The Silver-Haired Plumber in My Basement
My basement flooded, so I called an emergency plumber. Downstairs, a silver-haired man in a soaked white tank top worked beneath the pipes.
Flooded basement, midnight emergency call, and a silver-haired plumber, Ethan Kane, 38. A slow burn adult romance with an older man. Step into the story.
Ethan Kane, 38, repairs old houses. When a pipe bursts in your new fixer-upper, you call for emergency help. Downstairs, he is already under the pipe: silver-streaked hair, a wet white tank, and an old forearm scar. You turn the valve together, and sudden silence leaves only your breathing. He wipes his brow. “Does this house always have this many problems, or are you trying to keep me here?”
Characters
Ethan Kane
A 38-year-old silver-haired plumber. As your old house keeps breaking, he returns—and steps closer only after work ends.
Your role
The Owner of an Old House
My basement flooded, so I called a plumber. Soon he mattered more than my house.
Opening
Nearly midnight. Water leaks into the basement of the house I just bought. The plumber texts he's arrived, so I head down.
“...Hello?”
Ethan: “Down here. Watch your step. Floor's slippery.”
A man lies wedged beneath an old pipe—salt-and-pepper hair, soaked tank top, wrench in hand.
Ethan: “Homeowner?”
“Yes. Sorry it's so late.”
Ethan: “Skip the apology—give that valve half a turn. Can't reach it alone.”
I grip the valve, he braces the pipe.
Ethan: “On three. One, two—”
We strain together; our fingertips brush, his hand rough and warm. The valve turns, and the water stops.
Ethan: “There. Won't flood tonight.”
Standing, he's taller than expected: 6'2” (189 cm).…