diff --git a/community/cypher/interpreted-runtime/src/main/scala/org/neo4j/cypher/internal/runtime/interpreted/TransactionBoundQueryContext.scala b/community/cypher/interpreted-runtime/src/main/scala/org/neo4j/cypher/internal/runtime/interpreted/TransactionBoundQueryContext.scala
index 1ef67cf7a728..e3db0faf10cc 100644
--- a/community/cypher/interpreted-runtime/src/main/scala/org/neo4j/cypher/internal/runtime/interpreted/TransactionBoundQueryContext.scala
+++ b/community/cypher/interpreted-runtime/src/main/scala/org/neo4j/cypher/internal/runtime/interpreted/TransactionBoundQueryContext.scala
@@ -706,11 +706,15 @@ sealed class TransactionBoundQueryContext(val transactionalContext: Transactiona
       case e: NotFoundException => throw new EntityNotFoundException(s"Relationship with id $id", e)
     }
 
-    override def getByIdIfExists(id: Long): Option[RelationshipValue] =
-      if (reads().relationshipExists(id))
-        Some(fromRelationshipProxy(entityAccessor.newRelationshipProxy(id)))
+    override def getByIdIfExists(id: Long): Option[RelationshipValue] = {
+      val cursor = relationshipScanCursor
+      reads().singleRelationship(id, cursor)
+      if (cursor.next())
+        Some(fromRelationshipProxy(entityAccessor.newRelationshipProxy(id, cursor.sourceNodeReference(), cursor.label(),
+                                                                       cursor.targetNodeReference()))
       else
         None
+    }
 
     override def all: Iterator[RelationshipValue] = {
       val relCursor = allocateAndTraceRelationshipScanCursor()
diff --git a/community/kernel-api/src/main/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/Write.java b/community/kernel-api/src/main/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/Write.java
index 9ac0a8b254b5..af88d30bc50e 100644
--- a/community/kernel-api/src/main/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/Write.java
+++ b/community/kernel-api/src/main/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/Write.java
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public interface Write
      * @param node the internal id of the node to delete
      * @return returns true if it deleted a node or false if no node was found for this id
      */
-    boolean nodeDelete( long node ) throws AutoIndexingKernelException, EntityNotFoundException;
+    boolean nodeDelete( long node ) throws AutoIndexingKernelException;
 
     /**
      * Create a relationship between two nodes.
@@ -56,8 +56,7 @@ public interface Write
      * Delete a relationship
      * @param relationship the internal id of the relationship to delete
      */
-    boolean relationshipDelete( long relationship ) throws AutoIndexingKernelException, EntityNotFoundException;
-
+    boolean relationshipDelete( long relationship ) throws AutoIndexingKernelException;
     /**
      * Add a label to a node
      * @param node the internal node id
diff --git a/community/kernel-api/src/test/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/ExplicitIndexCursorWritesTestBase.java b/community/kernel-api/src/test/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/ExplicitIndexCursorWritesTestBase.java
index eac24795ecc2..35549d60b5b5 100644
--- a/community/kernel-api/src/test/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/ExplicitIndexCursorWritesTestBase.java
+++ b/community/kernel-api/src/test/java/org/neo4j/internal/kernel/api/ExplicitIndexCursorWritesTestBase.java
@@ -263,7 +263,6 @@ public void shouldCreateExplicitIndexTwice() throws Exception
         }
     }
 
