A Split Tongue Wasn’t On My Sexual Fantasy List. It Should Have Been.

It was my last night on vacation, and I was absent-mindedly swiping through Bumble while I enjoyed dinner solo at a local market. Unexpectedly, one profile caught my attention.

I first noticed how he fit my physical type: people who look like brown Jesus (I'm pansexual and date folks of any gender). He was a textbook example with luscious long hair and deep brown eyes. This guy was a bit edgier than I usually felt myself drawn to — with many facial piercings and tattoos that made it obvious he was into heavy metal, which isn't my jam.

Beyond his physical appearance, I was intrigued by his profile. It was full of green flags. Like me, he was vegan, Latinx, liberal, agnostic, and wanted children. He checked many of my boxes for what I wanted from a partner. I swiped right, even though I knew I was leaving town the next day.

We were an instant match and immediately started rapidly sending messages back and forth, learning we had more and more in common. I was transparent about how I would be leaving the next day and asked him if he'd still be keen to meet. Much to my delight, he said yes, and we decided to go on a date at the rooftop bar at my hotel in a few hours.

It was one of the best dates I've ever been on; he was comfortable, vulnerable, and curious. Our chat flowed naturally, and after the bar closed, I asked him if he wanted to sit in the garden and continue talking. I enjoyed his company more than I had anyone else in a very long time.

The curiosity of how we'd interact intimately was irresistible. When he mentioned it was getting late, I boldly asked if he wanted to kiss me. At this point, I had no intention of hooking up with him as I don't typically enjoy one-night stands.

As we kissed, I noticed there was something different about his tongue. Without trying to be obvious about it, I did my best to investigate and realized it seemed cut. I thought perhaps he previously had a tongue ring, and I was feeling a hole or scar left behind. Suddenly, it felt like I was making out with two people — it was as if there were two distinct tongues. Then, it dawned on me: He had split his tongue.

I was a bit perplexed that he hadn't let me know his tongue was split in advance, as that kind of thing comes as a shock mid-kiss. But despite having many questions about the procedure and curiosity about his decision to modify his body this way, I didn't want to end what turned out to be a tantalizing kiss.

I allowed myself to melt into the moment and enjoy what was a new sexual experience for me — and, well, I'm very aroused by novelty. Once he started moving both sides of his tongue separately, I had to know what else he could do with his extraordinary organ. Kissing him was intoxicating.

So, I invited him to my hotel room.

We had a fantastic night of intimacy together. I'll never know if it was our chemistry or the newness of having sex with someone who had a split tongue. What I do know, without a doubt, is that I was incredibly turned on as he licked my neck, nipples, ears, and toes with his modified tongue. He confessed that he believes he performed oral sex better before he split his tongue, but that's hard to believe: I had several mind-blowing orgasms when he ate me out.

Honestly, I was surprised at how hot I found his split tongue to be. It's a sexual encounter I know I'll never forget.

Lola Méndez is a Uruguayan-American freelance journalist. She writes about travel, culture, sustainability, wellness, and more for publications such as The Washington Post, CNN, USA Today, BBC, Nat Geo, Vogue, and more. She left the United States in 2015 and has traveled to over 90 countries and all continents. You can follow her on Instagram, X, Threads, Bluesky, and Facebook at @lolaannamendez and her responsible travel blog, missfilatelista.com.