Bound to You

Chapter 3: Pancakes

After leaving Sean’s office, Stormie, Ross, and Darcy all made their way back to Stormie’s car. “Is there anything in particular you’d like for breakfast dear?” Stormie asked, looking over at Darcy. She shook her head. “No ma’am, anything is fine with me.” Ross leaned forward, sticking his head between the two front seats. “Well I’m really in the mood for some chocolate chip pancakes.” He hinted, smiling widely at his mother. “That sounds good to me.” Darcy chimed in. Ross grinned. “I think I’m going to like you.” He said, causing her to blush slightly. “Darcy unfortunately we don’t have enough bedrooms for you to have one of your own, so you’ll be sharing with Rydel.” Stormie said, glancing over at Darcy again. “That’s fine with me.” She replied. She took out her phone and quickly texted her mother, letting her know she had landed safely. Fifteen minutes later, Stormie pulled her car into the driveway of a very nice two-story house. “Here we are.” She said, stepping out of the car. Darcy followed as Stormie and Ross made their way up the stony pathway to the front door. “Riker and Rocky aren’t back yet.” Ross noted quietly. “I’m home!” Stormie called, as she stepped inside of the house. Darcy stepped inside after her, taking in her new surroundings. A young brunette boy came walking from the direction of the kitchen, munching on a bagel. He was wearing nothing but his boxers. “Hey. You must be Darcy.” He said flatly. It was evident that he’d just woken up. “Dude, go put some clothes on!” Ross snapped. The boy stuck his tongue out and continued walking, presumably back to his room to get dressed. “That’s Ryland, my youngest brother.” Ross clarified. “Sorry about him, he’s a bit cranky in the mornings.” Stormie said, leading Darcy into the kitchen. “This is our kitchen. Since you’ll be staying with us, feel free to come get something to eat anytime you’d like. Don’t be shy. Because trust me, my children aren’t. I’ll get started on breakfast if you’d like to give Darcy a tour, Ross.” He nodded, gesturing for her to follow him. “This is our living room. A room in which we live.” He said playfully, quoting ‘Drake and Josh’. Darcy laughed, looking around. There was a 70” flat screen T.V. on the far wall. A cream colored leather couch took up a good portion of the room. There was a matching set of recliners as well. It looked very modern and luxurious, yet homey at the same time. Ross continued up the wide staircase, which led upstairs to a narrow hallway. “This is mine and Ryland’s bedroom.” He said, pointing to a door on his left. “This is Rocky and Riker’s bedroom.” He pointed to a door on his right. “Here’s the bathroom.” He said, pointing to a door directly across from Rocky and Riker’s bedroom. “My parent’s room is at the very end of the hall.” He gestured down the hallway. “And here is where you’ll be staying.” He swung open the door to the second bedroom on the right. They had already moved a second bed into the room. Darcy looked around inside. The room was very feminine and girly, filled with shades of pink. “Rydel likes pink.” He said, laughing. She smiled. “Good, I do too.” Ross grinned. “Well then you and Rydel are going to get along just fine. Speaking of Rydel, I wonder where she is.” He pondered, walking back down the hallway and down the stairs; Darcy followed closely behind. As they approached the kitchen, she could hear a second female voice inside. “Rydel, there you are.” Ross said as they stepped inside. Darcy noticed a young blonde girl that looked to be about her age standing next to Stormie, cracking eggs for the pancakes. She looked up when they stepped into the room. “Hi! You must be Darcy. I’m Rydel, your new roommate.” She said jokingly. Darcy laughed. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Thirty minutes later, Stormie was dividing up the pancakes. “Save some for Rocky and Riker!” she scolded when Ryland took off with a stack of five. She laid two plates in front of Darcy and Ross. “Rydel and I are going to eat in the living room; give you guys a chance to get to know each other a little better.” Stormie said, smiling. Darcy smiled in return as Rydel and Stormie left the room. She turned to look at Ross. He was sleepily shoveling bite after bite of pancake into his mouth. “You look exhausted.” She commented. He smiled tiredly. “What makes you say that?” he asked. “Well for starters…you’re eating your pancakes with a spoon.” She pointed out. He looked down at the spoon in his hand. “I could have sworn I grabbed a fork.” He muttered. He stood up and walked across the kitchen to retrieve a fork, dropping his spoon into the sink on the way. He came and sat down next to her again and resumed eating. