“Bound to You”
Chapter 37: Mistakes
Darcy was vaguely aware of the feeling of Ross’s arm around her waist as they approached the side entrance to the House of Blues. She heard a few shrill squeals behind her from fans who’d spotted them slipping away from the crowd; they were trying to avoid causing a scene outside of the main doors.
“I guess there’s really no escape.” Ross joked, holding open the door and letting Darcy step inside first.
She smiled half-heartedly. She couldn’t help but wonder what Riker was doing at home. She normally enjoyed Ross’s company, but tonight she couldn’t get her real boyfriend out of her mind.
“Name?”
She turned to Ross and he pulled out his ID, stepping around her and handing it to the bouncer standing just inside the door.
“Hey man, we’re under Lynch. Should have a plus one.”
The man nodded and handed Ross’s license back to him.
“Right, special guests of the band. Arms please.”
Darcy gave Ross a puzzled look as the bouncer slapped two ‘over 21’ bands on their wrists.
“Enjoy guys.” He said, pointing them in the direction of the dressing rooms. “The guys are still getting ready if you want to pop in and say hi.”
Ross nodded and reached behind to grab Darcy’s hand.
“Thanks man. Let’s go, babe.” He tugged her along after him, her mouth still slightly gaping as she looked from the bouncer back to him.
“Ross, we aren’t 21.” She whispered, glancing confusedly down at the bright green paper strip around her wrist.
He smirked.
“Perks of knowing the band I guess. They must have put us down as over 21. Are you complaining?” He questioned, stopping before one of the dozens of identical wooden doors lining the dimly lit hallway.
Darcy shook her head as Ross lifted a hand to knock. Before he had the chance the door swung open, revealing an incredibly intoxicated New Beat Fund behind it.
“ROSS! What the fuck is up man?!” One of the guys shouted, a little too loudly for the cramped quarters they were in. He grabbed them both by the wrists and yanked them into the already crowded dressing room.
“You guys look good! DARCY! Its been too long! You’re still fucking this loser?!” He continued, slinging his arm around her shoulders.
Darcy smiled politely as his drink sloshed out of the cup, spilling on the toes of her favorite combat boots.
“What’s up? You realize you guys are playing a show in 20 minutes right?” She asked, glancing down at the red Solo cup in his hand.
He shrugged. “This is our pre-show ritual. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve never played a show sober.” He whispered loudly, followed immediately by a loud hiccup.
“I believe it.” She said, looking around the room for Ross. She had spent numerous shows backstage with the New Beat Fund guys. Typically she could handle their drunken antics; tonight, however, she wasn’t in the mood. She locked eyes with Ross from across the room where he stood with two other members of the band.
“Ross, I’m gonna go out and listen to the opening band, come find me later.” She called.
He nodded, a look of mild concern flashing across his features.
“You ok?” He mouthed.
She nodded before turning around and stepping back into the hallway.
**
“Thank you Hollywood! You guys have been a beautiful audience. We have one more left for you, sing along if you know it!!”
Darcy tilted her head back and downed the last of her drink as the band launched into the last song of the evening. She crushed the flimsy plastic cup into a ball in her hand and tossed it into the direction of the nearest trashcan, missing it entirely.
Ross laughed as she hopped down from the high-topped table and stumbled slightly.
“Easy there, Darce. I think I’m cutting you off for the night.”
She shook her head in an attempt to reassure him that she was fine.
“I’ve never been more sober.” She said loudly, trying to compete with the deep thumping sound of the bass guitar mixed with crowd jumping up and down on the hardwood floor.
Ross shook his head as well.
“Yeah, sure you are. If you’re so sober why don’t you walk a straight line towards the bathroom and prove it?”
Darcy smoothed the front of her skirt and straightened her back, throwing a ‘watch this’ glance over her shoulder at Ross. She didn’t even manage two steps before stumbling, nearly knocking another table over in the process. She heard Ross laugh from behind her.
“One hundred percent sober, right.” he called out.
She turned around and flipped him off before making her way to the bathroom.
She wasn’t a heavy drinker typically. She’d occasionally attend the off-campus parties Juilliard kids frequently held in their parents empty vacation houses or the secret raves thrown in cramped dorm rooms. She’d never been a big partier. But tonight she had unexpectedly been given a free drinking pass for the evening, and with the stress of her current situation weighing down on her she decided to take some relief where she could get it.
