She booked a nail appointment even though she barely needed one

My name is Huy. I am 31, Vietnamese, and work as a nail tech in Garden Grove, California.

I met Ava at a shopping center when I noticed a wallet on the floor near an escalator.

A few feet away, a woman was searching through her purse and looking more worried by the second. I asked whether she had lost something.

She described the wallet, so I handed it to her.

Ava was 28 and Chinese American. She checked inside immediately and looked relieved when everything was still there.

She thanked me several times and offered to buy me coffee.

I told her it was not necessary. We talked for a few minutes anyway, and she asked what I did for work.

When I said I was a nail tech, she looked at my hands and said that explained why my nails looked better than hers.

I gave her the name of my salon after she asked where it was. I thought she was only making conversation.

Three days later, Ava appeared at the salon.

She had booked a manicure and requested me by name.

I recognized her right away and asked whether something was wrong with her nails.

Honestly, they already looked fine.

She said she wanted a new color.

While I worked, we talked about the shopping center, our families, and places to eat around Garden Grove. Ava asked more questions about me than most new customers did.

I started wondering whether the manicure was really the reason she came.

Near the end of the appointment, she finally admitted that it was not.

She said she had wanted to see me again but did not have my phone number. Booking an appointment was the only excuse she could think of.

I laughed because I had also thought about her after we met.

Still, I was careful. She was sitting at my station as a customer, and I did not want her to feel pressured.

After I finished, Ava paid and handed me a small piece of paper with her number on it.

She said I could use it if I wanted to have coffee. If not, she promised she would still behave normally at her next appointment.

I waited until after work to text her.

We met for coffee that weekend, and she admitted she had spent nearly an hour choosing a nail color before coming to the salon because she wanted the appointment to last longer.

After that, she continued booking with me, but she stopped pretending the appointments were the only reason she visited.

Sometimes she brought me lunch. Other times she waited until my shift ended so we could have dinner.

We took things slowly because I worked long hours and she had a busy job too.

We have been together for eight months now.

Ava still comes to the salon, although one of my coworkers usually does her nails. My coworkers say I take too long because I forget to stop talking to her.

She still has the wallet I found that day.

Sometimes she jokes that dropping it was the smartest mistake she ever made.

I tell her she did not need to chase me through a nail appointment.

But I am glad she did.