Explosions

“J.J., let’s go!” shouted Charlie. “You’ve got press with the team in forty-five minutes!”

There was a loud pounding sound as a man twice Charlie Elliott’s size ran down the stairs. He grabbed his jacket and a baseball cap, and he scrambled to put his shoes on. His jaw was a firm square, and his shoulders were broader than some doorways allowed. This was J.J. Watt, defensive end for the Houston Texans, and Charlie couldn’t get him to be on time if she tried.

“I’m not going to be late,” the man sighed. “I just like to take long showers.”

“I know,” giggled Charlie.

He stopped, looking up at her as he slid his shoe into place. She crossed her arms.

He sucked in a breath of air and smiled. “How’d I ever get so lucky to meet a woman like you?”

“Shut the fuck up and put your coat on,” Charlie sighed.

“Mmm, feisty mama,” J.J. said. He stood up and put his hands on her hips. “We have a little, teensy bit of time, right?” He touched his lips to her collarbone.

“No, we don’t,” she said. “Justin James, if you’re going to be late for a team press conference, it is most certainly not going to be because of me.”

He groaned, putting his baseball cap on backwards.

“We’ll have plenty of time later, trust me,” said Charlie.

J.J. turned to put on his coat, but she grabbed his hand. He looked down at her and smiled, the corners of his mouth creasing his face slightly. He kissed her, and she melted a little. When he pulled away, she had her eyes closed.

“Come on,” he said. “Don’t wanna be late.”

The drive to NRG Stadium was all too familiar for the both of them. It’s where they’d met, and it’s where they’d grown together.

In 2011, when J.J. had walked into the stadium for the first time, he’d caught a glimpse of a woman talking on the phone in an office. Her hair had been in disarray, and it was clear she was angry at whoever she was on the phone with. He stopped, going back to stand outside the office. She had sat down and yelled something into the phone before hanging the phone up and sitting back in her chair. He didn’t know her then, but when he’d seen her again a few months later, he’d introduced himself.

“You’re J.J. then, huh?” she’d said.

“Yeah,” he’d stuck out his hand to her, and she shook it.

“Charlotte Elliott,” she’d said. “Assistant Marketing Specialist here for the Texans.”

“What does that mean?” asked J.J.

“I help the office in finding out what people are going to buy,” she’d said. “That’s the job description in simple terms.”

“So you think I can’t handle the big terms?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t I explain the big terms over coffee?”

J.J. stopped, looking her dead in the eyes. She was gorgeous – bright emerald eyes and chestnut hair. She had long eyelashes and round lips. He’d found out later that the phone call was an ex-boyfriend who wanted her to take a job in Miami. They’d started dating a few months later, and now they’d been dating for a few years.

Charlie chewed her lip and looked over at him. He liked driving to the stadium, and she let him. She touched his arm, feeling his bicep tense at her touch. She smiled and turned to face him.

“So what’s the press conference about?” she asked.

“Changes to our roster,” said J.J. “We got a new head coach, and he’s bringing in some new people as well. Supposedly there’s this QB from the Titans that didn’t do so great last year. He’s bringing him to Houston cuz he sees potential.”

“What do you think?” asked Charlie.

“I guess I’ve never really watched him play,” said J.J. “Too busy trying to get sacks, know what I mean?”

She punched his arm playfully, and he chuckled.

“Know any names?” she asked.

“Bill O’Brien is our head coach now,” said J.J. He scrunched up his face and said, “Mallett, I know for sure. Maybe Fitzsimmons? Fitzgerald-“

“Fitzpatrick?” asked Charlie.

“Yeah, I think that’s it,” he replied.

Charlie’s face went hot, and she turned back to the window. J.J. glanced over at her.

“Babe, you alright?” he asked.

She nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little carsickness is all.”

“Carsickness?”

He wasn’t buying it.

“Yeah, I just got a little lightheaded,” she said. “It’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” asked J.J.

Charlie nodded again. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

---

Ryan caressed Charlie’s arm gently, and she smiled. They lay next to each other, breathing heavily. She touched his bare chest and sighed. He looked down at her, resting there against his body. He kissed the top of her head.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“I just missed you,” she replied. She propped herself up on her elbow, and her hair fell around her shoulders. “It’s been so long.”

“It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Ryan said.

“You got drafted in May,” she said. “I haven’t really seen you much since then.”

“Well, we’re on a bye this week, and I couldn’t stand not seeing the most beautiful woman in the world,” said Ryan, putting his arms around her and bringing her down on top of him.

