Against the Current (Finnick and Annie)

Chapter 17~Annie

"I knew you'd love it," Finnick says when he sees my expression. I just nod with an awed smile. He pulls me toward the shore. My feet sink in the shallow sand as we hurry up.

"How did you find this place? It's like your own little paradise."

I explore a little which doesn't take long since the place isn't big. It's more like a cozy, comforting size.

"I just found it one day when I was swimming around," Finnick answers from above me. He's climbing on the cliff towards a little cave. He disappears for a moment before bringing down a blanket and some food and water.

Finnick comes back and lays the picnic out under the shade of one of the palm trees. He opens a bag of coconut chips and offers it to me. I take my favorite snack eagerly and sit down beside him.

We sit next to each other and talk about meaningless things. Finnick tries to get me to eat some of his seaweed chips but I refuse. I keep my lips pressed tightly together and shake my head. I never liked the salty kelp taste.

Finnick suddenly leans over and tickles my stomach. I can't help but scream in surprise and he takes that moment to shove a chip in my mouth. My face scrunches in disgust and I immediately spit it out. Then my eyes go wide before I start cracking up. I spit the seaweed right out at Finnick who now has a giant spot of green on his cheek.

"Ew ew ew get it off!" He quickly wipes it off with his hands and then his shirt. "Annie that's disgusting!"

I can't stop laughing at his disgruntled expression. His cheek is slightly pink from where he rubbed it so much. "That's what you get for forcing that stuff into my mouth."

"This stuff is delicious thank you very much," Finnick says as he eats a couple more pieces.

I just shake my head as we fall into a contented silence. My chin is resting on my knees which I hug into my chest. There's a small hermit crab crawling by my feet. It touches my toe curiously before walking away.

I look up and see Finnick looking at me with a whisper of a smile. "I'm going to miss you, you know?" he says after a while.

I smile sadly and nod. "I know, I'm going to miss you too. Promise not to forget me while you're gone?"

Finnick will be in the Capitol for almost a month. That's plenty of time for someone like him to stop thinking about a simple girl back home.

Finnick shakes his head and looks at me seriously. "I could never forget you, Annie." He looks around. "That's why I wanted to bring you here, to our little oasis."

The way he so casually says 'our' makes my heart flutter. We have a place no one knows about and it's all our own now.

"Yes our oasis," Finnick says again with a grin. "I wanted to tell you something important before I go, and I don't want you to forget this even for a moment okay?"

What could he possibly say? I nod my head and my heart begins to quicken slightly from anticipation. "Okay."

Finnick takes hold of my hands. He fidgets a bit nervously. I look up to meet the piercing green of his eyes, and I stop breathing for a second from the intense look in them.

"Annie none of them matter to me over there. It may seem like it, but they don't. Only you matter. Only you understand the real me, even the parts I've kept hidden for years. You know my fear, insecurity, and loneliness. You know things no one has even come close to knowing."

Finnick takes a deep breath and laughs once before continuing. "I didn't even like you in the beginning. But then I slowly got to know you. It took a while, but I did. Before I was even aware of it, you already broke through my walls that I thought no one could penetrate. By the time I realized it, it was too late. You were already in and I was surprised that I didn't mind. I was happy even, happier than I can ever remember.

"You may not be perfect Annie, but to me you are. The simple happiness you bring is perfect. You make me feel alive, like a person again. I can't thank you enough for that."

Finnick's grasp on my hand tightens slightly as he scoots a little closer. I still can't look away as he holds me in.

"I did all that?" I whisper.

Finnick nods with a grin. He looks light and carefree. "You did all that. That's why I need to tell you this before I go and don't forget it for a second no matter what happens."

For the first time Finnick looks away. It looks like he's mustering up his courage. He takes another deep breath and when he exhales he's looking back up with a small smile. "Annie Cresta, I love you."

His smile widens after he says those words that it's almost blinding. "I love you more than anything. I love you."

I don't know what to say. My mouth opens but no words come out. Finnick Odair just said he loves me? It takes me a few seconds to process everything. It's kind of hard when Finnick is this close and his smile is very distracting. I hear his voice repeat in my head, Annie Cresta, I love you.

That's when it hits me and my eyes snap back up to his. Finnick just laughs at my expression. "Annie, breathe."

I take a deep breath, not realizing I had been holding it for the past minute. When I exhale I'm finally broken from my spell and all I manage to say in a whisper is, "Oh my god."

Finnick looks a little concerned. "Annie, are you okay?"

I nod quickly. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. It's just hard to believe."

"Hard to believe that I love you?" Finnick asks amusedly. "Annie, you're amazing."

"No, it's not that. It's hard to believe you feel the same way."

Now it's Finnick's turn to look shocked. The happy expression he was wearing before is now replaced with a very confused one.

"Same way..." he mumbles after a while. When he figures it out, his eyes shoot up towards mine the same exact way mine did a couple minutes before.

I laugh and I can feel the smile threatening to split my face in two. "Yes, the same way. I love you, Finnick Odair."

Finnick's face goes slack before becoming totally enthralled with ecstasy. He places his hands on my arms. "You love me?" he asks, his voice bubbling with excitement.

I nod and laugh again. "I love you."

Finnick hugs me tightly and whispers those three words in my ear. Then he pulls back. The giddiness in his eyes is now coupled with something else. A sort of longing look. He glances down quickly at my lips before meeting my eyes again.

Finnick begins leaning in slowly and I copy his movements to fill the gap between us. Our lips touch gently in the middle and the breath is taken from my lungs. It's amazing how soft his lips feel against mine. They taste sweet and salty like the sea.

The butterflies are all but exploding inside my stomach and my heart is beating rapidly. When we finally pull apart and I open my eyes I see a light dusting of pink coloring Finnick's cheeks. No doubt mine are burning with color.

Finnick raises his hand to my face and cups my cheek gently. "I love you," he whispers quietly with our faces only inches apart. "Don't forget that."

"I couldn't. Not in a million years," I whisper back. Finnick smiles contently before closing the distance again as our lips touch once more.

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This was my favorite chapter to write so far :) Please vote if you're liking the story!