"Finnick this is so stupid." Aria shouted, earning a splash of water from Finnick, who was apparently trying to teach her how to swim.

In a rather touchy way.

I might add.

I shook my head, leaning against the window frame of my bedroom, looking down at the two of them in the small round pool just behind our home. No one had used it before now, and I was wishing no one still had.

Calm yourself Cato.

They're just friends.

...

Not that that should matter.

A tiny huff left my lips, forcing myself to look away from the window and over at Valencia, who was still asleep in bed, a thin sheet covering her up. She was gorgeous, really, and didn't annoy him most of the time.

Unlike Aria.

Bitch.

I didn't even know what her problem was, she was the one who ended our fake relationship deal at the end of the victory tour.

She was the one who was always around that prick Zander back in District Three.

She was the one who insisted on spending ever waking second with that irritating as all hell fish boy, Finnick, since they met a month ago.

And yet somehow I'm still the bad guy.

Yeah, Cato.

Somehow.

I walked over to my mirror, which hung above a large dresser directly across from the bed, examining myself in the reflection. I didn't look any different than I ever had, shaggy blonde hair, perfect physique, and, if I do say so myself, a pretty handsome face.

And yet for some reason, Aria doesn't love you.

I scolded myself, clenching my fists at my sides at the thought. She was so irritating and she wasnt even talking to me at the moment. She always filled my thoughts, always irritated me with stupid lingering feelings, irritating me even more when she left and wouldn't tell me where she was going or who she was going to see.

She didn't seem to trust me, and yet if it weren't for me she wouldn't even be alive at the moment, she would have died in that arena.

You would have too.

"Come back to bed." A light voice sounded, making me turn my head slightly to see Valencia standing up, the sheet loosely around her body as she came over to me, taking my hand and giving it a little tug, smiling at me.

I nodded my head, keeping my face blank as I slowly followed her back over to the bed, sitting down as she did. The sheet slipped from her body, giving me a moment to admire it. She was perfect in every way, perfect body, perfect looks, she never argued with me or questioned me, did exactly what I said.

And yet you keep thinking about stupid Aria.

Idiot.

I shook my head, laying down on the bed and allowing Valencia to cuddle against me, my bare chest serving as the pillow for her head as she tried to doze back off to sleep.

I didn't understand what was wrong with me. Here in my arms I had the girl who everyone would approve of back home, the girl that most any other guy would surely kill for.

And yet all I could focus on was the faint sound of Aria's laughter floating up from the ground below. I closed my eyes, sighing quietly as I tried to block it out. I knew why I couldn't focus on Valencia.

Because she isn't Aria.

[-]

"I told you it was pointless, Finnick. People from District Three avoid water, they make electronics for goodness sake." I said with a laugh, shaking my head as I hugged a towel around my still somewhat damp body, in a one piece swimming suit as we wandered into the kitchen to get drinks.

"You weren't that bad!" He reasoned, leaning against the counter and running his hand through his wet hair, his chiseled chest out for all to see, something I had slowly grown used to.

He somehow always seemed to find an excuse to take his shirt off.

Always.

"I almost drowned. Twice." I said, giving him a look as I handed him over a glass of juice, taking a sip from my own and glancing up the stairs, after hearing some light laughter.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I forced myself to look away, feeling Finnick staring at me but not saying anything.

There wasn't anything to really say.

Cato was with his girlfriend.

And it wasn't me.

Period.

"So how do you feel about going on a weekend trip with me to District Four?" Finnick said, abruptly changing the subject as he chugged down the rest of the juice, placing the empty glass in the sink.

I rose an eyebrow, "District Four? What for?' I asked, as far as I knew Finnick mostly stayed here anymore, in the Capital, except for a few weeks here and there.

"I want to see someone." He explained with a small shrug, a small smirk on his lips. I grinned at him, "Someone being?" I pressed, setting my glass in the sink and standing up a bit straighter.

Finnick and I had become somewhat good friends over the past month, he kept my mind off of things.

Things being Cato.

And the president breathing down my neck.

And Cato.

And the fact that Zander was being persistent with trying to get me to come home.

Oh, and did I mention Cato?

I trusted him, and I wasn't exactly sure why. I hadn't known him long, and yet he had this nature about him that made me feel as though he'd never hurt me. It was nothing romantic, more like a strong bond.

"Just someone." He said, taking my hand and pulling me towards the stairs, presumably to make me go change, as we were both still in our wet swimming attire, hair dripping droplets of water onto the floor.

