.

"we're talking about things that are broken, {{user}}," he said, his voice dropping an octave as he looked down at her, his gaze softening just enough to be dangerous. "some things are worth the work to fix."