Explosions

Charlie was beaming as the lights began to twinkle. She smoothed out her cream-colored dress, and she moved to fix one of the flower vases. J.J. chatted with Brian at the end of the bar. Other players were going to start showing up slowly as well.

She looked around the room at the hanging lanterns and mesmerizing gold accents. She couldn’t be happier with the way it had turned out. It was more magical than she had ever imagined.

Charlie and J.J. were lost once more people started showing up. Charlie was too busy wandering around thanking everyone than enjoying herself, but J.J. knew she wouldn’t stop until every single person had been greeted. He sat at the bar, watching a few couples on the dance floor, when Ryan approached him.

“Hey, man,” said J.J. “Glad you could come tonight!”

“Yeah, this looks amazing,” Ryan replied.

“It was all Charlie,” said J.J.

The bartender handed Ryan a glass of champagne, and he thanked him. He nodded his head in the direction of the dance floor.

“I feel like Cush is going to start a breakdancing circle later,” he chuckled.

“That would actually not surprise me at all,” laughed J.J. He thumbed the stem of his champagne glass and said, “A few of Charlie’s coworkers are here, if you wanted to get set up with a lady tonight.”

He nudged Ryan, who smiled but shook his head.

“Thanks,” said Ryan, “but I think I’d like to start 2015 as a single guy.”

“Why?” snorted J.J. “Because it worked so well for you in the past?”

“Might not have been the most ideal situation,” said Ryan. “I did have my best years in the NFL when I started that way, though.”

J.J. shrugged and said, “Fair enough.”

“Where’s Charlie, though? I’d like to at least compliment her on this party.”

“Eh, she’s around here somewhere. I keep losing track of her. She’s never content with just letting things play out. She’s always gotta make sure everything is just right.”

“This place does look amazing, though,” Ryan commented.

J.J. nodded his head in agreement. As if on cue, a dainty hand touched Ryan’s elbow, and the two looked up to see Charlie grinning from ear to ear. J.J. held out his hand to her, and she took it.

Ryan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Her floor-length, ivory dress complimented her body in more ways than one. The high waist made her look taller than she was, and her hair was pulled back into ringlets. Her bright green eyes and dark hair contrasted the lightness of the dress, bringing her flawless skin to life. He was in awe, and he had to tear himself away when he heard her voice.

“You’re off crutches now,” she said. “That’s awesome, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Ryan. “Well, the doctor said to keep the crutches nearby in case I feel any pain, but so far, I’ve been okay.”

“Ryan, that’s amazing,” said Charlie.

“Hopefully this means you’ll be 100% by the time OTAs swing around,” J.J. added.

“I’m really hoping so,” said Ryan.

The trio grew silent for a moment. J.J. stood up off his chair.

“Well, now that I’ve found you, Char, why don’t we go dance?” he asked.

Charlie kissed his cheek and said, “That would be lovely.”

Ryan watched as J.J. pulled her out onto the dance floor. She looked so at ease with him, though he could tell by her darting eyes that she was anxious about the party going well. He saw a figure sit next to him, and he looked over. It was Randy Bullock, their kicker. He smiled at Ryan, and Ryan nodded to him.

“Good to see you up and around, Fitz,” said Randy.

“It feels great to be out,” Ryan said. “It’s so shitty having to watch the game from the sky box. It’s just not the same.”

“Beer’s gotta be nice though, right?” Randy chuckled.

“It’s true,” said Ryan. “They have some high quality shit there.”

His eyes shifted over to the dance floor, but he had lost Charlie and J.J. Randy handed him a small plate of food as a server passed by. Ryan’s gaze was broken.

“How’s things going with nose piercing?” asked Randy.

“We haven’t spoken since I broke my leg,” Ryan sighed. “Guess she doesn’t want to bone a guy with one leg.”

Randy shook his head and said, “Damn shame, dude. She was like an eight, at least.”

“I can give you her number,” chuckled Ryan.

