Explosive

Chapter 2

"Okay, Jamie. Since she came in on an early flight, the parking lot isn't too crowded, but we might just make it when her flight lands. I've got a sign on the floor next to you with her name on it like people do in the movies, but I doubt we'll need it. Just face it, I've got a pretty unforgettable face." Tyler ranted to Jamie quickly.

"That you do," Jamie responded as they were arriving at the airport. He didn't love Tyler's driving style, and in fact, felt a little nauseous by the time they arrived. He was holding on to the door handle to steady himself from getting thrown around.

The second Tyler found a parking space, he slammed on the brakes, cut the engine and jumped out of his Jeep, ready to take off into a full-on sprint towards the gates. "COME ON, Jamie!!" He whined, bouncing up and down on his toes.

"I'm coming, Tyler. You know what, you can get a head start." Jamie responded, yawning. Tyler took off running, and Jamie knew that he was bound to get hit by a car. That thought startled him, and he took off running as well.

Eventually he caught up to Tyler, realizing that Tyler needed Jamie here to keep him grounded and watch over him because he just couldn't contain his excitement and was just about exploding.

"Tyler, can you chill for like, three seconds?"

"Well, what would you prefer? You've got a choice- you can either have me running around everywhere like an excited puppy, or you could get me worrying about whether she even likes me anymore."

"I'll take excited puppy." Jamie said, standing still next to a shaking Tyler. He didn't know what to expect when Tori finally was here.

When it was announced that her flight had landed, Tyler gasped and started repeatedly poking Jamie in the arm. Jamie was too close to punching Tyler, but he knew that Tori's presence just made him so happy.

The second Tyler and Jamie spotted Tori walking out into the terminal, Tyler called her name and was mostly in a track start position, ready to run to her. Tori looked around for a moment before spotting two tall, muscular, tattooed and handsome men holding a sign that said TORI SCOTT in big, black letters. She knew immediately that it was Tyler, and a wide smile broke out on her face.

"Oh, my God, Tyler. She's your best friend of 15 years, and you never dated her?" Jamie asked, jaw dropped so low that it was practically on the floor. She was gorgeous, and Jamie swallowed hard to try and moisten his suddenly dry throat. Tyler stomped on his foot and elbowed him in the ribs before she dropped her bags and hopped into Tyler's arms.

They had obviously gone through this routine before, because he flawlessly caught her, wrapped his arms around her torso and spun her around. He rested his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in the smell of her perfume, shampoo and a hint of chlorine. He missed her so much.

A moment later, and without letting her go, Tyler put her down on the ground gently. He was giving her little kisses on the top of her head like he did with his teammates and their helmets. While Tyler was holding his best friend close to his heart, Jamie got a good look at Tori.

She had dirty blonde curly hair that was fluffy everywhere. Not one part of it was flat. Her skin was lightly tanned as well. She was wearing a gray t-shirt and had folded the hems of her sleeves up an inch or two, black running shorts and Nike sneakers. She had tape on her right knee to aid her in her recovery from an injury and a few woven bracelets tied around her left wrist.

When they finally let go of each other, Tyler formally introduced her to Jamie. Her arm was resting on his back and his was draped around her shoulders.

"Jamie, this is Tori. Tori, this is Jamie."

"I know, you've talked so much about him, I may know more about him than he does." She laughed. Her eyes were bright and her teeth were perfectly white and straight. She had the prettiest smile Jamie had ever seen.

"It's good to finally meet you," Jamie said, otherwise trying to keep his mouth shut so he didn't say something stupid.

"Yes, it is." She said, walking away from Tyler and towards Jamie. She opened her arms wide, and Jamie immediately knew that she was a hugger. He realized what was happening and opened his arms, telling himself not to be awkward and to be warm and inviting instead.

He tried not to smell her hair while they hugged, but it was just so hard to resist. It smelled like apples.