Before you start reading, I just want to apologize because this is the least edited piece of work I've ever posted.  This is the one shot that had the working title Boots; the story went in a whole other direction than I thought it would.  I'm sorry if you guys are disappointed in it.  I really wanted to finish this and post it today as a thank you for the thousand reads on Wish.  I'm astounded and touched. 

Jimin huffed in annoyance as he ambled down the back country road. One of these days he was going to stop going along with Taehyung's ideas for adventures. One of these times, he would learn his lesson and would go with their hyungs on a trip, rather than going with Taehyung. Jungkook had obviously learned his lesson last time as he went with the hyungs this time. Somehow trips with his younger friends always ended with them in trouble of some sort. When Taehyung suggested that they take a road trip and try to visit every state, Jimin should have said no. He should have reminded Tae of all their previous failed adventures, but for whatever reason, he found himself agreeing with his friend. They had borrowed Jin's pickup truck for this road trip because, as Taehyung had put it, "We never know what adventures we might want to take on the way!!"

Almost as if he had planned it, one such adventure found them backroading in the rural countryside somewhere in the Midwest. Was it beautiful? Yes. Were the gravel roads they'd been traveling well maintained?? No. No they were not. Now all they had to show for themselves was a flat tire, no spare, and no cell service to try and call for help. Their only options were to stay with the truck and hope that someone happened by that was willing to help, or they could lock the truck and start walking in the hopes that they either ended up with cell service or found civilization back. After minimal back and forth, they had decided they would leave the truck and try to find help. Taehyung was convinced they should head back the way they'd come, until Jimin reminded him how many miles they'd gone from the last town they'd been in. Jimin had pointed out that, thanks to the flat land they were on, the lack of trees, and absolute absence of towering buildings everywhere obscuring their view they could see a glow coming from what Jimin hoped was a mile or less away.

Jimin wasn't sure how long they'd been walking by the time they'd reached the source of the light, but he didn't care. The boots he was wearing weren't the type intended for the gravel roads he and Taehyung had been traversing. Taehyung had been smart and worn tennis shoes, so unlike Jimin his feet weren't killing him. They stared at the bar in front of them taking in the mud splattered trucks and neon lights. In spite of the unfamiliar environment and the obnoxiously loud music flooding from the bar, Jimin had never felt more relieved than he did in that moment. Next to him, Taehyung cleared his throat and shifted his weight from foot to foot, gravel crunching under his shoes as he did so.

"Do you really think we should go in there and ask for help?" Taehyung asked, kicking the rocks near his feet. Jimin looked at his friend, his face scrunching in confusion.

"Why wouldn't we?" Jimin asked, not understanding Taehyung's hesitation. Jimin threw his arms wide, "Look around you. If anyone is going to know how to change a tire I guarantee you it's someone in there."Before Jimin had even finished speaking, Taehyung started shaking his head. He threw an arm around the shorter man and turned him to look at a couple of men that were making their way over to their trucks.

"Look at them," he said calmly, as if Jimin was a senseless child. Jimin looked at the men, both of whom were wearing plaid button down shirts tucked into boot cut blue jeans, "and now look at us." Jimin looked down at his black T-shirt, fitted black skinny jeans, and fashionable short black boots before looking over at Taehyung's more bohemian look. Shrugging out from under his friend's arm he scrunched his face up and shook his head as if asking so what.

"You're honestly telling me that you think a couple of city boys dressed like this can walk in there and get help." Taehyung stated incredulously.

"Uh yes," Jimin answered with a slow nod of his head. "Everyone always talks about how welcoming and helpful people from small towns are." Taehyung shot him a look that very clearly communicated how much of an idiot he thought Jimin was before heaving a sigh.

"Well, lets go check out this down home hospitality you're so sure we'll receive." Taehyung said, as he straightened his shoulders and made his way toward the bar's entrance. Jimin trailed behind his lanky friend, baffled at Taehyung's pessimism. Taehyung was always the most optimistic of the two of them, so the fact that he was currently more optimistic than Taehyung was strange for him.

