A Growing Star: Chapter 3

Sawyer’s weight gain “controversy” didn’t bother him too much. Sure he was insecure and self-conscious when the images were first released, but at the same time he didn’t really mind being back in the headlines again. In fact, part of him even enjoyed the attention. He hit the studio the next day with a newfound energy. The music seemed to flow out of him and although he had a crew of songwriters and producers with him, he found himself taking full control of every aspect of the music.

Feeling pumped after his first day back recording Sawyer treated himself to a fancy dinner and dessert. Afterward he stopped at a bar for a couple more drinks before heading home. While smoking a cig and toying with some ideas for a song, a dashing stranger approached him. Sawyer noticed the man staring at him from across the room and after they made eye contact the man he immediately headed over. As he got closer Sawyer was able to admire his fresh tan skin and square jaw. He looked young, early twenties, but had a little bit of a paunch hanging off him. Sawyer figured he was in no place to judge. 

“Daniel,” the man said and shook Sawyer’s hand. “I’m a film producer and big fan of yours. I gotta run to meet a client, but here’s my number. I hope to hear from you.”

Sawyer smiled and accepted the torn napkin with a phone number scrawled on it. Sawyer was used to attracting the attention of men, but this was just the validation he needed. A successful day back in the studio and getting hit on by a beautiful man meant he was back in the swing of things. When he got home he cracked a bottle of wine and ordered some fries delivered. Just over a month ago he was feeling completely burned out and ready to quit music and somehow all of that melted away. 

The next day at the studio Sawyer texted Daniel and the two set up a dinner date for later that month. Daniel was putting together a new project and his schedule was insanely booked, which was alright with Sawyer. He wanted to focus on his new album and it was nice to have something to look forward to while toiling away in the studio. 

A few of the producers and songwriters Sawyer worked with were quite overweight and enjoyed frequent meal breaks and snacking in the studio. Naturally, Sawyer picked up these habits alongside them. As the days blurred together, they developed a habit of breaking midday and hitting a nearby diner where they would shoot ideas around and decompress. After a couple weeks of this, Sawyer noticed that his favorite pair of jeans were getting a little tight around the waist and in the thighs. He shrugged it off and started wearing his joggers more often. 

Towards the end of the month Sawyer was becoming increasingly conscious of the fact that he had packed on a few more pounds. He could feel it in his thighs that were now a struggled to cross as well as some extra doughiness in his gut. Momentarily concerned, he reminded himself that the start of an album cycle meant intensive gym time and he’d deal with the battle of the bulge when the time came. 

The day of his date with Daniel, Sawyer also had a meeting with his label to share what he’d been working on. He entered a glass conference room both nervous and excited. He knew the music was a bit slower tempo than his past work, but believed it was some of his best work to date. 

He and his team had already sent the label execs a couple songs and once everyone was seated, they played a few more that they had just finished up that morning. Unfortunately, the first feedback they received was: “These are some good deep cuts for the album, but we need hit singles.” They recommended upping the tempo on one song as a potential single, but encouraged Sawyer to write some bangers. They wanted ‘Your Peach 2.0’. To top it all off they expressed consternation over Sawyer’s weight and told him he needed to “get on a gym routine before this becomes a PR nightmare.” They particularly emphasized that news about his weight was picking up steam on social media and that new shots of him leaving the studio were circulating. 

Sawyer left the room feeling dejected. He went home and stripped naked to examine his body. Sure, he was getting pudgy by Hollywood standards, there was no denying it, but that meant he was basically average weight. Maybe he had a ring of bouncy chub around his midsection and some juicy thighs, but what’s twenty pounds in the grand scheme of things? This, coupled with the denigration of the music he so deeply cared about, left Sawyer with no energy to go on his date. Instead, he poured himself an old fashioned, cancelled his date with Daniel, and ordered a large pizza.