#ohaprils

location : greystone complex

the familiar sun at high noon was relentless, pale brick blocks of the complex blurred through the waves of rowswell’s afternoon heat. manu had grown familiar to the suffocating weather, it had never really bothered him, but he was glad whenever it dispersed when night fell. even on days like this, when he would come back home later than expected, way past midnight. tanned skin roughened as he worked his day away under the rays of sunlight at the ranch, all while his trusty companion was left behind in any available apartment with anyone willing to dogsit— one certain girl being the unusually most motivated to take up on the task.

as he jogged up the set of stairs & with marshal as the least of his concerns, his mind seeks for a reasonable excuse that would make him sound less of an irresponsible dog dad. knocking on her door, hands slide into his pockets as he keeps pondering at his excuses— ‘my horse tripped’. he has no time to scoff to himself when the door is opening, brown eyes widening. “ heyy… ” he exclaims in a sing-song cadence, casually leaning against the doorframe with a guilty smile. this wasn’t the first time manu had lost track of time nor the last time april was going to have to deal with his lack of an organized work schedule, but that still didn’t mean he didn’t feel pressured to offer an apology. or an attempt at one, that is. “ i know i was supposed to come back four hours ago, but… ” tilting his head forward to hide a grin, “ y’know, business—” what he really meant was staying up until late sitting on a porch somewhere in the ranch, perhaps drowning a bottle of whiskey & completely forgetting about his four legged child. he looks around the small apartment from his spot on the doorway, shoulders shrugging, “ i’ll pay you double for stickin’ with that fleabag longer than agreed, yeah? ”