"Oh Belladonna stop your blubbering and let the poor girl breathe."

I laughed lightly at Nyall's comment, a slight breeze chill hitting my neck as the wind blew around on the cold day. Winter was getting closer and closer around here.

Belladonna stepped away from me, sniffling and wiping at her watering eyes. She was a mess, one of her purple false eyelashes crooked; the other had practically been shoved up to her eyebrow.

"I'm going to miss you so much, is all." She managed to get out between over dramatic choked sobs, Nyall's arms folded over his chest beside her, his face much more relaxed and unfazed by their leaving.

"Belladonna, I promise you I will come see you the minute I come to the capitol in a few months. Alright?" I say, smiling crookedly at the woman before me, who I had come to love, much to my dismay.

"Alright." She sniffled out, pulling me into a final hug, before clacking her way in through the train doors, a blubbering noise of a sob coming out again as soon as she thought she was out of earshot.

That woman.

"You're not going to cry too, are you?" Nyall's calm voice rang out beside me, making me turn to him and laugh lightly. "I wouldn't dare." I say back, earning a small crack of a smile on his lips.

"You'll be alright. Always." He said softly, reaching his arm out and lightly patting my shoulder, giving it a loose squeeze. "Always." I say, nodding softly. Hearing it from him made me believe it, if only for a moment.

Nyall pulled himself away from me, folding his slender arms across his chest in an effort to keep warm with the breeze whipping around him. His eyes trailed behind me, landing on whom I could only assume was Cato.

I turned my head slightly, my eyes catching onto the blonde head that was turned towards the ground, one of his feet tapping insistently against the metal platform.

Good guess.

"Go Nyall. I'm fine. I'll be seeing you." I say softly, standing on my tiptoes and pecking a kiss to his cheek. He smiled a bit wider of a smile, nodding, before turning and entering the train himself, making a comment about Belladonna's crying resembling that of a dying whale.

That man.

I turned around towards Cato, my blonde hair blowing out behind my shoulders, down in messy waves. I tugged my red sweater more closely around me as I stepped towards him.

"So this is it, huh?" He said, his voice not giving much emotion away.

"Yeah, I suppose it is for a while." I respond, twiddling my thumbs together, before folding my arms across my chest, unsure of what to do here.

I don't want it to be over.

Cato and I were far from back together; he still had no desire to be with me. But after we simply held each other for a while last night, I had more than enough desires for the both of us.

He slowly tilted his head up, his perfect blue eyes meeting mine, and holding the gaze. "Aria." He said softly, his tone containing something I haven't heard from him before.

Sadness.

"I'm going to miss you." I respond, well rather, blurt out. I step closer to him, allowing him to envelope me in a hug. His arms wrapped around me tightly, my forehead resting on his shoulder.

"You have no idea." He mumbled in response, his lips brushing my ear as he leaned down towards me.

I swallowed hard, willing myself not to cry. Not again, anyway. I had already balled my eyes out last night, as well as this morning.

I would never admit it, but the fact that Cato was leaving was making it harder for me to keep myself together. Loosing him for a second time was almost worse than the first time.

Cato pulled away slightly, looking down at me. Sometimes I forgot how handsome he was, but I'm not quite sure how. His eyes stared down into mine, sparking with something I couldn't quite grasp.

I hated not being able to tell what he was thinking.

A lot.

"I l-"

"Aria, come on let's go! Before the shops close, yeah?"

Zander's voice cut off Cato completely, my head turning slightly in his direction. Zander was stood off to the side of the platform, gesturing his hands to signal for me to hurry up.

He couldn't wait for them all to leave.

Let alone Cato.

I turned back towards Cato, opening up my mouth to speak when he cut me off. "Goodbye Aria." As the words left his mouth the spark disappeared from his eyes, his hands untangling from my waist as he turned towards the train, stepping towards the doors.

I could practically feel my heart beating out of my chest, my hands getting clammy as my mouth struggled to make any noise.

I couldn't let him leave, not again. "Cato!"

Cato stopped walking for a moment, turning his head towards me. His body was frozen, halfway through the train doors and the platform.

"Aria! Come on!" Zander yelled again, his tone desperate for my attention.

"I think he's waiting for you." Cato said simply, not allowing me to speak, before he stepped into the train, the doors slamming shut behind him.

I didn't move, my eyes still glued to the train doors, that familiar pain in my chest returning as I waited for him to walk back out of those train doors and hold me like he used too.

I knew it wasn't going to happen.

"Finally. Aria, come on. Let's go." Zander said, appearing at my side, loosely grabbing onto my limp hand, giving it a tug as he began to try and pull me away.

I stayed where I was, staring at the train as it began to move, picking up speed little by little, Belladonna waving feebly out the window as it passed me.

The train quickly grew smaller and smaller, before it was completely out of sight. The wind whipped my hair around me violently, my body allowing Zander to drag me away from the scene and into town.

I swallowed the large lump in my throat, knowing that this was what was best for me. Cato didn't love me anymore, and who even knows if he did in the first place.

You know he did, Aria.

You know.