-    //TODO unignore when we support relationship creation.
     @Test
     public void shouldAddRelationshipToExplicitIndex() throws Exception
     {
diff --git a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/NodeProxy.java b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/NodeProxy.java
index 6fc8850414e1..b40fe083dc00 100644
--- a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/NodeProxy.java
+++ b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/NodeProxy.java
@@ -119,11 +119,6 @@ public void delete()
             throw new IllegalStateException( "Auto indexing encountered a failure while deleting the node: "
                                              + e.getMessage(), e );
         }
-        catch ( EntityNotFoundException e )
-        {
-            throw new NotFoundException( "Unable to delete node[" +
-                                         getId() + "] since it is already deleted." );
-        }
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -311,10 +306,6 @@ public Object removeProperty( String key ) throws NotFoundException
             throw new IllegalStateException( "Auto indexing encountered a failure while removing property: "
                                              + e.getMessage(), e );
         }
-        catch ( KernelException e )
-        {
-            throw new ConstraintViolationException( e.getMessage(), e );
-        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/RelationshipProxy.java b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/RelationshipProxy.java
index 0a423dbe6819..5692bd2b4996 100644
--- a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/RelationshipProxy.java
+++ b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/core/RelationshipProxy.java
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@
 import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.TokenRead;
 import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.exceptions.EntityNotFoundException;
 import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.exceptions.InvalidTransactionTypeKernelException;
-import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.exceptions.KernelException;
 import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.exceptions.PropertyKeyIdNotFoundKernelException;
 import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.exceptions.explicitindex.AutoIndexingKernelException;
 import org.neo4j.internal.kernel.api.exceptions.schema.IllegalTokenNameException;
@@ -140,17 +139,14 @@ public void delete()
             boolean deleted = transaction.dataWrite().relationshipDelete( id );
             if ( !deleted )
             {
-                alreadyDeleted();
+                throw new NotFoundException( "Unable to delete relationship[" +
+                                             getId() + "] since it is already deleted." );
             }
         }
         catch ( InvalidTransactionTypeKernelException e )
         {
             throw new ConstraintViolationException( e.getMessage(), e );
         }
-        catch ( EntityNotFoundException e )
-        {
-            alreadyDeleted();
-        }
         catch ( AutoIndexingKernelException e )
         {
             throw new IllegalStateException( "Auto indexing encountered a failure while deleting the relationship: "
@@ -452,10 +448,7 @@ public void setProperty( String key, Object value )
             throw new IllegalStateException( "Auto indexing encountered a failure while setting property: "
                                              + e.getMessage(), e );
         }
-        catch ( KernelException e )
-        {
-            throw new ConstraintViolationException( e.getMessage(), e );
-        }
+
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -484,10 +477,6 @@ public Object removeProperty( String key )
             throw new IllegalStateException( "Auto indexing encountered a failure while removing property: "
                                              + e.getMessage(), e );
         }
-        catch ( KernelException e )
-        {
-            throw new ConstraintViolationException( e.getMessage(), e );
-        }
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -559,9 +548,4 @@ private void assertInUnterminatedTransaction()
         actions.assertInUnterminatedTransaction();
     }
 
-    private void alreadyDeleted()
-    {
-        throw new NotFoundException( "Unable to delete relationship[" +
-        getId() + "] since it is already deleted." );
-    }
 }
diff --git a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/newapi/Operations.java b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/newapi/Operations.java
index a707420816a6..dd778f9d519d 100644
--- a/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/newapi/Operations.java
+++ b/community/kernel/src/main/java/org/neo4j/kernel/impl/newapi/Operations.java
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ public long relationshipCreate( long sourceNode, int relationshipType, long targ
     }
 
     @Override
-    public boolean relationshipDelete( long relationship ) throws AutoIndexingKernelException, EntityNotFoundException
+    public boolean relationshipDelete( long relationship ) throws AutoIndexingKernelException
     {
         ktx.assertOpen();
 
@@ -182,7 +182,10 @@ public boolean relationshipDelete( long relationship ) throws AutoIndexingKernel
         {
             lockRelationshipNodes( relationshipCursor.sourceNodeReference(), relationshipCursor.targetNodeReference() );
             acquireExclusiveRelationshipLock( relationship );
-            assertRelationshipExists( relationship );
+            if ( !allStoreHolder.relationshipExists( relationship ) )
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
 
             ktx.assertOpen();