La Douleur Exquise

Seventy Three

Darcie went straight to the kitchen after we entered, not looking behind her to see if I was following. I was going to but as I walked, a photo on the wall caught my attention. It was a family photo of Darcie with her brothers, only instead of them all looking at the camera, they looked like they were fighting with each other. My eyes went to the next photo on the wall and the one after that, each one following on from the first. By the time I reached the fifth photo, Darcie and her brothers had piled up on top of the brother that I assumed was Harrison, the second eldest. Mr. Scott, my math teacher, was near the bottom, then it was Darcie and on top was the youngest, Elliot. 

"If you look around enough, you'll find plenty of embarrassing photos of us all," Darcie shouted from the kitchen. I heard her pottering around as she threw something in the oven and slammed the door shut. After that, I heard her fighting with herself, muttering about her 'bloody shoes' before two thuds echoed around the great room. Darcie appeared, barefoot, a moment later, throwing a bottle of water in my direction. "Helps with the alcohol intake. Do want a tour of the place while the pizza is cooking?"

I nodded, wondering what the rest of the house was like. So far, all I could see was that it was big and very neatly decorated, although you could tell that it was a family home despite the organized feel of the place. From where I was stood in the foyer, Darcie pointed out the dining room and kitchen beyond it to our right and told me that the space directly in front of us was the great room. To the left were her father's study and the guest room that doubled up as Harrison's room when he was home. Bennett has his own place across town where he lived alone since his girlfriend broke up with him. 

"The nook and porch are out that way beyond the kitchen," Darcie pointed towards the area she was talking about. She seemed torn about which way we were going next but eventually she started to climb the stairs to the upper level of the house. "Alright, up here we have the master suite, a second study that my parents insist Elliot and I use as a study center, and Elliot's room is this one here."

The unasked question about her room hung in the air between us but it didn't last long. At the end of the hallway, Darcie threw open the last door and stepped inside. With only a slight trepidation, I took two steps into the room and looked around. Her space was totally different to what I thought it would be like, not that I've spent that much time wondering what her room looks like. 

Hardwood floor complimented the white walls, while a large bed took up much of the space. She had no wardrobe, instead, there was a rail hanging from the wall, a simple drawer system underneath, while shelving ran up the wall next to it, displaying everything. A small vanity desk was perfectly organized and a large rug on the floor added a cozy feel to it all. 

As I looked around, I spotted the bedside table, although that wasn't what interested me. There was something on top of it that caught my attention. 

"Isn't that Ritchie's watch?" I asked, pointing at the offending object. I recall he said that he'd misplaced it earlier before we left the ice cream place. He always wore the watch and was a little frantic that he didn't have it with him today, although now that I think about it, Darcie had assured him it was in a safe place. "What's it doing here?"

"He must have left it here last night," Darcie answered simply. "He's here tomorrow so I'll give it back to him then. Let me show you downstairs. It's my brothers' favorite thing about the entire house and I've yet to see a guy who isn't impressed by it. Come on."