Strawberries and Rum
xx
"I KNEW IT!" Effie screamed, spying her precious lavender wig, dangling from his grubby fingers.
"Looking for something?" He slurred. Clearly intoxicated, Effie wanted nothing to do with him tonight. She was heading out on a date, in which Haymitch had been teasing her about, mercilessly, all day.
"Hand it over!"
"Lavender was always your best colour" He quipped, taking another sip from his whiskey glass and spinning her wig around his index finger.
"Oh, complimentary now, are we? Hand. It. Over!"
He didn't. He was enjoying this too much. The sight of her before him, angry and flustered, had always caused a stir of contentment within him.
"Why don't you wear your hair like that?" He mused, nodding towards the up swept bun, atop of her head "Its pretty!"
"Pretty? PRETTY!? I don't want to look 'PRETTY!' this happens to be one of the most important dates of my life!" She stalked towards him, eyes all aglow with dreams of her future "He's a Star, Haymitch. A rich and gorgeous, movie star! and he wants to date me, ME! Oh, picture it would you…"
He wouldn't. She was insane. He could see her planning the dream wedding, in her head, already
"A mansion in the heart of the Capitol, White horses on the grounds, a pool! Oh, the children we would make, so, so beautiful…" She focused on him then "And it all comes down to tonight and me, looking so completely fabulous, that he falls, hook, line and sinker for me, at first glance!"
"And you're wearing…that?" He looked at her outfit with total disdain. She blew.
"HAYMITCH! YOU SWINE! GIVE IT BACK!"
Reaching to snatch the wig from his grasp, she stumbled onto his lap, knocking his glass to the floor, as they grappled together.
"Ask nicely" He teased, enjoying the fight. He pinned her arms down with his free one and raised the wig, high above their heads, with the other.
"HAYMITCH!"
"Nicely…"
She huffed in surrender and fell limp in his arms.
"Fine….Haymitch. Dear, sweet, darling Haymitch. Please, oh pretty please, will you give me back my Lavender wig, so that I might be on time for my date with my future husband? Please?"
She engrossed him with her best Capitol smile and he mirrored it back
"…No"
"HAYMITCH!"
She struggled again, in his grasp.
"Not without a kiss" He beamed. She was getting nowhere. She had the upper body strength of a kitten and he knew it.
"A What?!"
"A kiss…"
"I'm not kissing you!"
"Why not?"
"Because…because…you're drunk for starters!"
"I'm always drunk"
"You smell like a distillery"
"mmmm, aint it the truth. Kiss me"
"No!"
"Kiss me"
"NEVER!"
"Fine, no kiss no wig" Haymitch stood, dropping Effie to the hard, wood floor, with a thump. As he made to leave, Effie blew a stray curl from her eyes and called out to him.
"One kiss?" She asked and he turned to her with a smirk. "One kiss and you'll give it back?"
"A wig for a kiss, princess"
"Fine" She stood from her crumpled, heap on the floor. "As you wish, my prince"
Before he could even draw breath, she was in his arms, her painted, cherry kiss lips, pressed against his. She tasted of strawberries, he tasted of rum, it was the perfect concoction and Effie suddenly found herself enjoying it. She stepped a little closer, pushing her corseted chest against him and gripping his shirt with her fists. The shift, deepened their kiss, his lips parted hers and the tip of their tongues met for a delicious moment. Haymitch found himself faltering too. He hadn't expected her to agree, let alone, kiss so well.
But, un be known to him, she had already curled her delicate fingers around her lavender wig, and with a mighty tug, it was free of his grasp and back in her possession.
"Thank you!" She snapped, pulling away so fast, he almost stumbled forward. "Enjoy your evening with your 'date'" She nodded at the half empty bottle on the table.
"And yours…" He smiled, running his tongue along his bottom lip.
His casualness irked her.
"I'll be sure to think of you whilst I'm having the time of my life, winning the heart of my fu-"
"Future husband, yeah…you said that" He mused, silencing her with his thoughtful tone "If he finds out you can kiss like that, you got no problems winning his heart, princess"
and that was that.
He left smirking, a sudden blush had arose in her cheeks and it humored him to no end.
Effie stood alone, twirling the lavender wig in her hand. She bit down on her bottom lip, tasting the liquor that was still laced upon it.
She'd be thinking of him, alright. She'd be thinking of nothing but.
xxx