(A/N) GUYSSSS I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS STORY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA! It's going to be a three-part story, and if you're familiar with the song 'New Rules' by Dua Lipa, you know what the chapters will focus on.

I know I'm not the most reliable person when it comes to updating, hence all of my previous stories being one-shots, but with the right motivation by you guys, I'm more determined than ever to finish this.

SUMMARY: Rule 1: Don't pick up the phone. Rule 2: Don't let him in. Rule 3: Don't be his friend. It's the perfect recipe to get over him, but she ends up breaking every single rule.

Disclaimers: I do not in any way own the song 'New Rules', nor anything you recognise from the HP Universe

Rule 1. Don't pick up the phone; you know he's only calling because he's drunk and alone

Ring, Ring

Mistaking it for her alarm, her eyes shot open as she sat up and frantically looked at her phone.

2:37AM, it read, and beneath it in huge capital letters was 'Scorpius Malfoy' with several other emojis next to it, some she had forgotten to delete after their 'break up' two months ago.

Wondering to herself whether or not she should answer the call or head back into slumber like she knew she should, she couldn't help but think of the conversation she had with Lily over two months ago.

They'd been sitting on her living room floor with tubs of ice cream and wine, as Lily listened patiently to Rose recounting the details of her recent (yet again) break up with her 'so-called-casual-but-it's-painfully-obvious-that-love-each-other' boyfriend, Scorpius.

"It's just, I don't understand. We've been sort of together for nearly two years by now, he can't exactly be surprised when I tell him I want make it official."

"One hundred per cent agreed, what an arse," Lily said half-heartedly, knowing that the best way to make Rose feel better was to just agree with her. Any sense or logic will have to come later. She supposed that's what happens when your father is none other than Ron Weasley; emotions tend to outweigh rational thoughts in these moments.

"And he was all like, 'aren't you happy with what we have? Why put a label on it? It'll just make things complicated'," Rose ranted, "Well, obviously I'm not happy with the situation or else I wouldn't have mentioned it. He probably just wants to keep it casual just so he could fuck around with other girls. For Merlin's sake, why can't he just be a normal –"

Rose kept going on, as she had been for the last three hours. Though Lily could not claim that she knew the Malfoy well personally, she had her fair share of conversation with him, coupled with the fact that he hung around her family a lot, mainly with Albus and later on, Rose. Despite not being in his immediate circle of friends, she knew he would never look at another girl besides Rose, and the only thing holding him back was the fear of burdening her with his family name.

"It's always one step forward and one step back. We're just stuck at square one. Any time I show any emotions, he freezes me out. How can I possibly continue a relationship or whatever this is, like that? I want to be with him, I really do, but he's making it so difficult."

It was ridiculous, really, the way they were around each other. Pretending as if they weren't in love, but all the signs were there. The only ones that could not see it were themselves, and they would end up hurt after feeling as though the other did not care for them as they wished they had.

She really was beginning to wonder if this was the right path. After all their drama and heartbreak, was it right to keep going? She had lost count of how many times Rose had come to her after an argument, a fight, or a break up with Scorpius.

She cries, and he drinks himself into an early death.

Maybe it was time for them to take a break from each other, grow up and figure themselves out. After all, if they were meant to be, they'd surely find each other again, and somehow, Lily knew they would.

"Maybe you guys should just take a break," she said in the middle of Rose's rant.

"What?"

"Take a break. This isn't healthy; it's killing you both. You two have your own issues and sometimes solving them means that you need to be apart," Lily says, hoping that she's giving the right advice.

"I – Lils, I can't, every time this happens, I know I can't stay away."

"The next time he calls, don't pick up the phone, you know he's only calling because he's drunk and alone."

Rose is silent.

"You know I'm right, that's what he does best, he drinks his problems away, but that's not right, he shouldn't be and you shouldn't keep letting him do this," Lily continues, "Promise me, Rose. Do this for him, and more importantly, do this for yourself."

So now, lying in her bed, Rose is half regretting the promise she made to Lily. She's like a moth to a flame, and she would like nothing more than to hear his voice for the first time in two months.

Especially since today would've been their second 'anniversary', not that she was counting.

Fighting with herself, she stretched out her arms to the bedside table and picked up her phone.

Her thumb hovered over the red button, and just as she was about to press down, it was as if an invisible force led her to press green. The invisible force, of course, was merely her own mind, but she didn't want to admit that, not even to herself.

"Hello," she whispered, her own voice scaring her in the dead silence of the night.

"Rosie?" he slurred, yet she could pick up his tone of surprise, "Rosie, you there?" He only ever called her that when he was drunk. They had no pet names for each other, after all, they weren't boyfriend, girlfriend.

"Hmm," she replied, hoping that her lack of response would justify her guilt for picking up the phone.

"I miss you, sweetheart," and there he goes with the pet names again. Her heart flutters. She stays silent for what felt like an eternity.

"I wanna see you," he continues, "Why won't you lemme see you?" His voice, though slurred, sounded desperate, unlike his usual confident self.

"Scorpius, you're drunk, you're saying things you don't mean. Go home before you hurt yourself," Rose pleaded with him quietly. She hated to imagine where he was, and how vulnerable he could be in his mental state.

It was his turn to be silent. She was about to hang up the phone, thinking that he must've passed out when she heard him speak once more.

"Happy anniversary, love," it was so soft, she almost thought she had imagined it, but his voice was clear, much clearer than any of the other words he had said in their conversation.

He remembered, she thought to herself. It caught her off guard, he never remembered. She had been hopeful in the beginning, that despite not being in a proper relationship, she had always hoped that he would remember their anniversaries. But as one month went by, three months went by, six months went by and a year went by, he never mentioned any of those words, and she had accepted that.

But he remembers now.

(A/N) I know I'm not exactly the most reliable person when it comes to updating, but PLEASE REVIEW as it would really motivate me to write more (really, it does, ask any writer, I swear)

It only takes you less than a minute to review, but it takes me hours to write, so do your girl a favour!

Anywhoooo, THANKS FOR READING, HOPE YOU LIKE IT! TWO MORE CHAPS TO GO!