Their only day off was the same day

Dating two men at the same time was much easier than I expected.

They both worked in nail salons six days a week, so I always knew where they were.

The problem started when both salons suddenly closed on the same Monday.

My name is Diane, and I live in Tacoma, Washington.

For years, I went to two different nail salons.

One was close to my house. The other was near my office.

That was how I met Kevin and Tommy.

They were both Vietnamese nail techs, but they worked at different salons and did not seem to know each other.

Kevin worked near my house.

He was quiet, careful, and always remembered small things about me. He knew which colors I liked and that I hated having my cuticles cut too deeply.

Tommy worked near my office.

He was more outgoing. He joked with every customer and could make a boring pedicure feel like lunch with an old friend.

At first, they were only my nail techs.

Then Kevin asked whether I wanted coffee after his shift.

I knew customers probably dated nail techs all the time, but I still felt a little strange about it.

He had been doing my nails for almost a year.

Still, I liked him, so I agreed.

We had coffee on a Sunday evening after he finished work. He told me he was single and had been divorced for two years.

We started seeing each other once or twice a week.

Nothing serious was discussed.

About a month later, Tommy asked me to have dinner with him.

I should have said no.

Instead, I told myself Kevin and I had never agreed to be exclusive.

Tommy also said he was single.

That was how I ended up dating two nail techs from two different salons.

The strange part was how easy it became.

Both men worked Tuesday through Sunday.

They usually had Monday off.

Kevin liked seeing me after work on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Tommy usually wanted to go out on Friday or Sunday night.

Their schedules were so predictable that I never had to make up complicated excuses.

When Kevin was working, I knew he would be at the salon until closing.

When Tommy was working, I knew the same thing.

Sometimes I would receive messages from both of them while sitting at home.

Kevin would ask what I was having for dinner.

A few minutes later, Tommy would ask whether I missed him.

I felt guilty, but I also liked the attention.

Kevin made me feel safe.

Tommy made me feel exciting.

Kevin talked about buying a house someday.

Tommy wanted to travel and try new restaurants.

With one man, I felt calm.

With the other, I felt younger.

I kept telling myself I would eventually choose.

Weeks became months.

I became careful about where we went.

I never took Kevin near the salon where Tommy worked.

I never let Tommy come too close to my neighborhood salon.

I also stopped posting pictures online.

Once, Tommy wanted to take a picture of us at dinner.

I told him I hated having my picture taken.

That was a lie.

The truth was that I was scared Kevin might somehow see it.

The salon schedules made everything easy until one Monday in December.

Monday was normally the only day both men were free.

I avoided seeing either of them on Mondays because it felt too risky.

I usually told them I spent that day with my sister.

That Monday morning, Kevin messaged me and asked whether I wanted to have lunch.

I told him I had family plans.

Twenty minutes later, Tommy asked whether I wanted to go shopping with him.

I gave him the same answer.

I thought the problem was solved.

Then my sister called and invited me to a holiday market downtown.

I agreed because I had already told both men I would be with her.

I thought being seen with my sister would actually protect my story.

The market was crowded.

We walked around for almost an hour, bought hot drinks, and looked at handmade gifts.

Then I saw Tommy.

He was standing near a food truck with two men I did not recognize.

I immediately turned around.

My sister asked what was wrong.

I told her I had forgotten to look at something behind us.

I tried to lead her in the opposite direction, but Tommy had already seen me.

He called my name and walked over.

I had no choice but to introduce him to my sister.

My sister knew about Kevin.

She did not know about Tommy.

The look she gave me almost made me laugh from nervousness.

Tommy put his hand on my back and told my sister that he had heard a lot about her.

My sister stared at me.

I quickly explained that Tommy was a friend from the salon.

He looked surprised.

We had been dating for almost four months, and I had just introduced him as a friend.

Before he could say anything, someone behind me said my name.

I recognized Kevin’s voice immediately.

For one second, I honestly considered pretending I had not heard him.

Then Kevin stepped beside us.

He looked at Tommy.

Tommy looked at Kevin.

Neither one looked confused.

That was the first sign that I was in more trouble than I realized.

Kevin asked Tommy what he was doing there.

Tommy said he was shopping with friends.

Then he asked Kevin the same question.

I stood between them, wondering how two men from different salons knew each other.

My sister slowly moved away from us.

She later told me she did not want to be standing too close when everything exploded.

Kevin asked how I knew Tommy.

I said he sometimes did my nails near my office.

Tommy asked why Kevin was questioning me.

Kevin answered before I could.

He said I was his girlfriend.

Tommy laughed once, but there was nothing funny about it.

Then he said I was his girlfriend too.

People nearby started looking at us.

My face felt hot.

I finally asked how they knew each other.

It turned out Kevin and Tommy had gone to nail school together.

They had also worked at the same salon years earlier.

They were not close friends anymore, but they still knew many of the same people.

I had spent months keeping them away from each other without realizing they already had each other’s phone numbers.

The reason both salons were closed that Monday was a nail supply company holiday event.

Several salon owners and nail techs had gone to the same market before attending the dinner that evening.

Both men had been invited.

Kevin asked how long I had been seeing Tommy.

Tommy answered for me.

Then Tommy asked how long I had been seeing Kevin.

Kevin gave him the answer.

They started comparing dates while I stood there.

Kevin mentioned the Wednesday we went to dinner for his birthday.

Tommy realized I had seen him the following night.

Tommy mentioned a weekend trip we had taken to Seattle.

Kevin remembered that I had told him I was visiting my cousin.

Every excuse I had used started coming back in front of both of them.

I expected them to yell at each other.

Instead, they both became quiet.

That felt worse.

Kevin looked hurt.

Tommy looked embarrassed.

Then Kevin asked which one of them I actually wanted.

I had spent months believing I needed more time to decide.

Now both men were standing in front of me, and I still could not answer.

That silence answered for me.

Kevin nodded and walked away.

Tommy stayed for a few more seconds.

He said the strangest part was that he had recommended Kevin’s salon to several customers over the years.

Then he followed Kevin toward the parking area.

Neither man contacted me that night.

The next morning, I received two messages.

Kevin told me not to come back to his salon.

Tommy sent almost the same message.

I lost both relationships and both places where I had been getting my nails done.

My sister did not speak to me during the drive home.

When we reached my apartment, she finally asked whether having two boyfriends had been worth all that work.

I told her it had not felt like much work because they both worked six days a week.

She stared at me for a few seconds and started laughing.

I was still upset, but eventually I laughed too.

A month later, I found a new salon.

The woman doing my manicure asked whether I usually visited one salon or several.

I told her I had recently learned that staying with one was probably safer.

She thought I was talking about nail salons.

I let her believe that.