Mysterious

Chapter 83

By the time baby Christian was 6 months old Bruno had completed a third album and was getting ready to go out and promote it. He and Arissa had decided that he couldn't, no he wouldn't be away from them for more than 2 weeks at a time. It sounded great in theory, but then he started to do radio shows on his own without his band mates, he was gone for at least a month at a time. It broke her heart to know when they first started dating he would fly to Texas to stay with her for the evening and the mornings and then leave right away...now, he wasn't even bothering to spend those short amounts of time with her or their son.

In the early Fall of that year Bruno insisted that she come to New York with him for a series of shows. She was happy to be spending time with him and as a family, but quickly realized that she had lost him in some way. She didn't know what to do. As she walked towards the hotel holding the baby and carry-on bag she caught his eye, he was waiting for her. She wanted to run to him, to hug him, to have him hold her and tell her everything was okay. She didn't do that. She waited for him to come up to her. He kissed her lightly making her heart melt and then took hold of his son watching him smile.

"I missed you, Beautiful...." he told Arissa taking her hand walking toward the elevator.

"I missed you too, Bruno..." she said quietly holding on to his hand. She watched him put down her things next to his pile of clothes.

"Bruno....you are such a mess..." she laughed at him picking up a few of his shirts. A note fell out of one. She glanced at it reading it out loud,"Nicole....818-324-5432...who is that?" she asked him.

"The girl from the Pussycat Dolls...she's going to be here tonight for the show..."

"Oh, the hot one...I don't like her..." Arissa said sarcastically. Bruno didn't respond to her opting to grab his son and hold him while he watched Arissa pull out diapers and a change of clothes for Christian. "B...will you change him?"

"I will..." he said taking the diaper from her. She watched him intently not sure how she felt in anyway. She could tell that he felt the same way. They hadn't acted that way since Milan. And it scared her. She didn't know what was going on.

**

Arissa sat in the back of the room to watch Bruno perform that evening. Nicole introduced herself to Arissa admiring Christian saying that he looked so much like Bruno, except with blonde curly hair. Arissa smiled politely at this new girl. She trusted Bruno; it was Nicole that she didn't trust. Bruno always told her what he was doing, always...but he had failed to mention tha he was going to be working with her.

By the time the show ended Arissa was ready to pass out. Christian had fallen asleep in her arms to the loud music and Bruno had to go to some bar for an appearance. He had promised her that he would be back by 1. She didn't count on it. But, as she flipped through the channels on the TV, stopping at Friends with Benefits she heard the door open. Bruno walked in, completely sober smiling at her.

"I love you, Arissa...." he said flopping on the bed with his hat falling of his head. He leaned in to kiss her wrapping his arms around her neck. She hesitated pulling away.

"Bruno....what is going on?" she asked him bluntly.