Explosions

Another win was down in the books for the Texans. Ryan had gotten back into his groove, and they were flying high. In just a few more weeks, their season would be over, and they were going to fight for a playoff spot even if it killed them.

Unfortunately, it was a little truer than it should have been. They’d lost Andre to injury this week, and it was up to DeAndre to pick up a little more of the slack. Mal’s pectoral muscle had ended up being torn, effectively ending his season.

Ryan showed up at J.J.’s house after practice on Thursday night. The two sat on the couch with the Thursday night game – the Cardinals and the Rams – on the television. Charlie had gone out with a couple of people from work, leaving the guys alone.

“You’re on fire, Fitz,” said J.J., putting his arm over the top of his head. “You’re gonna take us to the fucking playoffs. If we beat the Colts next week, we can do it.”

“I’ve never been to the playoffs before,” remarked Ryan. “It would be fucking nice, wouldn’t it?”

“Let’s fucking get you there,” J.J. said. “We can do this shit.”

Ryan nodded, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly. His phone went off a couple times, and he picked it up to reply to the text. J.J. curiously tilted his head and watched Ryan for a moment. When Ryan set his phone back down, he noticed J.J. staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You’ve got a girl,” chuckled J.J.

“What? No I don’t,” said Ryan.

“Mhm, I see it on your smug fucking face,” J.J. said. “Who is she?”

“It’s just this girl from a club that Mal and I went to,” said Ryan.

“Oh, a club girl,” J.J. said. “What’s she like?”

“Uh, she’s got red hair and”-

“No, dude. What’s she like?”

“Oh, you mean…”

J.J. shrugged and put his feet up next to him.

“Yeah, we hooked up,” said Ryan.

“You fucking dick,” laughed J.J. “I knew it.”

Ryan closed his eyes and pictured her for a second. He looked back at J.J. and said, “She’s a fitness trainer, so her body’s, like, perfect. She’s got this tattoo of an alligator right here” – he pointed to the top of his jeans – “and her nose is pierced.”

“What?” howled J.J.

“Mal hooked me up with her. Her name’s Kate. We’ve hooked up a few times in the last couple of weeks.”

“You gonna bring her to the New Year’s party?”

Ryan shook his head and said, “Probably not.”

“Why?” asked J.J.

“She’s not really my type,” Ryan said. “And I don’t see it going any further than just a few hookups.”

“Hey, sometimes that’s all you need, man,” said J.J.

“She’s a little young, too,” said Ryan. “22 years old – I’m not ready for that.”

“She know how old you are?” asked J.J.

“I don’t think so. I mean ten years isn’t terrible, but there’s just a lot going on with girls right out of college. Plus, if Mal’s been with her, is she just out getting tail like everyone else?”

His phone went off again. He glanced at it but quickly turned it over.

“She sending you nudes?” snorted J.J.

“Uh, yeah,” said Ryan. “Kinda.”

“Steer clear, Fitz,” said J.J. He put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and said, “Girls that send you pics like that, completely unwarranted, they’re crazy. Been there, done that.”

“Do you ever wish you could change it?” asked Ryan.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re young. You were young when you started dating Charlie. Do you ever wish you could be out there like Mal? Just getting a girl whenever you want?”

J.J. shook his head and said, “Charlie’s been too good to me for me to want that.”

“It’s probably better,” said Ryan. “Sometimes I think… You know, I’m 32 years old now. Dating’s getting real shitty for people my age.”

“People your age.” J.J. snorted once, then laughed for a long second. “Calm down, grandpa.”

“I’m serious, dude.”

“Fitz, look. You’re a quarterback in the fucking NFL. You can literally go anywhere, and any girl would immediately open herself up to you.”

Ryan cringed and said, “Yeah, that’s kind of the problem. I don’t want just any girl. I want…”

He stopped and looked around the living room. His heartbeat slowed. He half-heartedly smiled.

“I want someone that’s going to be there for me during the wins and losses. I want someone that wants to know more about me than just what team I play for, you know?”

“You’ll get there,” said J.J.

“Yeah, okay. I’ve got a lot of flaws, and most of them aren’t on the field.”

“What are you worried about?”

Ryan said, “I don’t want you to get mad when I open this can of worms up, okay? But I think it’s best if I do. It might help me find someone.”

“Shoot for it, Fitz,” said J.J. “I’m not easily angered off the field, just so you’re aware.”

Ryan nodded. He sat forward in his chair, gathering his thoughts.

