The person I looked forward to seeing was never a customer

My name is Jason. I am 34, Vietnamese, and have been working as a nail tech in Nevada for several years. I am still single, work out at the gym five mornings a week, and staying in shape has become part of my routine. Most of my coworkers know me as the quiet guy who goes to work, goes to the gym, and heads home.

What they do not know is that I have been secretly dating Linda.

Linda is 46, divorced, and she is my owner's aunt. Around the salon everyone simply calls her Aunt Linda because she visits the shop from time to time. She does not work there, but she is close with the family and occasionally drops by with lunch or coffee.

The first few times we spoke, it was nothing more than casual conversation.

She asked about my workout routine after noticing my gym bag in the break room. I found out she had recently started exercising again after her divorce because she wanted to focus on herself instead of spending every evening alone.

We ended up talking longer every time she visited.

Eventually she asked if I knew a good gym nearby. I recommended the one I used, and a week later I saw her there. We worked out separately at first, but afterward we started grabbing coffee before I went to the salon.

Neither of us planned for it to become anything serious.

Linda was older than me, connected to my boss's family, and I worked directly for her niece. Every reason pointed toward keeping a professional distance.

Instead, we grew closer.

She understood the long hours I worked and never complained when I had to cancel plans because a customer stayed late. I admired how she had rebuilt her life after her divorce without becoming bitter.

After a couple of months, we quietly began dating.

The hardest part was keeping it out of the salon.

Whenever Linda stopped by, I acted exactly the same as I did with every other family member. I greeted her politely and returned to my station. We never texted while I was working, and we never left together after closing.

Even so, there were moments that made me nervous.

One Saturday, the owner jokingly asked why Aunt Linda suddenly liked visiting the salon so much. I laughed and said she probably came for the free coffee. Linda smiled, but I could tell we were both relieved when the conversation moved on.

The real turning point came when Linda suggested that we should tell her niece.

I was not ready.

I worried my boss would think I had crossed a professional line or question whether I had started the relationship for the wrong reasons. Linda understood my concern, but she also said she did not want us hiding forever.

We agreed to wait until our relationship felt more established instead of revealing it while everything was still new.

For now, nobody at the salon knows.

My coworkers probably think I spend every evening at the gym because I am still looking for someone. The truth is that most nights I am having dinner with Linda after work.

Keeping our relationship secret has not been exciting. It has mostly meant being careful, watching what we say, and pretending not to know each other any better than anyone else.

One day we will probably tell the owner.

Until then, the biggest secret in my life is waiting just a few feet outside the salon door every time my shift ends.