Explosions

The next week went by a little faster than she’d anticipated. She and George agreed on Tuesday being her last day so she could have some time to pack. She had slowly been wrapping up all of her projects from the last few months, and she was handing them in to him over the course of the week.

The Texans won that Sunday, and J.J. absolutely crushed their quarterback, Drew Brees. Charlie watched for the final time from the suite. The entire game, she didn’t take her eyes off J.J., even when he was on the sideline. A couple times, she noticed him glance up to the box, but nothing would distract him anymore. As Coach had said, his anger translated beautifully onto the field.

On Monday, she knew she couldn’t put it off anymore. After work, she found herself standing on J.J.’s front porch, staring at the door. She stood there for a while, not knowing what she was going to say to him or what he would say to her. She studied every line in the wood and curve of the design. She heard a car drive by every so often, but she never turned to look. She put her hand on the door then took it off. She chewed on her bottom lip and sighed.

The door swung open, startling Charlie. J.J. shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at her.

“I saw you pull up five minutes ago,” he said. “I’ve just been waiting for you to knock.”

“Okay,” Charlie said.

They stared at each other a minute, unable to speak for the first time since they’d met.

“Do you want to come in?” asked J.J. finally.

“Uh, sure,” Charlie replied.

J.J. moved aside to let her in, and he shut the door behind her. She looked around. She didn’t know why she was expecting something different. Nothing had changed. He smiled at her but still said nothing.

“Congrats on the win yesterday,” she said.

“Thanks,” J.J. replied. “Had to give you one last good game, didn’t I?”

“I guess,” she said. “Wait…how did you”-

“You knew in your heart, and so did I,” he said. “When you told me you were submitting your resume to the Celtics, I knew you would get the job.”

“Oh,” said Charlie.

“I suspect that’s why you’re here now?” he said. “To tell me?”

“That and I was coming to get my stuff,” she confirmed. “I didn’t expect it to be awkward.”

“It’s not awkward,” said J.J. “I don’t think it is, at least.”

Charlie nodded and glanced over at the couch. She frowned, and J.J. followed her eyes to the corner of the cushion. He scratched his head.

“Your blanket is upstairs,” he said. “I got lonely, and it smelled like you.” He chuckled nervously and added, “That sounds weird. Sorry.”

“It’s not weird,” said Charlie.

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked. “I was going to order Chinese, but I don’t want to eat if you haven’t.”

“I haven’t,” she said.

“Do you want me to order you something?”

Charlie shrugged and said, “I didn’t really plan on staying a long time.”

“Okay.”

She started walking toward the stairs. She stopped, seeing a photo on the wall in the hallway. It was of her and J.J. at last year’s NFL Honors Awards. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a purple tie that matched the dress hugging Charlie’s figure. She smiled and touched the photo instinctively.

“I didn’t know when the appropriate time was to take down all the photos of us,” said J.J. from down the hall. “I don’t know if that one will ever come down. I loved that photo. It’s one of my favorite memories.”

Charlie turned back to him, and she smiled gently at him.

“We had a lot of good memories,” she said.

J.J. smiled and followed her up the stairs. She felt like a stranger in this house now. She hadn’t been here in two months, and this time would more than likely be her last time here.

“I don’t really have any boxes,” said J.J. as they entered the bedroom.

“It’s fine,” said Charlie. “I can use trash bags or whatever. I just don’t know when I’m going to have time other than right now.”

“Okay, um, let me know if you need anything,” said J.J.

“Okay,” she said.

She nodded at him and turned to the dresser. He waited there for a moment, watching as she pulled out all the clothes in the drawers and tossed them carelessly on the floor. He glanced around.

“I’ll go get some bags,” he said.

Charlie nodded, barely acknowledging him. As soon as he was gone, though, she looked up. She took inhaled and exhaled slowly, and she closed her eyes. He brought back a few bags, and she avoided any eye contact as she began shoving her clothes into the bags.

J.J. lay down on the bed, flipping through a magazine. He offered to help a couple of times, but she declined. After a while, she had finished with the bedroom. She looked around, shaking her head.

She cleared her throat and said, “Okay, I am going to need help carrying all of these to my car.”

J.J. stood up and picked up three of the bags on the floor. She grabbed the lightest one and followed him out to her car. After a few trips, her trunk was packed with garbage bags of her things. She had one last thing left in his house.

J.J. stood in the doorway, watching her as she approached the bed. Charlie looked down at her blanket, piled neatly where she used to sleep. It was a stupid thing, but she had loved that blanket. She looked over at him and shook her head.

“You can keep it,” she said.

“Are you sure?” J.J. said. “You always loved that thing.”

“It’s fine,” she replied. “I want you to have it.”

He chuckled, “It’s really not a big deal.”

She shrugged and turned to leave. He stepped aside, but she brushed up against him. She stopped and looked up at him.

“I can’t believe this is it,” she said.

He nodded.

“I mean, I honestly can’t believe I may never see you again,” said Charlie.

“Maybe it won’t be ‘never’,” said J.J. He forced a smile and added, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” she said.

She touched his bicep, and she felt him flex instinctively. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she looked away. He touched her waist and stopped her. When she turned back to him, she was met with his lips against hers. She put her hands on his face, and he pulled her closer. She felt his tongue graze her lips, asking permission to change the course of the kiss, and she gave it to him. He put one hand at the nape of her neck, her hair falling around his fingers. She moaned lightly as he pulled away from her. Her breathing was heavy.

Charlie looked him up and down for a second. He let go of her, but he touched her lips softly with his fingertips. She shook her head and pulled him back to her. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage as their fervent kisses drew them closer to the bed.

She pulled her shirt off and fell to the bed. His shirt came off over his head, and he leaned down to leave a trail of kisses from her jaw to her belly button. He reached around her, and in one swift motion, he pulled her bra off. She gripped his shoulders, and she heard a low growl in his chest.

J.J. dragged his hands down her sides, and Charlie whimpered softly as his lips caressed her hips. She ran her hands through his hair and bit her bottom lip. He thumbed at the button of her jeans and pulled them off, leaving her in only her panties. He kissed down the inside of her thigh, and she shivered.

He took his time with her, and she didn’t mind. They were soaking up every last inch of each other while they could. It was the closest she felt to him in months. Every time he touched her, her heart jumped into her throat. Every sound he made sent chills down her spine. Her hair became tangled. A thin sheen of sweat coated their bodies, and Charlie felt like she was melting into him. She cried out a number of times, as he quickened his pace and then slowed back down.

J.J. never took his eyes off her. He memorized every curve of her body and every move she made. She put her hands on his chest and knew he was nearing his end soon. When she finally collapsed next to him, his breathing was ragged and broken. She glanced down at the pile of clothes next to the bed, and she laughed. He looked over at her.

“You still thinking about ordering Chinese?” she asked.

He rolled his eyes and laughed, “I knew you couldn’t resist chow mein.”

He listened to the sound of her laugh, and it broke his heart. He smiled at her, knowing now wasn’t the time to play lost puppy. She nestled in between his arm and his body, right where she had spent the last three years. He called up and ordered their Chinese, and when he turned back to her, she had fallen asleep. He kissed her forehead and took a deep breath. He could get through this.