She stepped into an empty stall and pulled her phone from her bag. It had been neglected most of the evening between the show and the numerous drinks she’d had.
‘I can’t wait to see you later tonight. I love you :)’
She smiled at the message from Riker displayed across her home screen.
‘I love you to-‘
She stopped typing mid sentence when the bathroom door suddenly swung open, hitting the wall with a loud thud.
”Did you see Ross Lynch over there by the bar or was it just me???”
A shrill, adolescent voice pierced through the previously silent room. Darcy froze inside the stall. They couldn’t see her; they had no idea she was even at the show for all she knew. She had grown accustomed to interacting with fans over the last few months, but given the recent storm she’d seen brewing on social media, she wasn’t sure what to expect from fan encounters anymore.
“I saw! Did you see Darcy anywhere? They’re usually attached at the hip.” A different voice spoke, slightly less high pitched, but sounded equally as young.
She could make out the reflections in the mirror of two girls who appeared to be around the age of 17 or 18 through the slit in the stall door.
The one with the higher pitched voice scoffed as she reached into her bag and retrieved a tube of lipstick.
“I didn’t see her. He probably left her at home tonight. I wouldn’t want to drag that tramp around with me everywhere I went.” She sneered.
Her friend frowned, watching as the taller girl applied the neon pink shade to her lips.
“She seems nice to me.” She said hesitantly, as if she were afraid to upset the other girl.
She scoffed.
“She’s such an attention seeker. I don’t buy it for a second. ‘Oh I haven’t seen you in so long Ross! Let me move across the country and live with your family so I can start my acting career.’ Please. She’s so obviously using him. Look at how many followers she’s gotten just since they started dating. Once she’s famous enough on her own she’ll dump him.”
Darcy could feel her face flush. Not out of embarrassment or hurt, but out of anger. Normally she wouldn’t have allowed it to bother her; she’d overheard plenty of snide comments about herself in fan conversations in the past. But the numerous drinks she had downed that evening had loosened her up quite a bit, and she had no problem with a confrontation tonight.
She unlocked the stall door and threw it open,; it hit the wall with a loud bang.
Both of the girls jumped. The taller one froze when she saw Darcy’s seething expression between herself and her friend in the mirror.
“D- Darcy.” She sputtered. She suddenly seemed much younger, more afraid. Clearly she has no idea anyone was even in the bathroom, much less that it had been the target of her malicious rant.
“I shouldn’t have- Darcy I’m-“ she started.
“Fuck you.” Darcy spat. She shoved roughly past the two girls, now speechless, and made her way back out onto the crowded floor. The band had finished their set and the crowd was beginning to disperse. She spotted Ross still sitting at the table they’d been camped out at all night talking to a few friends he’d run into.
He smiled warmly as she approached.
“Hey, tipsy. Did you get lost in ther-“
“Take me home please.” She said flatly, cutting him off.
A look of concern immediately flashed across his face.
“Yeah, okay. Are you alright, babe?” He questioned, hopping down from the stool. He reached out to touch her arm.
She sidestepped his outstretched hand immediately, arms crossed, as though she were afraid of his touch.
“I’m fine I just want to go home. Please.” She pleaded.
He nodded and turned back to the couple he had been talking to moments before.
“I’ll see you guys around- Darcy wait up!” He called once he noticed she was already halfway towards the exit.
She continued walking ahead of him, keeping several feet between them as he jogged down the sidewalk to catch up with her.
“Darcy! Hey!” He called again. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
“Darcy-“
Without warning she whirled around and snatched her arm out of his grasp.
“Get the hell off of me.” She snarled.
Ross froze, stunned. They’d both had their bad nights before; it was a stressful situation to be in sometimes. But she had never snapped at him before. He wasn’t even sure if he’d even heard her raise her voice, at least not toward him.
He became suddenly aware of the small group of girls that had gathered farther down the sidewalk, who were now watching the exchange between them with a keen interest. He stepped around to Darcy’s other side, blocking the girls view.
“Look I don’t know what’s wrong, but can we talk about it in the car? We have an audience.” He said in a whisper, glancing around to be sure no one could overhear.
Darcy stepped around him and continued walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the parking lot where Ross’s car was parked. Where she was going she didn’t know. The alcohol was still clouding her mind. Her thoughts were blurred, but her emotions were not. She could feel a rage burning throughout her.
“I don’t care.” she muttered, crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest.
