Like I had predicted, as soon as I got home I began to fuss over every little thing. I parked my car in the garage and used to adjacent door to walk in, moving the welcome mat so that it was perfectly parallel with the door frame. I hung my keys on the key rack by the door, and took a step back to make sure it wasn’t crooked. More or less happy with it’s arrangement, I walk down the small hall to the entryway. The small circular wooden table in the center as a small vase on top with fake flowers inside. I figured it was better than buying and caring for real flowers since they died to quickly. I hope that it doesn’t look bad, but I have an unfortunate habit of killing plants.

The door at the front is clean, as is the rug and shoe rack just next to it. I open up the jacket closet and fuss around in there for a moment, making sure the arrangement is neat and leaves room for anything Kenji might bring. I turn back around to face the living room just beyond the entryway. I have quite the task ahead of me if I’m to keep this up, but it’s the only thing keeping me from being reminded of what my life could have been had I stayed human. I walk over to the living room, the floor stepping down as sort of divider for the room. The opposite wall was made of floor to ceiling windows, which did wonders for letting in natural light but made heating the place in winter a nightmare.

I fussed with the pillows on the couch, fluffing them and making sure the couch looked comfortable but not overused. I turned back to face the windows and the television that was set there. I put it there so that the glare of light wouldn’t be a problem, but now I can’t stop thinking if it looks silly. Maybe I’ll just draw the curtains and call it a day. But then that would get in the way of the view, which I think Kenji would appreciate. I did anyway.

After organizing the coffee table one more time I head over to the kitchen and dinning area. It’s only ever been me here, and it seemed the house plans intended for the kitchen to be a dual purpose. Walking around the fish tank I come to the island in the center of the room with it’s neat bar stools all lined up. There are drop lights that hang over it, and the kitchen’s appliances are all clean and neatly tucked into place along the wall. I quickly peak in the bathroom that’s adjacent to the kitchen, opening the door and flicking the switch on. It’s still as clean as it was yesterday, from the standing shower to the mirrored medicine cabinet over the sink. Satisfied, I continue down the hall to the laundry room just next to the bathroom.

As I double check that I haven’t left too much out of place, moving dirty laundry into the hamper, I can’t help but think about Beth’s laundry room and the ‘cat corner’ she put in there. She had a dedicated space in there for her cat’s litter box, and on the other side she put his food and water. She had even stored a cat bed up on the shelf for him to sleep in. Her cat was a lazy old man, a black and white tuxedo named Mittens. I loved him as much as any person could who didn’t actually own the cat. It was better that way, I wouldn’t have to deal with the heartbreak that came with losing a beloved pet. I would fall too much in the habit of owning a pet and would hate to be without one, but hate to lose one. I hadn’t had a cat since I was human and left my family because of that.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I continue down the hall to inspect the first bedroom to the right. It’s the guest room, and everything is still as it should be. An empty dresser with a television on top, a clean and made bed in the center, an empty bookshelf on the other side, and more floor to ceiling windows. Like in the living room, I again fluffed the pillows and made sure the bed looked perfect. The pattern on the bed set was made up of fossils, a little corny I know, but I thought it was cute. I was also under the impression he was a paleontologist. Hopefully he won’t mind it. I step back to admire my work. It’s hard to get rid of the nagging feeling in my stomach, so I turn around and head to my own room.

At the end of the hall is the master bedroom. It had it’s own bathroom, and the bedroom was large enough to have a workspace off to one side. Of course I did most of my work at the museum, but there had been plenty of nights spent into the small hours of the morning just putting together my research. Right now, just before I prepared for the mummified juvenile, my work had been solely focused on the oldest fossilized dragon that we knew of. I had poured hours into combing through the online database accessible to only dragons, though most information was kept on file just in case there ever were a breach. It was useful to make these things accessible to all the members of the Dragon Society, but also very risky. In my case, it was also very frustrating having to order and wait on print copies, but at least I had the museum to keep me busy.

