I'm quiet at breakfast. I push around the mushrooms on my plate and Jake watches me with curiosity. "Hey. Talk to me. What's going on with you?" Jake asks, reaching over to place his hand over mine. I stare down at our hands touching and a lump forms in the back of my throat. How do I explain to him how confused I am over our relationship? I don't want to sound insecure, constantly wondering why he won't reciprocate feelings.

"I'm thinking about my Mom," I say to him, which isn't a total lie. I'm wondering why she hasn't reached out to me. Does my absence not affect her at all? "Why don't you call her?" Jake suggests before taking a sip of his coffee. We're sitting in Lulu's coffee shop and it's surprisingly empty considering it's a Sunday morning.

"I'm worried I'm going to unload ten years of pent up anger on her," I laugh awkwardly. A silence settles between me and Jake. His eyes fill with curiosity, and he leans back in his seat to stare at me. "Does she know what Trevor has been doing to you?"

"Yes. He started off hurting her when I was younger before he turned toward me." I say to him, feeling a tight restriction enter my chest. Jake's hand forms into a tight fist on the table before he relaxes it seconds later. His body language may be laid back, but his blue eyes burn with hatred for Trevor. "Why didn't she stop him?" Jake asks me quietly. I shrug my shoulders before dropping my gaze to the table. "I don't know," I whisper, hating that I don't have the right answer to his question. How can a mother fail her own child for so long? The question is one of the reasons I don't sleep. "She's a terrible parent," Jake comments bluntly. I nod my head in agreement. "Yeah, she is."

His hand gently squeezes mine, and I glance up at him from under my lashes. My eyes brim with tears and I didn't realise how much my Mom's betrayal would hurt. Hearing someone else express how much she failed me makes me realise I'm not wrong in hating her for everything she's done to me. Jake's expression softens when he notices the tears in my eyes. He leans over before brushing his thumb across the bottom of my lashes. His action causes a shiver to travel down my spine and I release a shaky breath. My heart feels like it's expanding twice its size when he speaks. "I hate seeing you upset," Jake whispers while searching my eyes.

The sound of his phone ringing interrupts the moment between us. Jake releases a deep sigh before pulling it out of his pocket. He takes one look at his screen before a deep frown takes over his features. He answers the call while sliding out of the booth to walk away from me.

"I told you, I need time off. I have stuff going on in my personal life," Jake mutters down the line. Who is he talking to? He walks away so I'm no longer able to overhear the rest of his conversation. I turn my attention to finishing my breakfast despite having little to no appetite. I watch Jake pacing back and forth outside Lulu's coffee shop. His face fills with rage, and he doesn't appear to be having a friendly conversation. He looks frustrated at the person on the other end of the line. I tear my eyes off him when I hear my phone ringing in my back pocket. I pull it out before answering the call without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Emily." The chilling voice is one that I immediately recognise. My mind turns back to the stalker text messages and phone calls I've received lately. It's the same man. My grip on the phone tightens. "You need to stop bothering me before I go to the police." I hiss at him down the line. The man on the other end begins to laugh, apparently finding my threat incredibly comical. "The police? Good luck with that," The man says, sounding like he's smiling. Goosebumps scatter down my arms, and my mind begins to race with possibilities of his identity.

"Who are you?" I ask him. I know I shouldn't give him more attention, but I need answers. His curiosity in me is beginning to feel less than a prank call and more sinister than I originally thought. "You're not ready to find out. Where are you, Emily? You left home," the man says casually. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach with uneasiness. How does he know that? Is he watching me? Paranoia begins to consume me and I sit upright before searching through the glass window of Lulu's coffee shop.

"You don't scare me," I lie with a trembling voice. If only I sounded as confident as I intended to come across. The man responds with eerie laughter before the line clicks dead. I can hear his laughter ringing down my ears even after the call is over. I don't realise I'm spiralling inside my own mind until Jake returns to the table. He drops down opposite me before noticing the pale colour to my cheeks.

