I do not own THG and many thanks to for-prim for being my lovely beta :)
"Honey, I'm Home!"
This news rang throughout the apartment as Finnick heard the door open and then close. He sat up from where he was lying on the couch, his head buried in the book he had promised Annie Cresta that he would read.
"Oh thank God, Peeta, I was starving!" Peeta shook his head and laughed. He began opening up the cabinets in their kitchen and pulling out ingredients. "You know, you can just make yourself a sandwich." Finnick pouted, "But I don't want a sandwich. I want one of your homemade, delicious, original recipe meals."
Peeta laughed and began to boil water on the stove. "I don't really have time to make a fancy meal for you. How does fettuccini alfredo sound?"
Finnick clapped, "It sounds perfect. You're the best, roomie!" Finnick stood up and stretched before he made his way into the kitchen. "Why are you home so late, anyway? Long day at the bakery?"
"Yeah man, farmer's market is this weekend. We completely sold out last month, so we're making extras of all our best sellers."
Finnick smirked. "Ahh yes, the farmer's market. I presume your stalking victim will be there as well?"
Peeta turned a brilliant shade of red and shoved Finnick's shoulder. "Dude, I don't even know what you're…" Finnick laughed, "Oh shut up, Finn. "
Peeta turned back to the stove and Finnick wandered back over to the couch and picked up his book. He had to pick up his own new copy from Barnes and Noble, as he didn't want to manhandle Mags's present before he gave it to her. In the story, Edna had just gone back to New Orleans.
He was about to dive back in when Peeta's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Oh yeah, you're gonna give me crap when you're reading a book just to try and impress some girl."
"Well at least I talked to this girl instead of just staring from across a tent. Look I'm not trying to give you a hard time about the girl at the butcher shop, I'm just saying, talk to her. Ask her how her day is, how her sales are, maybe offer her a sample of your goods." Finnick couldn't help but waggle his eyebrows as he said it.
Peeta just scoffed. "It's not that easy."
"Yes it is! It is exactly that easy. I mean frankly, all you have to do is buy something from her and she's at least forced to interact with you! Hell, maybe you can make a trade?" Peeta appeared to contemplate it. "And yes, I am reading this book to impress a girl. I want Mags to think very highly of me."
Peeta laughed. "Whatever dude. Hey, do you wanna help out this weekend?"
"If by help out you mean I can just sit behind the stand and bring in customers with my good looks then, yes, I absolutely can help out," Finnick said
"I wouldn't expect anything less. Or more, frankly." Peeta replies as he shook his head at his roommate's antics. Finnick actually did work hard at his job at a PR company that worked a lot with advertising for the bakery, but he wondered when his friend would get serious.
Finnick rarely let people see beyond his persona, in fact Peeta could really only think of himself and Mags as the two exceptions. Most of all, Finnick never let the girls he was dating see his true self. Peeta would never describe his friend as a womanizer, but Finnick didn't try to get to know people and he seemed to flat out refuse to let people really know him.
"I'll let you get back to your book. Wouldn't want to disappoint Mags now would you?" Peeta asked.
Finnick shot Peeta a grin and sank onto the couch and Peeta turned his attention back to the kitchen. Peeta couldn't help but let his mind wanders to the mysterious girl who worked for the butcher stand at the local market. Maybe that weekend he actually would say something to her.
Saturday morning dawned bright and early. Peeta and the other worker he asked to join him, Venia were busy trying to set their stand up. Peeta was doing most of the hard labor while Venia worked on the chalkboard displaying their special flavors of the day. Finnick sat in a folding chair book in hand. Peeta thought he looked ridiculous in his loafers, rolled up jeans, button down, and ray bans, but whenever Peeta mocked his wardrobe Finnick always said that he doesn't subscribe to GQ for nothing.
"You know, you could actually help." Peeta said, looking down at Finnick with a smile on his face.
"I am helping." Finnick replied without even looking up from his book.
"Yeah, sure just sitting…" Peeta trailed off and that was incentive for Finnick to look up. Peeta's eyes were trained across the way at a stand where a girl with her hair in a braid stood talking to a guy next to her who looked like her brother. Peeta stared and Finnick chuckled and as soon as the guy walked away Finnick stood up and brushed off imaginary dust from his pants.