Taehyung pushed the door open and held it for Jimin, who walked in confidently. He took in his surroundings, almost choking on the fumes of cigarette smoke. The lighting was dim and the music was loud, but Jimin was sure someone would help them, not noticing the looks they were getting from some of the locals. He squeezed his way through the crowd of people at the bar and hailed the bartender, a middle aged man in bib overalls and a ball cap.

"Can I help you with something?" The man asked gruffly, crossing his arms across his wide chest. Jimin nodded as he answered the man, "Do you know anyone that would be willing to help us out with our truck?? Our tire went flat and we don't have a spare or an air tank."

The older man stared at Jimin for a beat, scratching his chin as he considered. The man finally nodded to himself.

"I can give you the number for the local towing shop. You can give them a call and see if they'll bring you to Bud's shop in the morning, but for tonight you're out of luck." The man scrawled a number on a scrap of paper and slid it across the bar to Jimin before turning and walking away, leaving Jimin speechless. Jimin watched the surly man walk away and turned around to admit to Taehyung that maybe he'd been right. Rather than finding Taehyung behind him as he had been originally, Taehyung had at some point made it over the the jukebox and was flipping through the songs he could pay to play. Jimin shook his head in disbelief. Tae was the one that hadn't wanted to come in here and now he was checking everything out, seemingly at home with the old style music machine, meanwhile, Jimin was now wishing they had just stayed with the truck. He tipped his head back and sighed this is going to be such a long night he thought.

Resigned to his situation, Jimin pulled out his phone to check the status of his service. Still nothing. He kneaded his forehead and released a deep breath. He started to make his way over to Tae before he noticed TaeHyung had left the jukebox in favor of dancing with a girl. A small smile crossed Jimin's face as he shook his head and peered around the bar until his eyes landed on what appeared to be a payphone. They still have these?? He thought incredulously.

Squeezing between sweaty bodies he headed to the phone, but by the time he got there it was occupied. He pushed his hand through his hair and gripped the back of his neck. There's no point in being annoyed. It's not going to change anything. He stood there for about ten minutes before he realized that the lady on the phone was going to take a while. Sighing, he made his way over to a table near the payphone before dropping into a vacant chair that gave him full view of the room. Taehyung was dancing with a new girl, unsurprisingly, and didn't seem too bothered that they were stranded here. Honestly, Jimin considered joining Taehyung on the floor; he loved to dance, but tonight he just wasn't in the mood. Jimin tipped his head back and thought about all the things Jungkook and the hyungs were doing that were probably a million times more fun than this. Next time. . .

"Sir?" A clear, pretty voice shook Jimin from his musings. His eyes snapped open and he stared at the girl in front of him. She was obviously a waitress, based on her apron and notepad, and she was obviously local, or at least familiar to the locals, but she seemed less wary of him than most of the people in the bar. Sure, girls were being drawn to Taehyung like moths to a flame, but most of the people here were openly staring at Jimin, or pointedly avoiding him. Sure, he was obviously an outsider here, and maybe he looked grumpy after the night he'd been having, but did people have to be so. . . Judgey? "Uh, sir?" She repeated. Her brows furrowed as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jimin asked. She chuckled and smiled at him.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked, her smile crinkling her eyes. Jimin was momentarily struck dumb by her smile, but still managed a nod.

"Uh," he started, trying to buy himself some time to get his brain working again. "I'll have a. . . Coke?" She worked her brow at him.

"Are you asking Me? Or telling me?" She asked, a small grin on her face and a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"Telling." Jimin answered. A blush blooming up from his neck onto his face. He looked down at his hands and fidgeted with his rings.

"Great!" she said. "I'll be right back with that."

As she walked away, Jimin watched her make her way around the bar. He couldn't help but admire her. She had a sweet smile for everyone she talked to, not to mention she was so pretty. He watched as she loaded drinks onto her tray and made her way to him, stopping at other tables along the way. She looked so comfortable in her faded t-shirt, well worn blue jeans, and worn brown boots. She was almost to his table when he realized he'd been openly staring and she had noticed.

"One Coke!" she chirped setting the cool drink in front of him. He thanked her and took a sip. She walked away, leaving him to his drink. I wish I had talked to her more he thought wistfully.

