When a Hitman Gets Haunted by a Ghost
Chapter 41: Pause

Chapter 41: Pause

The tightness in Kant’s chest eased, and he relaxed a bit. As long as there was no real danger... It was better to hurry over and find nothing than to find a stalker.

Now that he was here, what was the point of being rattled over it? Plus, Gabriel looked guilty as hell. It was hard to stay frustrated.

"Fine." Kant nodded towards the apartment. "Lead the way."

Gabriel looked up, momentarily caught off guard. "Wait, really?" Then, as if afraid Kant would change his mind, he pushed the front door wide open and pulled him inside. "Okay, then! I already picked out a movie!"

Kant followed, shaking his jacket off his shoulders. Gabriel’s quickness to move on from uncomfortable moments amazed him. All guilt was gone in a blink.

"Did you have dinner yet? I can whip something up," Gabriel suggested.

"No need," Kant replied automatically, taking a proper look around.

The apartment was warm, spacious and well-decorated. Clean lines, a few bold accents and some interesting decorations. It all seemed to be picked out by Gabriel’s critical artistic eye.

As Kant stepped into the living room again, the setup pulled a quiet chuckle out of him. "Why are you so fixated on a movie night?"

Gabriel shrugged, trying to play it off casually, though the hopefulness in his eyes sparkled bright.

"I didn’t have a bucket list when I died the first time, but I have one now. One of the things on it is this..." He paused, reorganizing the blankets with a deep gaze. "I’m not dying with regrets again, you know."

✧ ✧ ✧

An action thriller was playing on the screen. The mug in Kant’s hand was warm, and the blankets around him were soft and fuzzy.

He felt like he had stepped into Gabriel’s world, where everything was cotton candy fluff and dreamy clouds. Except, the movie on the screen was totally out of place, just like Kant.

"I think hot chocolate might be my favorite drink," Gabriel mentioned distractedly between the sips, satisfaction relaxing his features.

Kant hummed. "Considering the fact that your choice of coffee is a sugary one, I’m not surprised."

"Yes, I have very sophisticated taste, I know," Gabriel quipped, taking an exaggerated sip of his cup.

"That’s a fancy name for a sugar addiction."

"Oh, and you’re one to talk. I bet half of your blood is made of coffee by now."

They both spoke in hushed tones as if the movie would be offended to hear them talk over it. Despite the wide couch, Gabriel had taken a seat close to Kant, so much so that their legs were almost touching.

Kant smirked. "Fair enough. I’m caffeinated and you’re high on sugar. What a great match."

Gabriel grinned back. "A bitter realist and a sweet dreamer?"

"Not so much of a realist after this entire ghost ordeal." Kant looked away thoughtfully. "But I’m glad we figured it out."

Gabriel’s smile softened. He stared at the liquid in his mug with a light shrug and a whisper that was barely audible. "And I’m glad you’re not mad about today. Sorry for tricking you."

"I thought you might pull something like this anyway."

"You did?"

"Somewhat."

Kant’s gaze lingered on Gabriel for a moment, before they focused back on the movie. He took a gulp from his mug. The sweetness and the milk completely overpowered the subtle bitterness of cocoa powder. It tasted a bit like diabetes.

A comfortable silence filled the room, interrupted only by the low voices of the actors or bursts of energetic music from the movie.

This was nice. The mundane simplicity.

The city skyline behind the window was a view to behold. It put a distance between the rest of the world and Gabriel’s home, yet Kant felt restless. He set his cup on the low table in front of the couch and crossed his arms.

For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why Gabriel insisted on keeping him around. It made Kant feel like a street cat that was plucked from the streets and dragged into a warm home, at a loss of what just happened.

Gabriel glanced sideways. Their eyes met, but the wordless staring made it unnecessarily awkward. Or was it just Kant’s imagination?

"Oh, hey," Gabriel broke the ice. "I completely forgot about the bookmark. You didn’t happen to bring it back, did you?"

"No." Kant shifted, feeling oddly uncomfortable. Was he seriously feeling bad over something so trivial?

However, Gabriel didn’t seem too fixated on the bookmark. It appeared there was something else he was after at the moment.

Gabriel shifted on the couch, angling closer to Kant, the dim light casting soft shadows across his face. "Do you want to... well, kiss, maybe?"

Kant wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but he didn’t want to say no either. The awkwardness was a bit endearing too. When his gaze involuntarily flicked down to Gabriel’s lips, the latter took it as green light and slowly leaned in.

They really weren’t supposed to—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots rang out from the movie, shattering the moment. Gabriel flinched back as if someone called him out, nearly spilling his mug in the process.

"Holy—" He let out a startled laugh, pressing a hand to his chest. "That scared the life out of me."

"I would hope not," Kant murmured, hiding his relief.

The lamp closest to him flickered, buzzing ominously.

Kant glanced at the stuttering light bulb and raised an eyebrow. "Your ghostly powers acting up?"

"It was just a coincidence." Gabriel chuckled awkwardly, fumbling with the lamp. "This thing’s too old. I should probably change it soon."

The light finally stopped flickering, but Gabriel pretended to be checking the wire, probably waiting for his fluster to die down.

It was endearing.

However, Kant’s quiet amusement was short-lived. His phone buzzed on the table. He glanced down, seeing a new text message from Hunter, who had gone to check the location Kant had given him.

(Found it) 7:16 PM

One problem rolled off Kant’s back. Now that Hunter had seen Victor Hale’s body, Jones would relax a bit. But as his mind trailed to Jones, he shot to his feet, realization hitting him.

The briefcase.

He was supposed to take the money back to Jones. With Gabriel’s call and all, it had completely slipped his mind.

Kant was already halfway to the door, grabbing his jacket when Gabriel asked, "Wait, where are you going?"

"Forgot something important."

Gabriel stood up, disappointed. "Right now? What is it?"

"Long story," Kant replied evasively, slipping on his boots.

"Are you going to come back?"

Kant paused, glancing up. Come back? Again, not a good idea.

The clock ticked softly for a few seconds. Gabriel shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "We didn’t finish the movie."

"You can watch it without me, I’m not that into it."

Gabriel crossed his arms, sulking. "But you’re leaving right on a cliffhanger. I don’t want to finish it alone. If we started it together, we should finish it together."

"Fine," Kant relented, reaching for the door. "I’ll be back soon."