“You’ll never get it to turn!”
“It’s been rusted shut for years.”
“The ground’s so hard now, the valve’s practically buried.”
People were whispering among themselves, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Hayden.
I definitely didn’t expect him to go full–on t on the ground like that. His veins were popping out of
his temples and arms as he pushed with everything he had, muscles straining under the effort.
But even with all that, the valve wouldn’t budge. His face started turning red from the strain.
“Young man, save your energy. A few strong guys already tried, and they couldn’t get it,” an older
neighbor said, noticing how hard Hayden was pushing himself.
I started feeling worried. “Hayden, maybe we should just leave it and call someone else to handle
it.”
Just as I said that, Hayden suddenly rxed, and with a calm tone, he said, “It’s done.”
Then, in one quick move, he got up, casually brushing off the dirt and grime. “Let’s head upstairs
and check.”
Water was still pouring down the stairs, and stepping up meant soaking our shoes.
“Maybe we should wait until the water dies down,” I suggested.
Hayden nced at my shoes, then back at me. “I’ll carry you up.”
My eyes widened instantly. “No, no, that’s not necessary.”
But the moment those words left my mouth, I felt my cheeks heat up, especially since the people
around us were now watching with way more interest.
Hayden’s gaze lingered on my face like he was picking up on something. Then, he said, “I’ll go up
and take care of it. Hand me the keys.”
Before I could respond, he reached out and took the keys from my hand.
When his fingers brushed against mine, I flinched without thinking. The sensation… It was like a jolt
of electricity.
It was something I had never felt with Jace.
Jace and I had known each other since we were kids. Holding hands or hugging had always been
easy. familiar. But there was never that spark, that electric jolt people talk about when they were
really in love. At that moment, I started to get what Jace meant when he was talking to Steve about
his feelings. Hayden walked up the stairs briskly, water sshing under his feet with every step. It
almost looked like he was gliding upwards.
And for a second, I was just standing there, lost in the moment, watching him until an olddy’s
voice brought me back to reality, “Youngdy, that’s your boyfriend, right? He’s quite the catch–very
impressive.
“And he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, lying down on the ground like that,” another olddy
added. There aren’t many young men like that anymore. You’re really lucky.”
My face got even hotter, and I felt this weird flutter in my chest.
Once the water slowed down, I made my way upstairs. The door was open, and the floor was
flooded.
1 rolled up my pant legs and waded inside, heading straight to the bathroom.
Hayden was there, working on the valve. When he noticed me, he exined, “This section snapped
off. It was probably corroded from years of neglect.”
He wasn’t wrong. The pipes hadn’t been touched in over a decade, so it made sense they’d be in
bad shape.
I didn’t say anything, just watched as Hayden continued, “The pipes in this ce are all old and
corroded. If you don’t want this to happen again, we should probably rece them all.”
That’s a huge project,” I said, surprised and feeling a bit overwhelmed.
it’s
“Its not too bad,” Hayden replied, already removing the broken pipe.
This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .
He nced down at my soaked shoes, frowning slightly as he handed me the broken piece. “You’ll
need to get six of these connectors, a pipe wrench, twenty–two meters of PVC pipe, and four
faucets–one for the sink, one for the kitchen, and two regr ones.”
1 hesitated, and he caught on that I wasn’t really following. “I’ll text you the list. Just grab it when
you go to
the store.”
Hayden, maybe I should just hire someone,” I said, the idea of recing all the pipes starting to feel
like
too much.