Ross caught up to her again and stepped in front of her, directly this time, blocking her from moving any farther down the sidewalk.
“Darcy, stop!” He grabbed her shoulders. He lowered his voice before speaking again. “You’re drunk. You need to calm down. Come on, let’s go home.”
Darcy saw a few more girls join the group that had been standing nearby, desperately trying to eavesdrop on their conversation without being obvious. She felt the blood rush instantly to her cheeks, suddenly embarrassed over her outburst. Ross was right. The alcohol had begun to wear off enough for her to realize she was about to make a huge mistake. Possibly an irreversible one.
“I’m sorry, Ross.” she said tiredly. She could feel tears of frustration begin to well up in the corners of her eyes.
Without hesitation he wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her into his chest, as he had done numerous times before. She knew it wasn’t a romantic gesture, but one of comfort. They knew each other well enough by now to both know when something was wrong with the other.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She nodded against his chest, willing the tears that threatened to spill over to stay put.
“Yeah.” She said quietly. Long day.”
**
“You sure you’re ok?”
Darcy nodded at Ross as they stepped over the threshold into the Lynch’s home. She could already feel the haze subsiding, the alcohol-induced fog from earlier fading into embarrassment and shame.
“I’m okay now. I’m sorry about earlier, Ross. I shouldn’t have-“
He shook his head.
“Its ok, Darcy. It happens. Everyone is entitled to a bad day once in a while.” He paused; she could tell he was debating whether or not to ask the follow up question. “Did- did something happen?”
She hesitated. That was a door she couldn’t entirely open. Not now, and more than likely not ever.
“These two girls in the bathroom…It’s really not worth the explanation. They just caught me on a bad night.” She said quietly. It was the only explanation she could offer without having to go into detail.
Ross nodded, respectfully accepting that she didn’t want to speak of it any further. Never prying, never trying to drag more information from her than she was willing to give. As usual. It was something she genuinely appreciated about him.
“Drink some water, Darce. Get some sleep tonight. You’ll feel better in the morning.” He grimaced. “But please god, don’t let mom know you were drinking. She’ll kill me and you both.” He joked, letting a half smirk break through his hardened expression.
Darcy smiled warmly in return.
“I will. Thanks for taking care of me tonight. As usual.”
He let a full, genuine smile break across his features.
"Anytime." He said, before disappearing up the stairs towards his bedroom.
As the sound of his footsteps grew faint, she could hear a second set of steps growing closer. Seconds later Riker rounded the corner into the living room. She felt the familiar feeling of comfort begin to replace the frustration she felt at herself for what had happened that evening. He was her safe place; her home.
He stepped into the small patch of light the moon was casting throughout the room from the single curtain pane that had been left open. The feelings of comfort and security immediately faded as she saw the worried frown etched across his face.
“Hey babe-“
“What happened tonight?” he asked pointedly.
“I- What? What do you mean?” she questioned, confused.
Wordlessly Riker handed her his phone, gesturing to the top tags that were trending on Twitter.
#Rarcybreakup
#DarcyandRoss
#RossLynchfight
Darcy felt her stomach drop. Panic seized her entire body as she clicked on the first tag. It was filled with pictures of her and Ross from earlier in the evening. The quality wasn’t great, but it was still obvious they had been fighting. The fans had only managed to take a couple of photos before Ross got her in the car, fortunately.
As if that made the situation any better.
“Baby, what’s wrong??”
Darcy hadn’t even realized she’d begun to cry until Riker’s voice broke through her thoughts. She suddenly became aware of the feeling of tears running down her cheeks.
“Darcy-“ he started.
She shook her head wordlessly. She knew if she let him begin to question her tonight she wouldn’t be able to hold back. And he couldn’t know. The truth of what had led to her little slip that evening, as well as the truth of why it terrified her, had to stay her secret.
“It was just a bad night. I missed you and I had a few drinks and I- I’m sorry.” She choked out, tears still flowing freely down her cheeks. She felt another heaving sob build up in her chest, but before it had the chance to break free Riker stepped forward to close the distance between them and wrapped his arms tightly around her shaking body.
“Hey, hey its okay. Real couples fight. The pictures don’t look great, yeah. But you guys will be able to play this off.” He assured her. “I’m sure Sean is already on top of it.”
Darcy felt the paralyzing fear clench her heart once again at the mention of Sean’s name.
“Yeah. I’m sure he is.” She said quietly.