I slowly go through my own bedroom, making small adjustments to the various items set about on surfaces such as my bookshelf - stocked and overflowing that it is - my work desk, and my dresser. I don’t expect Kenji in here, but then again I didn’t expect there to be breeding setup either. I wanted to make sure that the entire house was perfect, especially after seeing how well put together he was. As if thinking about him had summoned him, I heard the knock on the door and sounds of it opening up as I was fussing over my bedroom.

“Ms. Lyons?” Kenji called out from the other end of the house. I quickly replied before heading back down the hall to the entryway. Kenji was at the front door, locking behind him. He had two bags of various groceries set at his feet. “I hope this isn’t too much?” He asked after turning back to me, gesturing to the bags of food.

“No, not at all.” I quickly answer. “I’ll go put them away.” I say as I reach over for the bags. Kenji does the same, reaching down for the groceries at the same time. Our hands brush, and I feel that odd tingling sensation once again at the contact. Perhaps I’ve been alone for a little too long. I think as I quickly pull away.

“I’ll help.” Kenji states as he picks up both of the bags. I nod my head and turn to show him the kitchen, skirting around the dip in the floor for the living room. I hear him shuffling to take his shoes off before he follows me. I feel good when he takes a moment to admire the fish tank I have set up. There’s a small look of admiration in his eyes, the most emotion I might be able to get out of him. He doesn’t say a word as he turns into the kitchen with me.

I open up the large fridge as he sets the bags on the counter, and together we put the food away. It’s such a mundane task but it feels nice to have someone to do it with. I really am just lonely. I realize. I vaguely remember the dreams I used to have of domestic life, something much simpler back in the nineteenth century than what it was now, but still something nice. I’ve since changed from then, but I had to admit it wasn’t so bad doing chores when you had someone by your side.

“it’s getting late.” Kenji remarked as we finished putting the food away - I noticed there were more than a few Asain products, and I had to wonder what he was planning on cooking with them. “Will you be going to bed soon?” He asked me, his tone not quite flat but had little emotion in it. It felt like he was making small talk.

“Yeah,” I saw as I crank my neck around to look at the clock. “I have to get up early to go open the museum tomorrow, there’s going to be a field trip.” I tell him. He nods his head in understanding.

“I hope you sleep well then.” He comments. “I will be up for another few hours.”

“Why?” I ask, unable to stop myself from prying.

“Jet lag.” He replies with a nonchalant expression and small shrug.

“Really? You didn’t fly yourself?” I ask him. It was normal for dragons to fly anywhere they needed to go, using the cover of night to do so. It made them harder to track if they had to upend their human-disguised life and start fresh somewhere else.

“I didn’t really feel like flying over an ocean and half a continent.” He replies. I can’t tell if he’s frustrated or teasing, so I simply agree and bid him a good night before making my escape.

I close the door to my room, and I notice that the scent of him has already begun to make itself known to my house. Being a dragon, many of my senses had sharpened to be so much more than that of a human’s. I had been ignoring the scent of him for some time now, using the scents around me to dull it. Sometimes just the presence of a male could trigger a heat, and I was certainly not ready for that, emotionally anyway.

Now the scent of him clung to the air, my clothes, my skin. It smelled like an ancient forest just after the rain, the wood and ground strong in their conviction. It was the smell of a pine and deciduous forest, of the earth cleansed after the storm. I was very glad I would not be sharing a room with him, just the smell of him was too appealing. I really need to get a grip.

I did not sleep well that night. I tossed and turned for the vast majority of it. Any sleep I did get felt more like I had simply passed out from exhaustion. I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock, it’s noise announcing the beginning of the day. I had to pull myself out of bed, yanking the curtains open to let the early morning light in. With a long stretch and a huge yawn, I set about getting ready for the day. I changed out of my pajamas - aptly dinosaur and fossil themed - and put on some decent clothes today. With the school field trip coming in, I had to look the part of owner-curator, not just be it.

Feeling somewhat clean and fresh, although still very groggy, I walk down the hallway to the kitchen. I dutifully ignore Kenji’s room, though I do notice that the door has been left open just a crack. I figured he was most likely still asleep, seeing as it was early and he had to catch up from jet lag. I did not expect him to be in the kitchen, seated at the island table.

