The Hook-up

Chapter 166

"Okay..." Lauren stretched out on a bright white couch looking at the small tray of snacks that were laid out for Bruno at the studio where they were meeting several people. "What am I doing?" she asked.

"You...." He sat down as close as possible to her making her uncomfortable around everyone. "You are going to be....the damsel in distress..." he said poking her to make her squirm.

"Stoppp...." She whined seeing Phil, Ari and Phred walk into the room.

"They said they needed Lauren over there...." Phil said pointing to the other side of the studio where someone was walking toward them.

"I'll be there in a second!" she exclaimed jumping up from the couch.

Bruno smiled at her as she turned to wave good bye as if they were parting for a long period of time. "Bro, what are you doing?" Phil asked.

"What do you even mean?" Bruno asked reaching for Lauren's bottle of water to take a drink.

"You know what I mean." Phil said with a tense tone.

"I haven't seen her in weeks! I haven't done anything!" he said defending himself.

"But you're still talking to her. You have that fake fucking ringtone for her texts. The high pitched on that only some people can hear." Phil said pointing to his phone that was blinking. "Just like that." Phil picked up the phone reading, "I can't wait to get you in my bed."

"That's fucking bullshit!" Bruno yelled faking a smile as several people turned around. He shrugged his shoulders acknowledging what he had done. He grabbed the phone reading the text word for word going back through their conversation deleting the whole thread. "There. It never happened. Now I'm going to go see my hot wife get even \hotter." He said patting his gelled hair for the scene they were working on.

"You are going to get yourself in so much trouble one day." Phred said with disgust sitting down on the couch taking a break from their work.

"Whatever." He said walking toward Lauren seeing a make-up artist placing eyeliner on Lauren's eyes. "You look beautiful." He said touching her long straight hair that he hadn't seen straightened in months.

"Bruno, stop. She's trying to do my make-up." Lauren laughed.

"It's okay." The girl said stepping back. "Open your eyes." She instructed handing Lauren a mirror. Lauren smiled at the mirror. "Wow. Can I take you home?" she asked.

"You're amazing just the way you are...." Bruno smiled kissing Lauren lightly taking away the mirror handing it to the make-up artist with his eyes closed still on her lips.

"You're going to mess up my make-up." Lauren laughed as he moved away from her.

"Come on. I think they're ready for us...." He said leading her to the set they were at where everyone else was standing waiting for them.

"Always late..." Phil laughed politely trying to keep his frustration with Bruno to a minimum.

"You know what you need to do, Elle?" the director asked.

"I think. He gives me the flowers and then when he turns around Phil turns a gun on him and then as he defends himself I get a gun out and then he turns around and is all 'No way,' to me." She said triumphantly.

"Yes. Perfect. And be dramatic." The director stated backing up to start the shot. The music started making Lauren feel the change in Bruno's demeanor from having fun to serious. She moved the way she was told trying not to laugh at him.

"Ahhh...nooo...." Lauren laughed as he turned Lauren's body to protect her from the imaginary bullets.

"Ugh... Laurrrr...." Bruno sighed faking frustration.

"Let's try it again...." The director instructed several more times until they got it right.

**

Lauren glanced at her phone to see that it was almost 11 at night. She felt her body calling for her to feed her children and to go to bed. "Bruno?" Lauren asked watching him move his hair a bit to make it perfect.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I have to...." She said pointing to the overnight bag she had brought just in case she felt that way.

"It's okay, mama. Go do your thang. Go call your mom and see how they are." He said to her handing her the bag.

"Ugh. Thank you. I feel so gross." She groaned running to the bathroom.

"Where did she go?" Phil asked sitting down next to Bruno.

"She had to go be a mommy." Bruno answered.

"Ohhh..." Phil responded seeing the bag gone. "I just wanted to tell you I was sorry for being an ass and telling you those things earlier tonight bro. I might not agree with what you're doing but it's not my place to say those things to you."

"It's alright. I know I'm fucking things up. It's just that she listens to me and let's me be right. With Laur it's not that way. We're always trying to see who is going to be right and who is going to do things. It gets frustrating. It's like she's always competing for me. She has me." Bruno admitted.

"Well don't you think she has a reason to think that?" Phil asked. "I mean...if I saw those texts...she is going to find them one day."

"It's my grave and I'm digging it." Bruno answered with a sigh seeing Lauren come back out looking more comfortable than she did before. "You knowwww..." he said twirling her around in the dress she was wearing for one of the final shots.

"What?" she asked.

"I could get behind you taking that dress off after we're done." He said winking at her touching her shoulder to get rid of the hair that was on it knowing that it would drive her crazy.

"You know what?" she asked.

"What?" he wondered with a smirk.

"I could make that happen." She answered.

"Oh God, Laurennnn..." he whispered in her ear. "You have no idea..."

"Oh, I think I do." She said raising her eyebrow seeing everyone moving toward the next scene. "Let's get this done. I'm getting hot and it's not because I'm pregnant." She said smiling at him touching the fake baby bump on her stomach.

"But let's make sure that that..." he said touching her stomach. "doesn't happens."

"No. We'll make sure of that." She answered pulling him toward the scene where he was going to rescue her from a burning fire.