Explosions

Valentine’s Day came and went. J.J. had taken Charlie out to a romantic dinner downtown, and for one night, the strain on their relationship had disappeared. He had completely covered the house with bouquets of flowers and flower petals. He was a classic romantic, and Charlie fell for him every time.

J.J. hadn’t seen Ryan since the fight, and maybe it was for the best. Though he did want to apologize to him for fueling the rift that had already formed between them. Things were returning to normal, and Charlie was sure that things would be back to business as usual in no time.

Before she knew it, February was over. Spring was approaching faster than she’d expected. In just a few short months, she and J.J. would be having their three-year anniversary.

Three years. She couldn’t believe it had been that long with him. She was going to need to start planning something for him. He’d probably already planned something for her.

She was reading on the couch one afternoon about a week before St. Patrick’s Day. It was raining outside, the first of many approaching storms for that week. It was her favorite kind of weather, the kind that allowed her a few moments of peace. She’d nearly finished her book. It had been quiet for her all day, and she was startled when she heard a knock on the door.

She opened the door, and under the awning stood a somewhat wet Ryan Fitzpatrick. Charlie looked around, slightly confused. She glanced behind him and saw a car running in the driveway.

“Ryan, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“Is J.J. here?” he said.

“No, he’s at Brian’s right now,” Charlie replied.

“Okay, good,” said Ryan. “I just came by to say good-bye. I’m being traded.”

“Traded?” she echoed. “Why? Where?”

“I’m going back to New York,” Ryan said. “This time with the Jets.”

“Ryan, how did this happen?” she asked.

“I think you know,” he said. “Look, I really should be going.”

He turned to leave, but Charlie grabbed his hand. He pulled away from her a little quicker than he intended. She stepped outside and shut the door behind her.

“Tell me what’s going on,” she demanded.

“You know about the fight, right?” said Ryan.

“Yes,” she said.

“I know you do,” he said. “Coach told me that you told him everything. He thinks it’s just better for the team if I’m not on it.”

“What?” exclaimed Charlie. “Ryan, are you serious? But you signed a two-year contract, didn’t you?”

“I signed one in Tennessee, too,” he replied. “Shit happens, Charlie.”

“I don’t accept that. There has to be more.”

“There is.”

“J.J. started the fight, didn’t he?”

“Well, no offense here, but I’m a little cheaper to get rid of than the six-year, hundred-million-dollar man.”

“Ryan, I’m so sorry,” said Charlie. “I didn’t know any of this would happen.”

“It’s not your fault, Charlie,” said Ryan. “I don’t ever want you to think that you did this. It’s probably for the better anyway.”

“Don’t say that,” she replied. “You were great for this team.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he said.

She stared at him for a moment. He shook his head.

“I need to get going, Charlie,” he said.

Charlie watched him walk back to his car.

“Ryan!” she shouted as he opened the car door.

He looked back, blinking against the rain, and saw her running toward him. She wrapped her arms around him and put her face to his chest. He put his arms around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“I am too,” replied Ryan. “You have a great life here, Charlie. I never meant to screw any of this up for you.”

He let go of her and smiled. She watched him get into his car, and a second later, he drove away. The rain had reached her skin, and she shivered. She headed back into the house, and shut the door behind her.

---

Charlie stared up at the young man next to her. She studied his jawline and his hair and the way his eyes moved across the page. He was big, like he was in football or wrestling. She’d never seen anyone quite like him, and she had the sudden urge to reach up and touch him.

Feeling her gaze, he glanced down at her and smiled. She blushed and looked away.

“Were you listening?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

He chuckled and sat down in the chair beside her. He pointed to the paper.

“Okay, so basically you just have to cut through here, and then you’ll be where you need to be,” he said. “But there isn’t a good way to explain it until you’ve been there. If you’re free sometime soon, I could show you.”

“That would be nice,” Charlie said.

She smiled at him, and he flipped through her schedule. His fingers skimmed the page. He looked back over at her. She caught herself staring, and she quickly looked down at her schedule as well.

“I had a few of these classes my freshman year as well,” he said. “I can help you if you need it.”

“I might need some help anyway,” Charlie said. “I’m not the greatest at math.”

“What’s your major again?” he asked.

“Business marketing,” she replied. “Yours?”

“Economics,” he said.

“Jesus,” Charlie breathed.

“Yeah, I’m actually kind of a nerd for math,” he chuckled.

He gathered a few of her welcome papers and piled them up in front of her. She shuffled them around nervously.

“Well, Charlotte,” he said, “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’ll be around here all week if you need me. Like I said, I can give you a tour if you want one.”

“I get lost pretty easy sometimes,” said Charlie. “You can call me Charlie.” She paused, chuckled, and shook her head. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

“Ryan,” he said.

She grinned and said, “It was nice to meet you, Ryan. I’m really looking forward to being at Harvard.”

“It’s going to be great,” said Ryan. “Trust me.”

---

Charlie flipped through the channels on the T.V. aimlessly. J.J. had made it home about an hour ago, but she’d refrained from mentioning anything about Ryan’s visit. It surely wouldn’t upset him, but she didn’t want him thinking they’d been together for longer than a quick ‘hello’.

She settled on ESPN, deciding she could stand a few long minutes of listening to how the Patriots cheated their way to the Super Bowl. Her mind wandered in and out of consciousness. Tom Brady this. Her eyes fluttered shut for a long time. Rob Gronkowski that. Her mind was beginning to slip into sleep. Interception. Their voices became distant, and she felt her body slumping slightly. Marshawn Lynch. J.J. Watt.

Her eyes shot open. J.J. wasn’t in the Super Bowl.

“-report of Fitzpatrick’s trade comes just weeks after a locker room altercation involving Watt,” said the reporter. “The Jets, who have been having some quarterback issues of their own, traded for a third round conditional pick to acquire Fitzpatrick.”

“Tracy, what do you know about this altercation in the Texans’ locker room?” asked another reporter.

“Well, Rob, we know only that the two got into a bit of a tiff shortly before Valentine’s Day,” said Tracy. “Coach Bill O’Brien didn’t mention anything specific, though the speculation right now is that it involves J.J. Watt’s current girlfriend, Charlotte Elliott, who dated Fitzpatrick during their college days.”

“Tracy, why is there so much drama in Houston lately?” asked another reporter from the studio.

“They are keeping things very hush-hush here in Houston,” replied Tracy. “Their chance at the playoffs this year was narrowly missed, and fans are left wondering what could have happened if Ryan Fitzpatrick hadn’t broken his leg. Could they have made the playoffs, and would any of this drama be happening right now? His two-year contract with the Texans has been cut short, and we will never know how it might have played out.”

“Alright, we will continue to update you on the Fitzpatrick trade as we get more information,” said Rob. “Tracy, thank you.”

“LeBron had a monster game last night, as the Cavaliers”-

Charlie’s phone immediately began to receive a flow of text messages. She closed her eyes, listening to the occasional ping from the table beside her. She shut out every sound but the ones coming from her phone, yet she did not answer any of them. She didn’t care what they had to say, and even if she did, she wouldn’t know what to say in return.