Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

2.11

There were many people around Livia and Cato. Tonight was the last night of the Victory Tour, meaning this was their last stop before they were meant to go back home. So they just had to suffer for a few hours, though the pair was already aware that it would feel like an eternity in this place. The Capitol. Everyone was outside in the open, yet to Livia it looked much too crowded. The blonde wasn't too fond of big crowds and this was no exception.

In front of her Augusta and Effie were caught up in their own separate conversation, talking about who knows what, while her and Cato followed behind. The boy stood on the blonde's left as they linked hands, doing their best to stay caught up with the two Capitolian women. Suddenly the two in front of Livia turned to face Cato and herself, continuing to walk only backwards this time. Livia was quite impressed that both women were able to do so.

But she didn't have much time to think over this before Effie started speaking to the couple. "The Presidential Palace, the party of the year. Eyes bright, chins up, smiles on. I'm talking to you, Livia." the purple haired woman directed, mostly toward the girl. The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in response to the woman's comment. Not that she was the happiest person in Panem but she certainly did not need to be told to smile.

She was perfectly capable of doing that on her own. "Now, there'll be photographers, interviews, everyone will be here to celebrate you, my victors." Augusta explained, her and Effie both turning back around. As the blonde haired woman led the way she raised her hand, gesturing for the teens to continue following her. The four reached the entrance to the gathering, their pace slowing down as they stepped closer.

Livia's eyes scanned the crowd in front of her, noticing the apparel of the party-goers. Their clothes, which were usually as bright as the sun and colorful as a rainbow, weren't as noticeable as usual. Their clothes were still odd colors and their outfits in themselves were still out of the ordinary, but a darker version, which Livia found curious. "Breath it all in children. This is all for you." Effie spoke, sighing with a smile, knowing this to be her crowd. Livia and Cato glanced at each other with a confused, yet laughable look.

"It's cozy." the tall boy joked as he tightened his grip on his girlfriend's hand. The girl let out a snort of laughter, which she quickly had to stop and convert to a serious face when Effie turned around sharply, unapproving of the boy's comment. "Attitude." the woman warned before turning back around and putting on a smile for the crowd.

The Capitolian women led them through the crowd, who started to applaud once they realized who it was working their way through. Many pairs of eyes landed on the blonde's dress as she passed. Her long, golden, V-neck dress, even with heels on, slightly dragged on the floor behind her and the light shined on the dress perfectly, creating a slight shimmering effect.

Once they four made it through the crowd a girl stepped up to the couple, a bright smile on her face. The girl had dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and perfectly tanned skin. She was around the same height as Livia, which was surprising as the blonde was a whopping 5'2', although it was hard to tell as both girls were in heels.

The girl held out a welcoming hand to the girl from District Two who smiled back and gladly took her hand, shaking it. The brunette then moved onto Cato, who used his free hand to shake her own and let go of his girlfriend's hand so he could slip his arm around her waist. "Hi. I'm Eliza Tech, District Three. It's lovely to meet you two." she greeted kindly as she took a step back from the pair. The muscular boy pulled his girlfriend a bit closer to him, shooting a smile at the girl.

"Oh, you won the Sixty Ninth Hunger Games, right? Aren't you the one who used only barbed wire to kill the other tributes?" Livia asked, thinking she recognized the girl. The brunette nodded with a chuckle, slightly unnerving Livia. Why anyone would laugh at killing people, she didn't know. "Funny how that's how people remember me. Six years ago. I was only eighteen and it's still stuck. But yes, I am." she admitted. That's when it hit Livia.

She hadn't been laughing at the death of her fellow tributes. She was laughing at the description Livia had given her. The blonde felt so stupid. She felt uncomfortable now that the brunette knew that Livia thought of her in that way. She did feel sort of bad. "Well we better be off then. Effie and Augusta are probably looking for us." Cato cut in, sensing his girlfriend's change in attitude. Swiftly he took her waist and pulled her away from the victor to find Effie and Augusta.

Once they had managed to find their way through the building it wasn't long before the Capitolian women came into view. It was quite easy to spot Effie's lavender colored outfit and Augusta's bright orange dress. The two women instantly gestured over to the couple when they realized they had reappeared. "Where have you two been?" Augusta asked cheerfully, handing Cato a small glass containing a pink drink.

Both Cato and Livia examined the drink, realizing that the hot pink colored liquid seemed to be glowing. "Uh we were talking to Eliza Tech. From District Three." the blonde told the woman, though her eyes didn't leave the weird looking drink. Nor did Cato's. The boy held the glass delicately between his index finger and his thumb. It seemed as though he was afraid that the drink was some sort of poison.

Not that any of them would put it past President Snow to poison his party goers. So Livia wasn't going to question him for being cautious. "I'm sorry, what is this?" the boy asked, moving his gaze from the drink to Augusta and Effie. The purple haired woman was the first to look at the drink out of the two. Her mouth turned into an 'o' shape when her mind finally processed that he was talking about the drink in the hand that wasn't around Livia's waist.

"It's for when you're full. It makes you sick, so you can go on eating." she responded, nodding towards the glass. Augusta nodded in agreement, taking a sip of her own drink before adding onto Effie's comment. "How else can you taste everything?" she half joked, going off with Effie to find their own friends. A server then passed by the couple with an empty metal tray in his hand. Cato quickly set the drink he had been given on the tray, letting the man carry it away.

The boy was clearly happy to be rid of the mystery drink, which amused the girl. Just then the once upbeat music turned into more of a classical piece and Cato dramatically turned to Livia, offering her his hand. Livia suppressed a laugh as she watched him fool around. "Would you care to dance m'lady?" he said in an over dramatic British accent. The blonde smiled at her boyfriend and nodded as she took his hand, letting him lead her to the dance floor. Once on the dance floor, he kept his right arm wrapped around Livia's waist and held her hand with his free one.

With a little nudge he pulled her body a bit closer to himself, letting her rest her free arm on his shoulder. Her hand eventually reached the back of his head, soothingly playing with his hair as they danced around, their eyes never leaving each other. "Hey, Liv?" the boy spoke suddenly, pulling her from her daze she had been thrown into. The blonde shook her head and blinked few times before looking back at him curiously. "Yeah?" she asked. It was now him who stayed quiet for a moment, taking in the beauty of the girl in front of him.

"I love you." he spoke, taking the blonde by surprise. She wasn't exactly sure where this was coming from but she didn't care. He had said it. With little to no hesitation Livia leaned up slightly, standing on the tips of her toes to reach him, capturing his lips in her own. She let herself linger for a few moments, cupping his face in between her hands as people around them awed in adoration.

Finally, she pulled back, looking at him straight in the eye and spoke seriously. "I love you too." she told him. But while he knew he meant it, all he could think about was the people around them. So even though she had said it back to him, he was sure that she didn't say it because she meant it, but because she knew she had to keep up the act.