Tricking Death

Chapter 5 - Candlelit Dinners

"What the fuck are you doing in my apartment again?" 

"Oh, that's funny, I wasn't aware that it was your apartment. Are you really managing to pay all the bills on your coffee server's salary? If so, I might just have to look into getting a job there myself." 

I shot Death a dirty look, which he returned with a smirk. "That doesn't answer my question: why are you here? AGAIN." 

He placed his hand over his heart, acting like I had severely wounded him with my words. "I just thought that maybe you would want to have a nice romantic dinner after you got home from work. Maybe we could even work on making this a regular thing, just you and me. It's about time we had our first date, you know." 

My jaw just about dropped out of my skull at his words. "'Our first date'? I never said that I wanted to go out with you at all! Get out of my house!" 

His smile faded a little. "You really think I need your permission or your blessing? And I'm pretty sure that this is still not your apartment." 

"I live here, which means that I can say it's mine," I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. "And all I wanted to do after work was take a shower, eat a nice dinner by myself, and then go to bed. I stink like coffee and I don't want to have anything to do with you and how annoying you are right now." I don't know where all of my confidence was coming from, why I was somehow managing to bitch out a guy that could probably seriously hurt me if he wanted to; he was Death, after all, and I was talking to him like he was just another annoying teenage boy. 

His smirk returned, and I knew whatever he said next was going to be another stupid joke. "If it's a shower you want, I could always join you." 

I was right. 

"You are a disgusting pervert!" I spun around, prepared to walk out of the room and go find some place where he wasn't. 

"No, I just know what I want. And what I do want, you aren't giving to me, so I figured I might as well try for something else." 

I stopped walking. "And what is it you want from me?" 

"What I want," as he spoke, his voice suddenly got closer, and I could feel icy cold air at my back. "Is for you to sit down and eat dinner with me, so we can talk and get to know each other better. Is that really too much to ask?" I felt his hand grasp my arm, his face right next to my ear as his sickly-sweet breath brushed the side of my face. I couldn't stop myself getting tense and all I wanted to do is slap his hand away and run. 

But something keeps me there, with his hand on my arm and his face right next to mine. 

"Is it?" he prompted, his voice low. I shook my head in response. 

"No." 

"Then stop trying to run away. We're all alone here, and all I want to do is spend some time with you while you're not semi-conscious." 

I realized that there was a question I probably should have asked right away. I spun around to face him, forcing him to let go of my arm, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make him back up. "Where are my aunts and my mom? What did you do to them?" 

He frowned at me. "Who says I did anything to them? I just politely suggested that they get out of the house for a little while so I could have some time with you." 

I noticed his hand moving towards my face to tuck a lock of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear, and I slapped it away. "I don't believe you." 

He sighed dramatically. "Okay, maybe there was a tiny bit of a threat involved, but honestly, they're fine. They just went out for dinner and movie so we could have the apartment to ourselves."