I don't own THG and a big thanks to for-prim for being my fabulous Beta. This chapter is super fluffy because life is hard and champagne is expensive.
Finnick came to bookstore on Thursday, teabag in hand. Surprisingly there was a line at the counter. People were standing with boxes of books and Annie looked completely frazzled. Finnick stood frozen in the doorway unsure of what to do until someone knocked into his back. He stumbled forward a bit and turned around to meet the glare of the middle-aged man who pushed him.
"Don't just stand there. Move! Some of us have places to be," the man bit out. Finnick just matched his gaze and stepped to the side. He gestured with his arm.
"Well, then please, after you," Finnick spat with just as much venom as the man used in his tone earlier. The man huffed away. Finnick shook his head and glanced toward the register. Hearing Finnick's voice, Annie looked up from the counter where she was hastily filling out a small form for the woman standing impatiently before her. She met his eyes and then hurried her pace. Her handwriting became more like chicken scratch before she quickly handed the form to the woman. The next person in line placed a shoebox of books on the counter. Annie managed her most polite smile.
"I'm so sorry, I'll be back in just a moment," she said as she slipped out from behind the counter ignoring the customer's annoyed expression. She walked briskly to Finnick.
"Hey, I'm so sorry. This is a really bad time. There's a book bazaar going on next week and this is one of the drop-off locations. I guess people are doing it on their lunch breaks," she whispered. He nodded.
"No, it's fine. How about we meet for coffee tomorrow at the same place as last time?" Finnick asked. Annie smiled shyly.
"That would be great. Same time?" she responded.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Finnick said, a grin spreading across his face. He then remembered the teabag between his fingers. "Oh, here before I forget, I brought you your peppermint tea," he said with a small chuckle. "I know you can't have it now, but it might help on a break later."
Annie took the teabag from his extended hand. An emotion much like gratitude but coupled with something else filled her. Before she could stop herself she leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Once again it stole the breath from Finnick's lips. She stepped back and with a final wave she turned around and headed back to the counter. Finnick internally fought to not touch his cheek, so instead he took a couple of deep breaths and watched Annie resume a surprisingly businesslike demeanor. She worked quickly counting books and swiftly checking them for any obvious damage before filling out a form for herself and the customer. She caught his eye once and that broke him from his trance. He nodded goodbye and left the bookstore, now unsure of where to go.
When Peeta came home from work that evening and mentioned that he was meeting up with Katniss later, Finnick suddenly felt the urge to tell him about Annie. To tell him that he understood it because he'd met a girl too, someone that makes him feel all kinds of things that's he'd never felt with another person before. That he never knew he could get so excited just at the prospect of seeing her or sitting across a table from her and hearing her talk.
Peeta had made himself comfortable on the couch, the same one that he and Katniss had been very comfortable on the other day. Finnick still wasn't done ribbing Peeta about that yet, but he knew that now was not the time if he actually wanted to tell Peeta about Annie. Finnick practically threw himself into the chair with such force that Peeta almost spilled his drink.
"What the hell?" Peeta exclaimed. Finnick just shrugged and turned his entire body to Peeta. He clasped his hands together and brought them underneath his chin.
"Okay, you're being really weird. What's up?" Peeta asked with a suspicious look on his face.
"Nothing's up persay I just wanted to have a little chat you know, it's been so long, I mean you didn't really tell me how you and Katniss got back on good terms," Finnick started. Peeta brightened at the mention of Katniss.
"Oh, well you see…" Peeta began before Finnick cut him off.
"While I do want to hear about it, I actually wanted to tell you something. It might not seem like much but it feels weird that I haven't told you anything about it yet," Finnick said. Peeta's brow furrowed.
"You know that girl that I met at the bookstore when I bought Mags her birthday gift?" Finnick asked. Confusion and then recognition flashed across Peeta's face and he nodded. "Well, I've been seeing her again recently, pretty much just coffee, tea and visits during my lunch break, but…" Finnick broke off with a laugh. He wasn't even looking at Peeta anymore. He was staring off into the distance. Peeta smiled to himself, unsure that he had ever seen his friend look like this.
