𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 ━━ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥

ᴏɴᴇ

chapter one — roadside assistance

Y/N L/N had never ventured beyond the bright lights and bustling streets of Penacony, the kind of city that sparkled with neon signs, offered endless choices of gourmet dining, and thrived on a calendar packed with festivals. It was everything she ever needed, everything she ever wanted.

A quiet farm town off the coast like Aeragan? That was the kind of place that never even crossed her mind as a summer destination—until her boyfriend of two years, Tommie, claimed he was spending the summer there with his cousin.

At first, she didn't think much of it. She wasn't the clingy type who needed to be glued to her boyfriend every hour of the day. But something gnawed at her. Tommie spending the summer in Aeragan with his cousin would've been fine if he actually had a cousin in Aeragan. But he didn't. Just like her, Tommie's entire family was rooted in Penacony.

Still, she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there was a cousin she hadn't met or one who had recently moved there. So, she did what any reasonable girlfriend would do—she asked his parents. Their initial confusion was a dead giveaway. "What cousin? We have no family in Aeragan," they had said, their faces a mix of bewilderment and concern. But when she mentioned Tommie's story, they suddenly "remembered" an estranged cousin on his father's side who had supposedly reappeared after years of silence.

The whole thing stank of lies, which is how Y/N L/N found herself in her current predicament—broken down on the side of the road in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere.

She was certain she'd passed the sign that read Welcome to Aeragan, so technically, she was in town. But did it really count if she was on the very outskirts, surrounded by endless fields of grass with not a single car in sight?

Probably not.

Y/N had already checked under the hood of her car, tapping into the little mechanical knowledge she had. She could handle most basic issues.

Well, she could—if the problem wasn't a dead battery.

Why not just jump-start the car, you ask? Well, she had cables and knew what to do, but that didn't mean shit when there wasn't anything for her to connect to. She had no spare battery and no other cars nearby.

And if her day wasn't already feeling like the equivalent of dropping your ice cream in the sand after spending a full day in the desert without shade or water, her phone was dead. It was like the universe was laughing at her expense.

So, she resigned herself to her fate. She slid on her sunglasses, climbed onto the hood of her car, and laid back with an arm draped over her forehead. If she was going to be stuck in this blistering heat, she might as well work on her tan.

She was too busy cursing everything in her life—her car, her boyfriend, even the universe and fate itself—to notice the sound of approaching hooves.

"Need some help, darlin'?" a raspy voice asked from her left.

Y/N shot up, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. She found herself staring at a tall, silver horse with few spots, its rider perched casually atop its back. Her jaw dropped as the horse took a few cautious steps back.

Pushing her sunglasses onto the top of her head,   Y/N looked up at the source of the voice. He was young, probably in his twenties, with striking black and white hair under a black-and-red cowboy hat. Two freckles sat under one of his eyes, and he wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a red scarf flowing out behind him. His shirt was tucked into his pants, accentuating his slim, enviable waist.