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Ross spoke again. “So…Sean told me you were at Julliard?” he asked. She nodded. “Yep. Theatre and dance major.” He looked surprised. “Wow, a double major. That’s impressive. And you’re only 19?” She nodded again. “Yeah. I’m a junior this year. I graduated high school a year early.” Ross looked truly impressed. “Wow.” He said. They sat silently for a few more minutes, eating their pancakes. It wasn’t an awkward silence; she already felt quite comfortable around Ross. “Did you grow up in New York?” he asked, finally breaking the silence. Darcy shook her head furiously. “God, no. I grew up in Georgia.” Ross laughed. “I thought I detected a Southern twang in your voice. Is New York really that bad?” he questioned, still laughing. She laughed as well, realizing that her reaction to his question might have been a bit over the top. “No, it really isn’t. Not if you’re used to it. I grew up in a tiny country town so New York City really isn’t within my comfort zone. It’s ok for a little while, but eventually-” “You miss home.” Ross finished. Darcy smiled, relieved to have someone that finally understood. “Exactly.” Ross nodded. “I know the exact feeling. I love living in Los Angeles, don’t get me wrong. I’ve lived here pretty much half my life. But sometimes it’s just nice to go home. As much as I enjoy L.A., home will always be home. You know?” he asked. Darcy nodded. “Exactly how I feel.” She took another bite of her pancakes. “So how did you get into acting?” Ross asked. “Well I got into Julliard on a dance scholarship. But they like us to branch out and take different classes for electives, so I chose theatre. And I fell in love with it.” she replied. “How long have you been dancing?” Ross questioned, getting up to put his plate in the sink. “I took my first ballet class when I was 3.” She answered, standing up as well. “How about you?” she asked, placing her plate on top of his. “Since I was five.” He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice, pouring Darcy and himself a glass. “And how did you get into acting?” she asked as he sat the glass down in front of her. “Well mom and dad decided to move the whole family out to L.A. when Riker wanted to break into the acting business. And I guess I just kind of fell into it as well.” He said, smiling. “What about the band?” Darcy questioned, sipping her juice. He shook his head and laughed. “I don’t even remember. None of us do. We’ve just always been R5, for as long as I can remember.” He took a drink from his glass and they sat in silence for a few moments. “So what do you think of everyone so far?” he asked. Darcy finished her juice and sat her glass down on the table. “Everyone is great. I can already tell Rydel and I are going to get along really well. Rocky was nice. Ryland seems….interesting. And your mom is wonderful.” “And me?” Ross asked, smiling nervously. Darcy smiled in return. “I think you’re wonderful too.” she said, giggling. He blushed slightly and looked down. “Knock knock! We’re home!” Rocky’s voice echoed into the kitchen. Darcy heard the door shut behind him. She glanced over and saw a flash of blonde hair disappear into the living room. “Come on.” Ross said, standing up. “I’ll introduce you to Riker.” Darcy followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room. Riker was sitting down in the recliner, partially blocked by Rocky who was standing in front of him talking to Stormie and Rydel.  “Oh hey Darcy!” he said when he noticed her. Ross went to stand next to Riker. “Hey man, this is Darcy.” He leaned down closer to Riker, gesturing to her. Rocky stepped out of the way to give him a clear view of Darcy. She took the opportunity to take in the sight before her. He was cute. Very cute. He had an adorable nose, slightly smaller than his siblings’. His floppy blonde hair fell messily across his forehead. Her eyes locked with his brown ones. She froze. He was giving her one of the most cold, hateful glares she had ever seen.