Rose POV

I sighed, glancingat Lissa who was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. I smiled and raised my eyebrows.

"This is the one, isn't it?" I asked. Lissa nodded and clasped her hands.

"Oh Rose, it's perfect, look at this little breakfast bar! Plus our rooms have little window seats," she said, grinning and glancing around in wonder. I glanced at my dad, Abe, and smiled.

"Do you approve of this one?" I asked. He sighed and glanced around the room.

"I have to admit girls, it is a lot better than the crack den's you were looking at before," he said, pursing his lips and tapping on the walls. He pulled out his phone and stepped into the hallway. I glanced at Lissa and forced another smile. I was worried about her. Right now she seemed happy…but still, I worried about her. Ever since her parents died she had been going through waves of depression. Lissa turned to face me and held onto my hands.

"I can't wait to show Christian this place," She said softly. Christian Ozera…her long time boyfriend. I smiled and nudged her hip with mine.

"We'll need to come up with a system for when you two are being sickly sweet," I said, pulling a face. My father stepped back into the room and glanced between Lissa and I.

"I hope you've both picked your rooms," he said. Lissa let out a squeal of happiness and jumped into a hug with him. He made eye contact with me and smiled.

"You both know that you can't escape your fortnightly dinner obligations right?" he asked. I nodded, joining him and Lissa for a hug. He pulled out his wallet and scanned the cards, pulling out one and handing it to me.

"Furniture and essentials," he said, handing me the shiny credit card with ROSEMARIE HATHAWAY written on it. Lissa let out another squeal and tugged at my arm.

"Essentials, girls!" He reminded us. "Right, I have to go I have a business meeting, goodbye girls," he said softly, pressing a kiss to our heads. Lissa grabbed the card in my hands and let out a small sigh of contentment. She grabbed my arm and gave me my car keys.

"Let's go," she said brightly.

Dimitri POV

I don't know what I was expecting when Abe Mazur called me asking to meet up with him at the bar he had hired me in…but it wasn't a flat offer.

"Sorry?" I asked in confusion. Abe arched an eyebrow and took a sip from his glass of water.

"I said that I had an offer for you," He repeated. "You're starting college this year. I've just bought a block of apartments and I was wondering if you wanted one of them. At a discounted rate of course. I was thinking you and Christian could share one of the apartments. Instead of paying over the top rates,"

I felt my eyebrows furrow together and my heart leapt in my chest.

"Are you sure?" I asked. Abe laughed and looked at me.

"Consider it a worthwhile investment in your future. You'll be transferred to the bar closer to your apartment," he said. My heart leapt and I glanced at him.

"You're serious?" I asked, he nodded and glanced at me.

"Of course, you should know by now, Belikov. I'm a man of my word. I only wish that Andrew was here to see it with you," he said softly, his voice trailing off. My throat tightened and I tried to stop the thoughts of Andrew flushing my mind. He was Abe's son…and my best friend. Or at least…he was, before he was mugged and left to die on the sidewalk. Abe cleared his throat and forced a business like smile onto his face.

"The furniture is already at the apartment but feel free to decorate it however you'd like," He said standing up and dropping a set of keys into my hands. "I'll be in touch,"

I watched him walk out of the bar before picking up my phone and dialling my mother. Finally, some good news.

I held my bags of clothes and books, balancing them on one hand as I turned the key to the door of my apartment. Then I heard ither laugh. I almost dropped my bags and I cursed in my native tongue, catching the book with my other hand. I lifted my gaze and my eyes met Rose's.

"Dimitri," she said softly, taking a step forward to help me. I forced a smile and steadied myself.

"I've got it, Roza. Thank you," I said, opening the door and placing my bags inside and mumbling a quick goodbye to the girls. I leaned my head against the door and let out a groan. I was pathetic.

"Smooth," I heard a lazy drawl from behind me, and I spun round to face Christian Ozera. I rubbed the back of my neck and picked up my bags, heading towards the rooms. I noticed one was open and guessed that Christian had claimed it. I pushed open the second door and put my boxes down on the bed. I let out a sigh and glanced around the room. It was massive.

"It's great isn't it?" Christian asked, sitting on my desk and arching an eyebrow at my fascination. I nodded. It was a lot bigger than my last apartment…my last apartment could have fit inside this. Christian ran his eyes over my book collection and raised an eyebrow.

"History?" he asked. I nodded and Christian let out a bark of laughter. "Really, Belikov? We're going to be living together and this is the conversation I get out of you?" he teased. I smiled and stood up.

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to having someone here," I joked. Christian leaned back against the wall and smirked.

"Don't worry. I'll have you talking in no time," he said smugly. I shook my head and started organising my books. Christian glanced at the Westerns and frowned.

"Are they in Russian?" he asked. I nodded. "Is it hard to read your college books?" he asked, gesturing at the English textbooks. I shrugged and stood up.

"I manage," I said. Christian nodded and headed for the door.

"I'm going over to see the girls. Do you want to come?" he asked.

"No!" I said quickly, too quickly. Christian raised his eyebrows and gave me a pointed look.

"Whatever, weirdo. We'll talk later," he said, heading for the front door. I groaned and pulled one of my books off the shelf and tried to focus on it. I was being ridiculous. Rose was my best friend's little sister…and I couldn't even speak to her. Not after what happened during summer. I groaned and covered my face with my book. I'm sorry,I thought to Andrew. There I was lying on a bed that by all rights should have been his…crushing on his younger sister.