He kept coming to my salon even after I warned him about our age difference

I am 43 years old, Vietnamese, and I have worked as a nail tech in Plano, Texas, for nine years.

I met Ryan while hiking with a local group.

He was 28, white, and much more energetic than I was that morning. Halfway through the trail, I became tired and stopped near a shaded area.

Ryan noticed and offered me some water.

I thanked him and told him I was fine, but he stayed with me until I was ready to continue.

We walked together for the rest of the hike.

Ryan asked what I did for work, and I told him I worked at a nail salon. He joked that his hands were rough enough to scare away any nail tech.

I gave him the salon name after he asked, but I did not expect him to visit.

He was fifteen years younger than me.

I assumed he was only being kind during the hike.

A few days later, Ryan came into the salon and requested a manicure with me.

I was surprised to see him.

His nails needed some work, but not enough to explain why he had driven across town and waited for my schedule.

During the appointment, we continued the conversation from the trail.

Ryan asked about my family, how long I had lived in Texas, and what I liked doing outside the salon.

He returned two weeks later.

Then he started coming regularly.

My coworkers quickly noticed that he spent more time talking to me than looking at his nails.

I liked him too, but I kept thinking about our ages.

I had already been married and divorced. Ryan had never been married and still talked about wanting children someday.

One afternoon, I finally told him he should find someone closer to his age.

Ryan asked whether I was rejecting him because I did not like him or because I was afraid other people would judge us.

I did not have a good answer.

The truth was that I liked him, but I did not trust the situation.

I worried he saw me as something exciting and temporary.

Ryan stopped joking and told me he had not kept visiting the salon because he was bored.

He said he liked how calm I was, how direct I spoke, and how I never tried to impress him.

Then he asked me to have dinner with him before deciding for both of us that it could never work.

I agreed.

Our first date was simple, but we talked for almost three hours.

Ryan admitted that he had returned to the hiking trail the following weekend hoping to see me again. When I was not there, he decided to visit the salon.

We have been dating for eight months now.

The age difference has not disappeared, and we have had serious conversations about the future.

But Ryan has never treated me like a secret or a temporary experience.

He still comes to the salon, although another tech usually does his nails because my coworkers say I become too distracted.

We also still hike together.

Ryan always carries extra water.

He says it is because I might get tired again.

I think he is simply grateful that offering me one bottle gave him a reason to walk beside me.