I sat in the dining cart, forcing myself to look away from my stylist, Cinna. He looked especially handsome tonight. I pounded my fist on the table. Everyone looked at me. I looked everyone in the eyes and hastily stood from the table.
"Is everything alright, Katniss?" Peeta asks.
"I'm fine," I say. The train suddenly lurches to a stop. The conducter walked in looking quite sheepish.
"One of the engines is creaking," he said. "We must stop to fix it."
Effie's eyes grow wide. "We're supposed to be to the Capitol at noon tomorrow! This will highly affect the process of our schedule." She grabs a piece of paper from her purse and walks quickly into her sleeping quarters. The conducter nods courtily and walks back to the front of the train. Peeta walks over to me and looks into my eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asks.
"I'm fine, Peeta," I say exasperatedly. "I just need some rest, is all."
Peeta nods. "Okay." He kisses my cheek softly and walks to the back of the train, probably getting some fresh air. I turn to find Cinna staring at me, quite unnervingly.
"You can tell me if something is wrong," Cinna whispers, almost seductively. I squirmed, suddenly feeling naked standing in the middle of the room in a tank top and shorts.
"I told you, I'm okay." I walk over to the side of the room that holds the food trays and begin piling my plate with foods to take back to my quarters.
"What was with the little interruption at dinner?" Cinna asks.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, knowing fully what he is speaking of.
"That little masquerade where you banged your fist on the table?" Cinna questions.
"Oh, that." I sigh. "I was thinking about things and I was getting too consumed in my thoughts. I'm sorry."
"What were you thinking about?" Cinna asks.
"I can't tell you," I say, feeling warmth rush into my cheeks. Cinna covers the space that was put between us and grips my shoulders.
"I may be your stylist," Cinna says, "But you can trust me with anything." He touches my cheek with his fingertips. I shudder, a chill running up my spine. I stepped away from him.
"There are just some things that I can't tell you, Cinna," I say. "Can you just respect that?"
He gives me a small nod. "Very well," he says. "See you in the morning." I try stopping him, but he walks past me and into his quarters. I wince as his door slams shut. I sigh and walk into my rooms. I plop down onto my bed, not bothering to crawl under the sheets. I lie awake for hours, thinking only of Cinna. How could I tell him? It's too embarrassing. I must not have these crazy suggestions that I might love Cinna. Well, I do love Cinna, but not in the way that I think I'm beginning to feel. I grab my pillow and bury my face into its depths. I force myself to close my eyes, but random fantasies of Cinna keep interrupting my slumber. I finally throw the pillow on the ground and lay on my back, images of Cinna floating through my mind. Just as sleep was overtaking my senses, sunlight seeped through the window. I groan and force myself to get out of bed. I shower and walk into the dining cart in my robe, my hair dripping.
"Good morning," Peeta says, grabbing my torso from behind. I laugh shortly and turn around to face him. He pecks my lips and smiles. I smile back and disentangle myself from Peeta's arms. I sit at the table. Cinna walks in, looking quite disheveled. I stare at him as he sits across the table from me and says, "Good morning, Katniss. Good morning, Peeta."
"Good morning, Cinna," we say together. I smile inwardly while staring at Cinna's green eyes flecked with a hint of gold glitter. He smiles at me and stands to walk to the food trays.
"Are you ever going to tell me what was on your mind last night?" Cinna whispers in my ear.
"It's still on my mind," I say. "And he isn't helping." I shut my lips tight. Cinna lifts an eyebrow curiously. He looks at Peeta, then back to me. I shake my head lightly.
"I'll tell you later," I whisper. He nods and continues onward to the food trays. He grabs a few pieces of food and sits back down. I stand and walk over to the food trays. I grab some food and sit back down. Cinna watches my carefully as I shovel pieces of food into my mouth. I hold his gaze until he breaks away to eat some of his food. I continue staring at him, waiting until he looks back up at me. Peeta looks from me to Cinna, looking helplessly confused.
"What's going on between you two?" he asks us.
"Nothing," we both say quickly. We look at each other then back up at Peeta. He sighs and sits next to me.
"Can we talk, Katniss?" Cinna asks, standing from the table. I nod and give a small smile in Peeta's direction. I follow him into a secluded area of the train. He walks into a room and pulls me inside. He closes the door.
"Now, what is it about me that bothers you?" he asks, completely knocking me off-guard.
"Just these fantasies that keep happening while I'm trying to sleep," I say.
"Like what?" Cinna prods, staring deep into my eyes.
"I think I love you," I blurt. He smiles.
"In what way?" he asks teasingly.
I nudge his arm. "You know what way," I say.
Cinna suddenly turns serious. "You can't become attached to me in that way, Katniss," he says.
"Why not?" I pout.
He laughs. "I'm your stylist," he says. He caresses my cheek. "But if it does you a favor, I feel the same way," he whispers in my ear. My skin tingles from his warm breath on my ear. He kisses my neck. My knees buckle and I press myself aganist his body. He brushes his lips over my skin until they're pressed aganist mine. I kiss him back, completely attached to him. He breaks the kiss, breathing heavily.
"Now that you've kissed me," I say, "There's no way I can become unattached."