"We went on a real date the other night and I think… I think there might be something there," Finnick finally finished, a painfully genuine smile painted across his features. He made eye contact with Peeta again only to see his friend covering his mouth with his hand, but his eyes crinkled with joy. Finnick barked in laughter seeing his friend's face.
"You look ridiculous right now," Finnick said while shaking his head.
"You should probably look in a mirror then," Peeta fired back. He leaned over and clapped Finnick on the back. "I'm happy for you man. This could be a really good thing."
"Yeah, it could be," Finnick murmured more to himself.
Annie approached the same coffee shop at four o'clock, about same time as their previous visit, except that she held different expectations for this one. She was unable to get Finnick off her mind. His visit and handing her the teabag - it all felt so devastatingly normal. She had kissed his cheek again, and Annie quite liked the feeling of his breath being released onto her own cheek. Perhaps she'd do it again today and see if she could get the same reaction. She entered the store and saw Finnick sitting at a table with two cups already in front of him and her heart started pounding. She knew he was extremely polite - everything he did screamed of his good manners - but the fact that they were directed at her set something aflame inside of her. Seeing his smile made her burn. He stood up when she got to the table and this time it was her breath that was taken away when he leaned down and pressed an enthusiastic kiss to her cheek. She giggled and blushed. It was so cliché it was almost embarrassing, but then she got to look across the table at his light green eyes and gorgeous smile and she didn't even care.
She wished she could remember everything that happened as they sat across from one another. She wasn't even sure she was speaking sometimes. Certain things stood out to her. Just how much of his teeth showed when he smiled, and how perfect they were. His orthodontist deserved a medal. His voice was so soothing to listen to. Her eyes kept sweeping over his broad shoulders and how his button down stretched across them. Her tea was sweet and sharp as she gulped it down as her eyes raked over his form. Somehow they began discussing books, reminiscent of their last visit to this particular coffee shop. Finnick mentioned a particular book that snapped Annie immediately back into focus.
"Yes! The Bell Jar is just… perfection," Annie sighed. Finnick leaned forward onto the table and nodded as though to silently tell her to continue.
"I mean, I think if I had read any other time than when I did I would have liked it, but I read it at the precise moment in my life when I needed it most. Books can do that you know? If you pick up a particular book at a particular time in your life: they can heal you. They tell you exactly what you need to hear. It's amazing. When I first it, it answered so many questions. It made me feel like I wasn't alone and at the same time it just ruined me," Annie said, fully aware that she probably had crazy eyes right then, but she didn't care. She loved this book. Finnick was just staring at her.
"There's no way I'm not reading this book then," Finnick said so seriously that it shocked her.
"I have about three copies if you want to borrow it," Annie suggested. Finnick nodded.
"That would be perfect," he answered and blinded her with his smile once more. Annie's cheeks flooded with color when she remembered what she had to ask him.
"Finnick, um do you think you could give me a ride back to my place? Jo drove me to work and then Cinna dropped me off here so it would be gre-" Annie was cut off by Finnick's laughter
"Of course I'll drive you home. Plus that way I can borrow the book," he replied. They stood and gathered their things and began the walk to his car. She fell into step next to him and watched as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"I don't think I've ever actually seen the elusive Cinna. Just spoken to him on the phone and heard his myth," Finnick joked as Annie laughed lightly.
"He usually works Fridays and Wednesdays. He owns the place and he usually entrusts it to me and the few other people who work there the rest of the time. It's not so big. I can handle it," she said. He walked to the passenger side first and opened her door. She couldn't even roll her eyes, as this was his way of showing her affection with the exception of the spontaneous kiss on the cheek. She liked it. She liked it a lot, but she couldn't help but ache for more. When she got into the car she placed her hand over where his rested on the car door. She didn't look at him she just reveled in the warmth of his hand as she slid into the seat. She then busied herself with buckling her seatbelt. It was so odd, this dance they were doing. It seemed obvious to her that she liked him. She wouldn't spend any time with him or encourage him if she didn't, but he was still so nervous. It was funny when she thought back to when she first met him. He was so self-assured. The idea that she made him nervous was laughable.
