Chapter Text
Zeke had given up on religion a while ago so when Kade ‘Hammer’ Hammersmith walked through the revolving door of The Lift Spot™ his beliefs (or lack thereof) were abruptly reaffirmed. There’s no way a loving god would have allowed this to have happened to him right now.
Kade looked exactly the same as when Zeke had last seen him, if maybe a little less muscular but still as annoyingly handsome.
How does someone become a professional athlete and manage to look less athletic than when they were in high school? Zeke thought to himself as Kade exited the revolving door.
As he approached the front desk, Zeke’s thoughts immediately shifted to how the hell he was going to get out of there without causing a scene and definitely without being recognised by the first guy he ever slept with.
Only three years had passed since then but Zeke felt like a brand-new person. A year of living in hostels and couch surfing when they first came to Perth had turned into him and Charlie renting a small rundown apartment when they finally managed to save up enough from odd jobs.
It had been hard and Zeke missed the hell out of Geraldton sometimes but that town was so suffocating and he knew he’d never be able to live the life longed for if he had stayed.
In his small town, Zeke was seventeen and coming to terms with his sexuality and Kade was also seventeen and coming to terms with his sexuality. There had been a lot of tumultuousness between them and ultimately their connection had severed when Kade had been drafted into the AFL. Zeke would be lying if that hadn’t been a factor in him running away to Perth with his best friend.
When he had first left, Zeke desperately wanted to reach out but Kade had barely responded to his messages when they were ‘together’ so why would he want to keep in touch now? And just like that their teenage affair came to a swift end. Until the moment Kade strolled into Zeke’s place of work.
Kade was standing right in front of the front desk; so close that Zeke could see his pores and Zeke went as pale as his tan, Sicilian skin would allow him to.
“Hey, the name’s Kade Hammersmith. I’m here to interview for the personal trainer position?”
Zeke immediately dropped his head down to hide his face and luckily his co-worker, Stevie, spoke up so he didn’t have to.
“Oh yeah, the boss mentioned there were some interviews today. Follow me.” Stevie grabbed her keycard and stepped out from behind her side of the desk. She led him through a white door labelled STAFF ONLY and he didn’t stop to look back at Zeke.
Zeke would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so fucking annoyed. All the gyms in this godforsaken city and Kade Hammersmith just had to walk into the one where he worked.
Zeke glanced around to make sure his boss wasn’t in eyeshot before he pulled out his phone to message the one other person who would be just as freaked out.
zeke: MAYDAY
Charlie: wots up u shart again?
Charlie: at work cant bring cloths
zeke: No you idiot fuck off
zeke: You’ll never guess who walked into the gym just now!
Charlie: kyli minoge?
God, Charlie’s spelling was abysmal.
zeke: 😑 Nope.
zeke: Hammer.
Zeke’s phone instantly began to ring. He scanned the entryway again and ducked down before pressing his phone to his ear.
“No fucking way!”
“Yes fucking way. He’s here for some job interview.”
“Well, did he say anything to you? Other than ‘Hi, long time no see’, of course.”
“Nah, he didn’t even recognise me,”
“Or he pretended not to! How could he not recognise the first ever guy he let into his inner sanctum?”
“How on earth do you know that word?”
“I do actually know how to read, you know.”
“Books with pictures don’t count– shit! Putin’s coming!” Zeke shout-whispered and Charlie laughed down the phone before it hung up.
zeke: I’ll swing by the bar after my shift
Charlie: 👍
Zeke had been working at the gym for the past two years after he met the owner Brody while lurking on the apps. He’d mentioned he was needing a job and a week later he was being handed a key card and a light blue polo tee. When Zeke had asked him for the third time if he was sure, Brody had answered, “Look, I was a runaway teen like you once upon a time. I’m hiring and you need work. Win-win.”
Zeke was lucky in that regard, but when he actually started working for Brody he realised he’d signed up to be a receptionist under the most brutal dictatorship.
After three employees had been fired on the spot within a week for the crime of disagreeing with him, Stevie had bestowed the nickname ‘Putin’ on him and it had stuck.
