Chapter 31 - Park Run, Fun? #3
Julian smiled. He was constantly surprised and regularly delighted by Callum. “Come on then, big boy, let’s see what we can rustle up.”
They returned to the meeting room. Someone was dispatched, and soon fresh BLTs and other subs and pastries were laid out in the centre of the table.
They all tucked in whilst the timeline was pieced together using Callum’s phone pictures and their help. Each photo timestamp and location allowed them to track their path.
Agatta took a phone call and quietly stepped out of the room. She came back in excitedly, shouting to her team and gesturing at the TV.
“WDN News, quick! They are about to run the piece.”
The remote was found and the channel selected. They were currently reporting on a house fire in Hoboken. The programme was ‘The Larry the third, Julian straddling Callum, doing a muscle man pose.
At this point, the male anchor took over.
“Mr Newman has always shunned the public eye, never confirming either his sexuality or relationship status, whilst Vance Global has grown at exponential speed over the past nine years.” He paused.
“Vance Global has been contacted for a statement, but so far they have not responded.”
The female took over. “Rumours suggest the two men took part in the Central Park half-marathon, after which these images were taken.”
Male anchor. “Looks to me like two fit guys relaxing in the park after a long run, don’t you think, Sally?”
She fanned herself with her script and blew out air. “Two very fit guys, I must say, Larry. I think if I saw either of them running, I’d probably run after them myself…”
Larry laughed as she continued, “They make a very handsome couple. Good luck to them if they are in a relationship. We’re happy for them here at WDN, and if they’d like to give us an exclusive, with all the juicy gossip, we’ll air it.”
After that, a group of school kids was pictured on rafts as the programme continued, and the TV was muted.
“Well, that could have been worse,” Agatta said thoughtfully. “It will be more interesting to see how the business channels pick this up.” She looked to Julian. “I think we’re good. I can deal.”
The three pictures soon appeared on the big screen. Julian and Callum walked over to check out the muscle pose image. Thankfully his shorts were black and bunched up around his groin, so nothing untoward could be seen.
They left Agatta and her team to deal with it.
“I had no idea how all this stuff works,” Callum said as they walked upstairs. “It’s quite fascinating.”
“Oh, it’s a hot mess when something like this happens,” Julian said, exasperated, “but Agatta is excellent at her job. If anyone can wade through this, she can.”
They sat at the breakfast bar whilst Martha made them a proper lunch, as it was by now gone midday. Pasta with prawns for Callum, prawns with quinoa salad for Julian, who was now on a strict cut diet in preparation for the photo shoot.
Agatta came to see them not long after they’d finished eating.
A couple of the other gossip channels had run the same images, drawing conclusions as to Julian’s sexuality and also questioning who the fit guy was.
Only one of the business channels had so far broadcast, and that was only a one-minute piece, focussing more on Julian’s ability to complete $10bn deals, run a half-marathon and still have the energy to frolic in the park.
“This Titan Has No Limits” was their headline.
Agatta spoke to Callum. “You do need to talk to your family and friends about this, Callum. If the gossips do their digging, don’t be surprised if they turn up to your workplace, or your parents’ house, siblings, relatives, close friends, etc.”
“I can do that,” Callum affirmed. Agatta then retreated to the business centre.
“I need to decide whether to issue a public statement or not about this,” Julian said, frowning. “What do you think, Cal?”
He considered for a moment but had no idea about matters like this. “I don’t know, Julian. Is it better to be upfront or just play it down? I’m happy with whatever you decide.”
“There will be a right time and place to announce us, but I don’t think off the back of some scandalous pictures in the park is the right way to do it.” Julian was thinking clearly.
Callum stayed the rest of the day, in and out of the business centre as things developed.
The same photos were shown on another two gossip magazine-type shows, but nothing more on the business channels.
It was more prolific on the internet, where the photographer had sold the images widely.
Agatta and her team managed this activity carefully, but it was a mix of gossip and speculation.
In the end, Julian decided not to issue a statement. If he did, it would acknowledge things and could make it worse. As it hadn’t blown up out of control, he decided to let it fizzle out.
Callum phoned his parents and Andrew, explaining what had happened and that they weren’t to say anything to any press or reporter if any turned up or contacted them. He also rang Rosie, Jack and Sophia to explain things.
Julian had to go into the office mid-afternoon for something that was unmovable, so Callum decided to go to The Iron Works, where he had a class scheduled with a fairly new client. Jack had offered to cover it, but as he could do it now, he thought he might as well.
At the gym, Rosie was full of concern, asking if he was ok. She’d seen the piece on the TV and the photographs. Jack seemed less phased by it… “You kissed a dude in the park, big deal, it’s 2025, call the fucking police, Jeez…”
Callum trained his client as planned, and life returned to normal. He’d planned to stay at the penthouse with Julian that evening.
The G-Wagon pulled up outside around 6 pm. He got in, and on the seat next to Julian was a gift, wrapped in black-and-white checked paper.
“This is for you. Open it, please,” Julian said with a smile.
Callum got in, and as the car pulled away, he ripped open the paper, revealing the image of a camera and various lenses on the side of the packaging.
He instantly recognised it. The gift was the new Canon EOS R5 Mark 2 camera, the latest and best-reviewed model in their range.
He’d recently been reading about it online.
This was an expensive gift with a $7,000 price tag.
There was also a good mix of different lenses bundled in the box with it.
“You deserve a good camera, and I know you’ll take great pictures with it, my love.” Julian leant in to kiss him, Callum reciprocating eagerly.
“Thanks Jules. This is amazing,” was all he could muster.
Callum knew this wasn’t a big deal for Julian, but it meant the world to him. He had Julian’s support on offer regarding The Iron Works, for which he’d sacrificed his previous camera, and whilst that still wasn’t resolved, this unexpected gift was another sign of Julian’s commitment to him.
At dusk, with the swimming pool roof retracted, they drank in the evening sun, sitting on loungers whilst Callum unpacked his new camera, reading about the different lenses and settings.
After an initial play, he took some pictures of Julian on a recliner in the golden light, bare-chested and safely away from prying eyes.
Afterwards, he showed his appreciation for the gift, which included some beary-man-muscle activity that most definitely would not have been appropriate for a public park, and would have made several front pages.