“Liza was my most recent girlfriend,” he said, “and we stopped dating over a year and a half ago. She didn’t give a flying rat’s ass about football, and I think that helped our relationship last as long as it did. We had dated for almost two years, but she just…stopped loving me. She couldn’t explain it. I still loved her at the time, but she wasn’t that hard to get over.

“Charlie, though…” Ryan paused. He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. “I never got over Charlie. She cared about me before the NFL. She asked about it and was interested in it, but she never cared what I made. More importantly, she never cared whether I was sitting on the bench or playing. She was there through the first three years, and I should have paid more attention to her. I never got over her. I’m still not over her. I still love her, and you more than anyone deserve to know that.”

J.J. was silent. He nodded, staring at Ryan.

“I know I say it a lot,” said Ryan, “but I mean it. I’m glad she’s with you. She deserves someone who knows her worth, every second of every day. She’s so happy, and she loves you so much.”

“I appreciate your honesty,” said J.J. “I think the thought’s been at the back of my mind since I found out about you two.”

“I would never do anything to jeopardize our friendship or this team or what you have with Charlie,” said Ryan. “That’s why I’m trying. I’m trying so hard to find someone to take my mind off it. I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”

“They’re not awkward, Ryan,” said J.J. “You’ve been honest with me from the beginning, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. I know it was hard for Charlie to adjust at first, but I’ve never doubted your intentions. I want you to know that.”

Ryan smiled and said, “Thanks, J.J.”

It was quiet between them, the only sound coming from the game. Ryan watched as the camera panned over the sideline of the Arizona Cardinals. He saw Carson Palmer standing there, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I used to be his backup,” said Ryan, motioning toward the T.V. “We were a team back on the Bengals.”

“You’re no one’s backup now,” said J.J. “And he’s injured, so there’s that.”

“Do you think we have a shot against the Colts this week?” asked Ryan.

“Hell yeah,” said J.J. “Dude, you need to give more credit to yourself. You’ve been killing it the last couple weeks.”

“It’s the beard,” chuckled Ryan. “Fresh trim, fresh arm.”

The door opened, and the guys looked up. Charlie walked in, her eyes red. J.J. immediately stood up.

“Babe, are you okay?” he asked.

She shook her head and stepped to the side. He looked behind her and saw Olivia standing near her.

“Olivia will be staying with us for a few days,” said Charlie. “Maybe a little longer.”

Olivia walked in and looked over at Ryan. Ryan nodded to her once, and she turned back to her sister.

“What’s he doing here?” she asked.

“Charlie gets to talk first,” said J.J., leading them back to the couch.

Olivia glared at him but followed reluctantly. Charlie sat down on the end of the couch between J.J. and the chair where Ryan sat. Olivia took a seat opposite Ryan in the armchair across the table, and she pulled her phone out immediately.

“Put it away,” Charlie said sternly.

Olivia looked up at her sister and slid her phone back into her pocket.

“I got a call from Olivia about fifteen minutes after I got off work,” Charlie said. “She was asking me to pick her up at the airport. Almost the second I got off the phone with her, I got a call from Mom. She asked me if I’d heard from Olivia and said she’d run away from home”-

“I had to,” said Olivia. “Kyle’s drug dealer called me, threatening to kill me.”

“Olivia, please,” said Charlie.

J.J. took her hand and said, “Babe, what happened?”

“He called,” said Charlie. “He called her when we were in the car on the way over here. We need to go get her a new number first thing in the morning. She’ll be staying here at least until the week of Christmas.”

“What about your parents?” asked Ryan.

“They’re going on vacation, sort of,” said Olivia. “I called them when I got to Houston.”

Charlie stared at her for a long time. Olivia shifted in her chair and set her phone down on the table as it began to ring again.

“Kyle’s not even alive anymore, and he’s still managing to screw up my life,” Olivia said. “This guy’s going to kidnap me or kill me or something. They put out a warrant for his arrest, but I’m so fucking scared. I didn’t know what to do, so I just borrowed Dad’s car and drove to the airport. I got on the first flight here.”

She put her hands over her face and took a few deep breaths.

“You don’t need to worry, Liv,” said Charlie. “You can come with us every day. We have plenty of room for you to stay here. You did the right thing.”

Charlie looked up at J.J., then at Ryan. Ryan sat back in his chair and looked between the three sitting around him. Olivia looked at Ryan, crossing her arms.

“Now you owe me an explanation,” she said. “What is he doing here?”

Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but J.J. cut her off.

“Ryan is my teammate and friend, and if you don’t want to be in the same room as him, you’re welcome to find a new room to be in,” he said.

Charlie looked over at him. He’d never been so curt before. Her eyes slipped downward to her hands, and the room grew silent.