Explosions

A pair of sacks from J.J. could not stop the Miami Dolphins, and the Texans lost big that Sunday. Charlie watched from her hotel room, shaking her head in disbelief. The team was now 2 and 5, and she had no idea how to respond. She wanted to call J.J. to tell him she was sorry like she always had, but she knew she couldn’t. Instead, she tried to carry on like normal.

Every day for the next week, when she would walk by the training room, she saw J.J. red in the face with sweat dripping from his face. He was never smiling, and he was never taking it easy. She knew the look on his face. He was angry, and he was determined.

It paid off. As Charlie watched from her seat in the staff suite, J.J. recorded two and a half sacks and a forced fumble in a 20 to 6 win against the Tennessee Titans. She could tell his playing had gotten rougher, and something had changed. She noticed it the first time he got a sack, but it was something she should have noticed in week five against the Colts.

He stood up after the sack, and where his kiss used to be, he threw his hands up in the air and clapped three times. She cocked her head and crossed her arms. She should have seen it coming. He no longer blew kisses because he no longer played for her.

She had glanced over at the television during the game and noticed that the Jets were losing. She knew they’d had a winning record this year, but she couldn’t watch. She hadn’t seen Ryan play once this year, and she wasn’t about to start.

Charlie returned to work on Monday, where everyone was in good spirits after winning another divisional game. Her boss had wished her the best of luck with her application to the Celtics. He told her, though, that if she did get the job, he would be sad to see her go. She thanked him, but she didn’t want to think about leaving Houston just yet.

She paid for another week at the hotel, unknowing of when this break with J.J. would end. She didn’t want to be homeless, though, so she went ahead and added another week on. While she was getting ready for work on Wednesday, her phone rang. She was in the middle of blow-drying her hair when she heard it.

“Hello?” she said, picking it up.

“Miss Elliott?” said a man on the other line.

“Yes,” Charlie replied.

“This is Chuck Woodward again, with the Boston Celtics,” he said.

“Oh, hello, Mr. Woodward,” she said.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” he asked.

“No, not at all,” she said. “I’m just getting ready to head out for work.”

“Well, if you have a moment, I’d like to ask you a couple questions,” he said.

“Yeah, anything,” Charlie said.

“Your resume is very impressive, Miss Elliott,” said Chuck.

“Oh, thank you, sir.”

“I must admit, though, I have seen the news recently. You are in a relationship with J.J. Watt, is that correct?”

“Well, technically, yes,” said Charlie.

“Technically?” asked Chuck. “Can you clarify?”

“Without getting into details, he and I have hit a bit of a rough patch,” she replied.

“The reason I’m asking is because if you took the job here in Boston, you would obviously be required to live here,” he continued. “I don’t mean to sound like I’m intruding on your personal life. We just obviously need to know beforehand if it’s a possibility.”

“Mr. Watt and I have discussed the possibility, and I am absolutely able to move to Boston,” she said.

“Excellent,” he said. He paused, and Charlie thought he might be writing a few things down. “Well, Miss Elliott, I would like to ask you if you would be willing to fly to Boston for an interview next week?”

“Yes, absolutely!” said Charlie. She grinned from ear to ear, but she tried to contain herself. She must have sounded ridiculous.

“Great,” said Chuck. “How does next Wednesday at nine sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” said Charlie.

“You’ll get to TD Garden and tell the front office you’re there to see me,” he replied. “I’ll be down to get you then, okay? I look forward to meeting you, Miss Elliott.”

“Thank you so much!” she said. “I look forward to it as well.”

He hung up, and Charlie could barely keep herself from screaming as she dialed her mother’s phone number. The rings on the other end were driving her nuts for almost a full minute before Wendy picked up.

“Charlotte?” she said.

“Mom!” exclaimed Charlie. “Mom, thank you so much!”

“Charlie, what’s happening?” laughed Wendy.

“I have an interview next week with the Boston Celtics!” Charlie said, all but yelling into the phone. “I submitted my resume a couple weeks ago, and I have an interview next week!”

“Charlotte Elizabeth, that is incredible!” said Wendy. “Honey, I’m so proud of you!”

“I can’t thank you enough, Mom,” said Charlie. “Really, I owe you so much right now.”

“Don’t thank me,” Wendy said. “I was just being a proud mama. You’re the one who’s put in all the work.”

Charlie smiled and sat down on the bed.

“What does J.J. think?” asked Wendy.

“Do you have time to talk?” said Charlie.

“I always have time for you,” replied Wendy.

“J.J. and I have decided to take a break,” explained Charlie. “We obviously love each other very much, but there are a lot of things going on right now. I’m not sure if I’m in love with him anymore, you know?”

“I understand,” said Wendy.

“He and I did discuss it, though,” said Charlie. “He’s backing me up all the way. He knows this is my dream.”

“Good, good, good,” said Wendy. “Are you holding up okay?”

“I think so. I’m kind of living out of a hotel right now, but it’s not so bad.”

“What will happen if you get the job here?”

“I hadn’t thought that far in advance yet,” sighed Charlie.

“Well, call me when you’re in town,” said Wendy. “We’ll have dinner, okay?”

“Thank you, Mom,” Charlie replied. “I’ve gotta head to work.”

“I love you,” said Wendy.

“I love you, too,” said Charlie.