Even the members at the gym were in on it. Brody didn’t know the extent of it though because the one and only person to call him that to his face was promptly made redundant and had left the premises in tears.
Brody seemed like the best guy and the best boss until you said one of his crazy ideas wasn’t that great and then you became Public Enemy No. 1. It was incredibly odd.
“Hey there, Zekey-boy.”
“Hey Brody. There’s a guy here for an interview. Stevie’s in your office with him now.”
“Aw man! I like totally forgot he was coming in today. Did’ya recognise him?”
“Do you know what? I did.”
“The interview is really just a formality,” Brody said with glee, “Him working here is gonna bring us a lot of foot traffic!”
“I’m sure.” Zeke scoffed under his breath as Brody rushed away, presumably to his office.
He hadn’t seen Kade in person in years, but Zeke couldn’t exactly ignore the news.
Last year, Kade had been all over the tabloids when he was caught pleasuring a woman in some nightclub toilets somewhere and he hadn’t stayed out of the news cycle since. But after he’d been dropped by his club a few months back, there’d been no sightings of him. Until now.
That evening, Charlie stood behind the bar cleaning glasses as Zeke filled him in on the day’s events.
A year after arriving in Perth, Charlie had made quite a lot of strange, alternative, queer friends, some also musically inclined. Although he’d had plans of going solo, he’d found himself the frontman of another band but this time they made music he actually liked. His band The Immaterials were frequently booked for gigs but they weren’t exactly going on a world tour anytime soon. Performing at pubs, clubs, and bars a couple of times a week didn’t exactly line his pockets with wads of cash so he picked up odd shifts at a bar owned by his bandmate Alicia’s family.
To Charlie’s initial dismay, Urban Oasis wasn’t specifically a gay bar but everyone was welcome and Charlie was pretty so it wasn’t strange to find men chatting him up and trying to get him to come home with them. He never did, though.
“He might not even get the job, Zeke.” Charlie offered.
“Oh nah, he’s definitely got the job,” Zeke frowned, “Putin practically said as much. He thinks it’ll bring us publicity and therefore more members.”
“He’s a daft cunt then, I know they say all publicity is good publicity but surely no one wants their personal trainer to be a cokehead!”
“Charlie!”
“What? It’s true.” Charlie shrugged.
“Yeah, but I kinda feel sorry for the guy, he went to rehab and he got dropped by his team and now he’s just trying to make a living. Just why did it have to be at the one place I also work?”
“Oh, stop moping,” Charlie teased when he saw the pitiful look on Zeke’s face, “You work up front, he’ll be in back — your paths will barely cross.”
“I’d preferably like them not to cross at all.” Zeke huffed.
Charlie just smiled and shook his head before holding up a glass. “Drink?”
“Yes please.”
For the next two weeks, Zeke was on edge every time he clocked into work knowing that one day he’d walk into the gym and Kade would also be there. He didn’t know why he was getting so worked up about it though. It’s not like Hammer had turned up to his front door to confess his undying love for Zeke. They crossed paths for a couple of seconds and Kade hadn’t even recognised him so whatever. It wasn’t a big deal. Plus, this was a gym owned by a gay man. If Kade was still violently closeted Zeke hoped Brody had enough self-respect to toss him out on his arse if he as much as implied something homophobic.
It was a breezy Tuesday when Zeke and some other employees were sitting in the break room having their lunch. Brody suddenly rushed in, jumping up and down.
“Hestartstomorrow!” he exclaimed.
“Huh?” someone asked.
“Kade Hammersmith, remember? The footy player?” Brody repeated. “We got him! He starts tomorrow!”
A call came through to Brody’s phone and he left almost as quickly as he entered.
When the room didn’t return to its low-level chatter from before Brody came in, Zeke raised his head from where it was between his hands to find everyone was staring at him.
“What?”
“Why do you look so upset over it? Did he play for a rival team or something?” Stevie joked.
“Yeah, something like that.”
That night Zeke lay awake, staring at the chipped ceiling above him. Why was he so worked up about Kade coming to work at The Lift Spot? He’d put the past behind him and had moved on with his life. Hadn’t he?