I gently peeled her pinky and removed the band aid. She winced and took her hand away, like trying to protect it.
“There’s no bleeding, let it breathe. The sore will heal faster. The band aid will only trap moisture in there, keeping it tender longer. Trust me.”
She looked squinting at me, obviously exaggerating it. Somehow she had figured out that playing a ‘damsel in distress’ is also a hit in another one of my weak spots. She blew on the tip of the finger like trying to make the stinging sensation go away.
“How long does it take to… restore it?”
“Assuming that everything needed is readily available, you know-…”
“That’s just it, I don’t know”, she chuckled.
“Right… erm… sanitizer, degreasing, dehydrating, primer – these are some liquids to prep the joining surfaces to make sure that whatever you put on them really… sticks, then a base… bonding gel, then some fiber for reinforcement… I’d say fiberglass rather than silk, cover that in a coat of hard clear gel… maybe two coats, we’ll see, and finally some finishing gel to make it smooth. The gels would be cured in a UV lamp for about… one or two minutes each coat, depending on the products. Some filing will be necessary to make the build-up as discreet as possible”, I added and paused. “But… that’s about it. An hour or so should be enough, I’d say.”
“Wow, you really do know the stuff…”
“Come on, it’s not… ‘rocket science’… Anyone who wants to do this can get the hang of it. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten into it, being so… into… growing nails.”
“Yes, well, I never really had problems growing them so I never needed to look for… help. On the very few occasions I happened to break one I would just start over on all of them. And-… you know?… it was frustrating when it did happen, but… there was also a subtle… feeling of… relief, that I would have a… reason, something to… justify to myself and… to them, that I’d start over. I’d be tired of the extra… care and attention needed to handle them, and they weren’t even this long-, well… except for the eight year streak, but I guess the shorter they are, the easier it is to get over it. And also… nobody else cared about my nails, which also made it less of an issue, but… now… it’s different. Now, you… care.”
“Yeah, but-…”
“…aaand I also… did… say… something about… giving you control over the length of my nails… That I’m not going to stop growing them until you tell me to.”
“Oh, come on! That was just to… spice things up… And it did work… I know you didn’t mean it. I mean… you couldn’t have… possibly… meant… that… did you?”
She didn’t reply immediately and was looking down, thoughtfully. “I’ve been… thinking about what you said.”
“I said a lot of things. Which part are you referring to?”
“‘Parts’. There’s… two… things that keep… running around in my head after we started… talking. First… is about… when you were asking me if it’s about the length or about uncontrollable growing. Well… It’s not about the length, your… dream insight was right, it’s never enough. And then the other thing… is about ‘not being in control makes it beautiful’. And you’re right. It does. The… guiding… things… made it clear to me.”
My mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious…” I whispered.
“The moment I said that I’m not going to stop growing them until you tell me to, I felt… something… click. I had no… aware… intention of saying it, but the moment it came out, it… became… a… conscious… need. I… need… your need… for growing my nails. I mean… I like growing them for myself, but the… need… to grow them for you, for… as long as you… need… ME to grow them, beyond MY… control and… desire, it feels… much more powerful… much more rewarding …when… fulfilled. And… just as punishing when it can’t be. That’s why what happened this morning… hurts… so much more than it probably would have done otherwise, without… you.” She paused for a moment. “Does it make any sense?”
I was out of words, my mind was trying to integrate what she just said.
“Too… weird, huh?” she continued.
“Erm… uh… I’d say… that’s… progress!…” I stammered.
She scoffed at my remark. “Sorry… I-”
“No, no, no, it’s okay! I said I’d listen whenever you want to talk about it! And you did talk about it! As… strange as it may be what you said, even to you it seems, the fact that you’re now… aware of it… should be… liberating. I think?”
She looked at me but with her attention inwards, analyzing her feelings. Then, like… coming around, she focused on me and a smile crept up on her face. Then with a tired blink concluded “It is. Thank you.”
I hesitated whether to kiss her or not. It felt like the moment was perfect, but knowing that oral sex seemed gross to her moments earlier was holding me back. In the end I just moved a strand of hair from her forehead and traced a finger on her cheek. Awkwardness galore.
“Come on. Let’s go find someplace to eat” I finally resumed. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Actually… I am. And it feels… good. I feel like I’m… doing something to shed some fat. I’ll also take you up on that stroll offer first. If you still want to…”
“Yeah, sure, just… promise me something first. Nothing complicated.”
“What?”
“That while I go get my coat you don’t get… too… excited. I’ll only be a minute.”
She snorted, laughed and attacked my mouth with a passionate kiss. I didn’t hold back. After a minute or so, when the passion subsided, she tried to excuse herself.
“Sorry, I… couldn’t help it. I just… had to.”
“Aaand… you’re sorry?”
“Erm… I would be if it was… you know… un-wanted… Was it?”
I let a few seconds pass, trying to be serious and keep her on the edge.
“You… do… realize… that I was actually holding back in the hope that I would get a chance of a mouthwash first.”
“Wh-… oooh, riiigh-… Eww! Gross! Do that while you go get your coat!” she made a disgusted face and flapped me away with one long nailed hand while with the other she rubbed her mouth.
“I was going to!” I replied in my defense as I got up and started to get my clothes. “Come on, get dressed. Or would you rather I assist you, just to… avoid any more… mishaps?”
“Now that you mention it… you might just have to… one day, if they get… you know… too long?” she waved her eyebrows and wiggled her right hand fingers at me. “Oh, bugger!” she added seeing her pinky. I, on the other hand, was starting to lose my mind at her long-nailed hand-moves and the idea of nails ‘too long’ to allow for getting dressed without hassle.
She saw me losing it and put her hand down. “Hey!” she woke me up from my trance, and her face could not hide that what she was about to say was going to be really… spicy.
“You’re not going to get ANY until you fix it! Now go get your coat and get back here. And wash your mouth! Or… brush your teeth! Or… something! Go on, shoo!”
TO BE CONTINUED…