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Peeta's pov
I unlock the double height steel doors and push them open with both hands. Finn walks straight past me, his head twisting in every direction taking it all in. I walk inside and move to stand in front of the window wall a large smile plastered on my face. From this height I can see the surf breaking against the cliff side.
"So what do you think?" I turn to ask Finn. He's got his arms spread out open wide standing in the middle of the empty living room.
"It's gorgeous, man. You know it's gorgeous. I mean look at that view! The parties you're going to be throwing in this place…Mind me asking what you paid for it?"
"Only fourteen mil., can you believe it?"
"No, really? For how many bedrooms?"
"Three, not including the maids room, the gym, or the movie theatre."
Finn whistles low. "Pool house?"
"Of course."
"Nice man. Seriously awesome and I saw that garage. Damn. You can put some real beauties in there."
"Enough space for six Bentleys or 8 Ducatis." I wink at him.
Finn lets out an appreciative nod. "Nice. Speaking of, did you hear what Marvel Slate just bought himself?"
"No, what?"
"The new Bugatti."
"Shut up." Finnick shakes his head. "That son of a bitch. I've been trying to get my hands on one of those for months. How'd he pull that off?"
"He slept with one of the interior designers or some shit like that."
"Lucky bastard," I say. Finn nods.
"So what're you doing about furniture and stuff?"
"Oh I've got a team coming in an hour to set it up. I hired some company to just do it. It's going to be more of a weekend place anyway so I can personalize as I go."
"Right. Right." He shakes his head again. "Well listen, this place is awesome. Enjoy it. You deserve it, buddy."
"Thanks Finn I will." Finn starts walking back towards the front door. "Where you going? You haven't gotten the rest of the tour."
Finn brings his hands in front of him and claps them together quietly. "Well I'm actually late for meeting Annie for lunch. I'm sure I'll see it once it's finished."
"Oh. I thought we were going to grab something after this?" Finnick's eyebrows raise and his mouth opens wide.
"You know, the old ball and chain. She's got me on a tight schedule. Rain check though. For sure, alright?"
"Oh. Yah, of course. No. I totally get it. Definitely rain check." I look back out the windows. It's turned cloudy.
"Alright, thanks man. Listen, if you want to stop by for dinner tonight you're more than welcome. Just let me know so I can tell Annie we're having one more."
"Thanks, but I'm actually picking my parents up from the airport tonight. My dad's got a supplier conference so we're going to go eat before I show them this place."
"No way, big man Mellark is coming in? That's awesome."
"Yep. Mom too."
"Well enjoy having your family. I'm sure they'll love the place."
"Thanks. Give Annie my love."
"Will do." He's halfway out the door. "And Peet, really, enjoy it."
"Thanks." He shuts the door behind him. I put my hands in my pockets and turn around to look out the windows. The place will feel smaller once all the furniture's in, I tell myself. And there's no beating the view. The sunsets alone make it worth it. Maybe I'll bring Glimmer out here to come take a look at it…or maybe it's better not too. I don't want her to think too far into anything. Though that's not usually a problem with her. She doesn't really do much thinking all together. The doorbell rings. Must be the movers.
I answer the door and am greeted by a hulk of a man. He's probably 6'3 and weighs over three hundred pounds.
"Seabolt Staging, sign here please."
I sign the proffered clipboard before returning it to the man.
"So, do I have to tell you where I want everything?"
"Nope. Designers sent us the furniture plans. Got'em right here, Mr. Mellark."
"Oh, Okay. Can I get you guys a water or anything?"
"I'm good for now but maybe I'll take you up on it later."
"Ya, definitely. Whatever you need don't hesitate to ask."
"You got it." I stood in the doorway watching them unloading the truck of stuff. I hope it looked good.
"Mr. Mellark?"
"Yes…" I looked at his name tag, "Brutus?"
"I'm going to need you to move."
"Oh, right."
I watch the guys carry in the stuff. I stick my hand in my pocket and pull out my phone. No new messages. I send off a few texts checking in with some friends before putting it away. I move back over to the window and lean against it. Yep, this place will feel like home in no time.
A google alert breaks into my inbox. I scroll through the headlines with my name and decide if any of them are worth a call to my staff about. Nothing pressing. The new movie announcement in entertainment, the Mellark oil field boom in East Texas, the omega watch ad campaign, and the Forbes list of 30 most influential under 30. I grimace at them and wonder why I'm not smiling. Another email pops in from Bugatti. I'm off the waiting list. Do I want to put in a down payment?...Why not? It's worth it just to get Marvel to shut his mouth every once in awhile. I turn around as they unload the couch and my eyebrows shoot up. Well that's uh… interesting. It's a giant white slab of leather and suede with deep cushions and miniscule backing. It looks like a giant hunk of cheese. Not really conducive for beer drinking, or painting, or relaxing. I give a mental shrug as I walk towards the front door. I need to get out of here. It'll feel better when it's finished. I'm sure it will.
"I just don't understand why they would only cook the fish on the outside." My mother says for the third time tonight.
"That's just something they do here, Judy," my dad says. Mom makes an unattractive clearing noise with her throat. She tends to do this whenever she disapproves of something. Which happens to have been much of tonight.
"Well, I think you guys are really going to like the new place."
"I'm sure we will, son."
I take them around from room to room. I insist they try out the lazy boys in the movie theatre.
"So what do you guys think? "
"It's really something, Peeta. You should enjoy it."
"Thanks dad. Maybe you guys can stay here next time?"
"That's real sweet kiddo but I think your mother would be more comfortable at the Omni. You know, her own space. We don't want to impose..."
"You wouldn't be imposing. I miss you guys."
Dad looks uncomfortable and quickly glances at my mother who is already making her way back to the car.
