The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 260

Lauren looked at her phone trying to figure out exactly what she was going to tell Bruno that evening. They had texted each other throughout the day. She knew he was going through a lot and was not happy about Penelope being assigned to help him. She could feel the tension in his texts. But, she was also on the edge. The babies were being particularly fussy and struggled to go to sleep that evening. During lunch she talked to her sister and her mother about what had happened. They were of the same opinion she was, let it be. It happened. They weren't together at the time. It hurt. It hurt her a lot though. It was a pain that she hadn't felt since he said he wanted to work on things. It was the same pain, anger and sadness that she felt when she heard Damaris's name. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Did she want to deal with it all head on like everyone else was suggesting or did she want space and to think about it all like her heart was telling her? Is this what I really want? Is this the man I married? Is this who I want to spend the rest of my life with? Someone that would do that? Even after a million I'm sorries, the same thing keeps happening. After putting the babies down and knowing for sure they were asleep she laid down on the couch clutching her phone to call Bruno. It was almost midnight there. He was there for two more days before he would be home. She didn't have that long to make a decision, though. "Hey, Brunz." she said into the phone.

"Hey mama. How are you?" he asked her.

"I'm tired." she said to him.

"Did they keep you up?" he questioned.

"Yeah. They were a handful tonight. I can usually get them down but tonight it was a hassle. They wanted to get out of their cribs and...." she went on to tell him why she was tired, including the conversation that she had with her family. "But I don't know Bruno. No one understands what we've been through except us. No one has those feelings. If it was up to them we would have been divorced a longtime ago."

"What?" he asked her.

"They told me to get a divorce like right after the preview party." she told him. "Like they wanted me to leave that second. Even Cait wanted me to leave." She waited for Bruno to answer her not hearing anything back. She knew he was trying to stay calm during her statements. "But, Bruno. It wasn't what I wanted. And now....I don't know."

"I know, Lauren. I know I really messed up. Now everyone knows everything." he told her. "I don't know what to do."

"I need to think about it some more. Like maybe a few weeks." she told him.

"Lauren...." he tried to get out before starting to feel his head spin. I lost her again. Again. What is happening? How did this happen?

"I know we weren't together, Bruno. I know I shouldn't be hurt by it. But it's out there for the whole world to see. You and her. Fucking each other....and you're my husband. Mine. Not hers. Even if we weren't together. I knew it was happening. I'm not dumb. But,. Bruno. Everyone knows now. Our whole relationship is out there."

"She's going to fix it, Lauren." he got out.

"He's gong to fix it for you. But who is going to fix it for me? Who is going to make all the pain go away? Who is going to wash out that icky taste I have every time I eat something because I think of the two of you eating those cookies at the end of the video? Who is going to help me?" she almost cried into the phone.

"I don't know the answer to that." Bruno told her softly. '

"I have to fix it for myself." she told him. "And I need some time to think about it. You can have the twins when you come back."

"Okay." he said in a sad tone. "I know. I understand." he told her. But June 22. "But Lauren, the tour starts soon. What if you take longer than that?"

"Then I take longer than that to figure it out. But for right now, that's how it's going to be." she told him using the demanding tone that she would use to piss him off. He recognized the tone almost about to yell at her to get his way. "That's just the way it has to be."

"Lauren, I want to see you before the tour starts. I have to see you more than the ten minutes it takes to get the twins." he told her. "I can't be in the same city without you."

"I can be without you." she said in the same tone.

"Lauren. You're doing it again. You're being really mean." he told her almost biting his lip out of nervousness.

"You love the privlege to tell me what I am and what I'm not doing the second I saw that tape, Bruno. You can come and get them when you get back." she said not changing her tone. I'm sorry. She thought to herself. But I have to stand up for myself. He has to know that I'm not putting up with this.

"Lauren, Damaris and I are done. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, like the vows said. Through better and worse." he tried to reason with her.

"Well this is the worse and I don't want to see you right now. I hope you can understand that." she said finally calming down. "It hurts me to say that." she said starting to sob. "It hurts so much to say that I don't want to be with you right now when that's all I've fought for. For the last year, that's all I've fought for; to have you. And now I'm saying no. But it's the right thing for me right now." she told him.

"But what's the right thing for us?" he asked her.

"We'll find out on the 22nd." she said hearing the dog start to bark. "Shit. I need to go. Geronimo is barking and he will for sure wake them up." she said jumping up to grab the dog.

"I love you, Lauren." he said to her.

"I love you too. I'll talk to yo later." she said in a hurried voice throwing the phone down yelling at the dog.