“Nah, I’m gonna shy away for now. I’m trying to work things out with this girl from college. Hopefully it’s going okay.”

Ryan stopped paying attention as Charlie came back into focus. She was laughing at whatever dance move J.J. was trying to attempt before another defensive lineman came over and showed him how it was supposed to be. Her laugh was enchanting, and it was the only sound he heard as it carried through the ballroom.

She glanced over, apparently feeling his gaze, and she waved him over. He shook his head and indicated toward Randy, but she walked over to him.

“Ryan, Randy,” she said. “Come join us. Brian’s definitely going to start this breakdancing. At least, he thinks he is. Andre might have him beat though. He’s pretty confident.”

Randy shrugged and said, “Yeah, let’s fucking do this.”

Charlie grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him out to where the guys had formed a circle. She moved to stand next to Andre’s girlfriend, and she watched as Brian and DeAndre got in the center. She shook her head, laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

Ryan watched, clapping his hands to the beat and laughing with his teammates. After they’d determined DeAndre the winner, it was J.J.’s turn. Brian clapped him on the back. J.J. had always been the type to go big or go home. Tonight was no exception. Though his body was massive, he wiggled and shook and spun in ways Charlie had only seen in comedy movies. She had tears in her eyes laughing.

It went on for a while. DeAndre versus J.J., then J.J. versus Randy, then J.J. versus Andre. After a few songs, the tempo changed to a slower pace. Most of the jackets had come off by now, and most of the people that had been in the circle were resting. J.J. was no exception. He collapsed into a chair next to Brian, his breathing heavy.

Charlie grinned at him and said, “You’re fucking crazy. I love you.”

“Good,” gasped J.J. “I would hope so. I’m too tired to do anything right now though.”

“Well, catch your breath,” said Charlie. “You have about forty-five minutes until midnight.”

He nodded and high-fived Brian. Charlie turned to leave and saw Ryan standing near the bar again. She smiled lightly and sidled up to him. He didn’t notice her right away. In fact, he was going to start walking away until she elbowed him in the side. Startled, he looked down and saw her.

“Hey you,” she said.

“Hey, Char,” he replied, putting his arm around her shoulder. “This party is amazing.”

She gave him a gentle squeeze and said, “Thank you, Ryan. That means a lot.”

Ryan set his drink down, and she looked down at her hands. She fidgeted with her dress, and he took her hand.

“Will you dance with me?” he asked.

Her cheeks turned pink, and she nodded.

“Just one dance,” he said.

They slowly made their way to the dance floor, his boot slowing them down only for a second. He put a hand on her waist and took her hand in his free one. She put her other arm on his chest, and they began to sway back and forth to the rhythm of the song.

“You look beautiful tonight, Charlotte,” he said. “I hope I’m not overstepping a boundary by saying that.”

“Thank you, Ryan,” said Charlie. “You look really nice as well.”

He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

“I try to clean up nice every once in a while,” said Ryan. “Helps when I don’t look like a mountain man all the time.

Charlie laughed, “I think it’s very manly when you look like you live in a cabin in Wyoming.”

J.J. looked on as Charlie and Ryan chatted about something on the dance floor. Brian nodded to them and turned to J.J.

“You really okay with this?” he asked.

“Yes,” J.J. said. “Charlie is the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. She’s also been open and honest and trusting with me since day one.”

“I just don’t know,” said Brian. “If someone was that close to my girl, I wouldn’t be able to just watch.”

J.J. looked at him and said, “Sometimes it’s hard, yeah, but Fitz is a great person. He’s not going to do anything to break my trust either.”

The song ended, and Ryan stepped away from Charlie. She smiled up at him. He touched her chin and smiled back at her. Her stomach fluttered, and she looked away.

“I’m going to go get ready for this toast tonight,” she said. She turned to leave.

“Okay,” said Ryan. “Hey Charlie?”

“Yeah?” said Charlie, turning back to him.

