Page 31 of The Titan and the Trainer

Neither wanted to end it, but this was not the right moment. They parted. Julian’s eyes vibrant, his face flushed. “Man, the effect you have on me is electric. You make me feel ten years younger every time I’m with you.” He straightened Callum’s hair, brushing his cheek absently with his hand. “Have I told you before just how much I enjoy kissing your handsome face?”

Callum laughed. “Yes, I think you probably have at some point in our past, Julian,” rolling his eyes.

“In our past, what past? You realise we haven’t known each other for two weeks yet?” Julian said, sincerity in his voice.

“Really?” Callum replied, but as soon as the words left his lips, he realised their first training session was only last Tuesday. “My God, that’s hard to believe; I only met you for the first time last Tuesday, it feels like much longer,” he added, “well, for me anyway.”

“Oh, me too, Cal. It feels like I’ve known you way longer,” he chuckled, “when I think back to that first session. Wow. I was in such a bad mood. My kit hadn’t arrived, but then you turn up. I had no idea who was coming, and then in you strut, this fit young hunk, I’m in a bloody suit, desperately trying to stop my dick from getting stiff; it was a disaster.”

“No, it wasn’t at all. I admit it wasn’t easy, but we managed to do it…you managed to do it. I told you at the time, you showed real grit, and I meant it. I’ve been nothing but impressed by you since we met.”

“Aww Cal, that’s really sweet of you to say, thanks.” Julian seemed genuinely chuffed to hear this. Maybe someone rich and powerful didn’t get praise like that, wondered Callum.

“Well, I’m sorry to say, the sessions after that were easier in terms of gear, but much harder if you know what I mean,” Julian said, playfully grabbing his dick through his trousers, “but I must say, you were a true professional and either ignored it or didn’t see it.”

“Oh, trust me, Julian, I saw it every fucking time. I just wasn’t sure what was going on. At first I thought you were just hung like a donkey rather than aroused, but then I realised you were hung like a donkey and aroused!” They both laughed.

“I must admit,” added Julian, “in those later sessions when I started noticing you were hard too, it made things worse for me. Hell, I was, in fact, am still, in a constant state of arousal all the bloody time around you. You somehow have that effect on me, but I tried to conceal it as best I could…”

“I wasn’t complaining at all Julian, but I do fondly remember the barbell bent-over rows when I touched you under each armpit. I wanted to see your reaction. I’ve never seen someone so uncomfortable in my life. I’m sorry, but I was confused; I had to call you out just to check if what I was sensing was real.”

“You’re not wrong, Cal, but in honesty I was so desperately trying not to get fully hard; it took all my energy not to jump you right there and then.”

“Oh, and the legendary fourth session, you in the tighty-whitie shorts and vest, me in my underwear. What a memory that was. And that’s where it all kicked off…” Callum added, a smile on his face.

“As if I’d be able to resist that. You in your underwear, me screwed because I decided to play by wearing the least amount of clothing I could find. Ending up fully erect and with nowhere to hide. Oh, the legendary glute bridge. I gave it to you on a plate, and then when we swapped, which I have to admit was my final test of you, there was just no way I could continue without kissing those very snoggable lips. I told you before, I knew I wanted you from the first time we met. We were bound to end up falling for one another, weren’t we?”

Julian’s face was serene, as if saying this was easy for him. He was speaking from the heart, Callum knew. Probably something that didn’t come easy to him.

“Yep,” Callum responded, “I agree with all of the above, and when you did eventually jump me, that kiss is still something I think about to this day. It was amazing. In fact, every kiss with you is amazing. So, let’s just keep practicing until we get it right, hey!” A bit of cheek, a bit of humour. He kissed Julian, lips locked in passion once again.

They stood there for a moment, silhouetted against the glittering New York skyline, the Titan and the trainer, two men from opposite ends of the city who had somehow found each other in a way that neither expected.

Chapter 15 - Can Cook, Will Cook

Sun. 19th Jan. 25

The dinner Julian prepared for them was nice but intentionally simple: steak, green beans, and new potatoes with hollandaise sauce.

Callum sat at the breakfast bar opposite Julian, watching him work and thinking how lucky he was to have met him. He noticed that Julian worked fast and efficiently, prepping, clearing up as he went, no drama, no fuss. Little did Callum know that this was the first meal Julian had cooked in a very long time.

They sat at one corner of the vast dining table next to one another, the $25 Malbec open between them. Callum had said to Julian that he didn’t have to drink it and that he was certain he had nicer bottles, but Julian insisted, making great play of trying it, holding it up to the light, swirling it around in his glass checking it’s ‘legs’ before declaring it a perfectly nice Malbec. He reviewed the label and declared ‘Chateaux Edwards’ a success. He drank it with a sincerity that touched Callum’s heart; he didn't care about the vintage, only the man who had carried it up the elevator.

Julian spoke about the weight of his father’s expectations and his lonely early years at boarding school that had taught him how to become a statue. He talked about his younger brother Sean and their time together in the SAS back in the UK (was that when he developed his muscles Callum wondered but didn’t interrupt him?). He also shared that he had a younger sister, Tina, who had lost her husband to cancer and was raising their two daughters on her own. At the mention of her name, Callum saw a sadness cross his face. Callum held his hand, and the moment passed.

Julian confessed that his greatest ambition wasn’t a bigger or better firm or more money. He just wanted a happy life, with someone special, at which point he gave Callum’s hand a squeeze. He shared how he already supported the arts, culture, exploration and various charities, but wanted to do more so he could feel that he’d given back and done some good in the world.

Callum clapped, “I think that’s a great ambition. You clearly have so much, it would be great to be able to use your power to help those who have less, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, I plan to,” Julian responded. “Now, hopes and dreams, Callum, no pressure.”

Callum shared more about his life. Brought up in Brooklyn, he’d moved out after college to go on his own, with nothing but a gym bag. He had a dream to build a community through fitness, and his secret hope was to one day open his own non-profit gym for at-risk youth. He explained that the gym he ran with his business partner Jack was struggling. They had done some great work in their community, getting kids off the street, helping turn lives around, shifting them away from drugs and crime and into fitness and the benefits of the wellness it can bring. But their building was in a poor state of repair; the landlord was an asshole and didn’t fix things, so they did the best they could, but it was tough.

Julian noticed the passion with which Callum spoke; this was clearly an important issue for him. His assistant had found Callum and hired him. How she came to pick this guy from this gym was a question he was definitely going to ask her.

“I see people at their most vulnerable,” Callum said, swirling the dark red wine in his glass. “When they're sweating and failing at a lift, breathless, the ego drops; there is no mask. I see people best when they're struggling. It's the only time they’re truly bare.”

“Then you must see me,” Julian murmured, his eyes fixed on Callum’s mouth, “because I feel like I’ve been struggling for air since the moment I met you.”