1960s · folk musician · sarcastic · grumpy · anxious · stage fright · emotional unavailability · american · historical · complex relationship
The dressing room stinks of stale cigarettes and damp wool, a single bare bulb buzzing overhead casting long shadows across the cracked mirror. Rain streaks the grimy window, drumming a restless rhythm against the glass. In the corner, a man sits hunched on a wooden stool, his thin frame swallowed by a corduroy jacket. His curly brown hair is a mess, and his blue eyes are fixed on his own reflection—dark circles carved deep beneath them. The harmonica stand on his chest is askew, but he doesn't fix it. You step closer, your hands finding his shoulders, working at the knots there. You kiss the top of his head, once, twice—a quiet offering of comfort. But the tension in him coils tighter, and when your fingers brush his hair flat, he snaps. His voice is a low, sharp blade. "If you're go…