Painted Love-Matisse Thybulle

Chapter 12: The "L' Word

As of today I put my life completely in your arms
And if you should feel I could do more to please you
Then baby tell me how, oh, oh
Baby, I can't breathe when you touch my body
When your heart beats it's like music to meAnd I can't see my life without you
Baby, it's all up to youIf I could make time stand still
Then I know we'd live this moment forever
Can we stay right here?
You don't have to go baby close that door
I really hate missing you
I rather be kissing you
Don't know what I would doIf I couldn't make love to you
Over and over and over and I wish that I
Could live this moment in time

Three Months Later/Casey POV:

Football season was in full swing and life was busy. Fans were back in the stands and the talgates were even more insane than precovid. Casey was traveling with the College Gameday Crew and loving every minute of it. Her schedule was much more manageable now which thankfully and she was able to get into a rhythm. Monday-Wednesday, she worked remote unless she had a meeting which meant working from Matisse's place if he was in town. She was teaching him how to cook and he was teaching her how to take photos. Casey's apartment was covered with polaroids and photos the couple had taken. They would explore the city of Philly since Matisse lived downtown. There was a sense of balance and normalcy that Casey really enjoyed. She knew basketball season was going to test their relationship again. For now, she was just spending each day in the present. Thursday and Sunday were travel days.  Travel days were really chill and Casey tried to get souvenirs for her niece and nephews. Araya loved postcards, DeAndre loved hats, and Alex usually got a onesie. Casey tried not to think too far ahead, but she would sometimes think about what kind of  souvenirs she and Tisse would pick up for their own kids. Friday was usually half a work day which gave Casey time to explore the college town she was working in. Saturday was a full work day starting with the pregame show all the way until the game that night. Casey was getting quite the t-shirt collection from all the school bookstores. It was her new favorite travel tradition. After the Olympics, Matisse took Casey to Arizona and Seattle so she could meet all his family and friends. She loved Matisse's family. Everyone was so sweet and loving towards her. She was growing closer with his sister Chloe and the two talked every other day. This weekend was going to be extra special. It was Louisville's homecoming and the College Gameday crew were going to cover the game against Boston College. The football team was number two behind Clemson in the ACC this year so there was a buzz around the team. This weekend was also going to be when all the cheer teams would finally receive their nationals and worlds rings after a longer than usual wait. Casey's family was traveling in for the game so the weekend was going to be perfect. 

Casey grabbed her suitcase and went to her closet to start pulling outfits. She was going down Wednesday morning since the ring ceremony and dinner was the following day. She wanted a day to catch up with her friends before all the craziness of the weekend happened. She wasn't sure at first if Matisse was going to be able to come with her but the NBA season wasn't set to start until Christmas Day this year which meant he didn't have training camp for another few weeks. When she asked Tisse if he wanted to come, he jumped at the chance. He wanted to meet all her friends and see Louisville. She talked so much about it that he was intrigued. As a West Coast, Best Coast kind guy, he had never been to a southern tailgate. She knew he wasn't a drinker/smoker kind of guy but she hoped that he would have fun just dancing around with her and experiencing what college in the South was like. Casey was really nervous about Matisse meeting all her family and friends. Things were getting serious and Casey's feelings were developing much deeper than she anticipated. She was scared to admit to the "L" word when it came to their relationship. She had gone down this road before but this time, things felt more intense, more real. With Jaire, she never thought about what was going to come next. It was always about the now. Casey had convinced herself she'd never really settle down, a knight in shining armor only existed in fairy tales. And yet, every time she was with Tisse, she'd start to picture them with a dog, traveling the world, growing old together. On her way back from his apartment in the city, she saw a beautiful house and she pictured them moving in together, decorating the entire place with photographs and art. She took a picture and texted it to Tisse as a joke but there was some truth to it. Last night, she'd dreamed about becoming Mrs. Thybulle. She never did this, ever. Her mind was beginning to wonder again to this exact scenario before she snapped herself out of it. Pull it together Case. Your being really thirsty again.  With all her outfits laid out on her bed, Casey began to second guess herself. Would Matisse like this dress? Was this too much for homecoming weekend?  It took her much longer to pack than normal because she was second guessing everything. She wasn't sure why she was so indecisive all of a sudden. She rolled her suitcase to her living room and went to bed. Maybe i'm just having an off day.