"Darling, you are all I ever wanted love to be." ~s.s.
~~~
Finnick and I were walking back from town, our hands brushing against each other. He was more quiet than usual and I knew why. Tomorrow he'd be leaving for the Capitol for the 71st Hunger Games. It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I was last there. A lot has changed since then. I can't even remember the person I used to be.
Finnick helped me fix the broken pieces of myself over these past months. I know I'll never be the same, but I would've been so much worse without him. We've gotten closer after the Victory Tour. A minute hardly went by when we weren't together. We were able to forget our problems and just laugh at the little things. Being with him is what I think happiness is.
I just wish I could help Finnick with his problem with the Capitol. It's hard to do that when he won't even tell me what it is. I have an idea but it's too delicate of a subject to broach.
"You okay?" I ask Finnick. I look up at his golden brown hair reflecting the sunlight, a perfect contrast to his emerald eyes. I can see an underlying panic inside of them but it quickly fades away as Finnick looks down at me.
He smiles slightly and nods. "Yeah I'm fine." He looks out to the water lapping lazily against the shore. It looks like he's thinking about something. "Hey Annie you want to go for a swim? There's something I want to show you."
I don't go swimming often since it still scares me a bit, but I can now go in the water without totally freezing up. However with Finnick there I'm not afraid. I nod my head.
"Sure," I reply. Finnick smiles and grabs my hand as he leads me to the water's edge. Before we go in he looks at me questioningly.
"It's kind of a further swim, but I'll be there to hold you if you get tired. Is that fine with you?"
I look out unsurely. The furthest I've gone was probably ten yards and the way Finnick is looking at me I can tell we're going to be going way further. However there's an undeniable excitement, almost giddiness, in his expression that I can't turn down, so I'm the one to lead us further into the water.
I laugh as I think Finnick is about to explode from excitement. He does an adorable little jump as he takes the lead. "You're going to love it there! I just know it!"
The swim isn't as hard as I thought it would be mainly because Finnick is supporting all of my weight. All I'm doing is pretty much floating as he pulls me along. The waves get a little stronger and I begin to feel nervous. What if Finnick and I get separated? I won't be able to swim all the way back to shore by myself.
Finnick sees my brewing panic and pulls me closer. He places me on his back and I wrap my arms lightly around his neck.
"Don't worry we're almost there and the water will get calmer."
Finnick was right. A couple minutes later the water calms down significantly so that it's only a gentle current. I make Finnick put me down since I want to swim next to him. He looks a little surprised at first. I was too. I guess I really am overcoming my fear. Finnick smiles at me happily before grabbing my hand and leading me through the silky water.
It's incredibly clear here and I can see my feet moving in circles beneath the surface. There are rocks surrounding us but the current didn't push us towards them. The rocks were more like a wall of a fortress keeping us safe.
When we pass through a gap in the giant stone towers my mouth opens in shock. Hidden behind them is a perfectly rounded cove with white sand and a couple of palm trees all leaning against the cliff side.
"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!