She hung on for a moment, listening to the dial tone on the other side. She hung up when she realized she would be late for work.

---

Charlie placed her hand on J.J.’s chest. She felt his heart beating steadily as he kissed her forehead. She looked up at him. She had spent many nights in his bed, but this felt different. He touched her shoulder lightly, and she propped herself up on her elbow, letting her hair fall around her.

“You okay?” she said.

“I love you, Charlotte,” he replied. “You know that, right?”

“Of course,” chuckled Charlie. “I would hope after the hour and a half we just had that that’s how you felt.”

He walked his fingers down her side and drew little circles on her hip. She shivered, and she brought her lips down to his neck. A light moan escaped his lips as she bit him gently. He put his hand on her cheek and swiftly moved so he was on top of her. She touched his abs and shook her head.

“I still can’t fucking believe I’m with you,” she giggled.

“That’s what I was hoping to ask you about,” he said. “We’ve been together just over six months now, and I wanted to ask if you would move in with me?”

Charlie’s heart skipped a beat, and she smiled.

“Of course I want to move in with you,” she said. “I spend all my time here anyway, don’t I?”

J.J. chuckled and intertwined his fingers with hers. She chewed on her lip a little bit, and he leaned down to kiss her rib cage.

“God, how’d I get so lucky to be with you?” he said.

His tongue slipped out against her skin as he spoke, and she sucked in a sharp breath. She ran her fingers through his hair and watched him as he kissed her side over and over. She smiled.

“I’m being honest when I say that I’m the lucky one in the relationship,” she said.

J.J. nibbled on her skin lightly as he said, “Don’t start this. You know I’ll win.”

She arched her back as his hands made their way around her waist. He was so gentle but always so powerful.

“Okay, you win,” she moaned. “Tell me something, though?”

He looked up.

“Anything,” he said.

“You don’t leave the seat up, do you?” she laughed.

He dropped his head to her stomach and laughed with her for a few minutes. He loved how real she was, even in the heat of the moment. She was a beacon of beauty in his otherwise dull life. Because despite being the star of his football team here in Houston, he was too painstakingly normal for his own comfort.

Charlie felt his breath against her skin, and she raked her nails over his shoulders. She watched him shiver, and goose bumps began forming on his skin. She would live here, seeing this incredible human every day of her life. She was simultaneously terrified and infatuated, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

---

Charlie knocked on the door a few times and waited patiently for it to open. It had been a long time since she’d had to knock on this door. It felt foreign to her. She looked up as she heard the knob turn, and J.J. stood there in the doorway. She glanced past him and noticed Jadeveon Clowney sitting on the couch. He waved to her, and she noticed a video game on pause.

“Hi,” she said to J.J.

“Jadey, give us a second, okay?” he shouted.

“Anything,” said Jadeveon.

J.J. turned, stepped outside, and shut the door behind him. She cleared her throat.

“I have an interview in Boston next week,” she said.

“That’s great, Charlie!” he said.

“I just thought I would stop by and tell you,” she said. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your guy time.”

“It’s fine,” he replied. “I’ve got time.”

“How have you been?” she asked.

“I’m doing alright,” said J.J. “I’ve been busy at practice. We’ve got a bye this week, so I’ve been relaxing a little.”

“Yeah, I know,” Charlie said. “I also was kind of hoping we could maybe talk more next week after my interview.”

“Sure, yeah,” he replied. “Dinner on Friday?”

“Just text me when and where,” she said.

“Charlie, I can come pick you up,” said J.J.

“I know,” she said. “I don’t want you to. It’s kind of embarrassing enough that I live in a hotel. I don’t really need people knowing I don’t live with you anymore.”

“Don’t you think, on some level, they all already know?” he asked.

Charlie shrugged and dug her toe into the concrete.

“Charlie?”

She looked up.

“I’ve missed you, baby,” said J.J.

She nodded and said, “Me too.”

He enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes, taking him in as much as she could, but when he pulled away, she didn’t stop him. She took a step back and nodded once.

“Okay, text me next week,” she said.

He smiled out of the corner of his mouth, and he disappeared back inside. She slowed her breathing for a few minutes. She turned back to her car, got in, and drove away.

J.J. watched out the window for a moment. Seeing her drive away again was painful, and he turned back to the living room. He sat down on the couch and picked up his controller. Jadeveon put down his phone but didn’t pick his controller back up.

“What happened, bro?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?” sighed J.J.

“This is the opposite of you a year ago,” Jadeveon said. “You’re all mopey and distant.”

“You wanna know the truth?” said J.J. “I’m angry. I’ve loved her for three years, and in five minutes, everything changed.”

“What changed?” asked Jadeveon.

“She did,” said J.J. “Now suddenly she’s in love with someone else. I did this, you know? I pushed her away. I pushed her right into his arms.”

“If you’re talking about Fitz, I don’t think she changed,” said Jadeveon.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, he was her first love, right? That shit don’t go away, man. Maybe she never stopped loving him. I’m not saying she didn’t love you. She still loves you. I saw that from way over here. The human mind is a complex thing. It’s not so black and white.”

“I don’t accept that she’s just going to love him and me.”

J.J. handed Jadeveon his controller, giving him a less-than-subtle hint that he wasn’t here to talk about Charlie.

Jadeveon rolled his eyes and said, “All I’m saying is you live here and he lives in New York. She don’t live in New York, man.”