Jimin was bobbing his head along with the twangy country song and dirty boots and dancing; he found he was enjoying this music more than he anticipated. His enjoyment of the music was interrupted when someone suddenly plopped down in the chair next to him.

"Boy, I'm glad my shift is over!" the waitress from earlier said, shooting him a wide grin. She extended a hand across the table, "My name is Y/N, by the way."

"Jimin," he replied, gripping her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"What brings you here?" She asked, propping her elbow on the table so she could rest her chin in her hand. Jimin laughed humorlessly.

"That guy," he said pointing at Taehyung, who was still tearing up the dance floor. "The rest of our friends went on a trip together, but he wanted to take a road trip and I was the only sucker stupid enough to go with him."

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

"Every year all of us go on trips this time of year, and every year I go with Taehyung, even though I know how it's going to end." He said, fingers ghosting over the trails of condensation on his glass. He looked up and noticed the confused look on her face. "Every trip I've ever gone on with him ends up with us being in some sort of trouble. This time we got a flat tire on the truck and are apparently stranded until tomorrow according to the bartender."

"Wait. So, you have a flat tire and walked all the way here and Hank wouldn't help you at all?" she asked.

Jimin shook his head. "He gave us the number for a tow truck, but that's it."

Y/N huffed at that news. "Hold on," she said as she pushed back from the table. "I'll get you help." She crossed the room to a couple of guys shooting pool. She talked with them for a little bit, pointing to him and Taehyung in the process. After a few minutes of conversation they nodded at her and headed outside. She made her way back to Jimin, a huge smile on her face.

"Ryan and Shane said they'd be happy to take you to the truck and see if they can't get you fixed up." Y/N said, looking so proud and happy to have been helpful.

"For real??" Jimin said, shocked. "That's amazing!! Thank you so much, Y/N! I can't wait to go tell Taehyung." She giggled at his enthusiasm as he pushed back from his chair and started for the dance floor. Stopping, he turned and looked back at her. "Y/N? Really. Thank you. You've honestly been the best part of this whole situation."

Jimin turned and made a beeline for Taehyung before she could see the blush on his face. He wasn't usually that forward, but there was just something about her that made him feel safe expressing what he was feeling. When he reached his friend, he tapped him on the shoulder. Taehyung looked over his shoulder, a wide grin when he saw Jimin.

"Jimin!! Are you going to dance with us, too?" Taehyung asked him. "I've been telling the girls that my moves are nothing compared to yours, but they won't believe me since you've been brooding in the corner all night." A pout formed on Taehyung's face, eliciting an eye roll from Jimin.

"No, I'm not here to dance. There are some guys that are willing to help us with the truck. We gotta go." he said. Taehyung's eyes grew wide and excited.

"Really? Let's go!" he exclaimed. He grabbed Jimin's arm and began dragging him out of the bar, tossing a, "See you later!" over his shoulder to the girls he'd left in the lurch. As they made it through the door, Taehyung pulled up short. "Wait. Do you know what these guys are driving? How are we going to find them to get back to the truck?"

Jimin groaned. How had he not thought of that? Before he could say a word, a voice rang out from behind him, "Y'all are riding with me. The guys are meeting us there."

Taehyung and Jimin turned around. A smile broke out over his face when he saw Y/N. He looked up at Taehyung who looked both confused and enamoured. Jimin felt his stomach clench until he realized that after a polite smile to Taehyung Y/N had immediately redirected her attention to him.

"Well, follow me!" she said, nodding her head in the direction of the parking lot. They trailed after her, stopping in front of an old, brown Chevrolet. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the driver side door. She hopped up into the truck and leaned across the seats to pop the lock on the other side. Jimin and Taehyung circled to the other side and opened the door. Jimin maneuvered his way into the cab and looked back at his friend. Taehyung looked back at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "You getting in?" Y/N asked as she leaned forward to look past Jimin at Taehyung.

