The Hook-up

Chapter 87

"David? What? What are you talking about, Lauren?" her sister gasped.

"Damaris. The girl from New York. The one that was in Chile when he was there. The one he texts constantly." She told her sister.

"Oh, that one." Larissa responded. "That bitch."

"But it takes two people. Like she didn't rape him. He did it." She told her sister reaching around her neck not feeling the ring.

"What's wrong with your neck?" Larissa looked at her confused.

"Nothnig." Lauren said plainly throwing her hands down. "What do I do?"

"Well, you leave him. Stay with us for a while. You have enough there." Larissa reached over for the suitcase. "Let me do the laundry. Do you need anything to drink? Do you need to pee?" Larissa said frantically.

"But, I can't just leave him. We have a family, Riss. It'd be like you leaving Jake. I can't do it." Lauren whined.

"Yes you can. The babies don't know him. It's not like they're Ella's age and know their father. You have us to help. Forget him, forget his family. Forget all of this. It hasn't been good since you two started dating. I mean, shit. You hooked up the first time you met. Like did you even go on a proper first date?" Larissa complained.

"Yes. We had sushi." She told her sister.

"Don't bs me. Are you serious?" Larissa asked.

"Yes. I decided. And it was good. We go there all the time." She told her sister.

"Okay. Fine. But he's still crap. I mean, look at your arm...." Larissa lifted her arm showing her small marks from his rings and his nails digging into her. Lauren looked down now sure what to say.

"He gets mad. He's working on it." Lauren told her sister.

"Working on it doesn't mean it's better..." Larissa reached for her phone flipping through it writing down a number. "He needs to see a therapist. Call John. John is good. He's also Filipino. So he gets Bruno."

"How can you say he gets him if he doesn't even know him?" Lauren questioned.

"I just know. He's a cool guy. He goes to church with us." Larissa said watching Lauren stretch her feet out. "I know this is hard, sissy. But we'll get you through this. Even if it means me, Jake and Caitlin moving your things out of the house."

"No. I'm not doing that. I need to figure out what I'm saying to him. But we're not done. He was angry. I understand why he was angry." Lauren told her sister. "He was upset because I couldn't get away to be with him. I told him I was sorry."

"Lauren! No! You are not the one that should be sorry. What are you even talking about?" Larissa asked shocked.

"It was my fault for scheduling so many things. I was tired when I got back and we had no time together. He needs that." Lauren told her sister.

"Get up, Laur." Larissa held her hands out watching her sister help her up. "Stop!" she shook her sister. "You didn't do anything wrong! Not a damn thing. You are perfect!"

"No." Lauren slumped down on the couch starting to cry. "If I had been there this wouldn't have happened."

"It might not have, Elle. But it happened now and not five years from now when you have 3 more kids and Bruno is on tour and he sleeps with a groupie who he accidently gets pregnant and now everyone knows that he's an ass when you've known it the whole time. Now, who knows? You, him, me? That's it?" Larissa questioned.

"His cousin knows. And I'm sure Phil knows too." Lauren answered. "And if his cousin knows his whole family knows." She said looking over at her phone seeing a text message from one of his sisters.

Are you going to get this beast of a dog since you're home? He's ripping everything to pieces.

"Oh gooodddd...." Lauren cried. "Geronimoooo...." She started a text message not sure what to say.

I don't feel well. Bruno will get him when he comes back at the end of the week. I'm sorry. L

She waited a few seconds getting a response back.

What happened? You always come and get him.

I'm staying at my sister's until he gets back. The house is too big to be by myself.

Aww, my brother's poor spoiled girlfriend. I'll just make Marley take him out for the walks.

Tell your son he's a rock star! J

"There. She doesn't know." Lauren said throwing the phone down.

**

Bruno stayed in New York for a few more days drowning himself in vodka and music. Phil and Ari kept his head straight and kept him safe through the few days he was still there. Somehow the problems had opened a door to new music that he was feeling.

"All this is just such a fucking lie." He said to his production team.

"What do you mean?" Ari asked.

"I'm single. I go out and drink and hook up." He said to them.

"Umm...really? Because....." Phil questioned.

"I had Lauren. That's all I needed. I started believing the things everyone was saying. All the things the girls were saying." He told them.

"The wild onesss...." Phil sang to them in the tune of Flo Rida's Wild Ones.

"I just need her. I just want to shout it out to every single person in the world. Or now. I mean. I know I don't have her. I want her. I have to go get her." He told them.

"Then go get her! That's what we've been telling you for days!" Phil told him.

"I will. I just don't know how...." He said twirling his pen in his hands writing down the words he was thinking humming something slow and melodic to himself.