Selene peeked through the car window, looking at Thea's apartment. This was the first time she had seen her friend's place, because Thea had always politely refused whenever she asked to come over to play.
"Thanks for giving me a ride."
"Hey, have you finished reading the novel you borrowed from me?" asked Selene.
Thea furrowed her brow. It was unusual for Selene to ask about her borrowed books. Selene always let Thea return the books whenever she wanted, because she trusted her friend. But when she saw Selene's grin, Thea finally understood that she wanted to take a look inside the apartment where she lived.
"I'm done, do you want to take it back?"
Selene nodded without hesitation. "Wait here for a minute, Dad."
Alaric didn't say a word when Selene got out of the car with Thea. When the door closed, he took a deep breath, the scent of Thea's signature lily still lingering in his car. Alaric gripped the steering wheel, cursing himself silently for acting like a pervert.
———
The stairs creaked softly as Selene and Thea walked up to the second floor. Selene's brow furrowed slightly. Her friend lived in a place like this? She, who had been accustomed to a comfortable life since childhood, certainly felt out of place in a place like this.
Thea sighed as she watched Selene look around, observing the simple apartment building where she lived. It was too simple. She walked ahead of Selene, taking out her key as she stood in front of one of the doors lined up in a row.
"That's why I never invited you here," said Thea, turning the key and opening the door.
"Why? Did you think I would stay away from you and no longer consider you my friend because of your situation? Thea, I'm not that kind of person." Selene looked a little offended.
"I know you're not Joanne." Thea mentioned one of the arrogant students who often bothered Thea before Thea became close with Selene. "It's just... I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable coming here. Because... you know yourself, you've been living a luxurious life all this time."
Selene laughed softly. "Goodness, you're overreacting. I'll get used to it." She entered Thea's dark apartment.
Thea felt along the wall, searching for the switch. When she pressed it, the lights in the house flickered on. Thea grimaced, because last night's rain had caused the lights to malfunction again.
"Uh-huh...you didn't call a technician? It looks like there's a problem with the electricity here."
Thea shook her head, turned off the lights, and lit a candle in the supply closet instead of opening the curtains because her apartment window faced another tall building next door, making it difficult for light to enter.
Selene grimaced, not asking any more questions, instead scolding herself. Seeing that Thea rarely visited cafes and preferred to buy books at secondhand stores, she should have realized that this girl's financial situation was quite... difficult.
How could she have been so insensitive?
Thea placed the candle on the table after removing books and other flammable items. "Wait a minute, I'll get the novel."
Selene nodded, even though she was sure Thea couldn't see her. The brown-haired girl immediately disappeared behind her bedroom door, turning on her cell phone light.
Selene looked around Thea's apartment. The apartment was simple, measuring 22-30 m². Selene walked through the small hallway of Thea's apartment. On the right was the living room with an old TV and a pile of books, with a small door leading to the bathroom. On the left was the door to Thea's room with her name written on the door, next to it was the kitchen with a small table and two dining chairs, a mini fridge, and a stove.
Selene glanced into the living room, where there was a photo of Thea, but only with her mother and possibly her brother. Thea had once told her that her father had died when she was still a child.
"Sorry it took so long." Selene turned to see that Thea had brought the novel she had borrowed.
"No problem." Selene took the novel, then looked up at the ceiling where the light was still flickering. "Doesn't this light bother you? Doesn't it distract you from studying?"
Thea shrugged resignedly. "What can I do? You know my situation. I haven't found a part-time job yet."
Selene was stunned to hear this. She knew about Thea's financial situation; her mother could only send her what little money she had. Actually, a few months ago, Thea had worked part-time to earn some extra pocket money, but the shop where Thea worked went bankrupt and could no longer employ anyone because it couldn't afford to pay Thea. So, for now, Thea had no additional income.
Actually, Selene could have lent her some money just to fix the electricity at her friend's house, but she knew Thea would definitely refuse. Suddenly, an idea popped into Selene's mind.
"Ah... I know someone who can help you fix this electricity. He's pretty knowledgeable about issues like this."
Thea furrowed her brow. "You mean Reinhardt?"
Selene waved her hand when Thea mentioned her boyfriend's name. "That jerk, he'd rather fiddle with his camera, how could he possibly understand this?"
"Then who?" Thea asked curiously.
She knew Selene had many friends, but given Selene's personality—she didn't want to appear weak and didn't like to bother others, except those who were really close to her or when she had no other choice—there was no way Selene would ask her friends for help.
Thea's gray eyes widened slightly as she realized something. 'Don't tell me...'
"Selene, I think I can handle this myself."
"Nonsense, I'll talk to Papa."
"Hey... Selene."
But Selene had already left Thea's apartment. Thea groaned softly and tapped her forehead. She didn't want to get involved with Alaric anymore, but Selene had made the situation like this.
"Papa."
Alaric, who was opening his phone, was surprised when Selene suddenly appeared and knocked on the car window instead of getting in.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go home right away?" Alaric asked, lowering the car window. He saw Thea rushing out of the apartment from behind Selene's shoulder, approaching Selene with a panicked and reluctant expression.
"Papa can fix the electricity, right?"
Ah, it seemed Alaric understood where this conversation was going. Selene had clearly seen the condition of Thea's apartment.
"Of course. Dad can fix the electricity." Alaric glanced at Thea, who looked panicked behind Selene, and held back a smile.
"No need, Mr. Grayson, I can take care of this myself."
"Take care of what? I don't want my friend studying in the dark because of a short circuit." Selene put her hands on her hips and looked at Thea. "Don't worry, Dad is an expert at this. Just serve him some tea to pay for his services."
"That's a good idea. I like all kinds of tea." Alaric smiled again and started the car engine. "I'll get the tools from home and come back here to fix your electricity."
Selene immediately got into the car and sat next to her father. "See you later, Thea."
Thea just waved her hand and sighed resignedly as Alaric's car drove away. She looked at her apartment window from the outside, how dark the apartment she lived in was. Thea sighed again, she had to tidy up her apartment before Alaric came.
At least she didn't want to give a bad impression, it was enough that Alaric saw her messy side in the laundry room yesterday.