Rule Three// c.h

Issues

Calum

Ella and Jake are having... Problems. Jake refuses to talk to me about it while Ella and Lily lock themselves away in our room. Lily is still a little mad at me about our fight from a week ago. She's been texting back and forth with this Drew guy for a while now and she says that every time she mentions his name, I get this look on my face and she's doesn't like that. But both couples in this small apartment can't be at each other's throats at the moment so Lily and I are pretty cordial with one another which sucks because she won't have sex with me.

When I asked three days back, she gave me this surprised look and then scoffed. I took that as a no and haven't asked since. I miss her though. She spends most of her time either at school, work and when she is home, she's settling a fight between Ella and Jake or talking to Ella somewhere far away from Jake, me and the apartment.

On this particular night, after Ella threw a pan at Jake, which I didn't think was possible since she's always so gentle, Lily dragged her out of the apartment practically by her hair before sending me an apologetic smile and then glaring at Jake. "I hate you!" Ella shouted as Lily slammed the door shut to our apartment. Jake was standing in the threshold between the living room, kitchen and hallway with a stunned look on his face.

"Hey man." I said, walking slowly towards him. "I'm sure she didn't mean that."

"You don't really believe that." Jake murmured, picking up the pan that had fallen just short of him. I don't even know what their argument was about. I hadn't exactly been paying attention. I only listened in when their voices started to raise. "God damnit." Jake suddenly shouted, slamming the pan down on the stove.

"Hey, don't break something." I told him as he kicked a cabinet door before gripping the sides of the sink tightly. "What is wrong between you two, Jake. You have to tell me."

"You're just going to take their side." Jake muttered.

"Only if your side is stupid and there are no sides anyway. Just tell me what's wrong." Jake sighed, refusing to look at me as I entered the kitchen.

"She wants to move in." Jake muttered.

"Okay and what's wrong with that?" Jake said nothing. "Please tell me you're not fighting with her just because you don't want her to move in."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what?" I demanded.

"I'm not ready."

"Ready for what?"

"That kind of commitment!" Jake shouted, whirling around. "You and my baby sister have been together for almost six years. Ella and I have been together for only two."

"Why are you using your sister and I as an example? You didn't even want her to move in here with us."

"My point is the years Calum. Six years. My god." He leaned against the sink almost in dismay.

"Okay but.. You love Ella. Right?"

"Yes but I don't think she loves me anymore." Jake muttered, turning away from me. "I just didn't know how to tell her that I wasn't ready."

"Jake, you say it just like that. She would understand."

"No she wouldn't. Her counter argument has always been, 'I practically live here anyways' and that's why I keep pushing her away and.." He stopped. "And now she hates me."