He stared at her for a long second. She was breathtaking. Every inch of her from her hair to her feet was stunning in every sense of the word. She shifted from one leg to the other, and he blinked a few times.

“I was just going to say thanks for all you’ve done for me since I’ve moved here,” he said. “It’s, uh, been a great year thanks to you.” He paused then said, “And J.J.”

Her eyes lit up, and she said, “Thank you, Ryan. I didn’t think I would appreciate you being here, but we’ve come a long way.”

The tempo of the music picked up again, and Ryan stood there as people around him began moving. He looked around at everyone. He shoved his hands into his pockets and moved off the floor. There was a lump in his throat restricting his airflow, and he needed to breathe.

He stepped out into the courtyard. The cool breeze hit his face, and he finally was able to take a few deep breaths. He could hear the pulsing music from inside, but he focused on the sound of the wind through the flowers. He sat down on a bench, closed his eyes, and took another deep breath.

J.J. saw Ryan sitting on a bench outside, and he stood up. He made his way through the crowd of people and pushed open the door to the courtyard. He took a seat at the other end of the bench, and Ryan’s eyes opened.

“You feeling okay, Fitz?” asked J.J.

“Uh, yeah,” Ryan replied. “Just got a little short of breath is all. I think it’s my leg.”

“Do you need me to go get your crutches?” suggested J.J.

“No, I think I’ll be okay if I just sit here for awhile,” said Ryan. “It’s kind of peaceful anyway.”

“Peaceful? Man, this is a party!”

“I know, I know,” chuckled Ryan. “I think I just need a little quiet. Haven’t stressed my leg this much since the break, so rest is good for now. I’ll go back in closer to midnight.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” said J.J. “Do you need me to bring you anything? Water or whatever?”

Ryan shook his head and said, “No, thank you though.”

J.J. patted Ryan’s shoulder and stood back up.

“Alright,” said J.J. “Come back in soon, dude. You’re missing all the fun.”

“I’ll be in in a little bit,” confirmed Ryan.

J.J. left him sitting in silence. Ryan put his elbows on his knees and pressed his forehead to the heels of his hands. He sat there for a long time, taking deep breaths and concentrating on the wind again.

The door opened, and he looked up. Charlie frowned at him. She hadn’t originally looked like she was going to join him, but she stepped outside and let the door close behind her.

“Sorry, I was looking for J.J.,” she said.

She stood in front of him, leaning on the railing near some flowers.

“He was out here about ten minutes ago,” said Ryan. “I haven’t seen him since.”

“Are you okay, Ryan?” she asked.

“Not really,” Ryan sighed. He stood up and moved to stand next to her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Charlie.

Ryan shrugged and looked out into the courtyard. She turned so her body was facing him, and she leaned her elbow against the railing. He shook his head.

“I spent so much time trying to get over you, Charlie,” he said. “I loved you more than you’ll ever know – more than I ever knew. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you here, and only two things crossed my mind. The first was that I hated that you were here. Everything I had worked so hard to forget…there it was. I had spent so much time trying to forget you, and it all came back to me so fast.”

Charlie stared at him. She watched his eyelids opening and closing slowly, and she concentrated on his hair moving in the wind. She felt her pulse in her fingertips. She stood up straight. She inhaled sharply, and he turned to her.

“And the second?” she asked.

He looked at her, standing there next to him. His body was so close to hers now, and she was gorgeous. He never felt worthy of her love, and he knew she wouldn’t love him again in a million years. He cleared his throat, trying to speak, but the words were caught there.

He touched her cheek gently, and he brought his lips down to meet hers. She closed her eyes, melting into him slightly. She put her hand on his, then her eyes shot back open. She took a step away from him, her hand still touching his. His eyes widened, and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Charlotte, I’m so sorry. I didn’t”-

“I have to go,” she said.

She turned and all but ran back into the ballroom. His hand, still hanging there in the air, began to tremble. He let it drop to his side. How could he have been so stupid?