Until now, Andrew and Laura had kept the details of their new home a secret. They wanted to surprise her, and that she was. Her eyes widened at the sight of the red-brick apartment block that towered over them. To her, it appeared like a fortress. Perhaps having a castle wasn't a bad thing, especially when they could look out those oversized windows at the cityscape.

"This is the place?" she asked.

Andrew watched her with a hint of amusement. "Do you like it?"

She held back an urge to bounce on the spot, so she schooled her face into slight disinterest. "Until I see the inside, it's hard to judge."

"Don't worry, your highness, we chose it with you in mind."

She shot him a piercing glare, and he stuck out his tongue. In that moment, she questioned her decision to move in with her two best friends.

Andrew opened the glass door for her and ushered her inside. This allowed her to assess the simple white lobby. A chubby guard who manned the desk near the lift ignored them as they approached. In case something happened, she didn't expect him to be of any help.

"Earth to Thorn." Andrew's face appeared a few inches away from hers. The smell of his fresh aftershave filled her nostrils while his forest-green eyes focused on her. "Do you want to check the place out or not?"

Her cheeks warmed. Desperate to avoid further embarrassment, she marched to the lifts where she mashed the button until the doors slid open and they entered the metal confinement.

With a light laugh, he pressed the button on the panel and they moved.

On the fifth floor, moss-green carpet and white-walled interior surrounded them. The morning sun spilt into the corridor in the shades of blue. Upon arrival at their apartment, Andrew swiped a key card above the handle.

Helena set foot in the hallway. Her running shoes squeaked along the polished hardwood flooring. With each step, her eyes widened as she advanced into a spacious living room. Two leather loveseat sofas greeted them with a large LED television on the wall. Photographs of the city landmarks and famous streets littered the walls. She even liked the look of the small ceramic ballerina on top of the coffee table.

"Just how much is the rent for this place?" Helena asked, eyeing the grand interior. It was impossible to get a spacious apartment in Dublin without forking out a tonne of money.

"Laura's dad owns the whole building, and since he loves his daughter dearly...let's say he gave us the place at an affordable rate."

Helena raised a brow, doubting his answer.

With stealthy steps, Laura emerged behind them and slapped Helena on the shoulders. "Glad you made it. Where's your stuff?"

While Helena calmed her pounding heart, Andrew patted Laura on the head, messing with her strawberry-blonde curls.

Laura Quinn wasn't tall at five-foot-four, but what she lacked in height she made up for in personality. An argument with her was like fighting naked and alone against a horde of savages. Helena recalled a time when they debated who would win a local singing contest. Her loss turned into an escapade to bleach and dye her hair purple during a sleepover.

"I thought it would be best to get you in on the action," Andrew said.

Laura pouted. "My arms ache from bringing my stuff here since you"—she poked his chest with her index finger—"didn't bother to help me."

Andrew raised his hands in defence. "Hey, I went to collect Thorn. She doesn't have a car, unlike you. I bet if you wanted help, you'd make the security guard your man-slave."

"Very funny, and he's not my type."

Helena rubbed her eyes. These two had too much energy, and it wasn't even ten in the morning. "I'll need the key card and the car keys."

"Don't worry, Thorn, I'm not going to abandon you and make you carry your extremely heavy boxes alone," Andrew said.

Laura crossed her arms. "Fine, jeez, I'll help."

"Brilliant. The more the merrier." Helena started for the door, and Laura stepped in her way.

"Forgot to ask you, how's job hunting going? Do you want any help?"

"I'll manage."

"Alright, come to me when you're stuck. Oh, and I'll show you upstairs while Andrew goes to get your stuff." Laura didn't wait for the reply and half-dragged her up the metal staircase.

"Hey, who's going to lend me a hand?" Andrew shouted after them.

Laura bent over the bannister. "We will join you soon enough. First, I'm going to show Helena her room."

"Right and this has nothing to do with you being too lazy to help. So, you're making her slack off, too?"

"We'll be there in a few," Laura yelled back. She dragged Helena away, pushing her into a room on the left. "So, what do you think?"

Helena's heart almost melted from happiness. Burgundy walls encompassed them in a well-lit bedroom. Pale-blue sheets covered the double bed that sat between two Butternut bedside tables. The furniture wasn't what she found to be the best feature of the room. From the window, she caught a glimpse of the Irish Sea and let out a soft sigh.

"I knew you'd appreciate it. I had to fight my inner instinct to give this room to you."

"This scenery is amazing, but why?"

Laura winked. "You can view this as a bribe."

Helena knew what was coming next. Laura was scheming something, and this was an intricate attempt to butter her up with a pretend grand gesture of selflessness. She waited until her friend drew in a breath.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Hel, but what do you think of Andrew?"

Helena quirked a brow. She expected something regarding household chores or helping Laura with her college assignments. This was unexpected.

"He's a friend?"

Laura tapped her foot on the soft black carpet. "I mean as a guy. Do you see him as a member of the opposite sex at least?"

Helena's brows drew into a slight frown. "What are you getting at?"

"Okay." Laura rolled her shoulders as if preparing for a fight. "It surprised me when he said this. Like, who would have thought, right? And I, as the best pal to both of you, think this might be a good thing. At first, I had some apprehensions on the subject. Do you know what I'm trying to say?"

Helena's frown deepened. "Can you speak in concise sentences and a bit slower?"

"Jesus, Hel, you're fast when it comes to anything other than romance. Basically, Andrew asked me if you liked him."

"Oh..." She hadn't even considered such an option. Andrew couldn't be interested in her. Sure, he teased her a lot, even called her by her nickname she fought to ignore every time it reached her ears. The idea of dating him seemed as alien to her as enjoying sports. Was there an upside? She heard enough stories about friends falling out after starting a relationship. This bothered her.

"Alright, I can see you've gone into your own little world," Laura said.

"I don't know how to answer you. I mean, I—"

"Never thought about it."

Helena nodded.

"Well, give it a think. There's still time. As for us, we best go and help him out with your stuff or he will go into a complainathon."

Helena snorted. "I thought that's what you do."

"I will remember that, Thorn. Now, let's do this."

Around eight, instead of waiting for the Chinese takeaway to arrive, Helena went to her room. The splendid evening view from her window went unnoticed as she switched on the bedside table lamp.

Finally, some peace and quiet, she thought and reached into her suitcase for the journal.

Helena flicked through its pages, fascinated by the detail of the drawings until she found the familiar handwriting and launched into reading the Russian text. Engrossed in the material, she missed the loud knocking on her door. When it opened, she slammed the journal shut and swept it under her pillow.

"What's wrong?" she asked Laura.

"The food has arrived. I called and knocked but—" Laura pushed her way into the room and closed the door behind her. "What were you reading?"

Helena thought of a response, something that wouldn't make Laura think she was insane for leafing through strange notebooks. "Just something I found in the attic the other day."

Laura's lips formed into a sly smile. "I bet your mom's romantic escapades are written in it."

Laura was a good friend, but sometimes, her curiosity could lead her to do things that invaded the privacy of others. Helena knew Laura wouldn't be able to read it. That alone wouldn't stop her. With the internet and online software, anything could be translated. So, Helena played along. "It's embarrassing."

"I knew it!" Laura strode over, her hand outstretched towards where the journal lay.

Helena shot up, her hands clamped on Laura's shoulders. "The food will get cold."

"Fine, but you're going to tell me the dirty details later."

"Sure." She pushed her friend out of the room and called out to Michael with her mind.

He replied in an instant. "Has something happened? You sound upset."

"We're going to have to talk about what's inside that journal, and soon."