Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

“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 flat 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 relaxed, 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 glanced 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 splashing 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 old lady’s voice brought me back to reality, “Young lady, 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 old lady 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. Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

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 explained, “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 place are all old and corroded. If you don’t want this to happen again, we should probably replace 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.

He glanced 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 regular 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 replacing all the pipes starting to feel like

too much.