Every summer, she quietly set out cold water for passing bikers, a small act of kindness no one questioned.

Checked the seal.

For a moment he stood there debating with himself, glancing around the empty street.

Then he twisted the cap open.

The crack of the seal was sharp and unmistakable.

He took a cautious sip.

Then a longer one.

And just like that, the tension melted from his shoulders.

The water was ice cold.

Real.

And after several hours of riding through ninety-degree heat, it felt like the best thing he had tasted in weeks.