Taehyung smiled brightly at her, shaking his head. "Nope! I don't think my long legs will be comfortable, even in a truck as big as this." He circled to the bed of the truck and using the rear tire, climbed into the bed sitting down with his back pressed against the back glass. Jimin looked over at Y/N with a perplexed expression on his face. She shrugged at him and grinned. She cranked the truck and it literally roared to life. Jimin jumped at the sound, causing her to laugh.

"Sorry about that!" she said with a chuckle. "This was my dad's farm truck for years, but he sold it to me when I moved out. She's loud, but she's a good truck." She patted the dash of the truck and Jimin couldn't help but smile. I wonder if she named the truck he wondered as she shifted the truck into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot. Shifting the truck into drive, she looked over at him and smiled, "Where to?"

///

They'd made it to the truck, but the consensus was there was a nail in the tire somewhere and all they could do tonight was air it up and try to drive it to the shop. Her friends left to go home, but Y/N was currently leading Jimin and Taehyung to the shop. After dropping off the truck, she was going to give them a ride to the local bed and breakfast.

"So," Taehyung began, not taking his eyes off the road. "What's the deal with Y/N?"

"What do you mean?" Jimin answered.

"You like her. Or are at least interested in her." Taehyung stated. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Tae," Jimin said, his shoulders dropping as his head swiveled to look out the window. He rolled his eyes, "What's there to do about it? We just met tonight and we aren't from here. I'll never see her again." Taehyung snorted. "What?" Jimin asked irritably.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Just because we aren't from here doesn't mean you couldn't try to get to know her better. When she drops us off ask for her number." Taehyung prodded. Jimin huffed and shook his head and the rest of the drive was silent, with the exception of Taehyung's humming. They pulled into the shop's parking lot and locked up the truck before getting in Y/N's truck, Taehyung again climbing into the bed of the truck for the ride to the bed and breakfast. If Y/N tried to talk to him, Jimin never found out. He was lost in thought, considering what Taehyung had told him. Before he knew it, they had reached the bed and breakfast. Y/N apparently knew the owner and had called to reserve a room for them on the drive to the shop.

"Thanks for all your help tonight," Jimin said softly.

"It was no problem," Y/N answered. Jimin shot her a small smile and turned to open the truck door. As he started to slide out, he paused, pulling his legs back inside and shutting the door again. Y/N was looking at him with a curious expression.

"Look, I know this is random and forward and probably super weird, but I don't want to live with what ifs," Jimin said in a rush. "All evening I've just felt really drawn to you. You're kind and smart and pretty and I feel like there could be something between us if we gave it time. So, that said, I would love to get to know you better." She stared at him, unblinking with wide eyes. I've gone and freaked her out he thought. As he opened his mouth to apologize for coming off as some kind of weirdo she smiled, completely shocking him.

"I'm glad you said something," she said softly. "I felt the same way, and I wanted to ask for your number or see if you'd like to hang out before you guys have to leave town, but I wasn't sure how you would take it." Jimin's jaw dropped open. He started to answer her when Taehyung started unceremoniously thumping on his window.

"Come on, Jimin." he whined. "I'm tired." Y/N and Jimin both turned to see a very pouty, very sleepy Taehyung standing at the window. Taehyung rubbed his eyes and glared at the pair giggling at him. Jimin grabbed the crank and rolled down the window.

"Go on in. I'll be right behind you," Jimin said, before promptly rolling the window up and turning his back, cutting off any reply Taehyung might have had. He looked down at his fingers, suddenly nervous again, before looking back up at Y/N.

"Lemme see your phone," he said softly. She reached into her back pocket and handed him her phone. He swiped the screen, unlocking the phone so he could input his number. He called himself from her phone so he would have her number as well. He handed the phone back and smiled at her. "I need to go make sure that one doesn't get into trouble," he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "But I would love to get to know you better before we leave town."

He hopped out of the truck and loped up the front steps of the bed and breakfast, waving at her from the top of the stairs. He made his way inside and heard her engine rev. Smiling to himself, he couldn't help but think maybe taking trips with Taehyung wasn't so bad after all. 

Not sure why, but all day long I've been thinking how I oughtta show y'all MY worn brown boots. So here you go:

They've seen better days, but I've had them for just about ten years now. I actually bought them so I could participate in the welding portion of one of my at classes 😂