Page 88 of The Titan and the Trainer

They stopped in front of Mamma’s Kitchen, a tiny fluorescent-lit storefront with fogged-up windows and the heavenly scent of frying fat and spices drifting onto the sidewalk. When they stepped inside, the bell above the door chimed, and every head turned. Julian, in his three-thousand-dollar overcoat, looked like an alien lifeform to most of the patrons.

“Cal! Sweet Jesus be praised. Back from the dead,” a woman yelled from behind the counter; her arms dusted in flour.

“Hey, Mamma. Too long, no see. Need to feed this big man,” Callum said with a grin, as they slid into a narrow vinyl booth that groaned under their weight.

Julian looked around, his eyes landing on a fading poster of a local boxing match and a stack of napkins held down by a heavy glass ashtray. “Callum, I can’t eat anything here. The macros are…”

“Forget the macros for an hour,” Callum interrupted, leaning across the table and grasped his hands.

“Julian, you’re the Titan, right? Titans were gods of the earth. They didn't live on a diet of steamed fish and filtered water. They lived on what the earth gave them.”

“But won’t this undo all the good I’ve done?” Julian asked with real concern.

“One meal won’t undo months of effort, plus, if you don’t eat some real food, I may murder you myself, Mr Irritable!” He laughed, and Julian did too. The thought of some real food was attractive, and the smells that assailed his nose told him this was going to be tasty.

Mamma arrived with two heavy ceramic plates. No menus were discussed, no selections made. On the plates were massive portions of grilled skirt steak, rice, beans, and fried plantains.

Julian hesitated, then took a bite of the steak. His eyes shut instantly. “Good God,” he whispered. “I forgot what seasoning tasted like.” As he ate, Callum could see the tension visibly melt from his massive shoulders.

“I spent my life making sure I’d never have to sit in a place like this because I had to,” Julian said, gesturing to the room. He looked at Callum, his gaze softened by the dim light. “But being here with you, eating this food; there’s nowhere on earth I’d rather be right now.”

Callum reached across and squeezed his hand.

The meal was good, and they returned to the penthouse full of real food, Mama style.

Chapter 33 - A Good Fit

Fri. 11th Apr. 25

Callum skipped out of the gym late morning to visit Sophia at her store, where Julian was scheduled to try on his two bespoke suits. He really wanted to be there to see how they looked and offer his opinion if needed. They arrived at the same moment, walking in together.

Sophia waited, perched on a velvet ottoman, sketchbook in her lap. She looked up as they entered, eyes immediately scanning Julian’s physique with a predator’s precision.

Julian had come from working at home at the penthouse, so he wasn’t in a suit today. Instead, he wore fitted trousers that particularly showed off his butt, and a white long-sleeved jumper that clung to his body. He looked very trim, muscles clearly visible.

“He’s flatter than a week-old soda, Callum,” Sophia remarked, tapping a pencil against her chin. “But the definition? You’ve turned him into a marble statue.”

She got up and went over to have a feel of Julian’s muscles. He didn’t balk at all; he was quite used to Sophia by now, and after all, they had been grinding against each other at the club, so were very comfortable.

“Wow, Julian, the work you’ve done with Callum really has made a huge difference. I thought you were well defined before, but now even more so.” She pressed his upper arm with her pencil, feeling the resistance. “Mmm!” She was clearly impressed, but now also worried whether the suits they had made him would still fit.

“Thanks, my love,” he said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

“Good. Hunger looks expensive on camera,” Sophia said, standing up and beckoning her master tailor over with the first rough-patterned suit. It was pretty much finished, just with loose hand-sewn stitching, to allow for final adjustments.

Julian disappeared off into the changing room with the tailor, emerging a few minutes later in the suit, which was light grey with the upturned collar feature he liked from Sophia’s sketch, and a very flashy Paisley patterned interior in lime green and purple.

“What do you think, Cal?” Julian asked, eager for his opinion.

“I love it. I think it looks awesome, and I love the Paisley - it’s so not you!” Julian laughed, turning and admiring himself in the mirror.

The suit already looked good, hugging every inch of his body. It showed Julian’s physique off to perfection, but the tailor was already pulling on the fabric at the legs and drawing chalk marks on the seams as Sophia pointed things out that needed fine adjustment.

“Happy with these adjustments?” Sophia asked.

“Yes, I love it. It’s very fitted and quite…snug.” He pulled the trousers out at the groin where his bulge was quite prominent. “Could you possibly create a bit more room here, please?”

“Yes, of course,” Sophia said, giggling. “We know you are a Titan of Industry after all.” She made googly eyes at him.