The Hook-up

Chapter 83

Lauren buried her head in the coat that had Bruno's lingering scent on it walking through the hotel holding the card key in her hand almost shaking as she cracked the door opening hoping that Bruno wasn't home and that she could change into her pajamas and just fall asleep, forgetting all about the day.

"Hi, Lauren." Bruno said to her with the same little amount of emotion he revealed when he was drinking.

"Were you drinking tonight?" she asked dropping her bags and accessories she had gotten at the meeting she attended.

"Yeah." He shrugged his shoulders looking down at the phone.

"I'm going to go change." She said to him ignoring what he said reaching for her bag pulling out clothes to change into. She stopped by the expansive sink placing her hands on the counter looking in the mirror. Oh my god. She thought to herself. I need something to eat. She thought to herself. No, I'm going to puke. She ran to the toilet throwing up a little laying her head on the toilet waiting to gain the strength to get back up. Oh god. She thought to herself struggling to stand up. She reached over to change into a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeved shirt that she wore to go to the gym. She trudged out of the bathroom seeing Bruno look up at her not saying anything.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to go to sleep." She replied moving toward the bed.

"Okay." He said to her continuing to play with his phone not saying anything after she turned off the small light next to her side of the bed curling up in a ball to fall asleep. He sat at the table texting his sisters about the album and told them how amazing Lauren was and how happy she made him lying throughout all the texts. He never even flinched when he said to Tiara that he hadn't seen Damaris since he was in South America, just a few weeks ago. After finishing the conversation he looked over at Lauren contemplating how he was going to feel sleeping next to her after the events that unfolded that afternoon. After taking a quick shower to get rid of the feeling of the impending hangover he laid down next to Lauren placing his arms around her stomach burying his head in her hair.Damn she smells so good.

**

"Brunnnoooo! Come on! We have to be at your grandmother's house in an hour!" Lauren exclaimed running into the hotel room the next day. "Bruno?" she sat down catching her breath. "Phil said you were here...." She walked in the back of the hotel seeing Bruno digging in his bag. "Are you already packing?"

"I'm just looking for...." He pulled out a shirt. "This." He said holding it up.

"Oh. Get dressed...hurry..." she said unbuttoning his shirt to help him change.

"Lauren....." he put his hand over her hand stopping her.

"Stop....we need to go." She pushed his hand down. "We don't have time...we'll fix it later." She said unbuttoning him more pushing the shirt off. He let her dress him as he contemplated his feelings. "What's wrong?" she asked him looking up at his red blood shot eyes. "You need some Advil...." She told him reaching down to get the medicine form her purse. "It's a good thing I have this for my feet..." she smiled standing up seeing him sitting in the chair with his shirt unbuttoned not moving. "Bruno! Come on!" she exclaimed handing him the pills.

"I can't." he told her.

"Can't what? Come on!" she pulled his arm trying to get him off the couch. "You are not making me practice my mother skills right now, Bruno." She said in a frustrated tone.

"I slept with her." He blurted out.

"Lorelei? I know. You said you were sorry." She responded ignoring him.

"No. Her." He reiterated feeling her hands drop. He watched her hands start to shake and her eyes start to water the second the words left his mouth. He watched her slide down the bed burying her head in her hands crying. He remained in the chair trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do. He watched her cry for a few minutes moving to sit next to her. "I don't know what I was thinking." He said quietly.

"You weren't." she got through her tears. She moved a little ways away from him standing up to figure out what to do. "I think I'm going to go home." She told him looking at her phone to book the next flight to Los Angeles.

"Elle...no...." he got up from the spot he was sitting in. "I'll go." he reached for the bags that he had placed his things in neatly.

"You were going to leave before I got here, weren't you?" she asked him. "Bruno! What were you going to do?" she said through her tears. "Bruno!"

"I can't do anything right, Lauren. You deserve so much better than me right now. Everything is so wrong." He sat down in the same chair he was in before trying not to cry.

"I can't listen to you right now, Peter." She said sternly. "I cannot deal with this." She sighed moving her hand to her stomach feeling a small cramp.

"Are you okay?" he asked her reaching for her hand. "Elle...sit down..." he pointed to the chair next to him.

"I'm fine." She snapped cringing again.

"Stop...sit down." He snapped back at her.

"Stop yelling at me." She told him. "I'm fine." She reached over to her phone seeing what time it was. "We're late."

Bruno reached over to his phone to text Miguel.

Lauren isn't feeling well. We're not going to make it.

He turned his phone around to show her what he had texted.

"That's fine." She said reaching for her purse.

"I'm so sorry, Lauren. I don't think anything is going to make this better...." He said to her standing up reaching for his bag after taking a sip of the drink he had left on the table. "You'll find someone better." He said slipping on sunglasses.

"Fuck you, Bruno." She yelled ripping off the necklace he had put on her days ago throwing it toward the door that quickly opened.

"What the hell is going on?" she heard a snappy Puerto Rican voice ask her with Bruno being drug back into the room with her, Bruno's cousin Maria Elena.