I blinked back the tears trying to build in my eyes, gripping Zander's hand more tightly as we weaved through a few people blocking a store entrance. Zander's hand slipped from mine for a moment as wandered off to look at a display for some new tools.

I wandered over to the window, my eyes staring at nothing in particular, trying to stop my mind from flooding with thoughts.

One thought though, was obvious, however.

That I had to stop loving Cato.

It hurt far too much.

"Aria? You okay?" Zander's hand landed on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. I turn my head towards his, my eyes looking into his green orbs.

The small smile on his face could melt any girl's heart, and yet here I was, lusting after the boy who would never love me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I say softly, giving him my best smile in return. His own smile widened, his hand slipping into mine again as he tugged me off to another part of the store.

And although the weak tingling I felt in my hand was nothing compared to the explosions I felt when I touched Cato, I knew that this was where I was supposed to be.

This was what makes sense.

Even if you don't want it to.

[-]

"What cha looking at?"

I jumped, turning my head to see Zander grinning like an idiot at me. He was obviously happy he had scared me.

Jerk.

"I hate when you do that." I say, laughing lightly and lightly punching his shoulder, which made him pretend to be in immense pain. I rolled my eyes, turning back around to the counter, flipping the magazine I was looking at shut.

"You didn't answer my question." He says now as I turn back around on the stool towards him, his eyebrows slightly raised as he waited for my answer.

"What? Oh nothing, just the paper." I lie easily, shrugging it off as he nodded, believing me. I felt a small pang of guilt for lying, but shoved it aside as smiled at me again.

"I'm gonna head out." He says, snatching his heavy jacket off the counter and shrugging it on. I pouted ever so slightly, saying "But it's so early!"

"I have to actually do some work around here, Aria. I'll swing by after, alright?" He smiled at me, leaning over and pecking a kiss on my forehead.

"Alright. Be careful, it started snowing again." I say, standing and walking him over towards the door. He turned back towards me, nodding and running a hand through his messy dark hair.

He leaned down, pressing his lips into mine for a moment, a small smile on my lips as he pulled away. "Bye." He said, smiling back before he slipped out the door into the freezing air.

I shut the door, fighting to keep the smile on my face as I walked back over to my seat by the counter, but it dropped rather quickly.

Zander was determined to make me fall in love with him, despite the numerous times I told him it wasn't going to happen.

I liked Zander, I really did. He's sweet, funny, caring and handsome. I mean, what more could a girl want in a guy?

The problem wasn't Zander, though. It was me.

I was done with love. All it did was hurt the people I love and pushed me nearer to total insanity.

Case and point, Cato.

My eyes darted back down to the shut magazine, my hand reaching out and flipping it back to the front cover. Splashed right onto the front page was a large photo of none other than Cato, who had been visiting the capitol quite frequently, judging by the amount of times he's been in this magazine over the past two months.

Sometimes I felt as if he didn't leave at all.

Cato was leaning against the railing of a skyscraper rooftop, his blonde hair tousled and just a tad longer than I remember, his trademark smirk in place, and his blue eyes locked onto the impeccably beautiful girl standing beside him.

.

Her name was Valencia, and her father was a wealthy company owner in the capitol. She had perfect honey colored hair, the tips getting slightly lighter, and her skin was just the perfect shade of tan without being too dark. Her eyes were a beautiful hazel tone, and her body was the kind all other girls wished they had.

Despite living in the capitol, she was always dressed rather subdued by their standards, not wanting to take the attention away from her lovely looks.

She was perfect, and judging by the way Cato was looking at her in all the photos, he thought so too.

I forced myself to look away, letting out a shaky breathe.

"You don't care. You don't care. You don't care." I repeated to myself, hopping out of my chair and towards the stairs, deciding I should finish my packing before I left for the capitol tonight.

I ignored the familiar pain in my chest; something I had been wishing would go away since it returned two months ago when Cato left. He was over us, I should be too.

I shook my head, flicking open my suitcase, a few papers flying out. I sighed, crouching down to gather them back up, my eyes scanning over the words that were already embedded in my brain.

President Snow and I's new arrangement.

I cringed slightly as it was something that would have to be taken into action this very coming trip, some unnamed business owner the first purchaser of my ' attention ' as it was so politely put into the documents.

Knowing I was going to be sleeping with someone against my will made my stomach churn. I stuffed the papers back into my suitcase, not wanting to think about it.

I didn't think of much, these days.

Other than the one person I couldn't seem to stop myself from thinking of.

Cato.

At least you don't have to see him again until the next games.

And by then you won't even think of him anymore.

He'll be insignificant.

And you won't love him anymore.

[-]

Hi. This chapter took us a bit ahead in the story, as I didn't want to put a ton of filler in here.

Cato left, and Aria and Zander are sort of a thing. Not to mention Valencia, who will become a major character in the upcoming chapters, much to some of your, I'm sure, dismays.

I realize Cato is a hard boy to read, loves. Just give it time. I promise you Cato and Aria will know how each other feel…. eventually ;D

Haha thanks for the reviews! Were almost to 200 again! Lets try and get there guys

Thanks again!

-Becca 3