"Really son. We love you. But it's better this way."
I nodded and swallowed down the lump in my throat. It was only 8:15 and I was planning to spend time with my parents at the house for a couple more hours.
"Well, where would you guys like to go next? We could do coffee? I could take you down the Hollywood walk of fame. Or maybe a comedy club?"
"We're pretty beat son. You know, jet lag and everything." I nodded. Chicago was only a two-hour time difference but that was already pretty late for my parents.
"Alright let me go grab the keys." I run back into the kitchen leaving my parents outside. I grab my keys and turn back towards the front drive where they're waiting.
"It's just ridiculous. It's a monstrosity. What did I do wrong to raise a son to buy a house like this?"
"Judy, I think you're being hard on yourself. The boy's got so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. It can be lonely at the top, maybe he's hopping this will bring him friends."
"Call it what ever you want. It's a sin. A sin I tell you to have this much and give nothing back."
"How do you know he doesn't give anything back? Have you asked him?"
"I've asked around. There have been no anonymous donations to the church or the school where else could he possibly be giving the money to?"
"You know he hated that church and that school. It's the reason he ran away from us in the first place-"
I slam the front door loudly turning around to lock the doors. I've heard enough. We make the drive back to their hotel in silence. I wish my parents good luck with my dad's conference and tell them that I love them. I watch my mother chew my dad's ear off all the way to the elevators.
I have to swallow back whatever it was that was bothering me. I look at the clock, 9:15. I think about where I could go. I don't want to go back to my house or my apartment, at least not yet. I scroll through my phone passing Finnick's name. I call and it goes to voicemail. He and Annie are probably busy, and it wouldn't be right to just stop over. I get to Glimmer's name and hit the call button. It also goes straight to message but Glimmer is different, she wouldn't mind hanging out. I could just drop by and see if she was home.
'On my way to surprise you ;)' I text her before chucking my phone into the holder, and driving towards her house in West L.A.
I get to her apartment and wave at her doorman. He knows me so he waves me right up. When I get to Glimmer's door there's loud rock music playing and the door is open a crack. I push it open and step inside. She must have gotten my text. I get excited wondering what she has in store for me. I start unbuttoning my shirt. I turn the corner into her living room and freeze. There is Glimmer with her ass on the kitchen counter her legs wrapped around some guys waist. He's pushing into her like there's no tomorrow, and sucking her face to quiet her screams. I watch unblinkingly as his hands come up to her shirt and rip the buttons right off flinging them halfway across the room. One of them hits my shoe. She laughs in pleasure before moving to attack his throat. I think about saying something but in the end I just decide to turn around and head out. I pass the coat closet where I see the Louis Vuitton bag I had just given her. I turn its upside down, emptying out her junk and I tuck it under my arm.
As I leave, I feel a numbing start to take over in my chest. It isn't pain. I don't especially care about Glimmer. But all the same I can't identify what I'm feeling. One thing I do know, I'm stuck with myself for the rest of the night. That means only one thing. It's time to call Haymitch.
"Order me my usual and make sure Tony unlocks the back."
"Anything for you, Mr. Zillionaire."
I hang up the phone.
I'm drunk. Shitfaced. Hammered. Sitting on the balcony of my bar singing off key to Lady Gaga.
"Whoa., a whoahao, caught in a bad romance."
"You sound like a dying cat, kid."
"And you smell like a dying cat." I point my empty bottle at myself. I look down, realize it was the wrong way and spin it to face Haymitch. All I manage to do is knock it onto the floor. "Dammit!"
"How is it that the kid who has everything can be so pitiful?"
"Because you can't buy love dipshit and when you got everything you get greedy for the shit no one wants to give you."
"How philosophical." Haymitch replies.
"Ya, well what's your excuse?"
"I don't have time for excuses but how about I give you something free for a change. It's called advice. You're a good kid. You just need to have some sense knocked back into ya. When you stop trying to play Mr. Jones you'll find the people who'll love you for you."
"That's shit advice."
"It beats the hell out of whatever crap your five hundred an hour therapist is giving you."
"Touche'"
"I'm going to lock up your club. You sold out again tonight."
"Whoopee," I say. Haymitch shakes his head and leaves me to myself.
My phone rings and I pick up. "What do you want slut?"
"I really don't think I've done anything to warrant name calling, dude."
Oh it's Finnick not Glimmer. "It's you"
"Are you drunk?" He asks me.
"Are you drunk?"
I hear Finn sigh into the phone. Everyone is sighing around me. Like I'm some annoying kid they have to pander too.
"Peet, where are you? I'll come pick you up."
"The bar."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing worth two shits. I'm a waste of space."
Another sigh. "How can you say that?"
"Because my friend's all turned into my babysitters that's why."
"Everybody loves you, buddy. "
"Nobody loves me because nobody knows me! The people who know me don't love me they just want to stay away from me."
"That's not true. You just...haven't been acting like well, you. We still love you but you don't make it easy to stick around."
"I know. I know. I'm a greedy little dick just say it."
"What brought this on?"
"I need a change, Finn. A real change somewhere where I can disappear to for a while and just …be. I need to be better. Get Better." I get up and looked over the balcony over Sunset blvd. "Will you help me?"
"On one condition." He says.
"What?"
"Don't you dare try to pay me."
"Alright I won't pay you."
"Alright, Annie's got this friend who owns a place in the country."
"Is it a stripper place?" I ask. I envision the playboy mansion but all the girls have on cowboy hats and those plaid shits that only cover their boobs.
"No. It's a knock some sense into you kind of place."
"You think it will be good for me?"
"Give it a couple months. We'll see what happens. You're worth saving buddy."
"Alright…Can I bring a stripper with me?"
Finnick sighs again into the phone. "Be ready to go in an hour."
