The Hook-up

Chapter 45

Lauren looked down at the boxes sitting in her passenger seat sitting in Bruno's driveway. What am I doing? She thought to herself flipping the mirror in the car making a few weird faces checking her lip gloss and then flipping her hair to get her curls perfect. "Okay." She said with a sigh and then smile picking up her overnight bag and two light boxes. She played with her key chain finding the key to get into his house feeling a box starting to fall down her leg. "Shit!" she exclaimed almost falling into the house on top of the box full of clothes and make-up. She heard Bruno run toward her to catch her before she fell on her box.

"Be careful." He said sweetly to her as she fell in her arms.

"I'm trying." She responded.

"Was there more?" he asked looking toward her car.

"No. That was it for today. I'm not moving in tonight." She smiled at him picking up the box dropping it in his bathroom.

"But you couuulddd...." He said to her with a smirk.

"No." she said kissing his cheek walking into the kitchen. She bent down opening the refrigerator. "Where's the water?" she asked looking down at the almost empty fridge. She turned around scratching her head cracking a smile as he handed her a bottle of water. "Thank you." She twisted the cap taking a drink.

"You look hot." He told her walking toward the living room.

"But I don't have any make-up on and I'm wearing the worst clothes..." she said sitting down next to him.

"Don't lie...." He laughed at her putting his fingers on her lips showing her the color on his finger.

"Okay. Sorry. So...where are we going tonight?" she asked him.

"Oh, just some place..." he said standing up. "Go get dressed. And where the yellow hot dress."

"But I didn't bring that one...." She said running into the bedroom holding up another dress that she had never worn around him.

"Or that." He said raising his eye brow. "It's not going to be on for very long anyway."

"Oh God." She laughed closing the bathroom door behind her to put on her make-up.

**

"Laurreeennn...." Bruno held onto Lauren's arm as they walked past a handful of other patrons at the swanky club they were going to.

"Whaaatttt." She whined back squeezed between Bruno and Ryan.

"Come dance with meeee...." He smiled looking over at the dance floor.

"But I think those girls would be better...." She responded looking at his face as a group of girls walked passed them.

"What?" he asked confused by her comment.

"Yeah...look at the way they're looking at you. They're eye fucking you." She told him glaring at the girls.

"Stop." He responded leaning his head on hers. "You're all I want. Now come dance with me...."

"Fine...." She harrumphed following his lead toward the dance floor. He pulled her so close that she could feel his heartbeat against hers causing her to lose her breathe. She moved in as close as possible to him catching the same girls' eyes. She moved them around so they weren't in their line of sight.

"What's wrong?" he asked during a break in music.

"Nothing." She shrugged moving her eyes to the girls again.

"Elle..." he pulled her in closer to him holding her waist tightly.

"Oww." She squeaked feeling his ring dig into her dress. "Let go."

"Lauren...stop. It's only you. Those girls got nothin' on you." He smiled at her letting go of her. "Let's go get a drink."

They started to walk toward their couch when Lauren caught a familiar face walking toward them. "Justin?"

"Hi." He smiled at them. She could feel the tension between the boys.

:"B...this is Justin. We're just working together..." she repeated for him.

Justin smiled at him shaking his hand introducing himself. They exchanged pleasantries and then Justin commented on his album. That's when Lauren decided to step away from them to get a drink. She grabbed some drinks bringing one to Bruno. "Here..." she handed him the drink. She caught Justin looking down at her arm as the light beads of sweat on her arms exaggerated the bruises he had left on her arms.

"Lauren...." Justin stopped the conversation in the middle.

"What?" she said taking a sip of her drink.

"When did you get those?" he asked. "They weren't there when we got together last week.

"I hit my arm on the car carrying boxes." She shrugged her shoulder. He didn't believe her one bit placing his hand over one of the marks making Bruno cringe at what he knew was coming. She looked down at his hands clenching trying to hold back his anger.

"Bruno...." She leaned over trying to calm him down.

"No, Lauren. I want to hear what he has to say for himself. You can only speak for him for so long."

"It doesn't involve you, dude. Just back the fuck off. You had your chance with her and you left her. She's not..."

"Not leaving you." Justin finished. Lauren took Bruno's hand quickly starting to lead him away to the couch.

"I'll be here when he hurts you again, Elle." Justin said loud enough for all of them to hear him.

"What?" Lauren asked leaving Bruno's side.

"I said what you thought I did, Lauren." He said flatly. He looked over to his side seeing Bruno walk toward them.

"Step off my girl, bro." Bruno snapped handing his drink to Lauren so quickly that she couldn't stop him watching his hand clench moving toward Justin's face. Oh my god. She thought as she heard glass break near her face and a small red spot hit her new dress.