“How’s it feel to be the smartest man in the NFL?” Charlie asked.

“I’m not here to talk about work,” he groaned.

“Fair enough,” she said, touching his chin. “You know, I like it better when you have a beard.”

She climbed up on top of him so she was straddling him. He dragged his rough fingertips over her breasts and down her sides, smiling as she shivered. He put his hands behind his head, and she leaned down over his face.

“How’s sophomore year going?” he asked.

“If you don’t have to talk about work, I don’t have to talk about school,” Charlie giggled.

He smirked.

“What are we, Ryan?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” he said.

“Are we dating still?” she continued. “Are we not?”

“Well, we were dating,” sighed Ryan. “Now we’re not. But I still love you, Charlie. I just don’t know about anything in my life right now except football. I do know I still love you.”

She smiled weakly and lay down next to him again. He wrapped her in his arms, and she buried her face in his neck. He closed his eyes and sighed again.

“I’m sorry, Charlie,” he said. “I wish I knew what to say. Can we just do this? Can we just see each other and be in love for awhile and figure it out later?”

She nodded silently.

---

“Babe, are you even listening?”

Charlie turned her head sharply. She was still in the car, J.J. next to her in the driver’s seat. She shook her head.

“Sorry, no,” she said.

He chuckled, “It’s okay, I was just saying we need to start coming up with some marketing strategies for the charity.”

“Oh, right,” said Charlie. “The charity, yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked J.J. He touched her forehead.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “Really, I just got light-headed. I’ll get some water when we get to the stadium.”

“Okay,” J.J. said.

He knew when not to pressure her. It was probably just something she’d forgotten for work that she didn’t want to tell him about.

When they got to NRG Stadium, Charlie immediately exited the car. She took a few deep breaths. A tall, muscular black man was walking their direction, and J.J. shouted at him, laughing. The man turned and shook his head.

“Goddammit, Watt,” he chuckled.

J.J. pulled him into a huge hug and said, “Glad to see you back, DeAndre!”

“Was worried there a minute,” said the man, DeAndre. “Wasn’t sure if I’d impressed them enough my rookie season, but I’m back now, baby!” He turned to Charlie and said, “Ma’am, you sure are lookin’ fine today.”

“Hey, Dee,” Charlie laughed.

“Don’t make me punch you, Hopkins,” said J.J., feigning a threatening tone. “I will.”

“Man, shut the hell up,” DeAndre said. “Can’t a man appreciate a lady?”

Charlie followed the two into the stadium as they bickered and bantered. Her palms grew sweatier with every step she took. She looked around, half expecting to see Ryan standing there waiting for her. She took her place at the back of the pressroom, observing everyone in the room. J.J. and DeAndre took to the side with a few of the other players, among them Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, and Andre Blue. Arian waved at her, and she waved back. She’d become good friends with everyone on the team, and she hoped it would stay that way.

There was a hum as a few new people entered the room. She recognized him immediately. She shrunk down, which wasn’t hard, considering her size compared to everyone else’s. She peeked through shoulders and watched him sit down. He’d grown a beard, but his smile and his eyes were unmistakable. She crossed her arms, her smile growing unconsciously. She pulled out her phone to text J.J.

I’ll meet you out at the car later. Gotta get a couple things done in the office. Hang with the team a little. Love you!

She knew he wouldn’t see it until much later, but she was okay. She kept her eyes fixed on him. The new coach, Bill O’Brien, was talking when Ryan began to look around. They asked him a question, he turned back to the microphone and answered it simply, and he kept looking around. He smiled and turned back to the microphone.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to seem distracted,” he chuckled. “You ever get the feeling someone’s watching you?”

“We’re all watching you, Mr. Fitzpatrick,” said a reporter. The room erupted into laughter, including Ryan.

“I like you,” Ryan laughed. “No, in all honesty, I’m really excited to come to Houston and play some football. These guys are incredible, and I couldn’t ask for a better team to accept me into their organization.”

The guys started cheering, and Ryan held his thumb up. After awhile, Charlie decided she should sneak away and get some actual work done while she was here. She looked at Ryan one last time, and he looked up. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she stood rooted in her place. She could see his hands start to clench together. She took a step back, breaking away from him. He glanced over at a reporter that had just asked him a question, and she took the opportunity to dart out of the room.

She walked quickly down the halls, saying hello only briefly to people that greeted her. Her mind was in a million different places as she fumbled with her keys to get into her office. Once she was in, she sat down in the first chair she came across and took a deep breath.

“Oh my god,” she said to herself. “Oh my god.”