The Strings To My Heart

8

"Thank you very much," I told the vet, smiling. My smile widened at the thought of Katniss's huge grin when she learned that she could take him nearly anywhere.

"Anyone want lunch?" Finnick asked.

"Count me in!"

"Yeah!"

"Woof!"

The four of us walked into the restaurant, Roody proudly strutting ahead. We sat down at a booth and placed our orders.

"Anything for the puppy?" the waitress asked, smiling at the dog.

"No thanks," I told her, grinning. "We'll feed him At home."

We finished our meal, chatting amicably. At last, I brought the topic to relationships.

"So are you too like... official?" I asked, taking a sip of the chocolate milkshake I ordered.

Annie and Finnick looked at each other, hesitating.

"It's okay," I said. "You can tell me."

"Well we would, but I'm not sure if we know, even," Annie said slowly. "I think we would love to, and being open would be so nice, but there are just so many other factors that prevent us from enjoying ourselves if we did decide to be official."

"I understand," I said. "Completely. I think you guys should do whatever you feel comfortable with. I know that Katniss and I will.support you, no matter what."

"Thanks, mate," Finicky said appreciatively. "We'll let you know if we make a decision."

"But what about you and Katniss?" Annie asked, leaning closer. "You guys are pretty open. but do you have any plans?"

"Well, I don't know about plans," I said. Well, actually, we did have a very big plan, coming into effect in about nine months. I wasn't sure if Katniss would be okay with dispersing the information, but I decided to tell them. They would know soon, anyway.

"Yeah, actually. Um. she's pregnant."

Finnick spit out the sip of lemonade he just took and, eyes wide, said "Really?"

Annie let a shrill squawk and clapped her hands to her mouth. "Ahhhh! I knew it! Prom and I had been talking about it for months! I'm gonna be an aunt! Ahhh! Do you know the gender? What are your name ideas? Can I be the godmother or just the aunt?"

I chuckled and said, "We don't know a lot yet. We only found out last a few weeks ago. Katniss can tell you more, though."

Before I even finished my sentence, Annie already was calling Katniss. Finnick grinned and said, "Congrats, mate! You both will make fantastic parents." But something in his eyes told me he was unsure about it all, and that I understood completely. "We'll talk later, okay?" I added in a low voice. "Don't worry about it."

"Katniss isn't picking up," Annie said, frowning. "She usually answers her phone."

"That's weird," I said, frowning. "How many times did you call?"

"Five or so!" Annie said. "It's probably fine though, she's likely sleeping. Gotta get rest for her and a little one now!"

I nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The sky was already turning purple, blanketing the town in a chilly darkness.

"Let me just try to call her," I said, pulling out my phone. Finnick shrugged as I dialed her number. no response. I called four more times, but the line was dead.

Hi, this is Katniss Everdeen. Please leave a message and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!

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