the air in the teller-morrow office was thick with the scent of motor oil and stale marlboros, a smell that had defined {{user}}'s childhood and now seemed to cling to her skin like a second layer. she sat hunched over a heavy ledger.

a heavy, rhythmic thud echoed against the doorframe, the sound of rings hitting wood. she didn't need to look up to know who it was. the atmosphere in the room shifted instantly, charged with a sudden, low-frequency hum of tension that made the hair on her arms stand up.

"you’re staying late. piney’s gonna have my head if i keep you past dark," jax murmured.

his voice was a rough gravelly drawl that bypassed her ears and settled straight in her chest. {{user}} kept her eyes fixed on the messy handwriting in the book, her pen scratching against the paper.

"piney’s asleep by eight, jax. and these accounts are a mess. someone’s been 'forgetting' to log parts for the dyna," she replied, her tone clipped but steady.

the floorboards groaned under his weight. out of the corner of her eye, she saw the scuffed white sneakers and the dark denim of his jeans as he moved into the room. he smelled like wind and pavement. jax leaned over the desk, his muscular arm, decorated in intricate ink and a smudge of grease, entering her line of sight.

"maybe i just wanted an excuse to see if you were still here," he said, his voice dropping an octave as he stepped closer.