The Hook-up

Chapter 111

Lauren jumped waking herself up from the couch about an hour later. She turned trying to figure out exactly where she was realizing she was on the couch and that her whole right side hurt from first the fight they got into and second from her fall down the cabinet. Instead of looking for Bruno's help she watched Gigi jump down from the couch and into the bedroom. Lauren threw the blanket aside not noticing the small splatters of blood that Bruno had not seen when he was cleaning. She wandered into the bedroom seeing the same empty bed. "Ugh." She sighed throwing herself into the bed reaching for the pillows laying on her left side trying to avoid the pain that she was in.

Bruno finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen feeling his head spin from the alcohol he had consumed for the last few days in the studio. He stumbled into the bedroom to see Lauren spread out in the bed taking over his side of the bed. I'll go in the guestroom because I've been such an ass...he thought to himself feeling some words running through his head. I wouldn't do any of this because it breaks your heart. All the things I have done because she's here. Why can't we just leave the past behind us? We need to find all of the love again. I wish we could start over again....By the time he finished with the words it was nearly 7 in the morning. He heard the dogs downstairs running around and Lauren's soft shuffle into the kitchen to get breakfast. Instead of going downstairs right away to beg for forgiveness he remained in the loft with his eyes closed thinking of ways that he could change where they were. His thoughts were interrupted by her talking on the phone. "Yes, I need to schedule an appointment. I fainted last night and am worried." She said to the doctor's office. "Can I tell the doctor about it? It's kind of embarrassing." She started. "Okay. Thank you. I will see you all at 2." She hung up the phone reaching for her glass of orange juice taking a sip. Shit. Where is he? I want him to come to the doctor with me. She reached for her phone to text Bruno thinking that he went to the studio.

Are you awake?

She heard the ding upstairs from his phone. She wasn't actually sure if she wanted to talk to him.

I'm upstairs.

Can you come downstairs?

"Good morning." He said with a half-smile on his face.

"I'm going to the doctor at 2 if you want to come." She said reaching for the bowl of yogurt to take to the sink.

"Do you want me to come?" he asked.

"It's up to you. You can come or not. Whatever. I'll be fine." She said aphetically.

"I'm sorry about last night, Lauren. I didn't mean any of it. I don't even know how it all happened. We were mixing a song and it wasn't going well so we all left and I was upset and you were here. I just took it out on you. I don't want it to be that way." He said to her.

"Hang on. I have to puke..." she told him running to the bathroom. When she came back about ten minutes later he was sitting in the same place watching her.

"You need a break from all this Bruno. You just need to leave it all behind you for a little bit. Didn't you say you wanted to go to Hawaii?" she asked him. I need a break from all this is more like it.

"Yeah. But I can go after I'm finished. I just want it done with." He said to her reaching for her orange juice to finish it.

"You don't like that kind..." she replied.

"Eww. You're right. No amount of drinking can change that." He said making a face making her laugh at him.

"It's like when I'm writing. I can write and write and write at work but there just comes a point where I can't do it anymore. That's when I say that I just need to take a break. Leave the office, leave the house, go out, go to the gym, go for a run, go shopping....Brunz..." she reached for his hand. "You haven't taken a break since the Grammy's. I mean...there have been nights when we've hung out, but for the most part you've been gone. And you're like that one person who needs to take a nap after being out for a long time."