Chapter 34: Chapter 34

XXX

"Whiskey." I plop down on the bar chair, behind the bar. This place looks like a dump, a place where someone like me shouldn't be in because they'd get kidnapped or something, but I'm hoping none of these are actually stupid enough to attack me.

I set the phone on the bar and it starts ringing immediately, bold letters "COACH" appearing on the screen. Right, practice.

I shove the phone back into my pocket.

"I said whiskey." I repeat, looking up at the terrified young man behind the bar. Obviously, he's recognized me, why isn't my drink already in front of me? "Are you fucking deaf or something?"

"Oh, s-sorry." he mutters, thick british accent in his voice. "Right away, sir." he snaps out of the trance and rushes off.

"Actually, three whiskeys. It's gonna take a long time, I see, so might as well order more."

I purse my lips. Why am I being an asshole, again?

I quickly mutter an apology and lean my head on my hands, thinking. What the fuck do I do?

The thing that I'm absolutely sure about is that I'm definitely not leaving Soph for anyone, much less Elizabeth. She can do whatever she wants but she's not changing that.

Our relationship was double sided from the beginning - she lived a double life while I was actually very much in love with her. It was intense, too intense and that's exactly why it couldn't last.

Sophie is completely different. She isn't reckless, she's caring and she wouldn't ever hurt me in the way Elizabeth did. Elizabeth felt like a roller coaster, she made me feel alive but for all the wrong reasons.

Sophie makes me feel like I'm finally home, safe.

"Here you go." the bartender puts down alcohol in front of me and I quickly pour them down my throat, wincing at the burn - the bad side effect of alcohol. I drink to get drunk, just like everyone else. Whoever says they drink for pleasure are either liars or snobby assholes.

"Three more." I order, groaning at the loud people in the background. He looks reluctant but starts pouring them, anyway. Good idea. "I'm sorry if I'm being an asshole, I just had a really shitty day. well, no actually I've had a good day. That is until a few hours ago, when I ran into my three year son that I didn't realize I had." I blabber to him and he raises his eyebrows, surprised.

"Wow, mate. That's terrible. What are you going to do now?"

I point my index finger at him. "Excellent question! Care to provide me with equally excellent answer?" I can already feel the buzz of alcohol, oddly. It's probably because I've had them all at once.

"No idea. Are you single?" he asks and places the next three whiskeys in front of me, and I greedily drown them all down in a matter of one minute.

I frown at him, leaning closer. I feel slightly out of balance.

"What do you mean? Haven't you been reading the news? Or watching television?" I ask him and he shrugs. "Well yeah, but what does this have to do with you?"

I lean back, feeling slightly disappointed. I thought everyone knew who I am. "I'm Axel William. The boxer."

He still looks like he has no clue what I'm talking about.

Oh! Right!

"Scratch that, I meant I'm Dave Axel Williams." I snort. "Axel Jarvis. Who even is that?" I hope he can't hear the sarcasm in my voice.

"Oh! I know you! You have a girlfriend, don't you?" he comments and I nod. "Well, that's shitty mate."

"Shitty indeed."

My phone starts buzzing again and I pull it out with difficulty, answering without looking at the screen. "Hellu." I slur.

"Bloody hell, Axel, where the fuck are you?! Are you in a fucking bar?" coach shouts into the phone so loudly that I quickly move it away from my ear.

"Noooo, of course I'm not. I'm training." I lie and hand up the phone.

Fucking buzz kill that was. He calls me again and I ignore it.

"Who was that?" the bartender asks and I purse my lips. "My dad. He's annoying."

He just laughs in response and a few drinks later, we become best friends.

"Tell me why ain't nothing but a heartbreak! Tell me why ain't nothing but a mistake, tell me why. I never want to hear you say I want it that way!" Peter laughs at me, singing Backstreet boys on the bar.

"You're completely mental, mate! Get down here!"

I show him my tongue and the little crowd of teenage girls below me laugh. "This is so fucking fun!" I yell at Peter behind the bar and he shakes his head at me.

"Axel! Get your fucking ass down here!" suddenly a bald old guy pulls me down on the ground and I go to punch him, but he block it. Who the fuck...

"Don't you dare, boy. I'm so fucking pissed off right now, you don't even want to fucking know!" he drags me out of the bar.

"Dad?" I yell over the loud music. "What the fuck are you doing?"

I pushes me out into the cold London air and I put my arms on my hips angrily.

"No, I'm not your fucking dad, and I'm pretty glad about that at the moment! Do you even realize what the fuck you are doing? You better pray you won't be on the cover page of the Guardian tomorrow!" he's screaming so fucking much, it's hurting my ears.

I shrug in response. "So what? I'm on the cover page all the fucking time, this won't be the worst thing that's ever happened to me, not like being a father is." I rub my arm. It hurts from his fucking tight grip.

Asshole.

Coach rolls his eyes. "You're not a dad yet, thankfully."

"Yes, I am."

"Don't be an idiot. Sophie didn't give birth yet."

"No, but Elizabeth did." I tell him and he gives me a weird look. Ground looks pretty comfortable at the moment, so I sit on the floor.

"Elizabeth?" he asks and I nod. "Yep. Just found out about it."

Coach turns on his heels and rubs his face in annoyance, then turns back around quickly. He's making my fucking head spin. "You have a fucking child that is not Sophie's?!" he shouts at me and I wince.

"Will you stop with the fucking screaming-"

A punch comes my way too quickly to even register it in my state, much less block it. My head turns to right, and I groan out loudly. "Did you just fucking punch me?!" I shout at him, and he doesn't reply to my question, breathing heavily in anger at me.

"I can't fucking believe you. All this time, I've tried to help you. I knew you were fucked up beyond repair but I thought, hey, he can't be that fucking bad if a girl like Sophie loves him. And now you're going to do this to her? No. No, I won't support you this fucking time. She doesn't deserve this!"

"Don't you think I fucking know that!" I somehow manage to get myself on my two feet, and almost fall back down again. My jaw is going to hurt like a fucking bitch tomorrow. "I didn't want this!"

"But you still did it! You couldn't keep your dick in your fucking pants! You- Do you even realize how fucking serious this is?!" he keeps on screaming and I want to rip his bald fucking head off.

I shrug. "It's not that bad. She's gonna take it, like always. I don't even know what the fuzz is about." I answer calmly, and immediately feel like the biggest fucking asshole on the Planet.

Way to go, Axel.

Coach goes to swing at me again, but he stops the last second, shaking his head to himself. "Know what? You're not even worth it."

Without any further words, he turns around and leaves me alone in the cold snow, just like I deserve it.