"I really don't care, Belladonna." I sighed, watching as the brightly colored woman shuffled around the living room of Cato and I's little home, her hands placed on her narrow hips as she huffed. "If the people of the capitol don't want to like me than that's just fine." I sighed, watching as Belladonna narrowed her eyes and looked over at me, glaring best as she could.
In her defense, she wasn't exactly the most intimidating woman.
"Well you should care!" She huffed at me, looking over as Cato wandered down the stairs, shirtless, his hands ruffling up his messy hair. My eyes drifted over him for a moment, before landing back on Belladonna, who was more obviously staring at him for a moment.
She also wasn't the smoothest woman.
Cato's eyes danced over me before he went into the kitchen, leaving me there to talk to Belladonna alone, much to her dismay. Belladonna huffed once more once he left, looking at me again. "You've been getting a lot of bad attention lately, what with all the men you've been seen with." She said, my skin crawling slightly as I shifted, shrugging.
"That's personal anyway." I mumbled, biting my bottom lip as she rolled her eyes, "Nothing's personal here. Especially not for victors, you should know that by now." She said, shaking her head, jumping as the clock chimed, indicating five minutes til the hour. "I need to go." She huffed, giving me one final stern look, "This discussion isn't over."
"Okay." I said, rolling my own eyes, watching as she left, sighing heavily and leaning back on the couch, running my slightly shaking hands through my tattered hair, it tangled into a mess from my lack of attention to it.
It didn't much matter, I didn't really need to be looking fantastic until the Quell, since I would have to be a mentor. The thought made my heart pound faster, not wanting to be even remotely close to something involving the arena. There was too many bad memories there.
Too many memories of Cato there.
"What was she talking about?" Cato asked, waltzing into the room, still missing a shirt on his upper half, which I did my best to ignore. "Again, that's really no one's business." I mumbled, standing up off the couch, him rolling his eyes and setting down his cup of water.
"Cut the crap, Aria." He sighed, stepping closer to me, making me back up a bit, only to remember I was right in front of the couch, the backs of my shins touching the cushions. "Cato, seriously, it's none of your business, it's not like were close." I sighed, moving to walk around him.
"We're close enough for me to let you sleep in my bed every night for the past two weeks." Cato said, grabbing my arm, effectively stopping my walking, a frown overtaking my face as I looked at him, exasperated. "Seriously?" I said, shaking my head "You're unbelievable."
Not in a good way either.
"Just tell me what you've been doing with all these guys." Cato snapped, narrowing his eyes down at me, his arm still gripping my bicep, keeping me in front of him.
"No." I said, ignoring the groan coming from his lips as he stepped closer, trying to intimidate me, his bare chest pressing up against my clothed one. "Tell me right now Aria or I swear." He growled, his hand gripping my arm tighter.
"Or what Cato? You'll snap my neck or something." I said, rolling my eyes and trying to pull my arm from his grasp, "Let me go." I said, my voice raising a little.
"You've literally the most annoying bitch." He grumbled, pressing even closer to me, smashing us together and glaring, "Yeah you're not exactly wonderful yourself." I said, shoving on his chest, "Cato let me go!"
"Tell me what's going on first!" He snapped, his volume loud, loud enough to make a shiver run down my spine.
The look in his eyes didn't help either.
It wasn't exactly a pleasant one.
"I'm not going to tell you so you might as well just get the hell over i-" I started to shout, before his head dipped down and his lips smashed onto mine in a heated kiss, his other hand gripping the back of my neck so I couldn't jerk away on instinct.
I couldn't seem to process what was happening. I was kissing Cato.
Cato, the boy I had loved, and lost.
Cato, the boy who made it his personal mission to make my life a living hell since the arena.
Cato, the boy who saved my life.
Cato.
Cato.
"Cato." I mumbled softly, my hands gripping his shoulders tightly, a mumble of content coming from him as he kept me against him, our lips moving in perfect harmony against each other.
His hands traveled along my body, as if they were feeling every inch of my skin, before they landed on the backs of my thighs, pulling me up into the air so my legs wrapped around his waist.
I whimpered, kissing him harder than before, his hands supporting me midair, before he pressed me up against the wall beside the stairs, making me wrap my arms tighter around his neck.
"Don't let go." Cato mumbled against my lips, his lips then travelling down my cheek, onto my neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses in his wake.
"I won't." I mumbled through my somewhat labored breathing, my eyes fluttered shut as my heart rate struggled to keep at a normal pace.
I never did let go.
Never.
[-]
"Move your arm." I laughed, trying to wiggle out of Cato's grasp, from where we were laying on the couch. "No." he mumbled, his strong arms wrapped around my body, holding me close to him as Cesar Flickerman talked on the holographic screen near the far wall.
"But I need to go to the bathroom." I whined, smiling at the little smirk on his lips as he shrugged, resting his nose against the side of my neck and taking a deep breathe, as if he was breathing in my scent.
At least that's what I assumed he was doing.
He had been doing it a lot since last week.
Since last, perfect, accident, week.
After arguing and getting into a very, well, intimate time, Cato and I hadn't spoken about what had happened. What we were, what we were doing, nothing like that was discussed.
All Cato asked was for me to let him stay in my bed that night.
And I said yes.
Honestly, I probably should be more concerned about what we were doing, I didn't even know if he was still seeing Valencia or not, but to be frank I couldn't seem to make myself care. For the first time in nearly a year I was in the arms of the person I wanted.
I was the one he was holding, not her. He was the one holding me, not Zander, or Finnick, or some random man from the capitol who paid for my pleasure. But Cato, angry, violent, confusing, rude, stubborn Cato.
