Hey guys! I'm sorry for taking this long to update! I've been super busy and I haven't had a lot of time to write.
I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed myself while I wrote it.
"I think I might be in love with you…" I mutter staring into his eyes. I feel vulnerable and scared as I say it, my heart races and my voice trembles.
He smiles and carefully holds my face between his hands.
"Do you?" He asks staring into my eyes.
I might not be sure about many things, but I'm sure about what I want: I want to be with him.
I nod and press my forehead against his.
He smiles and kisses me, his lips feel warm and soft and his breath tastes sweet. I smile and wrap my arms around his neck as he wraps his around my waist. Feeling his warmth makes complete, safe…
Nothing else matters whenever he's next to me.
"I love you." He whispers as he kisses my forehead.
I smile. My heart thumps against my chest as he talks.
"I love you too…" My voice cracks at the end of the sentence.
Love is weird and it scares me: It makes you do stupid things, you become vulnerable at the moment you fall in love with someone. I hate feeling vulnerable and I'm afraid of losing him too it'd kill me.
"What's wrong?" He asks frowning.
"Everything's fine." I reply smiling and staring into his eyes.
Why am I worrying about the future? Can't I just enjoy being with him as I always do?
Finnick smiles and caresses my cheeks as he looks me in the eyes.
"Are you sure?" He insists "You know that you can tell me anything."
I hesitate.
"I…" I babble "Yeah, I'm sure."
"Okay." He smiles.
We swim for a while and then wander around the forest until the sky darkens.
"We should get back." He says smiling.
When we're back underground, he walks with me to my room and kisses me softly before leaving.
I smile and open the door.
Prim is sitting on her bed with Buttercup lying on her lap.
"Hey…" I whisper.
She looks at me and fakes a smile. Something's wrong.
"Are you okay?" I ask walking towards her.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be okay?" She asks in reply.
I sit in the bed and hug her.
"I can tell when you're lying… What's wrong?" I insist.
"I'm just homesick. That's all." She replies.
"Don't you like this place?" I ask.
"It's not that I don't like it, it just doesn't feel like home… " She sighs "Back home we didn't have to get tattooed a schedule every morning; we didn't have to follow orders... I know that life at District 12 wasn't perfect, but I just haven't got used to this…"
I stay quiet and tighten my arms around her.
"We'll get used to it… And I promise you that one day we'll be able to go back." I whisper as I kiss her forehead.
I don't know how or when did my sister grow up… She was forced to mature…
"Can you sing to me?" She asks.
I smile, even though there's a lump in my throat. When was the last time she asked me to sing for her?
We cuddle in her bed and I sing to her:
"Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when you awake, the sun will rise.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, A moonbeam ray, Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you."
We fall asleep after a while.
I'm in the Capitol, at the roof of the tribute tower; the view is breathtaking.
"Do you mind if I join you?" My heart skips a beat when I hear his voice. I turn around and stare at him I can't believe that he's here. I run towards Peeta and hug him tight.
"I've missed you." I whisper.
My heart is beating like a drum and tears struggle to stream down my face.
My head's spinning, but I ignore it. I bury my face in his chest and tighten my arms around him. Why doesn't this feel real?
"You'll stay with me?"
"Always." He promises.
We stare into each other's eyes and smile. He leans close to my face and kisses my lips.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. I can't let him go away. I'm not letting him go away.
Peeta's touch fades.
I open my eyes and he's not next to me. I blink.
I'm not at the roof anymore; I'm back at the arena. I can't see Peeta, but I spot Finnick a few meters away from me.
He grins seductively at me. My heart skips a beat.
"Where's Peeta?" I mutter as I look around trying to find him as if my life depended on it.
Somehow, Finnick's presence makes me feel calmed.
The cannon is fired at the moment I think I found Peeta. I freak out and dive into the water.
«I've got to find him» The thought invades my mind. I can't think clearly. I'm shaking. I need him.
I reach the cornucopia and everyone's fighting. Nobody notices me.
Finnick's not here, neither is Peeta.
I look around me trying to find him, but I don't feel relieved when I do, because someone's swimming towards him. Once again, I dive into the water and start swimming as fast as I can towards him.
He pulls Peeta into the water when I've almost reached them.
"Finnick…" I spit his name as if it was a course.
They start wrestling. I try to get in the middle of them but they push me away.
The cannon goes off one, two, three, four times…
I can't breathe.
Finnick and Peeta stay inside the water for a few seconds and the cannon goes off one more time.
Finnick comes out of the water and smiles cockily at me. Peeta gets to the surface, but doesn't move.
"It can't be…" I mutter and swim towards his body. He doesn't breathe.
I turn around and face Finnick, I thought he'd be gone by now.
His cocky grin transformed into a gentle smile. My mind is a mess right now. I know I've got to get out of here as soon as I can, but a part of me wants him to hold me tight in his arms. I'm petrified and I can't move a muscle.
Finnick swims towards me and pulls me close to him.
"I'm in love with you, Girl on Fire." He whispers on my ear.
I can't breathe. Anger and hate run through my veins. I push him away.
"I don't love you." I spit "You killed Peeta… I could never love you."
I swim away from him as fast as I can. When I turn around to see if he's following me, but he's standing in the same place where I left him.
I run into the jungle and stumble on a tree. I lie on the floor and let the tears stream down my face.
"Katniss…"
I awake startled. Finnick's sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at me. I snap his hand away as soon as he touches my cheek.
"What's going on?" He asks.
"You killed Peeta" I mutter. It sounds like an affirmation though it's a question.
"Katniss…" He sighs.
I want to thank you all for your support, favorites, reviews and messages! You are amazing and you can't imagine how much this means to me! x