Stimming by Melanie E (Patreon)

Stimming

By Melanie E.

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"Are you there?"

"Yeah," Caleb confirmed.

"We can't see you again."

"I know," he said with a small growl of frustration. "My camera's still not working."

"Too bad," one of his co-workers said. "It feels like we haven't seen you in months!"

"You haven't," Caleb admitted, smiling. "Wish I could say the same!"

That got the laugh he wanted, and the subject matter was dropped, just like it was every time.

"Well, it seems like everyone is here, so let's get going over those quarterly reports. Now...."

Caleb leaned back in his computer chair and stretched. The quarterly reports never required his attention, but he knew better than to completely ignore his boss's droning.

To help deal with it, he reached over to the table beside his desk and grabbed a small bottle and a buffing block and went to work.

Nail by nail, file, buff, file, buff, until they were all clean and shiny. Then, he cracked open the bottle and, with a few well-practiced swipes, applied the color to each nail until splayed before him were ten lavender beauties.

"Caleb? Any feedback?"

Caleb absentmindedly rattled off the quota data from memory, still smiling at the results of his work.

"Very good."

His boss went back to blathering while Caleb waved his hands gently to dry the nails.

He truly did love working from home and had leaped at the chance to continue doing so once the pandemic was over.

"Carrie, honey?" His wife called from the other room.

Caleb -- Carrie -- jumped a bit. "In a work meeting, hon!"

"Oop! Sorry!" She said, appearing in the doorway and grinning as she watched Carrie fan his... her ... nails. "We still going out to, umm, that event later?"

"Yeah, babe, soon as we're done here."

"Great!" Carrie's wife winked, mouthed the words 'cute dress!' and disappeared back out the door.

"Are the distractions over?" Carrie's boss asked impatiently. "This is why we need you in the office."

"No you don't," Carrie countered, still smiling. "So, about those production issues."

She knew she was right. She wasn't ready to out herself to her co-workers just yet, and the once-a-week trip to the office in drab was already torture enough.

Keeping 'Caleb' in mind during meetings was about as far as she was willing to go.

The meeting continued sans any need for her input. Shrugging her shoulders, Carrie lifted a foot onto the edge of her desk and got to work again. Her wife had bought her a gorgeous pair of open-toed sandals to wear to the dinner party, and she wanted to look her best.

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Photo 92528261 © Zivica Kerkez | Dreamstime.com