The Hook-up

Chapter 234

While Bruno read over the divorce papers Lauren sat in her office with Wes sitting across from her. They stared at her phone intently waiting for some type of response from Bruno. "Should I call her?" Lauren asked. "I want to make sure he got it. He can be kind of hard to find on these sorts of nights..."

"She will call, Lauren. Just give it a little bit." he said to her. "He will get it."

"But what if he doesn't? I didn't want him to get it after. I wanted him to get it the night of the show so he would be a complete mess and regret it all." she said looking at her computer to see that it was almost four in the afternoon. "I need to go get the babies." she said reaching for her purse hearing her text message tone go off.

"It was delivered, Lauren." he said handing her the phone.

"Oh. Oh god. Oh my god. Okay." she said almost shaking.

"Are you going to be okay?" Wes asked seeing her hands shake.

"I will be fine. I need to go and you have stuff to do. Thank you for sitting and waiting for this." she said running out the door. Nearing the car almost 10 minutes later she heard her phone ring. It's him. Oh my god. What do I say? She dug into her purse to answer her phone. "Hi."

"Lauren, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Going to pick up the babies." she said not sure as to what he was talking about.

"No. You know what I'm talking about." he told her in an upset emotional tone. "Why would you do that before a show?"

"Why would you do any of this?" she asked him. "Why any of this?" she leaned against the car trying not to cry.

"Laurennnnnnn..." he cried into the phone. "I need you. I need everything about you. This was all a mistake. I can't live without you. It just isn't right. Please don't do this...."

"I'm sorry, Bruno. You have until the start of your tour to get everything signed." she said to him still shaking from both their emotional reactions.

"So 3 and a half months to figure this out?" he asked sniffing away his tears hearing a knock at the door.

"That's right." she said getting into the car a bit more calm.

"Can we talk when I get back?" he asked yelling to the person on the other side of the door that he would be off the phone.

"We'll see." she told him. "You have to go. I'm going to be late. Have a good show." she said in the reassuring tone that she always used with him, unknowingly calming him down somewhat.

"Okay, Elle. I love you." he said unconsciously.

"Bruno, stop." she told him hearing his last words.

"I have to go." he ended the call before she could answer.

Standing up to get the door Bruno saw Phil standing in front of him. "Did you watch the Notebook or something?" he asked. Bruno turned around handing him the papers he had just gotten. "Oh." Phil responded flipping through the papers.

"Yeah. I don't know how I'm going to do this." he said burying his head in his hands.

"You have to do it." Phil said. "What did she say to you?"

"She said have a good show." Bruno replied.

"Then do what she said." Phil told him.

"I need to talk to my mom." he said standing up to take the papers out of the room outside of the building. "Mooommmmm..." Bruno whined into the phone as she answered.

"What's wrong, Brunz?" she asked.

"She gave me divorce papers...." Bruno told his mom turning his head so no one could see how upset he was.

"Oh, Bruno. What are you going to do?" she asked him concerned for him.

"I don't know. That's what I want you to tell me." he answered confused.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I want her." he answered. "But I don't know what to do..."

"Does she know that?" she asked him.

"I told her when I talked to her today." he told his mother.

"Have you ever told her that when you weren't arguing?" Bernie wondered.

"Not in a long time..." he responded.

"That's what you need to do." Bernie answered him.

"I need to do what?" he clarified.

"You need to talk to her about it. And honestly. And sincerely. Not in the moment, Bruno. I know you love her. I know you are in love with her. It's up to you to show her that you are." Bernie told him.

"But Damaris..." he said to his mother. "I love her too..."

"I'm not going to tell you what you are and what you are not, Bruno. But I am going to tell you that she's not the one for you. Lauren has been there for you. Through a lot of good and bad. Now you need to show her that you are going to be there for her." Bernie said seriously. Bruno turned to make sure no one was watching him. Instead he saw a few people trying to get his attention.

"I have to go, mama." he paused. "I will talk to you later. Thank you for talking to me." he told her.

"Have a good show, Bruno." she told him ending the call.

**

Bruno mentally stumbled through his performance thinking of Lauren and his children every time he looked up at the crowd and eyed the screen with the screaming crowd. I just want to be with her. I just want to tell her I'm sorry and that she will always be my everything. I'm done with her. I'm' done with being angry, I'm done with it. I'll change for you. I will do everything and anything you want. He thought getting to the song that they both shared, the song that she had asked him not to make a single. The song that was theirs. He paused for a few seconds gathering his thoughts turning to wipe the sweat from his forehead keeping it on his eyes to wipe away the tears that he knew were coming at the end of the song. At the end of Young Girls he covered his face explaining that the next song was very important to him and that he was going through a hard time. It was a song that was near to his heart and that he would need some help to get through. He turned to Phred, who he was playing with to indicate that he was going to have a hard time with the song. Phred nodded his head letting him know that he was there to get him through the song. Bruno tried to find someone in the distant audience to keep his eye on to help him keep his composure, but nothing helped. He let the crowd sing along to the song holding his microphone up while covering his eyes from the thoughts and tears that were going to fall down his cheek. Have a good show. He thought to himself hearing the words from his mother and his wife echo in the back of his head. He let his emotions carry him through the rest of the evening, with split seconds of freedom from his thoughts, but with jolts of Lauren's voice throughout their time together keeping him from enjoying the evening. You were amazing! Oh my god, I'm pregnant, Bruno, I love you, You're so good. Thank you for being there for me. I really need you. I love you.Her laugh, he yawn, the sounds she made when she woke up and fell asleep, her hands on his waist, her hands on his neck. It was all he could think of. I need that back. He thought to himself finishing Just the Way You Are. He closed his eyes as the lights lowered falling onto the ground reaching for the extra towel and bottle of water that was in front of him. Only those in the very front saw his emotions spill to the floor. Even with the few people who saw him fall to the ground in tears the only person he wanted to see that moment was his wife.