"Allow me." Finnick said
Finnick ignored Peeta's protests as he walks toward the butcher stand. He stared at a few of the cuts of meat as he waited for the girl to walk over.
"Can I help you?" She asked.
Finnick looked up and responded, "As a matter of fact you can. Are you familiar with Mellark bakery?"
The girl just gave him a confused look before asking, "You mean the bakery that runs the stand over there?"
Finnick smiled. "Yes, the one and only. Well you see, Peeta is the owner and don't tell him I said this, but I know he's had his eye on you these past few markets." He stopped when he saw the furious look on her face. She was angry. What?
"Look, I get that PETA has trouble with what we do, but Sae is just trying to run a business. It has nothing to do with them. So you should just tell PETA to mind their own goddamn business and look elsewhere for their cause of the moment."
Finnick was shocked. And then overcome with a bad case of the giggles. He could barely choke out, "No no no. PEETA MELLARK is the owner." Finnick looked back and pointed at Peeta, who immediately ducked his head and tried to act as though he wasn't just watching their entire interaction. "Not the people for the ethical treatment of animals. Jesus." Finnick could no longer contain his stifled giggles and he breaks out into a full laugh. He missed the blush that crept up the girl's face as she looked over at Peeta.
"Oh I haven't laughed like that since I was a little girl. Anyway I guess what I'm saying is you should stop by the stand later. Get a cupcake. Or a cheese bun, we would greatly appreciate your business."
And with that Finnick flashed her a smile and turned back to walk to his chair where his book awaited him. He wondered… would Edna actually have an affair with Alcee? He needed to know.
The day seemed to pass by fairly quickly as he sat in his chair. Peeta did good business, selling a lot of bread and quite a few pastries. Finnick nodded and smiled at people as they passed by, when he deigned to glance up from his book. He was almost finished when he heard a soft voice to his right.
"Hi could I please get a loaf of wheat and a banana nut if you have any left?"
Finnick recognized that voice. It was the voice that just days ago told him her name when he left with the promise to return. He looked up- it was her. Her hair was just as long as he remembered but a few pieces in the front were tied back. He knew how stupid it may have sounded, but he'd actually forgotten how pretty she was.
She smiled at Peeta as he bagged her items and Finnick felt a rush of jealousy. He then mentally slapped himself. Peeta couldn't help but be the nicest guy in the world. She counted her money, and Finnick watched as she mouthed the numbers to herself.
When she handed the money to Peeta, their hands touched, and Finnick couldn't help but remember how badly he'd wanted to touch her hand at the bookstore.
He was staring. He was aware.
Or at least he was made aware when Annie turned and her eyes landed on him. He started to smile as her eyes dropped to the book in his hand. She looked back up at him with an expression he couldn't quite understand. She almost looked frightened.
He began to raise his hand to wave but the motion was cut short when she immediately turned around and walked away. He stood up quickly and began to follow her. She didn't look back and halfway across the tent, Finnick stopped. He was frozen.
A girl had just ran away from him. What was happening? He thought they had a cute flirty moment at the bookstore. He didn't imagine it, did he? Did he? No, he didn't. She'd smiled. Told him her name. Told him to come back and talk about The Awakening with her.
Finnick slowly made his way back to the bakery's booth and couldn't help but smile at what he saw, despite his confusion over Annie. The girl from the butcher's stand was talking to Peeta, though it looked like maybe the most awkward conversation ever. She was twirling her braid and half the time speaking to the floor, and Peeta could hardly contain his blush- but still they were speaking.
Why wouldn't Annie speak to him?
He was determined to finish the book. It's an easy task as only twenty pages lay before him. He took it to heart though. Annie told him to come and talk about the book with her, so damnit he was going to. He had already made notecards with possible topics of discussion: the symbolism of birds, Adele Ratignolle v. Mademoiselle Reisz, Robert's intentions, etc.
Then he reached the end of the novel. No. That can't be it. That can't be the end. Why would the book end that way? He had to talk to Annie about it.
The next week, on the same day and time that he was last in the musty old bookstore, he waited outside for a beat. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. He heard the chime and before him, back turned, was the long brown hair of the woman he wanted to see.
"Hello, Annie."