“Ah, okay.” I avert my gaze to my shoes. “Perhaps you're already thinking that I might have ... loose screws on my brain,” I whisper.

“It's fine. I don't mind.”

I am stunned. He heard me! His comforting voice caresses my embarrassment. Still, at the back of my mind, I can not help but wonder if he did not remember the numbers I had previously put on the graffiti I have done back then on the back wall? Nonetheless, he did not know that I was the one who did that.

I throw a glance at him, who is inches taller than me in this position. That is why I immediately saw the clenched jaw and the ripple of his Adam's apple. I quickly avoid the sight but I caught the way he pursed his lips.

“You've been like that before.”

I immediately frown at what I heard. I grit my teeth and turn to him. “What, are you saying that I am crazy?!”

He gets stunned. “I didn't say that.”

“But it sounds like you're imposing that I really am.”

I stare at him. My eyes are now on his phone, still suspended in the air. I immediately get it through my shaking hands and type my contact number. Never did I know, his last words would eventually make me stay awake the whole night after he uttered them.

“I didn’t mean it that way. It's just that most of the time, you can't keep in touch with reality. You indulge yourself too much with the conversations inside your head . . . even though most of them, it never really happened. ”

I can not deny the fact that sometimes, I can not separate real memories from imagination, especially before. I have memories from the past but I am not sure if it was true or just fiction.

“For now, all you have to do is nail art. Next meeting, let's go to the facial mask. Remember, you should use an organic one. Go to your partners. You may start now. ”

No need, Ma'am. He is already sitting next to me! I sense something squeaking and the chair slowly move from the other desk closer to me. I could smell his perfume. It is a mixture of sweet musk and minty scent.

“Uh ... you go first?” Rico asks, but sounds more like a suggestion.

I have no nail equipment brought. Thanks to him I am gonna survive this one. I timidly nod.

“Mmm ... 'kay.”

Awkward.

He laid two palms on the desk. I gasped as my gaze run through her nails. I want to burst out laughing when I see the shape of them. I cover my mouth with my palm and look at him. Those nails are not the common nail shape you always see in a guy. His are small and a bit roundish, yet boxy. Almost seem like a child's, there is no sensible shape.

“Do you have a problem with my nails?”

His eyes narrow. I immediately shake my head in case the palm covering my lip was removed. A mocking laughter escape from me nonetheless.

“Nothing! That's cute,” I said.

Sarcasm laces on my voice. Though, the laughter is roaring deep again. My eyes squint while I laugh at him. He remains impassive. I slowly reach for his thumb while my lips are in a thin line, suppressing a laugh. I bite my lower lip as I commence the task. I never cut too much of his fingernails for them to look long.

I just bend down and try to focus my eyes on Rico's nail because I feel like I am melting because of his gaze. Even when I do not directly see where he is staring at, my instinct tells me so.

I am trying hard not to be awkward, even if I already am. I can not understand myself because I can bear the silence whenever I am alone, even if my mouth is shut all day. But like before, when it comes to Rico . . .

I could not think of a design so I just covered the black nail polish with glitters. It somehow reminds me of the vast cosmos where wonders are omnipresent; where stars twinkle on their mighty shine and scattered along the Milky Way.

I am still on Rico's first hand, Mrs. Lauchenco announces that we only have fifteen minutes to finish. I am in a hurry so the previous careful placement is messed up already. Rico has not even started yet!

When it was over he was just there breathing easy. Tension rules my system and the pressure makes my adrenaline rush tingles. I glance at Rico's wristwatch. There only has ten minutes to finish.

“I'll have it checked,” I said.

He shakes his head slowly. “Let's just go together.”

“Why don't you just go first?”

“Why don't we go together? Just for once. We're partners after all,” he said.

The cognac irises of his stare at me with intensity. I fall silent. Rico's gaze drops at my hands. He starts doing the same on my nails.

The whole time, Rico's eyes are only focused on my nails. While he is doing that, my other hand is secretly gripping onto my skirt tightly. When he finishes cutting my nails in both hands, I see how he purses his lips while staring at my hands.

“Yours still look long even if when they are already cut, aren't they?" he casually says.

Why do I hear it like it is in a tone like we're already friends. He meets my eyes as well. There seemz to be no space of silence before.

“Faster!”

I get even more confused. It would be embarrassing if I was the cause of his downfall.

“Relax,” he chuckles.

He moved the chair closer to me and also hastened to apply the nail polish even though I could clearly see in his eyes the confusion of how to use it. Even so, his actions remained calm.

"How can you manage to be at ease even when you lack time already?" I ask, curious about how he can do it almost every time.

“Listen, even if I had enough time, I'm sure there's still one result. I suck at arts, you know. ”