Cruel Summer

Chapter 9

Present Day 2019...

Dele's head swirls with the strong alcohol mixed with love drug. He pushes past some people and barges 2 or 3 'posh boys' out of the way in the now, and somehow all of a sudden busy toilets of Mahiki nightclub. He pushes the cubical door open and just makes it before he gets sick into the toilet bowl. "Come on! I'm taking you back to the hotel" a familiar voice tells him and he nods and rises to his feet still unsteady.

24 Hours Earlier...

When Dele reaches the hotel Lobby he is breathless, he sees Harry storming towards the glass hotel doors, to the awaiting paps who always camp outside Dele's hotel, day and night. "Harry, think about it," Dele says and Harry steps outside to the flash of cameras. Dele stands watching and hears Harry announce.
"my name is Harry Kane, a striker for Spurs, Captain of the England team, and I am gay,"  and the camera flashes are so blinding and so much commotion Dele can no longer see Harry who is probably mid-center in a paparazzi frenzy. So with a deep breath, Dele walks to the hotel lobby doors and also steps outside causing more frenzy and more camera flashes. For a moment Dele hears nothing in a dream-like sort of state, the camera flashes and people screaming his, and Harrys' name fade away, and then it all comes back, "Harry, Harry, is this an official statement?" one paparazzi scream, "Harry does the club know?" another shouts. "This is official, yes. And the reason I choose tonight to say it.... is because I love him!" Harry says and looks and points straight at Dele. Dele feels his stomach drop. The paparazzi go wild calling out and snapping photos. Dele feels like a deer in the headlights and also relieved at the same time, he finally did it! Harry finally did it. But at this moment Dele doesn't respond or say anything. He turns away from Harry, and the paps and runs back inside the hotel. He collides into the chest of a hotel porter on the way in, most of the hotel staff are lurking at the glass doors in disbelief at what they have just witnessed between Harry Kane and Dele Alli and the paps. "MOVE MAN," Dele snaps at the guy feeling emotional and he rushes to the lift.

When he is the only one in the lift on the way to his hotel room, Dele punches the back of the door. "FUCK!" he shouts out. Dele never wanted to be a coward in that moment. He never wanted to run, but Dele has seen and experienced first hand what "Coming Out" in the Football world will do to your career and he absolutely does not want that for Harry. The brave part of Dele wishes he would have said I Love You Too in front of all the paps, but thats not what happened. And Dele knows the paparazzi will spin this story on a negative angle. Dele rushes into his hotel room and hides under the sheets like a kid, and hopes this can all go away. But he knows it won't.

HARRY KANE COMES OUT FOR DELE the headline of the daily star reads.

HARRY KANE SHUNNED BY DELE OUTSIDE THE HOTEL CAFE ROYAL AS SPURS PLAYER CONFESSES LOVE FOR THE EX PLAYER the headline of the daily telegraph reads.

they are just a few of the headlines across every paper in Britain at the moment, Dele has stopped reading them. He has 5 missed calls from Harry and multiple texts and also 2 from Bobby Firmino. So he turns his phone off and hides away in his hotel room all day. And as the day turns to night. Dele looks himself over in the mirror and takes a deep breath before once again exiting the hotel. The paparazzi who have camped all night go wild as he exits with his bodyguard his agent sent him. They scream questions at him and cameras flash brightly. Dele thought he was use to fame but this is another level. It takes both all of Dele and his bodyguards efforts just to get Dele inside the back of the car.

At Mahiki nightclub Dele is told by a spotty teenager who is wearing a suit,
"Our V.I.P booths are all reserved!" And Dele nods a little pissed off.
"Yeah, really! you remember last year mate when England was top of the tier in the World Cup and you use to beg me to come to this club! me and any of the England players. Well, I'm still that good! so get me a V.I.P Booth, now!" Dele says to the guy but the guy shakes his head again and repeats that the booths are full. Dele knows that this particular club is very exclusive and very preppy they only like to have people who are doing well in whatever they do to use the V.I.P booths as it reflects the club in a good light in the press. "Fine, fuck it," Dele says and pushes at the guy's chest. Both of the men then turn around as they hear. "What's the problem, Del?" From behind them. Dele turns to see Bobby Firmino dressed all in white. Bobby has come down from the V.I.P booth and is seated within it, with a few other Liverpool players. Of course Mahiki gave fucking Liverpool a booth Dele thinks. "He's with me!" Bobby Firmino snaps at the employee and he scuttles off apologizing before he goes. Dele follows Bobby and ignores the other players from Liverpool as he takes a seat and picks up a glass of champagne instantly.
"What's up, Dele, You and Harry split already?" One of the Liverpool players ask Dele the other 2 laughs, apart from Bobby. Dele stands to his feet and takes a swig.
"Christ, that's gone flat." He says before swilling the player with the rest of the glass. The player smiles a bit in disbelief before taking a napkin from the table, wiping his face and throwing it to the floor, he stands along with his friends and heads off towards the toilet muttering something as he goes, leaving only Bobby and Dele in the V.I.P booth. "I saw the papers! what Harry did, why aren't you happy right now Del? he came out for you!" Firmino states the obvious and Dele sits there pouting. "Well, he shouldn't have! it has probably cost him his career in Football, lord knows it cost me mine!" Dele snaps back, Firmino sips his drink and narrows his eyes before replying, "Dele, it didn't cost you your career mate! we wanted you remember? you turned us down! besides, you outed me before you left Liverpool. Has it cost me my career?" Firmino asks Dele. Dele looks at Bobby confused. "What are you talking about? You aren't out.....are you?" Dele asks Firmino. And Firmino nods. "Yeah, Del. When you left I told Kloop. Followed by the FA. I'm just not telling the press yet. Because what the fuck has it got to do with anyone else but me? It doesn't end careers, not if you have the right manager, with the right attitude. Harry will be fine, trust me, the FA aren't going to want to lose a player with a 250 Million price tag on his head, He is the Golden boy, remember?" Firmino asks and Dele says nothing and downs more champagne.

The Worst part is Dele knows what Firmino is saying is true. Harry is too good a player for the FA to lose, he is the golden boy and Dele knows Harry will somehow surface from this media storm unscathed. And the really selfish part of Dele is envious of that. No one fought for him when he came out, his name was mud. No club except Liverpool made any sort of offer and Dele had to except he potentially could have ended his football career in coming out. "Where are the toilets?" Dele asks and Bobby points and Dele goes to them alone, when inside. He takes out the translucent bag of love drug and takes one with bottled water by the sink. He then returns and drinks heavily for the rest of the night.

Dele's head swirls with the strong alcohol mixed with love drug. He pushes past some people and barges 2 or 3 'posh boys' out of the way in the now, and somehow all of a sudden busy toilets of Mahiki nightclub. He pushes the cubical door open and just makes it before he gets sick into the toilet bowl. "Come on! I'm taking you back to the hotel" a familiar voice tells him and he nods and rises to his feet still unsteady.

He allows Bobby to take him out of the club via a backdoor exit and straight into a waiting car.
"Why am I such a fuck-up?" Dele asks as the car glides back to the hotel, laid across the backseat sobering up and feeling like shit.
"You aren't. And you never have been in my eyes Del, I'm gonna look after you." Is all Bobby says. And in this moment Dele feels safe. Firmino says it with such conviction that Dele's eyes fill up with tears. Perhaps Dele prejudged Bobby too soon?
Or perhaps it is too early to say. But Dele does not reply because it is Harry that Dele's heart aches for, but Dele is on a serious losing streak right now, and to drag Harry down with him, Dele could never forgive himself for that. And would never want that.