The Hook-up

Chapter 33

Bruno ran after Lauren grabbing her hand as she grasped onto the door to his hotel room. "No! Let go of me!" she yelled at him as she ran toward her bags.

"Lauren...please..." he watched her pick up her small pink and black suitcase trying her hardest to walk past him.

"No! Fuck you! Fuck you and fuck everything you stand for!" she yelled at him clenching her fists still pushing against him to get away from him now starting to cry.

"I'm not letting you leave." He said to her as she slowly started to stop pushing against him dropping her bags to her side looking up at him wiping away the tears looking down

"What the hell?" she looked at him seeing the same type of determination he had after their last fight. She looked away from him hoping the look would go away, but his deep eyes burned into her. "Just calm down...." She said to him sitting down on the couch trying to calm him down. "Wait...no. Screw you." She said to him standing up again watching him move toward her holding onto her arm tightly. "Let go. I'll see you when you get back."

"You're not leaving until I tell you what happened..." he said sitting her back down on the bed.

"Let go of my arm. Please." She pleaded looking down at his grip watching him loosen his hands. He threw his body on the bed next to her sighing and then starting to talk.

"I don't know what was happening, Elle. I don't even understand it." He told her.

"Don't lie to me, Bruno. Just tell me the truth." She said not looking over at him "Please tell me this is the only time you've done this since you've been on tour. Please tell me you're stronger than that. Pleasseeee...." She said starting to cry.

"Laur...it is. I swear. I swear." He said emotionally as he grabbed her hand pulling her on the bed. She turned her head still crying while he talked. "I...Lauren...no...please..."

"Bruno. You can do better." She told him as she stood up again. "I'll call you when I'm ready to talk to you. But don't be waiting." She snapped taking her bags rubbing her arm as she walked out the door.

"Laureeennnn...." He jumped up missing her hand as she lightly closed the door behind her.

"Laur!" she heard Eric exclaim as he walked down the hallway.

"What happened?" he asked looking down at her red arm.

"He...he hurt me..." she got out.

"Go home, Lauren. I will talk to him." Eric answered hugging her tightly pulling away. "I'm sorry."

"No. Don't be. It was his fault. He could do better." She shook her head seeing Ryan as she neared the same elevator that she caught Bruno kissing Sarah.

Ryan and Lauren locked eyes as she neared him. She sniffed away her tears opening her mouth through her tears. "I knew better." She told him rubbing her arm.

"Is that going to leave a bruise, Lauren?" he took her arm lifting it up.

"Probably." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not the first time he's done that."

"What?" he responded shocked.

"Yeah. Right before you all left. We got in a fight about something stupid." She told him.

"Lauren!" he responded pulling her to the side. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Serious." She told him.

"He can't do that to you." Ryan answered.

"He does." She said ashamed. "Why do I let him do this to me?" she started to cry.

"I don't know." Ryan answered holding up her chin. "Stop. Go home. I'm sorry he did this."

"Ry...is this the first time he did this since y'all have been gone?" she asked him.

"Yeah." He said honestly. "I used to understand him, but this is new, Elle. He wasn't like this until he started touring."

"I don't get it." She told him. "If he gets his head back he has to go talk to someone."

"I'll make sure he does." Ryan said giving her the same supportive hug that Eric had. "I'll talk to you later, Laur."

She nodded her head tuning as the elevator opened seeing Bruno's shadow as the door closed. She heard Ryan yelling at him as the elevator descended. "Fuck!" she screamed over and over again until the elevator opened. She brushed her bangs forward placing her sunglasses over her red eyes. "Fuck him." She said to herself walking out into the bright Las Vegas sun to the taxi taking her back to LAX.