"Is it a girl? Has someone captured the untamable Finnick Odair's heart?" I said with a grin, him rolling his eyes, but smiling none the less, that charming smile that could make a heart of stone melt into a puddle.

"Yes, it's a girl. Annie. Annie Cresta. Now go change." Finnick said, shoving me into my room and shutting the door. So that was who Finnick was in love with, poor Annie Cresta who had never been the same since her games.

The person everyone thought you were becoming.

The person even you thought you were becoming.

I shook my head, a tiny sigh slipping from my lips as I stripped down to change. I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror. My once slightly poking out ribs were still protruding slightly, though not quite as bad.

My hair was slowly regaining a little life, my skin still quite pale however. Under my eyes were slowly becoming less dark, though it was still difficult to get any sleep with the nightmares.

And the persistent giggling from down the hall.

Which never got any less annoying.

Or painful.

I shook it off best I could, ringing my hair out into the towel and tossing it in the hamper, throwing on a sweater and leggings, before opening the door to head out, only to bump into a firm chest. My eyes drifted up, landing on Cato, who was staring hard at my face.

It made my stomach do a little flip.

"Can I help you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and stepping away, putting a good foot of distance between us, resting my arms folded loosely over my stomach.

"Valencia needs to borrow some clothes, hers from last night are dirty." He said, pushing himself inside the room, shutting the door behind him as he waltzed over to my closet. I narrowed my eyes at him, ignoring the pang in my chest from how easily he talked about her to me.

Like it didn't bother him at all.

Like he had no idea how badly that hurt me.

He couldn't really be that stupid.

...

I hope.

"Please, come in." I said in a sarcastic manner, pushing him away from my closet and stepping in front of it myself, he barely moved an inch, as he was much stronger than I was. I reached in, taking out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, holding them out towards him.

He snorted a laugh, "She's not wearing those." He said, shaking his head and taking the clothes from me, tossing them into the closet and shutting it, leaving them to wrinkle. I glared at him as he walked over towards my dresser, opening one of the top drawers.

"Don't you have anything nicer?" He asked, well, more like stated, rummaging through my drawers. "Stop going through my stuff." I demanded, shutting the door, nearly shutting his fingers into it, but he pulled them out in time.

"Why, scared I'll find something secret?" He said, smirking at me, that stupid cocky look in place.

Yes actually.

I am.

"Will you just sit down, I'll get her a dress or something. Just don't touch anything." I said, giving him a little push towards the bed, him rolling his eyes and sitting down. I went back over to my closet, opening it and picking out the nicest dress I had.

It would probably work as casual for her.

"Who's Dexter McNair?" Cato asked, his voice reaching my ears, as I shut the closet door. "A game maker, why?" I asked, starting to head around the wall to the bed, seeing him flipping through the pages of my planner, my eyes widening.

"I said not to touch anything Cato." I snapped, grabbing it from him and shutting it, my fingers fumbling with it slightly as I shoved it into a drawer. He was staring at me oddly, but I expected that much.

It was a bit of a strange reaction to him reading my things.

But I couldn't risk him finding out about the deal I had with the president, all to protect him.

I didn't ever want him to know.

Ever.

"Are you okay?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest, ignoring the dress I was holding out towards him, clearly wanting him to get out of my room.

"No, I'm irritated, now get out." I huffed, running a hand through my damp and tangled hair, wondering where in the world Finnick was when I needed him.

"Why do you have a meeting with a game maker tonight?" He asked, ignoring my telling him to get out, his eyes boring into me. "It's none of your business." I snap, trying to pull him off the bed by giving him a a tug on the arm.

He simply rolled his eyes, taking my arm and yanking me down to sit on the bed beside him. "Ow." I said, yanking my arm from his grasp and rubbing it, glaring at him.

Asshole.

"Why are you going to see that game maker tonight?" He repeated, his eyes burning holes into mine as he stared intently at me. A little shiver ran up my spine at the uncomfortable eye contact, doing my best to appear strong and not break it.

"He asked me to dinner and I said yes." I lied, him staring at me, I could hear the scoff come from his mouth, he didn't buy it. "Isn't that guy like forty?" He said, quirking up one of his eyebrows.

I shrugged, standing back up, moving to make him leave, only to have him yank me back down again. "Don't lie to me, Aria." He said, holding onto both of my upper arms, forcing me to look at him.

