Explosions

Charlie Elliott smiled as the large young man in front of her kissed her nose. She closed her eyes, and he wrapped his arms around her. He was sweating profusely; football had worn him down, but not so much that he couldn’t find his favorite fan. She took in his scent, however powerful it was at the moment. He was greeted with claps on the back from teammates and coaches and other fans. He humbly shook their hands, but he kept one arm around her.

“Ryan, Ryan!” shouted a reporter. “You just broke Harvard’s record for rushing yards by a Quarterback! How does it feel?”

“Not nearly as good as showering is gonna feel,” he joked.

She looked up at him, his smile lighting up the entire stadium. He answered question after question, and still he did not let go of her. She put a hand on his chest, and he looked down at her. She touched the fuzz growing on his chin, and he brought his lips down to hers. Cameras were flashing, and reporters were yelling; time seemed to stop for them, and Charlie’s heart skipped a beat.

There was something about him. When she’d been put in his group her first day of freshman year at Harvard, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was a senior – he shouldn’t have even looked at her. But he did, and he couldn’t look away either.

They’d been inseparable for the last few months. He’d tutored her in all of her classes, and she’d come to all the football games. He took her to parties, and she stuck by him until she was sure everything was safe. He’d never kissed her before. Not until now.

He pulled away and smiled at her. Her heart was in her throat, and as she looked out over the sea of fans and reporters and athletic directors and parents, she couldn’t help but think, He loves me.

“Charlie, I gotta go to the locker room now,” he said loudly over the buzz of the crowd. “I’ll call you when we’re out, okay?”

She nodded, unable to move or say anything. He kissed the top of her head and was gone. Immediately, she was swarmed. Are you Ryan’s girlfriend? She looked around. What is he like off the field? Panicking, she reached out for a cheerleader. How long have you and Ryan been involved? The cheerleader turned and smiled at her.

“Come on,” she whispered in her ear. “The team celebrates together, and you don’t want to miss it.”

She took Charlie’s hand and led her down a long and echoing hall. Charlie could hear shouting, coming faintly from one of the rooms down the hall. Some other cheerleaders were already there, and they welcomed her.

“What’s your name, hun?” asked a blonde one.

“Charlotte,” replied Charlie.

“Fitzy’s got himself a lady, huh?” ooh’ed a couple nearby.

“I don’t really know,” Charlie said, blushing. “I’d like to be with him.”

“So, what’s the deal then?” asked the one that had pulled her from the crowd. “Is he waiting or are you?”

“Neither,” said Charlie. “I just don’t think we’ve ever talked about it, so it just didn’t-“

“Here they come! shouted a girl.

There was a loud rumble, followed by a few shouts. A steady flow of football players began to exit the room, and the cheerleaders began to chant for them. Charlie’s eyes darted around the crowd, but she didn’t see Ryan. His giant figure was unmistakable, but then again, so were a lot of football players. She started to get a little disappointed when a hand touched her elbow. She turned around, and there he was. He stood a foot taller than her, and she had to look up to see him. He grinned at her, and she giggled a little.

“Hey, so do you want to hang out later?” he said.

“Don’t you have a party you have to go to?” asked Charlie.

“Senior year bullshit can wait,” Ryan shrugged.

“Okay,” said Charlie. “Pick me up at seven?”

He put a hand on her cheek and said, “Not a minute later.”

--

Charlie had her hands in her pockets as she and Ryan walked through the grass on campus. His arms swung freely at his sides, but he longed to reach out for her. She smiled up at the stars, and he stopped.

“Hey, about earlier…” he said.

“What?” she asked.

“That’s…that’s really not how I wanted our first kiss to go, and I’m sorry about it,” he said.

“What are you apologizing for?” chuckled Charlie. “You were caught up in the moment. It was exciting!”

“Really?” he asked.

“Of course. You know how long I’ve been waiting for that?”

“Not as long as me.”

There was an awkward pause that drifted between them, and she cleared her throat.

“Um, how did you want our first kiss to go?” she asked.

“Well,” Ryan said. He turned to her. “I’d wanted to be out here under the stars, where we met your first day on campus. I’d take your hands, like this” – he took her hands from her pockets, and he laced his fingers with hers – “and then, I’d come a little closer, like this.”

Charlie’s breath hitched in her throat as he took a step toward her. Their bodies were touching now, and her heartbeat slowed. He leaned down and brought his lips to hers. She closed her eyes. He let go of her hands and put his hands on her, one on the small of her back and one on her cheek. She put both of her hands on his face, and they moved in rhythm for a few moments.

When they parted, she said, “Oh.”

His forehead was touching hers, and he smiled.

“I would have liked that,” Charlie said.

He laughed slightly, before bringing their lips back together.