Kenji was seated with a warm bowl of rice and what appeared to be raw egg - personally I would never risk that - as well as a small cup of tea. He looked up as I came in, his appearance as clean and immaculate as the day before. He was dressed more casually today, a clean dark button up and well fitted khakis that give off a ‘business casual’ sort of impression.

“You’re up early.” I say, unsure of how to really approach the situation. Kenji makes a small huff of a sound that I take to be a laugh before he responds.

“Good morning, and yes, I’m adjusting to the new time zone.” Right, most people said good morning first. I try to bury my embarrassment as he continues to speak. “I made some breakfast, though it’s a rather traditional one.” He tells me. I look over at the counter by the sink where there’s a larger bowl that’s been covered to keep warm. “I understand if you’d prefer something more contemporary.” He finishes before returning to his tea, looking at me as he takes another sip.

There’s something about the way his gaze holds me in place, making feel as if I wanted nothing more than to agree with him and simultaneously distrust him. It didn’t feel right, the way he looked at me. I suspected some sort of magic at play here, though I could just be paranoid. I quickly recovered myself and went over to grab some food.

“No that’s fine,” I tell him as I survey what else there is. He was thoughtful enough to have also prepared scrambled eggs and toast. How long has he been up? “This is really kind of you,” I say over my shoulder. I do my best to quickly serve myself some food before sitting at the other end of the island. “Thank you.” I smile. He returns a polite smile and nod before he goes back to eating his own meal.

Unlike Kenji, I’ve chosen to eat with a fork this time around. I am not in the mood to embarrass myself further. I can’t help but recall last night and the way he had helped me hold the chopsticks. The memory of his hands on mine sent another one of those unfamiliar jolts through my body, not as sharp as before but definitely there. I ate faster. The sooner I can be done the sooner I can get to work and not have to think about this situation. I wasn’t going to think about it until I absolutely had to. It was just business after all, right? I try to remind myself of this as I excuse myself from the table.

I go back to finishing my morning routine. Brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, cleaning my face, all the normal everyday things that were easy to fall into. The steady rhythm helped calm my beating heart, something I hadn’t even noticed until I was in my room. I dearly hoped Kenji hadn’t heard, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had.

I push the thought away as I grab my leather shoulder bag, walking back down the hall to leave. I find that Kenji has left the kitchen and was now standing in the living room, tea in hand, watching the sun rise. I pause, watching as the morning rays cast his face into a warm glow. It’s hard not to admire him I must admit, but there’s something troubled in his gaze. It’s as if he’s not really seeing the world around him but rather somewhere else, somewhere far away in his mind.

“It’s beautiful.” Kenji says, startling me. I was surprised he noticed me, he still hadn’t turned around to face me. “Many people travel to Japan for it’s scenic nature,” He says quietly. “I don’t think enough people travel out here to see this. But,” he finally turns to face me. “Perhaps I’m just a little biased.” He says with a wry smirk on his face, a new expression that quickly fades as he returns to watching outside the window.

“Perhaps, but I think we have plenty of tourists for what we’ve got.” I say with a half-hearted laugh. He nods but doesn’t say anything else, quietly taking another drink from his tea. I take that as my cue to go. I give him a quick farewell before turning around and high-tailing it out of there. I’m not sure what prompted him to be like that, but then again I don’t even know him. Maybe that’s his normal, broody, self. Maybe I should try and induce my heat, just to get him out of here.

By the time I get to the museum, my mind has all but switched gears into museum-mode. I need to be on my A-game today, and I was not about to let it be ruined by some brooding male in my house. A handsome brooding male that smelled nice. No, I was not going to be one of those girls - er, females that is. No, I would be sensible about this.

I parked my car in my usual spot and swiftly got out, putting myself through the motions of opening up the museum for the day. It was normal, routine, habitual. Yet I found myself fumbling with the keys, nearly tripping at the door. I hoped and prayed this wasn’t a set up for a bad day, goodness knows I could really use a good one right now.