Set Me Free// L. Staley

2. Walls

"C'mon Markus, Taylor Swift? I thought you were better than this," Rowan sighed as Markus drove them down the streets of Seattle. 

Once they got in the car, Markus offered her a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. He didn't bother to buy her coffee because he already knew she would have a cup with her. She was a coffee fiend.

Markus haphazardly took bites of his sandwich and drank coffee as he drove. As he was doing so, his eyes remained attentive to his surroundings. That was one thing Rowan appreciated about Markus; he was a good driver. His awareness was that of a saint when it came to driving, and she was thankful for that. Rowan drove like a grandmother. 

"Hey! Tay Swift has a soft spot in my heart. Don't hate on expression!" Markus exclaimed with his eyes glued to the drivers ahead of him.

Rowan grumbled as she took a bite of her sandwich. "She's easy to make fun of, though..."

"I can't argue with you there."

Rowan raised her fist in triumph. "Thank you."

"Well, I know that it's, 'driver picks the music' and all, but is there something else you want on? You know, besides Taylor Swift?" Markus asked.

Rowan hummed in thought. She never got to pick music when she was in the car with someone, especially with Rosie. Markus always let her pick the music, but she ultimately left it up to him. She was indecisive when it came to what she wanted. 

"Anything but this, pretty please?" She suggested as she pouted her lip and looked over at Markus. He side-eyed her and rolled his eyes.

"You know I can't say no to that face," Markus chided.

"That's exactly my point in doing it," she replied with a wink.

"Smug-ass," Markus mumbled under his breath before switching to another radio station. "How's this?"

The sound of a catchy riff caught Rowan's attention. The riff was heavily distorted, which caused her ears to perk up. Along with the guitar came a bass riff and the adrenaline of the drums. It was a catchy rock song that Rowan already knew she liked. However, the tune of the song sounded vaguely familiar. It sounded like the band that Rosie would play all the time in her car.

"It sounds familiar."

"It's 'Man in the Box,' Roja! Don't tell me you haven't heard this song before!" Markus exclaimed as he stopped at a red light. He looked over in Rowan's direction with an expectant look on his face. 

Rowan had heard that title before. She remembered Rosie went on and on about wanting to cover it with her punk-rock band. She didn't know much about the band Rosie was talking about, but she knew they were local.

Before she could respond, the singer's voice broke through the air. She heard the gruff, confident hum follow the melody of the riff. 

"Yeah...Yeah, I've heard this song before. Rosie liked to play it," Rowan stated.

She stared down at the radio as the voice broke out into song. It practically sent a shiver down her spine hearing the singer through the speakers of the car. 

"You do know who it's by...right? You know, the band I've been telling you to listen to for years?"

Rowan nodded her head in realization. "Alice in Chains. Yeah, yeah, I know. I need to listen to them. I'm the only one in Seattle that isn't an avid listener of them. I know."

"Damn straight," Markus said as the light turned green. He began to drive once more. "How have you not listened to them? Just...How? We live in Seattle. This city is the birthplace of Alice in Chains, and you live here! As I've said many times before, you need to listen to them."