KILL ME SOFTLY

CHAPTER 5

April looked at Houston in shock as a smile played on his lips.

"I told you ill be okay by tomorrow", he uttered walking over to the dining table and April just kept staring at him.

" I thought you were joking", April said recovering from her shock.

Houston arched his eyebrows at her, a smile still hanging on his pink lips, "when I've I ever joked with you?", he said as his eyes settled on the food April prepared for breakfast.

He started digging into it while April sat opposite him as her eyes kept staring at him and Houston stopped eating, turning his gaze at her.

" Stop staring", he warned and April laughed

"Your smile is very cute, you should smile more", she uttered and his smile dropped immediately.

" you must be entering him", he cursed and April only laughed more.

When he had finished eating, April called his attention with a serious look on her face.

"Remember? I said we had something to discuss today?", she mustered and he sighed. Already regretting telling her the truth yesterday. Though, he knew he didn't have many options.

" what about it?", he uttered, his emerald eyes flickering at her in a bit of darkness and April could already tell that he didn't want to talk about anything relating to his parent's death.

"I have a deal to offer you", she said training her eyes on him and he kept quiet waiting for her to proceed.

" Stop going to that scary place and ill take you to the people that killed your parents by myself", she said and Houston cast her a sharp gaze, Anger creeping into his face.

"Do you think this is a joke?", he roared smacking his hands on the table and April just remained calm. Though, her words came out colder than she expected.

" do I look like I'm joking? I'm offering you a chance here", she muttered and Houston frowned gazing at her differently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that", she apologize running her hands through her hair.

" just- accept my offer", she uttered and Houston took his time assessing her before speaking.

"Who the hell are you?", he muttered getting up from the table to grip her by her hands and she broke as she looked deep into his eyes.

" trust me, will you?", she whispered. Though it was still very audible for them both and Houston trained his eyes at her. As though, trying to figure something out.

"What do you want in return?", he asked finally and she stressed her hands forward awaiting him to shake them.

" A 265 days deal. We get to know each other and you do everything I tell you to do. Of cause, you can always back out if you feel like what I'm asking from you is too much or inappropriate. Though, I promise that there would be no need to", she muttered.

she could see her father's gene kicking inside of her. Her tone, serious expression, and everything reminded her of how proud her dad would be to see her talk like this. Unfortunately, this wasn't her. She even surprised herself to see her get so business-like. She guessed she was, after all, her father's daughter, she thought.

Her hands were left hanging in the air for a while before he finally shook them. Though, with a very unsatisfactory look on.

"Houston, you have no reason to doubt me. Everything I'm doing is because I really care for you", she uttered before walking back upstairs to get something and his emerald eyes followed her until she totally disappeared from his sight.

***

April sat opposite Houston with a sketch pad in her hands and Houston just watched her silently.

" I'm going to make a list of things that we would do for this whole year-", she paused her eyes running over him to check his expression but it was expressionless. She carried on.

"We are going to do things that you would have done if your parents didn't die", she muttered and Houston just kept his eyes trained on her.

" if you are not comfortable with it, you can back out", she begins to say but he simply cut her with two words.

"It's alright"

Though he said it was okay, she could not deny how cold his words came out and she wondered if he was really annoyed with her in a way. Maybe he was only putting up with her nonsense so he could meet his parent's murderers, she thought.

But she was determined to help him get his life back in order, if her father has broken him then she might just be the right person to fix him, she thought.

"Are you angry with me?", she asked and he replied again, even colder.

" No"

Great, now. He was only speaking two or one-syllable words, she thought.

"Where do you want to go to?", she muttered and he arched his eyebrows before rising to his feet, picking up his car keys and she followed.

When he saw that she was trailing behind him, he stopped walking facing her.

"Stop", he muttered coldly and she frowned not understanding what he was saying.

"Stop what?", She asked raising her voice a bit probably in frustration and he just stared at her with no expression on.

"Do your deal also entails you following me everywhere?", He snapped and she rolled her eyes at him.

"She just really wanted to help him and here he was making things extremely difficult", she thought as she placed her hands on her waist.

"Actually, yes", she muttered and he gritted his teeth angrily.

"If you want to see your parent's murderers we are going to have to do it my way", she reminded and he rose his eyebrows at her.

"Well, I don't think so. There are so many ways to get people to talk", he said in what sounded like a threat and April found herself moving two steps away from him.

Houston's eyes followed her reactions, he could see the fear that crept inside of her face as she gazed at him and he sighed.

"2nd block, west wooden-", he started off ranting out an address to her and she immediately jotted it down, victory bouncing on her face.