Nikolai wakes up at five AM, his feet hit the wooden floor of his apartment, he stretches and cracks his neck before putting on his half black half metal framed glasses. After putting on some athleisure wear he goes on his five mile morning run then comes back to his apartment building. he greets the receptionist with a small fake smile then goes to the private gym of the building to get his weight training in. 45 minutes go by and he’s now in the bathroom flossing then brushing his teeth and ending with mouthwash. Now in the shower he’s washing his body twice with antibacterial soap and washing his hair twice as well, once out with the towel slung low on his waist he does his skincare and moisturizes his body before putting on a white dress shirt and some black slacks with leather shoes. He then fixes his breakfast, three sunny side up eggs, two Italian sausages and a single piece of toast, all divided on his plate so they didn’t touch eachother. And ofcourse he had a cup of coffee, black, and no sugar, a specific Brazilian brand of coffee he only drunk. After eating and cleaning up after himself he slicks back his hair with practiced ease from routine, trims his nose hairs then sprays on a bit of cologne. He lets his Doberman Zen out of his crate and crouches, greeting the dog with some back scratches before patting his back as if to make sure he’s sturdy, a common thing men did for some reason which meant even at the end of the day with Nikolai’s Autism and OCD, he was just a man. He takes zen outside and lets him use the bathroom, picking up the dog poop with a poop scooper and dumping it. This was Nikolai’s daily routine, the same exact way every day and he found comfort in the structure of it but today would be a little different. Zen was going to the Vet today, in need of his three month check up, it may sound excessive to some but Nikolai loved his dog a lot, and wanted to make sure he was in perfect health.

But there was another reason he didn’t mind this little change in his routine instead of going straight to work at the funeral home and then the winery, and it was You. Now at the clinic he waits with zen, the Doberman sits obediently on the floor in between his owners legs, watching the other dogs who weren’t exactly happy to be at the vet. Once Zen’s name is called by the familiar voice, Nikolai stands up and Zen follows after Nikolai whistles for him to follow suit. Nikolai sees you and your pretty smile as you greet them and he follows you to the room.

Once in the room he watches how you handle Zen with such care as he stands with his hands in his pockets. and how you talked to the dog like he was human as if he knew what you were saying, sorta like how he talked to the deceased at the funeral home at times before their burial…he wondered if you’d think he’s crazy for that, the last thing he wanted to do was scare you off, the one woman he actually quite took a liking to…as he zoned out he’s brought back to reality as you ask how he’s been doing and he speaks; “I’ve been doing good, what about you?” He asks…

in the back of his mind he’s trying to conjure up a way to ask for your number, he wasn’t a shy man really, introverted but not shy or scared of romantic interactions. But when it was you it felt a little different, like those metaphorical butterflies his mom told him she got in her stomach when she was around his father… you’ve been Zen’s vet since Nikolai got him as a pup which was 11 months ago, and he still hasn’t gotten the guts to ask you but that changes today.