Page 12 of The Titan and the Trainer

He brought it to his face. It still smelled like man-sweat, mixed with Julian’s expensive cologne. It smelt inherently like him.

Callum draped the shirt over his face and closed his eyes, taking in the sweaty scent, his hand moving rhythmically under the sheets, the friction a poor substitute for the heat he actually longed for.

He imagined their next workout session, Julian in tight shorts and that compression shirt he had worn, with his bulge on display. He imagined reaching down and cupping it, massaging it, feeling it swell under his touch… the fantasy played out nicely in his head. He pictured those deep green eyes darkening, corporate mask slipping to reveal a suppressed hunger underneath.

He buried his nose in the fabric, inhaling deeply. The scent was a trigger. His breathing slowed, muscles coiled, and with a low, jagged groan, he came hard, his hand still clutching the stolen shirt like a lifeline.

For now, he was satisfied. But he didn’t want the scent of the man; he wanted the man.

Chapter 6 - Awkward Questions & Requests

Sat. 18th Jan. 25

By 1:00 pm, Callum was showered and sitting outside Nabbu, his favourite bistro in Chelsea, waiting for his best friend, Sophia. The restaurant had a canopy and heaters and, even though the day was cool, the crisp blue cloudless winter sky brightened his spirits. He felt a bit more human now after several glasses of water and much-needed coffee, though the ghost of Julian’s scent still seemed to linger on his skin, even after a shower.

He was checking his emails when his phone pinged a WhatsApp notification. It just said, ‘Client: Julian - 1 Notification’. Callum didn’t have the preview setting on, so he couldn’t see the actual message. He hurriedly put the phone face-down on the table, like it was a red-hot brick he couldn’t hold.

What could Julian be texting him about on a Saturday afternoon? His next session was already arranged for Tuesday; it was in his diary, he knew it was.

Fuuuuuck.

This felt ominous.

Please God, don’t end our arrangement.

Callum would be devastated if he was getting the brush-off. He immediately felt hot from head to toe. Maybe the touching had been too much, and he’d decided to end their sessions?

“Hey, handsome,” and a familiar voice broke Callum from his thoughts as Sophia chose that exact moment to arrive, kissing him on the cheek, before sliding into the chair into the chair opposite.

“Cal, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost or something. Is everything okay?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin, but first I need to read this WhatsApp message from Julian,” he said quietly. “This is the guy I’m bringing you up to date about today”.

“Ahhh,” said Sophia, rolling her eyes. “Yes, this businessman client you keep messaging me about. What do you think the message is?” She had some idea of all that had gone on, but this lunch was to bring her up to date on their last training session.

Callum and Sophia had flat-shared for several years when he was in college and she was at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She’d done well since and now owned a boutique downtown, her own atelier, where she designed custom gowns and suits for the rich and famous. She’d had some quite high-profile clients, and the business was doing well. Sophia had even dragged Callum along as her ‘plus one’ to several high-society events. Despite spending most of his life in sweatpants, he did scrub up well.

Callum was still in a state of shock, as he blankly handed the phone to her. “Can you read it, please, I think I’m going to either pass out or vomit. I don’t want him to end our sessions.”

Sophia took the phone and unlocked it, knowing his PIN was four-five-zero-seven, the flat number they shared. Callum was a creature of habit.

Callum put his hands over his face, feeling quite ill, as Sophia went into his WhatsApp to read the message. Callum couldn’t see her, expecting her to read out the message. When she didn’t immediately, he moved his hands and peeked to see what she was doing.

Sophia was looking quizzically at the phone.

“Sophia, hello… what does the message say?”

She read it out:-

Client: Julian: Good afternoon trainer on this fine Saturday. What exactly did you mean to text me at 4:15 am this morning?

It took a moment to sink in.

“I never texted him this morning. I was going to do it in the Uber, I mean I opened a chat, but then… I… didn’t… I’m sure I put my phone back in my pocket”.

Sophia started laughing and handed the phone back to Callum for him to see.

He had, in fact, texted Julian at 4:15 am, with a really important message.