In the quiet atmosphere, the two sat side by side in the car, enjoying the emotional notes of Bach's Cello suit number 5 - Prelude. 

Although both of them had a clear preference for the piano amongst all the musical instruments, one could not deny that this particular emotional song played by the cello could stir emotions one did not know one was even capable of feeling.

Aria had never felt so cared for, like she had been these past weeks, in all her previous life... and in the last week, even more so. 

The small gestures, the big gestures, all of it unwittingly touched her heart. This stoic man beside her, even his driving felt attentive somehow. Each time he was about to take a curb, and especially when he had to suddenly brake at one point, his hand subconsciously appeared in front of her abdomen, in a protective stance. Perhaps he felt that even though she had the seatbelt on, the sudden force caused by the abrupt changes in speed could still harm her.

Honestly, when she met him for the first time at the hospital, she would have never thought he could be so gentle, it almost felt like he was her ...

'Achoo!'

His sneeze stopped her ongoing thoughts, as she looked towards him a bit worried. The atmosphere had been so quiet since they left the mall, even the small puppy was silent in his cage on the back seat, right truly a peaceful afternoon...

'Achoo!' 

Except for a certain someone's constant sneezes.

'I know I asked you already, but are you sure you don't want to return to the hospital? You might have gotten a cold.' Aria asked worried. If it happened once or twice it wouldn't have been a problem, but it was already the hundredth time he...

'Achoo!' ... sneezed.

'I am alright!' Zane assured her, trying to seem sincere enough, because he did not wish to make her realize the exact cause of his sneezes, and by going to the doctor he wouldn't be able to hide it, but his runny nose and slightly moist eyes did not help him at all. 

She frowned at his denial, and was a bit at a loss. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered her, he was a grown up so was indeed capable of taking care of himself, more so than her, the evidence being the previous experience. And this was the exact problem, she felt guilty because of his constant good willed gestures, and honestly wanted to help him in some way, or at least not turn a blind eye at his health.

'Achoo!' He sneezed again, even though he was trying to abstain to breathe in the air which made his nose tickle and thus keep on sneezing.

Aria sighed and slowly and a bit embarrassed, raised her hand towards his forehead, gently checking his temperature. Even his face looked a bit red, and she was almost certain he was running a fever. But contrary to her expectations, apart from being a bit red, the temperature felt under her small hand  was still within a normal range, although it felt as though it was bit by bit increasing after she kept her hand rested gently on his forehead.

How could she know, that the reason for the redness on his face which was initially caused by a furry ball, was accentuated even more by her touch?

 Even though this gesture of hers was something that Aria was accustomed to because she was older than most of the children at the orphanage in her past life, and so was a somewhat older sister to them, it did not mean it was an usual occurrence for Zane as well.

Surrounded by mostly servants all his life, each sign of a cold was taken care of by a doctor, and treated accordingly by him. His temperature was also properly found out by using a thermometer, who would touch his forehead and verify it in this way? This touch of hers, felt more personal to him, than when he had previously held her hand.

'I think you are starting to have a fever. We really should go back!' She said slowly, as she retracted her hand.

'No, I will drive you back first. And after I will go to the doctor!' Zane replied, seeing as she still insisted. Well, in fact he really did need to go check out his sneezing, so it was true that he needed to go to a doctor, but whether it was to check if he had a cold or to check if his allergy acted out, this information she did not need to know.

'Alright!' Aria agreed relieved. It was enough that she had managed to convince him to go to the hospital, she did not need to follow him, perhaps it would have even inconvenienced him as he would also have to mind her, instead of only taking care of himself.

'Achoo!'

Hearing him sneeze again, she reached her small purse, which fortunately had been supplied with small necessities by Ann, and took out her handkerchief.

'Here you go!' Aria offered him the small floral embroidered handkerchief, which he gently took from her hand. 

Each time he saw Aria these days, staying close to her, she had never smelled of the intense scent of perfume he was accustomed to her previously wearing, the only faint scent on her was a small floral clothes freshener. A scent the small handkerchief also had, making him remember her previous tight hug. This coupled with the previous touch consequently made his heart rate spike up.

Fortunately, the torture of enduring his allergy ended as the two arrived home.

'Good afternoon, master, mistress!' The butler greeted politely as the two entered the mansion.

A bit curious to see if anything changed even in the slightest between the two, the old man had quickly come to greet them, but after his initial words, his curiosity of knowing if the distance between them shortened a bit, was exchanged for the startle he received as he saw the master holding something he never would have thought he would see Zane carrying.

'That... master...' The butler baffled tried to speak, but he was cut off by saying something more by Zane's words.

