In the heat of the moment, my boyfriend won’t let me anywhere near his earlobe. His reflex is so strong, even a sneak attack will send his head veering towards safer territory. I have created a Pavlovian response to a harmless nibble.
To erase my confusion over his aversion to biting, my boyfriend emulated the strength of my bite on my ear. After watching my life flash before my eyes, the issue was less perplexing. My boyfriend’s bottom line: “I don’t want you to ‘Mike Tyson’ me.”