"Emily?" Jake calls out my name with concern. I snap to reality before contemplating telling him about the stalker. Rehearsing the words inside my mind makes me sound crazy and I don't want Jake to view me as crazy. I figure I'll deal with the stalker myself until I know more information about him. "Can we get out of here? I've lost my appetite," I mumble before sliding out of the booth. Jake lifts his coffee mug before finishing the rest of it. As we're walking out of the coffee shop, he snakes an arm around my shoulder before pulling me close to him. His eyes dart around our surroundings and he appears to be keeping a lookout for something or someone. His actions cause my suspicions to build and I follow his line of gaze to see what he's searching for.

"Who are you looking for?" I ask, feeling like he's trying to keep me close for a reason. Jake's response is instant, blunt and closed off. "Nobody." I wonder whether his actions are linked to the phone call he received earlier. It seems to be bothering him, but I know questioning him is going to be a waste of time. He'll talk to me when he's ready.

*

I'm flicking through daytime television with no channel in mind. My mind is foggy and filled with a thousand questions. I'm worrying over every aspect of my life and it feels exhausting to deal with. The door pushes open and Ivory walks into the room with a beaming smile on her face. "Hey, Em."

"Hi." I smile before turning my attention back to the television. Ivory drops down beside me and her eyes settle on my face. "Is something bothering you?" Ivory asks me suddenly. I stop flicking through the channels before turning to look at her. Her auburn hair is piled up in a messy bun and she's dressed in Sunday sweats. "Why do you ask?"

"It feels like something is bothering you, you're unusually quiet," Ivory says before shuffling closer to me. She rests her head on my shoulder before falling silent. A small smile stretches across my lips when I realise she isn't pressing me to open up to her. She's silently letting me know she's here for me if I need her support.

"Something is bothering me," I say quietly, wondering whether I'm able to talk to her about Jake. Is it weird to discuss her cousin with her? I figure she knows him better than anyone, and it would be nice to get to know him from the people closest to him. "Let's talk about it," Ivory says before leaning back. I turn around so I'm sitting cross legged while facing her. Ivory sits in the same position before waiting for me to elaborate.

"It's about Jake," I say cautiously, waiting to see her reaction. "Okay. What about him? Did he do something to upset you?" Ivory asks me. I shake my head before releasing a soft sigh."Not intentionally. I'm a little confused over the relationship between us," I mumble, feeling heat beginning to spread up my neck and cheeks. Ivory's lips settle into a knowing smile. "You like him," she states. I nod my head in confirmation. "Yeah, I do."

"Jake likes you too," Ivory tells me. Her words cause my heartrate to quicken with excitement."Do you think so?" I say with hope in my voice. "Definitely. I haven't seen him like this with anyone for a long time. I catch him staring at you all the time. His eyes light up whenever he talks about you," Ivory tells me. Her words quicken the pace of my heart and I feel it thumping against my chest.

"If that's true, he isn't showing it. He keeps labelling us as friends. I feel like I'm going crazy with the mixed signals," I tell her, feeling like I can confide in her a little more. She doesn't make me feel a certain type of way for discussing my romantic life with her cousin, or the lack of it. A knowing look flashes across Ivory's eyes, and it's one of the only times I've witnessed her grow serious in conversation.

"Jake has been through a lot of hardship for someone his age. I'm not saying that should justify his behaviour of giving you mixed signals, but it's one of the reasons why he's so hard to figure out." Ivory tells me. It feels like a small weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I figured something was bothering Jake, but I had no idea what it was. "What do I do? Should I give him time?" I ask her for advice.

"Talk to him. He isn't an open book, but he's not entirely closed off either. Not like my brother, Tobias. That boy has no hope for a romantic relationship," Ivory sighs. "No offence, but I cannot imagine Tobias in a relationship," I comment. Ivory laughs before nodding in agreement.

"He's all doom and gloom lately. He wasn't always like this. It's been this way ever since things between him and Jake went sour," Ivory tells me. Her words peak my curiosity, and I sit up straighter with interest.

"What happened between them?" I ask. She chews on her bottom lip nervously, almost as if she's over-shared private details with me. "I can't tell you, it's not my place." Ivory says. She stands off the couch before placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You should talk to Jake. I have a feeling you're going to get more answers than you bargained for," Ivory tells me with a mischievous smile on her face. Before I can ask her not to pry, she scurries out of the living room, looking like a woman on a mission.