'This is the new addition to the mansion!' Zane expressionlessly as ever informed.

'His name is Pudding!' Aria immediately added, with clear happiness visible in her eyes, and already opened the cage's door, before taking the small fluffy puppy out and proudly presenting it to the butler.

'Lovely to' The butler started to say. Glad the distance shortened? The puppy could clearly be seen that it was a pet Aria wished for, otherwise how would his master buy an animal he...

'Achoo!'

... was allergic to.

'meet you, Pudding!' finished greeting the old man, between Zane's sneezes.

With Aria having the dog in her hand, the latter was now even closer to Zane's nose so inevitably it...

'Achoo!' ... made him sneeze.

'Quickly go to the doctor! Your sneezes are getting worse by the minute. You are clearly having a cold!' Aria looked at Zane and urged him once more. She would never think he was actually allergic to the dog, because if he was then he wouldn't have bought her the dog and risk his health.

'I will grab a change of clothes, and head out. I won't return tonight!' Zane agreed, and did not linger more in the presence of the allergy inducing animal, before briskly walking away. At this rate, Aria would surely notice the dog was the cause of his repeated sneezes.

'Isn't he cute?' Aria presented her adorable fluff of cuteness to the butler, not noticing his somewhat forced smile.

Some time later

'He is adorable. Isn't he?' Said one maid, gently cuddling Pudding.

'Let me also hold him for a bit!' Said another one, a bit impatient to pet the small furry ball.

'I can't believe master bought him. We've never had a pet in the mansion before.' Said the maid, who a bit unwillingly handed the small furry ball to the other eager maid.

The only one aware of the master's allergy was the butler. The other personnel had no knowledge of it, but they had worked at the mansion for several years already, and all of them knew that Zane was a person who liked order and quietness, so the  presence of a lively dog like a husky surely would not help at all in keeping the previous dull atmosphere of the mansion.

'Yes. He is a very thoughtful person!' Aria acknowledged. She had not even voiced her wish, and Zane had already guessed it and more importantly fulfilled it.

Hearing her words, none of the maids could picture him as such. He had never interacted with any of them other than requesting an item or giving them an order, but he was also not someone who would reprimand or fuss about their job. So none of them could say he was a caring or uncaring person. But it was certainly true that towards Aria, they could feel a clear indulge from the master's part.

'The master certainly treasures our mistress a great deal!' One of the maids affirmed, with the others nodding in agreement to her words. They sincerely thought so, as they had his previous behavior towards Aria for comparison, but of course no one would actually tell her that. None had mentioned Aria's lost memories since she had arrived at the mansion. 

In the first three days after she came to the mansion, a nurse had regularly checked up on her, and had also instructed them about some details the doctor felt they should know. The instructions had mostly been about her diet going from lighter foods to a somewhat normal diet, about her body strengthening light exercises to regain a better mobility, and lastly about her memory. 

Because the damage to her brain had been a truly life endangering one, as her life expectancy had been close to zero, the mental burden of forcing Aria to recall her lost memories were considered too strenuous by the neurologist. So none of them actively tried to make her recall her past. 

For fear of causing the petite woman irremediable damages, they had actually avoided it at best they could. Even her clothes, make up, jewelry, perfume and general aspect of her room was changed. Not to mention, all of them loved the bubbly and joyfully Aria as she was now, and hoped for her to remain like so.

'I was really pondering about it during the day...' Aria said unknowingly, and a bit flustered did not continue her words. The words had slipped from her mouth as she recalled her earlier thoughts in the car, but now she regretted it a bit. She had gotten so close to the boisterous bunch of girls, talking about everyday life that she unwittingly said more than she intended to.

'Tell us! Tell us!' The lively girls, immediately looked towards Aria expectantly. Even though it was a bit overstepping their position, demanding for her to tell them more, the girls who hoped for Aria and Zane to be like a real family, had forgotten such a courtesy. The master was a stern solemn man, but when in the presence of the mistress, somehow the couple painted a beautiful picture together. 

'I was wondering if this is what a family would feel like. Zane is exactly like a big brother!' Aria appreciated smilingly a bit, upgrading Zane's role in her heart from an unwanted roommate to a teacher and, after buying her a puppy, a big brother.

The first phrase had made the maids hopeful, only for such hopes to be shattered in the next one. For a wife to regard her husband as a brother, it seemed her memory loss had also a bit of a downside.

Changing the subject for fear of harming their master's heart and pride as a husband, as the latter had still not left yet, the maids once more redirected their attention towards the bundle of joy who was already making himself at home.

