SUNSHINE

thirty-five

With what they had finally shared with one another that night, Alessio and Casey had began to chip away at one another's walls. They now shared a bond that she never had with Jackson, and it felt different. It felt as if whatever they had was meant to be.

Alessio had left the following morning before she woke up, taking an Uber back to his hotel before hopping on a flight back to Chicago. When she woke, there a folded piece of paper sitting in front of her on the coffee table. She picked it up and unfolded it, reading the note he had left her. She smiled and put it back on the table before looking at the time, realizing she needed to leave in an hour to go to the field. It was her first game back since her injury, and she was excited to say the least. She could not wait to be back out on the field, but she did not want Alex to worry. She never realized how close she and Alex had gotten throughout the past couple of years, and it made her feel loved for the first time in a while.

Casey left the house an hour later ready for the game, and her music was blaring as loud as ever as she drove through her neighborhood and out on her way to the stadium. When she pulled up to the back of the stadium, Alex and Sydney had just gotten there and getting out of their car. Casey turned her music up just a little louder as they walked over, dancing to Fight Night by Migos, a crowd favorite of those who had been with the senior team for some time. After the song ended she shut her car off and grabbed her bag out of the passenger seat.

"Someone's in a good mood." Sydney commented when she finally joined them to walk up to the back doors to the locker room.

"Oh please, I'm always like this." Casey countered, and she watched Alex shrug.

"Or someone got some good D last night." She said, and Sydney chuckled. "How was your night with Alessio?" Alex asked, making his name sound whimsical.

"It was fine." She responded, shoving her playfully. These were going to be some nice pictures to look at after the game.

"What, the sex wasn't great?" Sydney asked as soon as they got in the tunnel, away from prying eyes and ears of their fans.

"Actually, we didn't do anything last night. We fell asleep on the floor of the living room after pizza, wine, and a little vulnerability talk." She corrected, and Alex grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face her before she got any further toward the locker room door.

"What did you find out?" She asked, intrigued.

"Well wouldn't you like to know." Casey commented, chuckling as she stepped away and went past the locker room doors to go out to the field before they got ready. Alex gave a look to Sydney to beckon her to go ahead, and she took the hint, stepping into the locker room. She then followed her, jogging to catch up with her. She found Casey leaning against the railing overlooking the field, so she stood beside her and leaned against the rail.

"What's up Casey?" She asked softly.

"I don't know." She answered almost inaudibly, putting her head in her hands.

"You were all hyped up when you got here, what changed? What exactly did you and Alessio talk about last night?"

"He told me about the love of his life last night, and how she was killed by a drunk driver."

"Wow." Was all Alex could muster. There was a few minutes of silence between them before she continued her thought. "Why are you so heartbroken over it?" She asked quietly. Casey took a moment to answer, as if she was fighting back tears.

"Al, I've been hurt once before. I just don't want to get hurt again." She responded softly, and Alex could hear the heartbreak in her voice. "I can't replace the love of his life. I can't be that person for him."