Thank you Jamez S, Bigpapi1234, HogwartsDreamer113 and PainAndPanicReportingForDuty for reviewing! :)

just a fair warning, this chapter is probs a little awkward and clunky because i suck with romance

XLII. Confessions

Annie stares at me in shock.

Even I'm shocked. That had come out of absolutely nowhere, and now that I finally do say it, I realise how true my statement really is. It's not just a silly high school crush or obsession, or that I find her attractive – even though, I do; I'm utterly in love with this girl, and I've never noticed until I accidentally blurt it out.

These feelings - they're foreign. Finnick Odair doesn't fret over a girl, much less a girl two years younger than him - and now, I realise how weird I must be. I'll hold any girl's hand if it's an act of comfort. I'll squeeze Marlene's shoulder to make her feel better, I'll hug Cashmere if she ever feels alone, and I'll keep Shelley accompanied if she's ever suffering.

But, not once have I ever yearned to touch another girl or for them to touch me so often. I've known Annie my entire life, and now I simply want her. As long as she's here with me, and as long as she's safe, that's fine by me because for however long I work for the Capital, we can never pursue a typical relationship. We can't be like Oliver and Arden, and we can't marry. We can't do anything at home, and this is only assuming that something does in fact happen. Everything would have to be a secret and even then, it's not much of a secret because of the goddamned meddling Peacekeepers and President Snow.

When I finally lift my head up, I find Annie staring at me like a deer caught in headlights and her green eyes seem to search my entire face for any clue of lying. I feel like she's a nurse studying my bruises intently. When she realises I'm telling the truth, her cheeks become bright red, but she doesn't look away. She simply stares at me and it takes all my willpower to not wince and squirm on the spot.

I've stuffed up. I've screwed up again. I've ruined everything.

"Sorry," I apologise. "I'm just really tired. When I don't have much sleep, I say really stupid things."

Annie frowns, like she's almost disappointed with my response. Then, she does something that I'd been too afraid to do. She takes my hand, offering me a smile - the first real smile I've seen on her in a while - and interlaces our fingers. "You mean, you don't love me?"

"Yes." She lifts a dubious eyebrow. "Uh… No. I mean- Never mind."

I've never liked these questions. Yes could mean both answers, and so could no.

I expect Annie to laugh at my confession, or perhaps divert the conversation's subject to something else, or even to run off back to the Victor's Village. Instead, she reaches up and curls her fingers around the nape of my neck, pulling me closer.

It's wrong. We should be grieving over our loss, we should be writing speeches acknowledging Rhea's death and we should be back at home. I shouldn't even be touching another girl just in case Snow finds out. I know just how wrong this is, but that doesn't stop me from leaning in to kiss her, nor does it make me pull away when I'm fully aware of the potential consequences.

The taste of her lips faintly resembles the taste of vanilla ice cream from the Capital, and her feminine but natural scent intoxicates me and I draw her in closer to me while she fists her hand in my hair, pulling lightly. When she pulls back to breathe, she smiles up at me. "Say that again," she murmurs, softly.

Running my hands through her tangled, brown hair, I hesitate a little before saying, "I love you."

"I love you too," she says.

It's silent for a few moments, with the exception of waves crashing onto rocks. I brush a loose strand of her hair away and tuck it behind her left ear. Annie leans into my touch as I hold her cheek and then take her chin in between my thumb and index finger.

I kiss her, again and again and again. It's soft and sweet and everything I'd expect from Annie Cresta. The fact that our legs are dangling off the rocks is pushed out of our minds, and everything and anything right now is just us.

"What are we?" she asks, later.

Closing my eyes, I lay down on the smooth rock surface. I'd hoped she wouldn't question it because I honestly, don't know the answer myself. "What do you want us to be?"

"I asked you first, Finn."

"I asked you second."

"Finnick!"

I open my eyes and laugh quietly. "Sorry," I apologise. "But, really, what do you want us to be?"

A rosy shade of pink creeps up her neck and blossoms on her cheeks – it's adorable. "I don't know… maybe something more?" she questions with a small, hopeful grin.

"Then, we'll be something more."

"But…" Annie trails off, pursing her lips and drifting off into her own thoughts. She searches for the correct wording. "I figured that you'd be with the Capital women… and, not just one woman."

I nod, without hesitation and without even thinking about denying the statement. "Annie, you know I can't deny that. You've seen me on TV whenever I'm gone and everyone knows what I do there."

"Can you quit?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Do you want to die?"

She stares at me, gobsmacked for a second at how blunt and short my responses are. "Wh-what?" she stutters. "What makes you think I want to die?"

"No, no, sorry," I say, shaking my head and taking her smaller hand into mine. I intertwine our fingers, noting how her slimmer fingers fit in the gaps between my own. It's perfect. "That came out wrong. I meant, if I don't, you'll be sent in the arena."

"And, you don't think I'll make it out of the arena alive."

It's a statement, not a question.

I shake my head once again, and hold her cheeks in the palm of my hands, staring into her green eyes. "No, honey, I don't think that. I think you can win, but it's too big of a risk. I don't want to lose you, especially after everything.

"Besides," I continue with a crooked grin. "I just got you, and I don't plan on ever letting you go."

She plants a chaste kiss on the palm of my hand and says, "I love you," with a shy smile.

"I love you too."

"But… I don't want to share you."

I feel myself smirking as I reply, "You're pretty selfish, huh?"

Annie rolls my eyes, hitting my shoulder. "You know what I mean, Finnick."

Moving back into a sitting position, I gesture for Annie to take a place in between my legs and she does. I wrap my arms around her waist, brushing her hair to her left shoulder. "When I'm in the Capital, I don't want to be with those women. I do hang out with men and women who I've become frien- uh… acquaintances with, and I don't mind their company. Sometimes, I hang around in the Training Centre with Cashmere, Gloss and Shelley, and we train and talk.

"But, the women I take out onto dates every night, the women I sleep with in the Capital – they've got nothing on you. I don't care about them. They use me, and I use them right back; it's business in the Capital, and Snow makes great money out of it. If I don't do say, I, myself, won't be punished directly, but the ones I love – Oliver, Arden, Audrye, you – are punished, and I can't let that happen anymore.

"Every time I compliment a woman, every time I kiss them, every time I even touch or see them, I'll wish it were you with me because I love you. And if you decide to give me a chance, then you'd make me the luckiest man alive."

"I'm already giving you a chance, Finnick," she replies with a sincere smile. Annie turns back to look at me, and her eyes are wide and bright and so innocent. The corners of her eyes crinkle, like they usually do when she's smiling. "Thank you… for telling me everything."

"Uh, no problem," I reply with an awkward chuckle. "I'm not really an expert on… relationships, so I want to make this right. If I don't tell you anything, then what's the point of pursuing a relationship? I'd just be chasing pavements."

Oliver had once told me, "Always compliment her. If she's ever mad at you and she's the one who did something wrong instead of you, say sorry anyway. It'd save you from the trouble. And one key thing is that a relationship is built on complete trust and honesty. If you don't tell her anything, you're pretty much doomed for the rest of your life."

Hopefully, his 'wise words of wisdom' turn out to be true.

"When did you become so poetic?" Annie asks jokingly, with narrowed eyes.

"Sweetie, I've always been poetic."

A/N: This is my least favourite chapter of the story so far, haha, I'm sorry, I just really suck at romance. I don't even read many romance novels. This is also really short but I feel that this is the best spot to stop the chapter.

Also, I just uploaded a Percy Jackson fic! Go ahead and check it out -hint hint- but if you haven't read The Blood Of Olympus yet, don't read it :)