Unstable (Sequel to Twisted)

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Uncle Harry!"

Lottie's excited voice rang out when we all heard the heavy footsteps come into the room. Harry looked damp, since it storming outside. We were all hanging out in the living room, just being there, and Harry left very early in the morning.

I felt worried, not knowing where he went, although I knew it wasn't all that "safe."

Harry's curls were damp and limp on his face, looking longer than when I first saw him, and I could instantly tell he was angry or irritated when I saw his face.

Lottie started calling Harry "Uncle Harry" when Gemma told her who he was. In only a few days, Lottie grew so comfortable around Harry-it was unbelievable. Now it was like you couldn't keep her away from Harry, and I could also tell she was growing a lot on Harry.

I didn't know what happened to support this, but I wasn't going to complain.

Harry had a deep scowl and he tossed his car keys on a nearby table, but when he saw Lottie he forced a strained smile and crouched down when she ran into him. Lottie hugged onto him tightly and he stood up, carrying her in his arms, and I couldn't help but let my gaze linger. It was still so strange, seeing Harry holding a little girl.

It was definitely going to take a while to get used to.

"You're all wet," Lottie giggled a little, reaching up to lightly pull on Harry's curls. I could see frustration flicker in his eyes, but he didn't snap at the little girl, nor did he turn to glare at her. Instead, he hurried into the living room and carefully set Lottie on the couch, next to Gemma.

"Claire," Harry said, and when his face turned his smile vanished, "I need to talk to you." His eyes met mine briefly before he turned and left the room, not even offering a greeting to everyone else.

Louis was strangely not looking at anyone; he was staring at his shoes with a sober expression. Even Niall was no longer smiling; he looked somewhat guilty. Liam was suddenly fascinated in his phone, and Zayn kept his mask on, not giving anything away. His dark eyes were on me.

For the past few days, Zayn had been strangely quiet. I barely saw him, and when I did, he said nothing to me. It was like he didn't address anyone unless he absolutely had to.

I followed Harry upstairs to our room, and I asked him what was wrong as soon as we were in private. He slid off his wet t-shirt, tossing it to the floor and bent down to unzip his damp jeans, pulling them down his legs. I noticed him disrobing, so I grabbed him a clean, dry shirt and jeans.

He started dressing in them, and he ran his hand through his soaking wet hair before he sat on the edge of the bed. I sat next to him, tucking some auburn strands of my hair behind my ears.

"What's up?" I asked quietly.

His expression was grave, eyes darker than usual. "I need to talk to you."

He sounded hesitant, like he really didn't want to tell me. Perhaps he just needed someone to talk to, to get some other input. That's what I did when I needed a second opinion on something.

"About what?"

"I met with Ed today." Harry admitted quietly. My eyes widened from the name-Ed? The one who was with Simon? How was he alive? Come to think of it, after the small shoot-out, I never was truly conscious to see what else happened.

"And?"

"He really wants me to join them. Apparently Simon was an all-around asshole, and they were getting tired of him anyway." Harry grumbled. "They want me to be their leader."