Weddings

Chapter 09

Paul's phone was ringing.

He breathed out, eyes fluttering open. He felt groggy and irritable, a dull bubble encasing his
thoughts, and slowing them to a seemingly glacial drip.

After yesterday's long nap, falling asleep had been a challenge, so he and Emil had ended up getting more beers last night, a bottle of vodka each too. Paul was not hung over; he was still drunk.

He held the cruelly bright phone screen before his tired eyes, trying to focus.

Richard calling

Reject. Fuck off Richard.

Paul let the phone fall to the bed, not worrying where it was. Silence. Blessed, sweet, sacred silence.
He drifted back to sleep.

Richard calling

"Fuck off." Paul growled, rejecting the call again.

'BZZT' His phone sounded almost angry. One new text from Lanky Pants

What do you want Olli? Paul read the text. 'Where are you?'

He didn't respond.

One new text from Flake 'Band meeting today? You forgot didn't you?'

'No.' Paul set the phone down, he couldn't be bothered to explain.

'Traffic?' Flake buzzed back.

'Quit.'

'Quit what?' Flake.

'The band.'

There was a moment of silence, then his phone buzzed again. 'Don't be a lazy prick. Get in here.'

'Quit yesterday. Richard knows this.'

Paul sighed and rolled over, enjoying a few minutes of blissful silence. Somewhere in the world his bandmates were panicking, wondering what to do next. Paul knew this, but he didn't care.

Till calling.

One new text from Schnei

Missed call: Till

Lanky Pants calling.

One new text from Flake

One new text from Till

Missed call: Lanky Pants

Till calling.

Paul picked up his phone, glaring angrily at it as it buzzed viciously in his hand. This thing was like a beehive. Flight mode Paul smiled to himself, What a Godsend.

He reluctantly pulled himself from bed, heading to Emil's room and slamming on the door. "Get up kid. Need this place to myself for a few hours." He heard Emil roll out of bed and onto the floor.

Breakfast. Rammstein was Richard's baby, Paul knew this. He was killing Richard's baby, and now he could just sit back and watch the minutes tick before the man was banging on his door, begging for forgiveness. Might as well wait with coffee, eggs and bacon.

Emil crawled into the living room, finally collapsing on the floor at the edge of the sofa. It's a shame about the timing of this. Emil really needs to sleep. Paul contemplated letting his son go back to bed but it wasn't possible, not with what he had in mind.