The Styles Triplets

Chapter 26

The moment Marcel pulled into the driveway, the front door swung open.

Harry stepped outside almost immediately, already walking toward the car before the engine had fully stopped. His urgency made my stomach tighten. He opened my door first. "Hey, thanks for coming."

"Of course," I replied, studying his face. His jaw was tight, eyes tired—like he hadn't stopped thinking since we left school. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain inside," he murmured.

That didn't help my nerves.

Marcel shut the driver's door behind us as we walked in. "Should I be worried about something?" he asked lightly, though I could hear the uncertainty underneath.

Harry didn't answer right away. He led us into the living room and sat down, motioning for us to join him.

The air felt heavier than usual.

"Marce," Harry began, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "I need you to stay away from John."

Marcel frowned. "I already do."

"I know," Harry said quickly. "But I mean completely. Don't talk to him. Don't look at him. If he comes near you, you walk the other way. Immediately."

Something about the seriousness in his voice made me sit straighter.

"You have to trust me on this," Harry added.

Marcel nodded slowly. "Okay... yeah. I trust you."

Harry exhaled, but it didn't look like relief. More like preparation.

"John's going to try something," he said. "I don't know what yet, but he will. If you see him coming toward you—go to a classroom, find a teacher, anything. Just don't be alone with him."

Marcel swallowed. "You're kind of scaring me."

"Good," Harry replied bluntly. "That means you'll be careful."

The room fell quiet.

I watched Harry carefully. This wasn't just older-brother protectiveness. This was fear. Real fear.

Harry stood suddenly. "Hey, Marce—can you grab my phone from my room? I need to leave Edward a message."

Edward?

Marcel nodded and headed upstairs without question.

The second he disappeared, Harry turned toward me. "I need you watching him," he said quietly.

"I already know what John said," I replied. "Eleanor told us. But is it really that serious? Zayn could handle John if it came down to it."

Harry shook his head immediately. "You don't understand. I know John. I know what he's capable of when his pride's hurt." His voice dropped lower. "He won't come at me again. Not after today. And Edward's not here."

The implication settled heavily between us.

"That leaves Marcel," I said softly.

Harry nodded once. "He's the easiest target."

I hated how true it sounded.

"I promise," I told him. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Harry's shoulders relaxed just slightly. "Thank you."

"Here." Marcel said as he came back with Harry's phone.

Footsteps approached, and Marcel reentered the room holding Harry's phone.

"Here you go," he said, handing it over. "Want us to say hi too?"

Harry smiled faintly. "Yeah. I think he'd like that."

He dialed and stepped slightly away, pacing as the call connected. His voice softened almost instantly as he left a message—telling Edward about school, about missing him, about seeing him soon.

The familiarity of it made my chest ache.

Marcel took the phone next, grinning slightly as he spoke. He sounded lighter than he had minutes ago, joking softly, telling Edward he couldn't wait until things felt normal again.

Then the phone was in my hands. I froze. What was I supposed to say?

My throat tightened as I lifted it to my ear. "Hey, Edward," I said quietly. "I... hope you're doing okay. Talk to you soon."

It sounded distant. Careful. Not honest.

I handed the phone back quickly, avoiding both Harry's and Marcel's eyes. Because if I looked at them too long, they might see it. How much I still missed him. How often he still crossed my mind.

Marcel slipped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin lightly on my shoulder. "Want to go upstairs?"

I forced a smile. "Sure."

I slipped out of his grasp playfully and ran up the stairs before he could follow.

His footsteps thundered behind me seconds later. I barely made it into his room before jumping onto the bed, laughing breathlessly.

He tackled me a moment later. "Got you," he said triumphantly.

"Marce!" I laughed as we shifted across the mattress, tangled in blankets and limbs.

Eventually I ended up hovering over him, both of us catching our breath.

"You know," he said with a crooked smile, "I kind of like this view."

"Shut up," I teased.

His hands settled gently at my sides, warm and familiar. The joking faded into something quieter as he leaned up and kissed me. The world outside the room disappeared for a moment. The stress of the day, Harry's warning, Edward's name—all of it faded beneath the comfort of being close to someone who wanted me here, now. His kisses deepened, slower, more intentional, until I pulled back slightly, laughing under my breath.

"You do realize your brother is downstairs, right?"

Marcel grinned. "So?"

I shook my head, amused. "Timing, Marce."

He groaned dramatically but smiled anyway, brushing his forehead against mine. The moment softened instead of escalating—warm, playful, safe. He lay back beside me, pulling me into his side as we stared at the ceiling together. For a few seconds, everything felt almost normal again. Almost peaceful.

But Harry's warning echoed quietly in the back of my mind. And no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, the feeling lingered—

Something was coming.

---

(A/N:)

Hopefully this chapter explained what is happening between Josh and Harry. It's still going to remain a mystery of what Josh has planned, but we all know it isn't going to be good.

Thanks for reading!! I'll be updating within the next few days because the book is coming to a close :(

buuuuuut stick around because there may or may not be a second book ;)

If you share the book on twitter that would mean a lot to me too!!

-Bree

XOXO