"Cato?" I asked softly, him humming against my neck, as if telling me to go on. "Are you nervous, for the Quarter Quell next week?" I asked, my hands resting on top of his, him shifting a bit to make the blanket bunch around us.
"No, not really." He said, his eyes flickering up to me, "Are you?" he asked resting his nicely toned jaw on my arm, licking his lips off. "A bit yeah." I whispered, looking away from him for a moment. "I'm just nervous, I mean a normal games is bad enough, who knows what this one will be." I mumbled, Cato sighing quietly.
"Hey." He whispered in my ear, "Nothing's going to happen to us, you're here with me, remember?" He asked, pulling me closer to him. I nodded my head, allowing my eyes to open back up and look at him, my hands gripping his.
Us.
Safe with him.
Who was this?
And what did they do with Cato?
I looked over towards the wall as I heard the familiar sound of getting a video call, Zander's name appearing on screen, a wave of guilt hitting me. "You're not answering that." Cato mumbled, kissing the back of my neck, watching the tv, his jaw tensed slightly, clearly not liking Zander was calling.
"He probably just wants to know what time I'll be back home tomorrow." I sighed, looking away from the screen, and up at the ceiling again. "You didn't forget we're both going back to our Districts tomorrow right?" I asked, looking at him for a moment before looking at the ceiling again.
Back to District Three.
Back to Zander who had no clue what had happened between Cato and I.
As far as he knew we both still hated the others guts.
"I didn't forget, I just don't want you to go back there with that prick." Cato said, rolling his eyes, turning off the screen with his free arm, making be bite my bottom lip.
"Cato if it weren't for him I wouldn't be here right now." I whispered, turning in his arms and resting my hand on his cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "I don't care." He grumbled, pulling me hard against his chest and huffing, making me laugh a bit.
"You're such an ass you know that?" I mumbled, it slightly muffled from my head being pressed against his rock hard chest, feeling it rumble as words left his mouth. "Shut up." He said, and I could practically hear the smirk on his lips.
That stupid smirk.
On those perfect lips.
I shook my head, staying there pressed against him as I let sleep overtake me, while Cato stayed awake, his arms not leaving their spot around me.
Not even once.
[-]
"Zander please just sit down." I sighed, leaning my head back against the couch, watching as Zander ran around the living room, trying to find the remote for the screen that would project the announcing of the Quarter Quell.
"What if we need to change the volume or something?" He asked, as if that was a really obvious reason to need it. I gave him a look, him smiling sheepishly and finally walking over, sitting beside me, the screen already on, just playing the Capitol Logo over and over again, it spinning in circles waiting for the live coverage to start.
Thankfully, Zander hadn't asked much about Cato, or how it was being in the capitol, though I could tell he really wanted to.
My relationship with Cato wasn't exactly something I wanted to talk about, for more than one reason.
One of those reasons being I didn't even know what we were.
If we were really anything for that matter.
Cato wasn't exactly the touchy, feely, conversationalist type.
He was more of a physical being.
Clearly.
"It's starting!" Zander said, snapping me from my thoughts, my hands pulling on the long sleeves of Cato's shirt that was concealing my upper body, it smelling like him, the scent lingering up into my nose, sending my brain into a fuzz.
I forced myself to snap out of it, before looking up at the screen, watching as President Snow slowly made his way up to his spot, looking out at the screaming people of the Capitol, my skin crawling at the sick smile on his lips.
That sick, snake like smile I had seen all those times before, and still even through a television screen it made me feel a wave of panic in my veins.
Relax Aria.
He can't hurt you through a television.
"You okay?" Zander asked quietly, his hand resting on my shoulder, giving it a little rub, his caring green eyes examining the side of my face. "Yeah, I'm fine." I assured him, smiling softly and giving his knee a light squeeze, before looking at the tv, watching as Snow opened up the envelope, containing the special twist the games would have this year.
I was nervous, to have to mentor someone, maybe multiple people, the time and fear from my games still fresh in my mind. Not to mention I had pretty much no idea what to tell those people I had to mentor, my mentors barely spoke to me during my games.
To be fair, you weren't there much.
"As a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors." President Snow read, it taking a minute or two for the words to sink in.
And once they finally did, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Aria." Zander said quietly, looking at me as my breathing started to speed up, my hands clenching onto my knees, shaking my head from side to side, "No." I mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut, "No, no, no, no, no." I repeated, the tears springing to my eyes, my body shivering from the panic rising in my system.
"Aria you'll be-" Zander said, being cut off by a sob leaving my lips, my hands covering my face, an exasperated scream leaving my lips, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me against him, sighing and kissing the top of my head, just holding me as I cried.
I cried as hard as I ever had, my body shaking, my mind a blur, my throat feeling like it was clenching shut. But even with all that going on, there was only one thing on my mind.
Cato.
And if I go into that arena, I know Cato will too.
And that?
That was truly terrifying.
Finally, finally we were starting to be okay again, after an entire year of pain and exhaustion, and now we were being thrown back into the arena, to fight one more for our lives.
And I have a feeling this time, Snow won't be letting both of us out.
[-]
…Hi…please don't hate me for taking so long to update (x
College and life is just so hectic, and I really am trying to update more often, thankfully Thanksgiving break is coming up, as is Winter Holiday, so it should be much easier for me to do so.
Anyway, let me know what you guys thought of the chapter, I'll admit my writing may be a tad rusty, but I hoped you guys liked it. I've been planning this one for a while, they finally, FINALLY, kissed again, and I hope you guys liked it.
Let me know in a review! (: