He booked a manicure after our hands touched at the gym

My name is Mia. I am 27, Vietnamese, and work as a nail tech in Austin, Texas.

I met Ethan at the gym when we both reached for the same dumbbell.

Our hands touched, and we both pulled back at the same time. He apologized and told me I could take it.

I said he had reached it first, but he insisted.

We talked for a few minutes between exercises. Ethan was 30, white, and had a quiet sense of humor that made me feel comfortable.

He asked what I did for work. When I told him I was a nail tech, he looked at his hands and said they probably needed professional help.

I laughed because his nails looked completely normal.

Before leaving, I told him the name of my salon. I did not expect him to remember it.

A few days later, I was finishing with a customer when Ethan walked into the salon.

At first, I thought he was there to buy a gift card for someone.

Then he said he wanted a manicure and had requested me.

I tried to stay professional, but I was surprised and a little nervous. Male customers came into our salon, but most did not search for a specific nail tech after one short conversation at the gym.

While I worked on his hands, Ethan admitted he had never gotten a manicure before.

I asked why he had suddenly decided to try one.

He smiled and said he wanted to see me again but had not asked for my number.

That was much more direct than I expected.

I told him he could have simply returned to the gym.

He said he had gone twice at the same time we first met, but I was not there.

The truth was that I had also looked for him.

I usually went to the gym after work, but my schedule had changed because another nail tech was on vacation.

I liked knowing that he had noticed my absence.

After the manicure, Ethan asked whether I wanted to get coffee when my shift ended.

I hesitated because he had just become my customer. I did not want dating someone from the salon to create problems at work.

He said there was no pressure and handed me his number instead.

I waited until the next morning before texting him, even though I had already decided I wanted to see him.

We had coffee that Sunday.

After that, Ethan continued booking manicures, but not as often as he first claimed he needed them. Most of the time, he waited until after my shift and took me to dinner.

We dated slowly because I worked long hours and he traveled sometimes for his job.

A few months later, I asked whether he had truly wanted a manicure that first day.

He admitted his hands had been fine.

The appointment was only an excuse.

We have been together for almost a year now.

Ethan still comes to the salon, but another nail tech usually takes care of him because I become too distracted talking to him.

Sometimes we work out together too.

Whenever we reach for the same dumbbell, he tells me to take it.

He says letting go of that weight was the best decision he ever made.