Page 42 of The Titan and the Trainer

The bed was firm, the silky sheets were beautifully cool, and he could faintly smell Julian’s scent on them. He nestled into the covers with his shoulders. It felt good and instantly cooled him down. Leaving his feet dangling over the end, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind completely.

He gradually relaxed, making his mind just a blue box of nothingness. He lay like that for a while, no idea how long, just focused on the blue box. He was almost dozing off when he heard a faint brushing noise and felt a weight on the bed, as a pair of heavy, hot legs straddled him.

A deep voice said, “Well, I’ve found you exactly where I wanted.”

Julian was home.

He opened his eyes and there he was, right in front of him. Suit trousers, shirt and waistcoat, no jacket, no tie, looking as manly as ever. He peered down at Callum with those green eyes, and suddenly everything felt okay again. “Okay, handsome?” He bent down and planted a kiss squarely on Callum’s lips. A kiss that tasted of champagne.

“Yep, all good, thanks.” Should he tell him about the tour and freaking out? “I met Martha; she’s lovely. She’s been really kind to me while I was waiting.”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Oh my God, I think she’s in love with you,” he said, “can’t speak highly enough of you; thinks you’re very handsome. How about that then?”

Callum decided to say it, but how without ruining the moment and possibly the evening ahead? “I took the tour; I got a bit…” He struggled for the words.

“Ssshhhhh, I know. It’s a lot.” He brushed Callum’s forehead gently with his hand. “Don’t worry about it. Life is good, we’re good.” Another kiss on the lips. “But you know what will also be good?” Eyes bright with excitement. “If you relax here whilst I get a quick shower, and then we can have the lovely dinner your number one fan, Martha, has prepared for us before we spend the whole night together.”

Julian had pure glee written across his face.

Callum smiled back.

Seeing Julian always made him happy.

Seeing Julian so happy made him feel something more than happy.

Chapter 20 - Sleepover

Mon. 20th Jan. 25

The fact that Julian was holding Callum’s hand when they walked into the kitchen gave him confidence that there was no need to hide anything from Martha, who didn’t bat an eyelid. Good, thought Callum; we all know where we are here.

Julian went to open a bottle of wine, and Callum sat at the counter as Martha finished preparing their dinner.

She caught his eye. “All okay?”

“Yes, all good, thanks.” He smiled back. He really liked her. For Callum, this was an important exchange. It showed she approved of him, which helped his confidence. He needed to know this, to feel comfortable with Julian when she was there.

Wine was found, food was served, Martha said goodnight and left them alone.

The dinner was delicious. They sat in the same seats at the end of the overly long dining table, Julian’s knee touching Callum’s constantly, his hand often resting on Callum’s leg. They took their time over food, chatting about their days, lives and histories. More getting to know each other.

It was getting late. “Fancy a soak in the tub?” Julian asked. “I’ve had a bit of a day, and it’s a nice de-stress.”

“Yes, that would be nice,” Callum replied eagerly.

Julian got his phone out and launched an app Callum had never seen before, where he started pressing buttons and sliding controls. “What is that?” Callum asked, intrigued.

“It’s the tub controls. You can select water temperature, scent, and fill it from here. Cool, eh?”

Callum rolled his eyes. “You and your gadgets. If I want a bath, I just turn the tap on and wait,” he chided.

“Ah, but time is precious my young apprentice,” Julian responded in his best Emperor-from-Star Wars voice, grabbing him and picking him up.

Callum allowed this and wrapped his arms around Julian’s neck, whilst Julian hitched his legs around his waist. Julian could actually pick him up and carry him; he was that strong. “All that core work clearly paid off,” Callum whispered, as they kissed. “Yep, and this is the best use of all the effort, carrying my gorgeous boyfriend to my sunken tub,” now crossing the room awkwardly, “where I am”, pushing the door open with Callum’s back, “going to”, crossing the lobby, “give”, removing a thumb to open the door, “him a lovely back wash” crossing the bedroom, “lots of kisses, and who knows where we will end up,” finally collapsing the two of them onto the bed, still entwined and laughing.

The sound of the tub filling was inviting.

They lay on the bed for a moment next to each other.