The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 235

"Bruno!" he heard Eric yell from the back of the stage minutes later while they waited to leave the stage as a group, coordinated the way they had decided early on rehearsals. Before he knew it the whole band hand gathered around him to help him off the stage like he was a wounded animal. "Come on Bruno, let's go..." Eric said in a caring tone. When they returned backstage Eric took Bruno aside to talk to him about what happened. "Bruno, you gotta get it together. It's tough. It's horrible."

"I can't do it." he said flopping on the couch covering his head with the hat he had worn the entire night throwing it off his head realizing how sweaty he was.

"Well, you kind of have to." Eric told him in a stern tone. "You brought all of this on yourself. "

"I know. But I want to fix it." Bruno told his brother.

"I think it's beyond fixable now, Brunz." Eric said to him. "You kind of had I coming to you."

"Are you going to be supportive or are you going to be an asshole? Because if you're going to be an asshole you can leave and I can try to figure this out on my own." Bruno said shooting his brother a nasty look that didn't scare him one bit.

"Shut up!" Eric rolled his eyes at his brother. "You are so full of shit. You caused all of this by being an immature fuck up, Bruno. You aren't 17 anymore. Your looks aren't going to get you by and your fame got you by there for like a month. But your wife isn't impressed by any of that shit. And you fucked it up by falling into the arms of someone who likes you for those two things. And that's pretty much it." Eric said taking a breath watching his younger brother stare at him in shock about what he was saying. "You have kids. What type of role model are being for them? You'd be better off getting drunk and getting high and going to Pasenda for rehab. At least then you wouldn't be having sex with such a skeez."

"Eric!" Bruno yelled. "I know I fucked up! But she's not a walking STD or anything. God." he yelled.

"Well have you gotten yourself tested for anything? I've heard that you can get a sore throat from gonherera." he replied.

"No." he said looking away.

"And you slept with Lauren. What the fuck if you gave her an STD? What would you do?" Eric asked. "When did you decide to just sleep with Damaris? Or when did she decide to just sleep with you? Because Marlene told me that she saw her with several different guys going home in November...."

"I thought I made the right decision...." Bruno said going from almost enraged by his brother to the same emotions he had as he was performing, emotions of pure sadness and frustration. "I didn't." he told his brother.

"I think she's made her decision, Bruno. She trusted you and you ruined it. She held on for a long time, baby brother. She held on way longer than I think anyone would. And you had so many chances. You had the chance after you came home from Hawaii with Lorelei, after you even kissed that random DJ in 2010. And she even let you back into her life after you slept with Damaris when the twins weren't even a month old. Dude. Do you even hear how bad that is?" Eric said calming down feeling better after getting out his feelings.

"I have three and a half months to get her back. I'm going to get her back." Bruno said with determination. "She's not dating that other guy anymore..."

"But you're dating that other girl...." Eric said.

"I'm breaking up with her. She's not right. She deserves better." Bruno told his brother. "She deserves someone else."

"That's what you said about Elle..." Eric responded.

"I know. But I need her. I can't even think about breathing without her in my life right now." Bruno told his brother.

"Then I'll do what I can to help you get her back." Eric said to his brother. "But first you gotta take a shower. You stink."

**

Bruno walked through the bustling baggage claim area of LAX catching the eyes of several photographers who obviously wanted to hear from him after the divorce papers were made public just hours earlier. He heard questions being shot his way about cheating and about Lauren and how long it had gone on. Everything he and Lauren had attempted to hide for the last year had suddenly become so public that it scared him. "I'm sorry. I really can't talk about any of that." he said watching Dre stand in front of him to get him to the car and back to his home. While driving he heard Damaris's ringtone go off in his pocket. "Hello?" he asked unsure about the conversation they were going to have.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I could be better." he admitted. "D....we need to talk." he told her.

"Then let's talk." she said to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"What's going on?" she asked confused. "I thought this was what you wanted. You wanted to get a divorce."

"I don't know what I want." Bruno admitted, again.

"I have three and a half months to figure it out." he answered.

"What does that mean?" She asked him.

"I think I need to be by myself for a little bit. Not with her, not with you, just me." he answered.

"I'm done Bruno. This is shit. You call me when you get your head together." she told him starting to hang up to the phone.

"Laureennn..." he whined competely unaware of the words that came out of his mouth. "Don't hang upppp..." he heard the click of the phone after the words came out of his mouth. "Welp. She's not calling back." he said to himself with a bit of sarcasm.

I wanted to make this a second chapter but it was too short. So it gets to be part of this one.

Lauren successfully avoided most of the paparazzi and other news that was buzzing about their impending divorce. She had never avoided TV until now. She hadn't been online since the night she sent him the papers and she stopped responding to texts and stopped tweeting. After the third day of Bruno retreating and not leaving the house and her not hearing from her like she had thought she would she called him one night. She heard him pick up coughing a little. "Are you drunk?" she asked him before anything else.

"No. I was asleep." he told her.

"Come over and talk to me?" she asked hm without any explanation.

"Give me like twenty minutes." he said hanging up the phone.

Thirty minutes later Lauren heard a soft knock on the door. She eyed her watch to see that in was 11 in the evening. Holding onto an almost asleep Ezra she opened the door to see him with his hair a mess wearing jeans and a tattered t-shirt. "Shh..." she told him walking to the small second bedroom in the apartment that held the bare essentials for her children. Bruno followed behind her watching her place Ezra down gently on the tightly fitted mattress placing a stuffed monkey next to him. Lauren turned around to see Bruno watching her the way she remembered him watching her. He watched her intently to see if she was okay; to see if she was tired or happy or sad. She watched him the same way taking his hand leading him out of the room. She felt him pull her into his arms holding her in a tight embrace that she hadn't felt in months. It wasn't a sexual touch or even a I miss you hug. It was something they both needed. In the embrace he clutched her not saying a word. Her head fell onto his shoulder as they both held onto each other crying. "I had to." she told him.

"I know you did." he replied still holding her.

"You weren't going to figure it out if I didn't...." she started to explain to him. "You weren't going to change if you didn't think you were going to lose me." she said lifting her head up to look into his eyes. "But I don't know if I'm ready to come back."

"I just want to hold you, Lauren. That's all I need right now." he said sweetly leaning his forehead into hers kissing her nose. "I just want you in my arms until the sun comes up."