Dead Fit - 25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Friday had the next hurdle I needed to get past. The first hurdle was trying to help Ana move forward in her career. She was now registered to start a class towards her cosmetology license, which was hopefully the first step in the right direction. Now, I had to worry about my own career. Trevor was scheduled to come in today for his final workout and weigh-in before his wedding day. This was his last hurrah, to see if he hit his weight loss goal. For me, it meant proving that I could be an effective personal trainer, resulting in my continued gainful employment. The thought of being demoted to an instructor for group classes made my stomach turn. It was a fate worse than getting fired.

After lunch, Trevor arrived for his training session.

“Can I wait until the end of our session today to step on the scale? Maybe the workout will help me shed a pound or two,” Trevor suggested.

“Sure, Trevor,” I said, although at this point, it really wasn't going to make a difference.

Since he was going to be gone on his honeymoon for almost two weeks, we worked all of his muscle groups. As we went from station to station, I could see Trevor giving the workout his full attention. I was always fond of Trevor, but today, I was especially impressed with him. His determination to reach his goal was admirable.

At the end of our session, Trevor and I walked back to my desk.

“Okay, Trevor, you ready to weigh in?”

“Do you think I really need to get on the scale? I mean, I know I look better. And I feel great.”

“Trevor, it’s now a matter of principle,” I said. “You set a goal and you fought hard to get there. So now, we gotta get you on the scale to see how you did.”

“What if I didn’t hit my goal? I don’t want to be all miserable and depressed right before my wedding.”

“You won’t be depressed,” I reassured him. “You gave it your best. If you get on that scale and it doesn’t read 150, it’s not going to be the end of the world. You just have to remind yourself that you gave it your all.”

Trevor stepped on the scale and covered his eyes with his hands. “I can’t look. Just tell me what it says.”

I took a look at the digital readout on the scale and broke the news to Trevor, “Well, it doesn’t say 150.”

Trevor sighed. With his hands still over his eyes, his shoulders slumped. “How bad is it?”

“I’d say it’s pretty good. The scale reads 149!”

“What,” Trevor asked. He took his hands away from his face so that he could look at the scale with his own two eyes. As soon as he had confirmation, Trevor leapt off the scale, picked me up and twirled me around. The other trainers and members turned to see what the commotion was all about.

“I did it! I did it,” he exclaimed, not the slightest bit embarrassed that the entire gym was now gawking at us.

I was beaming with delight, too. This must be how a proud coach feels when his team wins.

The commotion Trevor made drew Gary out of his office. He headed towards us to find out what was going on. Trevor set me down and screamed to Gary, “I did it! I did it! I’m 150!” He tried to pick up Gary, but Trevor’s arms wouldn’t quite reach around his waist.

“Well that’s good to hear,” Gary said to Trevor, gently pushing him away. The homophobia probably kicked in again and the thought of Trevor’s arms around him freaked him out.

“And it’s all thanks to Jaysen,” Trevor added.

“Yes, Marshall is one of our best trainers. Congratulations,” Gary said to Trevor. Then Gary turned to me and said, “Don’t forget to take his picture and get him to sign a release so we can put his story up for others to see.”

As he left my desk, Gary slapped my rear and said, “Good work, Marshall. You’re doing a fine job as a trainer.”

When Gary was a safe distance away, Trevor leaned in and whispered to me, “You know, you really oughta file a sexual harassment lawsuit against him for inappropriate contact. I’ll even be your witness.”

I smiled at Trevor, “I'm just glad you hit your goal. When you get back from your honeymoon, we'll talk again and get you on a plan to maintain this weight. And when you're ready, we can try to add more muscle to your frame.”

“Sounds good to me.” Trevor lowered his voice, leaned in and said, “You know, it’s too bad you’re gay. I have a soon-to-be sister in-law who would just love to have someone like you.”

“Yea, it probably wouldn’t work out. But let me know if you have a brother in-law who would be interested in me.”

Trevor asked, “So the story you told me the other day, about Brian and his friend? Have you given up on your mission to find some answers?”

“You inspired me, Trevor. I'm fighting ‘til the end.”

Trevor made a fist with his right hand and nudged my chin up. “Go get 'em, Tiger. I just conquered my battle and I’m sure you’re next.”

