Haymitch's POV

There was steam billowing from underneath my door when I returned. I walked into my room but all was quiet.

My first reaction was panic. Had she slipped and fallen and knocked herself out? but when I got to the shower to turn it off and realised the cubical was empty my second reaction was fear.

She'd been in here. I knew that much.

She'd remembered something.

She was going to hate me.

I shut off the water and touched the cool tiles with my hand. I came across a long singular strand of honey blonde hair and I knew it was time to fess up.

I found her in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed. Her hair was still wet and her soggy robe was making her shiver but she didn't look up as I made myself known, she just continued to stare blankly at her feet and nibble at her bottom lip nervously.

I spoke first.

"Nice shower?" I said. Sarcasm had always been my safety net.

"Well I didn't break a hip..." She answered sharply. I guess sarcasm had always been hers too.

"I remembered something...I think..." She confessed and took a deep and shaky breath

"You think?" I asked. She either did or she didn't because what ever she had remembered could change whatever I was about to confess myself...

"It's hard to tell whats memory and what's imagination these days..." She sighed

"Well...what do you think you imagined?"

"THATS JUST IT HAYMITCH! She cried and looked at me with and anger confusion in her eyes but she soon calmed when she realised I wasn't going to bit back this time. "sorry...it's just...what I saw...what I remembered or imagined is not something I ever thought I'd be imagining you know? it's hard...I can't understand- I just- I can't- I don't-"

"Do you wanna string a sentence together sometime this evening sweetheart?"

"IM TRYING HAYMITCH! ...I'm trying ok?"

She ran a hand through her hair and came toward me. She stopped a little too close for her own comfort but looked me straight in the eye.
The way she looked took me back to that first time. When she first ever truly got my attention and caught my eye. I remembered how my mouth had run dry as she'd bent over that table, how my gut had tingled as I'd pressed up against her and looked into her unshielded eyes and counted all of her freckles and almost kissed her perfect unpainted lips.

She'd had me from that moment.

I hadn't wanted to accept that until now but she'd had me. Hook line and sinker, the day I saw the real Effie Trinket was the day I saw my old self. A person that could be happy and live for something other than the end of a bottle.

So here she stood, innocent and oblivious and a constant reminder that maybe this whole incident was just fates way of telling me that I didn't deserve her.

"Is there something you want to tell me Haymitch?" She asked softly. I'd have preferred it if she was still angry but I knew she could tell I was struggling with something.

"Yes" I answered. "But I'm afraid.."

"Of what? What I might think? She quizzed

"Or do..." I added.

"Do? Well I'm not going to slap you again Haymith, I'll promise you that" she smiled and I tried to return it but I couldn't. I was breaking. I was about to lose her.

"If you don't hit me then you sure as hell will want to leave me" I confessed

"Try me" she asked, but I couldn't pick out the words so she continued

"Did we...in the shower, have we...did you and I -"

"Yes"

"Ok..." She nodded weakly "did I- I mean was it a mutual- ah...did we both-" she was getting agitated with herself and her cheeks were burning.

"Yes, yes we both...enjoyed ourselves" I admitted honestly. Now I was turning red.

She cleared her throat awkwardly "did you...ah...did...no...oh! oh wait!" It seemed she had remembered something else "oh my... It was me, wasn't it? I came...I got in there with you- OH!" She remembered something else "the dinner party! I was...you were...oh..." She brought a hand up to her mouth and closed her eyes briefly as if re living something. Was that a smile she was hiding?

"Come with me a second?" She asked suddenly and wandered out into the hall. I followed her through to the kitchen where she'd pressed herself up against the table.

I swallowed hard

"Come here please Haymitch." She asked tenderly and extended her hand out to me. I took it no questions asked.
She pulled me against her and we were right back the where it all started, back to the beginning.

Was this a sign? Was this my second chance to tell her how I truly deeply felt.

"I remember this...don't you?" She asked. Was she giving me a second chance.

Suddenly my mouth got very very dry.