Explosions

Charlie was sitting up on one of the bar stools in the kitchen when she heard J.J. come home. She was sending the last bit of information the graphic designers needed for the shirts before she could start thinking about the rest of the season. He came into the kitchen and put his hands on her waist, looking over her shoulder. She scanned over her email quickly, and she sent it.

“How was work?” she asked.

“Terrible,” said J.J., “as usual.”

Charlie rolled her eyes and shut her computer.

“What? I thought that was just a thing people did,” said J.J. “Like everyone’s supposed to hate their job or something.”

“Do you hate yours?” she asked.

“No,” he chuckled. “Do you?”

“No.”

“Mmm…the only thing I hate” – he kissed her cheek – “is that it’s time spent away from you.”

“Gross,” giggled Charlie.

J.J. put his arms around her and brought his lips to her neck. His lips massaged her skin, and she closed her eyes. He moved his mouth to the back of her neck, kissing and biting at the nerves where her spine started. She shivered, and he paused.

“Do you remember when we went to Hawaii last year?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Charlie.

“Do you remember when we were in that little beach villa that we had all to ourselves?” he asked, kissing her ear.

She reached around and put her arm around his neck to touch his shoulder, and she said, “Yes.”

“And we ordered coconut shrimp and strawberries and champagne?” He kissed down her neck to her shoulder and said, “And remember when we went down to that private beach and we watched the sun set?”

“I remember what we did after the sun went down,” said Charlie, turning to meet his eyes.

J.J. smiled. He kissed her deeply, his tongue slipping past her lips briefly. He pulled her off the chair so she was standing in front of him, and he pulled her body into his. He put a hand on the back of her head, tangling her hair into his fingers, and he moved his other hand down to the top of her shorts.

He pulled away for a second and said, “Wanna do it again?”

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t,” said Charlie as J.J. nibbled at her collarbone.

She put one of her hands on his chest. He swept her up and carried her down the hall. She touched his cheek and smiled lightly, kissing him again.

---

J.J. sat down across from Charlie and handed her a coffee. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. She took a sip lightly.

“Tell me about you,” said J.J.

“Well, what do you want to know?” asked Charlie.

“Where’d you grow up?” asked J.J. “Where’d you go to school? I don’t know anything about you.”

“And yet you’re on a date with me,” chuckled Charlie. “I could be a serial killer. You’d never know.”

“Are you?” said J.J.

“No,” replied Charlie. “I’m from Andover, Massachusetts. Born and raised. I graduated from Harvard about a year and a half ago.”

“Harvard? Shit, now I feel a little stupider.”

“Why? Where did you go?”

“I went to Wisconsin, but I left before my senior year to go into the draft.”

Charlie shrugged and said, “That’s not stupid. You went for your dreams.”

J.J. smiled. “Massachusetts – so you’re a Patriots fan then?”

“Yeah,” said Charlie. “Football isn’t really my favorite sport, but I root for my hometown Pats. I’ve been to a few games.”

“What’s your favorite sport, then?”

“Basketball,” said Charlie. “I’m a die hard Boston Celtics fan.”

“Really?” J.J. nodded, looking impressed.

Charlie took a long drink of her coffee. He tried not to stare at her, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so unbelievably stunning in her simple blue jeans and Texans sweater. She wasn’t just another girl in this city; she was a completely new being.

“I almost became a Pacers fan when Larry Bird went to Indiana, but blue and yellow aren’t really my colors,” said Charlie.

“It’s hard to imagine that you look bad in a color,” laughed J.J.

Charlie blushed and said, “You’d be surprised.”

“I like that you like sports. I haven’t been on many dates where I feel like I can talk about that.”

“I know. Girls really suck.”

J.J. laughed and shook his head.

“What do you do for fun?” asked Charlie.

“I don’t really have a lot of time for myself, really,” said J.J. “When I’m not at work, I’m trying to do stuff around Houston for kids and families. I like making people happy.”

“That is really sweet,” said Charlie, a smile crossing her face.

J.J. shrugged and said, “I don’t really like doing nothing. I’d rather be helping people.”

His phone buzzed and he looked down. He held it up.

“Speaking of,” he said. “I need to take this. I will be right back. Five minutes tops.”

“I’ll be right here,” said Charlie.

She watched him walk to the entrance of the coffee shop and answer his phone. She cocked her head slightly, noticing the way his body moved when he walked. She found herself smiling for the first time in a couple weeks. He was cute. He was genuine. She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

J.J. looked back at Charlie as he answered his phone, “Hey, Ma.”

“Justin, how’s my favorite NFL player doing?” came a woman’s voice from the other side of the line. It was his mom, Connie, who called every Saturday morning without fail.

“I’m great,” said J.J. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” said Connie. “Your father’s been a little anxious for football season to start.”

“I know, I know,” J.J. chuckled. “Hey, listen. Can I call you back later, Mom?”

“Is something wrong, honey?” asked Connie.

“No, I’m…I’m kind of on a date right now and”-

“A date?!” shouted Connie. “Oh my god, Justin, you haven’t had a date in months! Is she nice? What’s her name?”

“Her name is Charlotte,” said J.J. “This is kind of our first date, and it’s just coffee. I told her this was an important call so I could just tell you that I will call you back later. Okay, Ma?”

“Okay, okay, okay,” said Connie. “But you have to tell me how your date goes! Promise?”

“Only if you promise not to tell everyone I have a girlfriend,” said J.J. “I don’t want to scare her away.”

“I swear it,” said Connie. “Good luck, honey! Call me soon!”

“Bye, Ma,” chuckled J.J.

He hung up as he was heading back in. Charlie rested her chin on her fist as he sat back down across from her. He apologized, but she smiled anyway.

“Okay, Watt,” she said. “You haven’t told me much. Where’d you grow up?”

“Pewaukee, Wisconsin,” said J.J. “My parents still live there, and I’ve got two brothers.”

“All boys,” said Charlie. “Your mom must have had her hands full.”

“I think I was enough to give her a coronary, let alone Derek and T.J. Do you have any siblings?”

“I have an older brother, Kyle, and a younger sister, Olivia.”

“Do you see them much?”

“I go back to Andover for Christmas and birthdays. We Skype sometimes. We were never really close, as far as siblings go. Kyle is seven years older than me, and Olivia is five years younger than me. Kyle got into some trouble right after I moved to Houston, and I try to be there when I can, but he’s his own person. He doesn’t much care for me. I’m somewhat of the prodigal child in my family – Harvard graduate working for the NFL, and…”

Charlie looked up and sighed, “Sorry, I’ve been rambling.”

“No, it’s fine,” said J.J., entranced by just the sound of her voice.

“It’s just that I usually don’t talk about my brother’s cocaine addiction until the third date,” said Charlie.

“Oh, wow,” said J.J. “So we’re pretty deep into this relationship then, huh? I thought we were just doing coffee. I didn’t know I was supposed to bring a dark secret with me.”

“I’m sorry,” said Charlie.

“Oh, got one,” said J.J. He leaned forward slightly and whispered, “When I was in college, I delivered pizzas.”

Charlie tried to hold back a smile as she said, “Wow, that is deep. You really shouldn’t tell people that on the first date.”

“Maybe next time I tell you about my hockey days.”

“Not if you want to go out again.”

J.J. smiled. “How’s the coffee?”

“It’s alright, I suppose,” Charlie sighed. “The date is much better, though.”

She winked at him, and he asked, “So will there be another one?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”