“I hope you're right.”

I walked Trevor to the entrance and wished him and his fiancée a happy wedding and a fun honeymoon. As he was getting ready to walk out the door, Trevor asked, “You don't have plans tomorrow afternoon, by chance, do you? At 1:00 pm?”

“I don't think so. Why, what's up?”

“Well, if you have nothing better to do, I'd love to have you come to my wedding.”

Trevor wrote down the address to the chapel and reception hall on the back of one of my business cards. When he handed the card back to me, I looked at the address and laughed.

“What's so funny?”

“Oh, I'm sorry; your wedding is at St. Theresa's Church.”

“And?”

“It's not really funny, just coincidental. Remember when we had lunch the other day and I told you I suspected Brian's friend was involved with a break-in, trying to retrieve an old smartphone?”

Trevor nodded.

“Well the break-in was at St. Theresa's,” I said.

Trevor looked surprised, “You're kidding?”

“I wish I was, Trevor. Anyway, congratulations on getting down to 150. I'll see you tomorrow with your 28 waist tuxedo pants on.” I extended my hand to shake his, but instead, he grabbed it and pulled me towards him for a hug. What a guy. I hoped his fiancée treated him well.

When I returned to my desk, my cell phone vibrated. It was Brian.

“You sound like you’re in a good mood, baby,” he said.

“Yea, I just landed my first big success with a client.”

“That’s awesome, baby. You'll have to tell me all about it when I see you this evening. Anyway, I wanted to call and catch you before you came over. I was thinking, since your parents are still gone, if you wanted, you can spend the weekend with me. I mean, if it gets lonely, you can stay over here.”

“I'd like that, Brian.” Cute. It was going to be like a slumber party. I wondered if we were going to have a pillow fight in our underwear like the women in Victoria's Secret commercials always do.

I got off the phone and finished work at my desk. When the day was over, I left the gym feeling like a champ. It was nice to know that I would still have my job as a personal trainer on Monday morning.

Before heading over to Brian's, I ran home for some clothes and toiletries. I sifted through my drawer of undershirts and briefs to find the cleanest and least holey garments I could find. Thankfully, I found enough to last me through the weekend and shoved my riches into my backpack. I promised myself, now that I was dating Brian, to update my wardrobe, especially in the undergarments category.

When I arrived at Brian's condo, I sat in my Civic for a few minutes. I remembered Ana's advice that I should spend more energy on growing my relationship with Brian. Her point was well-taken. I made a mental commitment that my weekend with Brian would be spent only on the two of us; not trying to investigate Todd. It wasn't that I was giving up on my investigation; rather, just putting it on hold for a few days. My shenanigans could resume on Monday, but for now, I committed to being present with Brian.

* * * * *

For dinner, Brian and I settled on a homemade Italian meal. Brian cooked angel hair pasta on one range while simmering tomato sauce and meat on another range. Meanwhile, I cut up French Bread and slathered on butter, garlic, and mozzarella cheese. We supplemented our meal with red wine.

Afterwards, Brian and I cuddled on his sofa and watched a movie full of B-list actors on the Sci-Fi channel. When the flick ended, Brian turned off the television, took my hand, and guided me to his bedroom.

“You can use either my bathroom or the one in the guest bedroom,” he offered.

For me, bathrooms are a very private sanctuary. I didn’t think Brian and I were at a point in our relationship where I should be invading his personal space, so I opted for the guest bathroom.

When I finished my nightly routine and reentered his room, he was waiting for me in bed. Brian was reading a fiction murder mystery. I crawled into his bed. He put down his book and flicked off the lights. In the dark, I felt his hands tugging on my t-shirt. Shortly after, we were down to our underwear.

Our night was mostly rated PG-13, with an occasional flash of an R-rated scene. We were both tired from working all day and were asleep in no time. The best part for me was falling asleep with Brian’s arms around me, my head on his chest and my nose pressed against his skin. I woke up once in the middle of night, disoriented from being in an unfamiliar bed and sleeping next to someone, rather than alone.

When I figured out where I was and who was sleeping next to me, I felt safe and rolled back to sleep. It was so much more comforting than sleeping with his shirt.