I squirmed a bit in his grasp, uncomfortable, but he was too strong for me to get out of it. "Why the hell not, Cato? You've lied to me your fair share of times." I said, glaring up at him.

"What are you talking about?" He scoffed, his grip on my arms loosening just a little, but I made no move to pull away or get up. "You know what I'm talking about." I said, my tone quiet as I get another pang in my chest, or eyes staying glued to each other.

Cato didn't have a response to this, he simply kept his eyes on mine and a somewhat tight grip on my arms. We stayed like that for a few moments, staring at each other.

I could smell the faint scent of his cologne, and that always lingering scent of peppermint that came from him. His jaw was tense, eyes staring into mine as if they were trying to tell me something.

I just had no idea what.

"Cato?"

Valencia's voice snapped me from my daze, pulling myself from him and standing up, shoving the dress into his arms. He shook his head, standing up and walking around me, meeting Valencia at the door and leading her back to his own room.

A small sigh left my lips as I flopped back onto the bed, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples.

What the hell was that?

[-]

"No!" I screamed, sitting up and bed, a sweaty mess, the sheets had been thrown about from my thrashing around in bed.

This nightmare had been a bad one, a really bad one.

I slowly pulled myself out of the bed, tugging down the oversized t-shirt that was serving as my nightgown, my skin a pale pink color from the intense scrubbing it had gotten after I got home from my ' meeting '.

I still felt disgusting.

And worthless.

Like usual.

I decided to go downstairs and get a drink, slipping quietly from my room and starting to walk down the hall, my mind a whirl. There was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep, not with imagines like that on my mind.

As I reached the stairs, my eyes peered into the room just beside them, the door cracked slightly, a sliver of moonlight coming trough it from the window across the room. I nibbled on my bottom lip, walking over and gently pushing the door open, peeking my head in.

What are you doing?

My eyes landed on Cato, who's back was to me, his bed otherwise empty for once. His bare arms were above the silk sheets, the faint light from the window shining in on him. I wanted so badly to crawl into bed beside him and have him hold me.

But that's not going to happen.

I sighed quietly, turning my head, about to leave the room when Cato rustled in bed, turning over, his eyes open as he looked at me. I froze, wondering what I was going to say to not make it seem like I was creepily watching him sleep.

I wasn't coming up with anything.

"I heard you screaming." He said, his voice soft as he looked at me, unmoving from his spot in bed. His arm lifted up the blanket, looking at me and nodding his head slightly, as if to tell me to come on.

Slowly, my mind not connecting with my feet as they started to move across the floor and over to his bed, sitting on it. He draped the blanket over my legs, waiting for my to lay down, which I did, keeping some distance between us.

He rolled his eyes, his arms looping around my waist and easily pulling me against his chest, my hands resting flat on his chest, feeling his lips make contact with the top of my head. A tiny sigh left my lips as I pressed myself closer to him, missing the feeling of being in his arms.

"It's okay, it was just a dream." He whispered in my ear, his hands slipping under my shirt and stroking my bare back, I shook my head, nuzzling my head against his shoulder and keeping my eyes closed.

"No, Cato. It wasn't." I whispered, squeezing my eyes tighter shut as I held him, images of the dream coming back to mind, making my throat constrict, my chest getting a little tighter as well.

It wasn't just a dream.

It was a nightmare.

A very real one at that.

"Tell me what happened." He said, his tone not showing much emotion as he stroked the skin of my back, for some reason I let him. I wasnt even questioning why I was laying in bed with him, why I was letting him comfort me when he didn't even love me.

When I'm not supposed to love him anymore.

"You died." I whispered, my voice barely even audible as my eyes squeezed tighter shut, looping my arms around him and tangling our legs together. His muscles tensed slightly as I spoke, his grip on me growing tighter.

"Just go to sleep, Aria." He said, sliding his hands out from under my shirt, instead wrapping his arms completely looping around me.

For the first time in a long time, I felt content, safe, warm. I didn't worry, I didn't question anything, I just laid there with Cato and allowed myself to feel his arms around me, protecting me as I started to drift off to sleep.

I didn't know what this would mean, or how awkward it may be in the morning, because at the moment, I didn't care.

"I'm not going to die, you saved me." Cato whispered, my breathing soft as I was barely hanging onto any energy there was left in me, my body entering sleep, just after he finished his sentence.

"In more ways than one."

[-]

La la la. I dont love this chapter but you guys always seem to love the ones I dont so :P

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