But they did not know that it was a little too late, as a certain someone was firmly gripping the handrail of the stairs, having missed a step and almost slipped on his way down. Regaining his footing, the man did not linger and also did not dare approach the sound filled living room, absentmindedly heading towards the door, with only the words "big brother" replaying repeatedly inside his mind.

'I thought you were not coming!' Confusedly said the tall blond man, opening his house's door.

The handsome man dressed in casual home clothes stepped aside and allowed his friend inside his home, eagerly awaiting his answers. He couldn't ask Zane more on the phone previously because the latter had said he was on a date and could not come to their gathering, but now a couple of hours later here he was. It left him curious, did they have a fight? With Aria's personality finding herself pregnant, even without her memories, it was highly likely.

'Achoo!' 

Zane sneezed again. At this point he did not know if it was just because of the air inside his car still retained the scent or fur from the dog, or it was because of his clothes.

'I took Aria home. She was a bit tired so it was inconvenient to walk around more. Where are the others?' Zane asked with a bit of a nasal sounding voice.

'They left already. When you said you were coming tomorrow we just had a drink, and decided to postpone the barbecue until then. Can you see the loyalty of your friends?' The man  said with a smug.

Zane only nodded and did not bother with him, making his way inside his friend's house.

'Should I call them back?' The man asked. It was a weekend so the others most likely did not have a fixed schedule, so they could probably still have that barbecue.

'No, leave it for tomorrow. I will take a shower and then I want to talk to you for a bit!' Zane said with a pensive face, then already went away not waiting for an answer.

Seeing his friend's face, the man did not detain him and waited patiently for Zane in the living room. It seemed that the problem was tougher than he initially thought. Zane was not one to show his emotions openly on his face, but being his friend since childhood, the man could still see the small changes of his expression.

He wondered what could make the mechanical man appear quite lost and absentminded.

After a brief shower and a change into fresh uncontaminated clothes that he had brought in a small handbag, Zane could finally breathe relieved, as the sneezing sensation lessened until it finally went away.

'So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about which couldn't wait until tomorrow?' The man said, placing a coffee in front of Zane, then sat on the opposite couch in the living room.

'First thing is, can I live in the mansion with a dog, considering my allergy?' Zane asked, starting with the lesser problem, if he could call it as such. Aria's frightened face and his desire to accomplish her wishes had made him reckless, and he had not second thought his actions.

 What if now he was no longer able to go back to the mansion and live there? He couldn't take the dog away from Aria, having just barely giving it to her.

'You do realize my profession, right?' Asked the man frowning, and also intrigued by his question. Why would Zane need to know about this? He never let dogs in his vicinity, if a dog was even several feet away, he would immediately move as far as he could.

'So? You're a doctor, Malcom.' Zane spoke uninterested, like what he said was the most obvious thing.

'I am a heart surgeon, a heart surgeon does not know about allergies. And why would you want to know this?' Malcom said looking at Zane dumbfounded. 

'I bought a dog for Aria.' He answered honestly. Sooner or later Malcom would know about it, there was no point in hiding it.

'You did what?' Malcom asked again for confirmation. He couldn't believe the words he heard.

'Aria saw a puppy at the pet shop today, and I bought it for her.'

Leaving aside the fact that Zane would never buy a dog, he was even less likely to buy one for Aria, Malcom thought. Was her mind really affected by the accident? Did she really lose her memory? Because this sounded to him like the woman was getting back at Zane for the pregnancy. That woman cared for her figure and body, just as much as she cared about her money. She truly resolved her grudge in the worst way possible for Zane.

'Did she threaten you into buying it?' Malcom said, looking with a tinge of pity towards Zane.

'She did not ask for me to buy it, but she was looking so longingly at the window...' Zane said, recalling the lovely face.

'So just because she looked at the window, you went ahead and bought it?' Malcom asked to confirm once more. He felt like he needed Zane to confirm each of his words twice today, just to make sure he was understanding correctly.

'Yes. Now don't stray away from the main subject. Can I live with the dog inside the house? I need to teach Aria piano lessons in the evenings, so it would inconvenience me if I kept on sneezing throughout the lessons. Plus as she is pregnant right now, I can't let her live alone in the mansion.' Zane reasoned logically.

A logic that Malcom did not understand in the slightest.  

Firstly,  why was Zane dead set on buying the puppy for Aria?

Secondly, why would he bother about giving Aria piano lessons, and as a consequence interrupt his work and routine?

And thirdly, why would he consider that Aria would be alone inside a mansion if he was not there? Considering  the said mansion housed about a dozen servants.