The car ride was pleasant and when they got to her complex he immediately turned in and began the route to her building.
"You remembered!" Annie exclaimed when he pulled into a space. She looked over at Finnick and saw the beginnings of a blush climbing his face. "I think it's great! I got lost about six times when I first moved in."
They got out and began the walk. There were a few twists and turns to her particular building and Finnick looked around. He hadn't last time, due to his nerves. His eyes fell upon a rather sizable pool.
"You have a pool! That's so lucky!" Finnick said and turned to Annie who giggled at him.
"Yeah, there's actually quite a few around here. There's another one just past these next two buildings," Annie said and motioned to her right.
"That's so great. I know you said you liked to swim, but I didn't even think that you might have a pool in your complex. Peeta and I live in an old duplex so no pool for us," Finnick said. Annie smiled at him. She looked at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to go down.
"I love pools at nighttime, when the lights are on and the water seems to glow," Annie said softly.
"We should go swimming," Finnick stated abruptly.
"What?" Annie asked incredulously. Finnick's face fell and then what looked almost like shame began to cloud his features.
"Never mind. I wasn't thinking. I don't know why I said that," Finnick mumbled.
"We should go swimming," Annie said proudly. Finnick looked up at her. "Yes, we should go swimming. It's warm out. No one's in the pool." Finnick looked at her strangely and then grinned. However the grin was short lived.
"I don't have a swimsuit," he said sadly. Annie waved her hand at him and turned around and motioned for him to follow.
"You can just borrow one of Marvel's. I know he's home and y'all are probably about the same size." She marched forward determinedly one building over and knocked on Marvel's door. She heard Finnick behind her and footsteps behind the door. The door swung open and revealed Marvel.
"Hey boo! How-" Marvel trails off when his eyes land on Finnick. His smile widens so much Annie's surprised it doesn't stretch off his face. "Hello kind sir, how do you do? I'm Marvel. Am I to assume that you are my dear Annie's gentleman caller?" Annie gasped at Marvel's brashness and reached forward to slap his chest. Finnick just laughed and stuck out his hand.
"Uh maybe. It's nice to meet you, I'm Finnick," he said smoothly.
"Hey Marv, we'd love to stay and chat but we have decided to go for a swim and I was wondering if you could lend Finnick a pair of your swim trunks." Annie cringed when Marvel made no attempts to hide his eyes sweeping down Finnick's body.
"Okay, so that's settled. I'll be right back. I'm just going to change and grab some towels," she turned to Marvel, "Don't make me regret leaving him alone with you." Marvel and Finnick laughed. She hurried back to her apartment, bypassing the clutter in her living area and heading straight to her room. She pulled off her dress and rooted around in her drawers for her black one piece. It was flattering but was still very modest. As she pulled it on her mind wandered to what Finnick looked like without his shirt on. He certainly seemed to be in good shape. She couldn't take her eyes off his shoulders earlier and now she was going to see them in the flesh. Her stomach clenched. She pulled her dress back over her bathing suit and grabbed two towels from her bathroom and darted back over to Marvel's. When she knocked Marvel and Finnick both opened the door laughing. Finnick was wearing blue Hawaiian print shorts and a plain white t-shirt, his clothes in his hands. She was going to have to wait to see him bare-chested. She wanted to kick herself at the thought. When Finnick stepped out to meet Annie, Marvel called out.
"Remember what I told you!" Finnick laughed and nodded at him. They waved goodbye.
"What was that about?" Annie asked.
"Oh, nothing. He just wanted me to do something for him," Finnick replied lightly. Annie frowned.
"You know it's not quite fair. You've met several of my friends, but I haven't met any of yours. And now you're doing favors for them," Annie said. Finnick looked at her.
"Do you want to meet my friends?" he asked gently, his eyes shining. She smiled at him.
"Of course I do. I need to see if you behave as ridiculously in front of them as you do me," Annie answered lightly. Finnick started laughing.
"Oh, I think it's them you have to worry about, or have you forgotten that you met my buddy Peeta while he was in a particularly intoxicated state?" Finnick quieted for a moment before continuing, "Although that is a night I'd rather forget." Annie swallowed. That was the night she said she wanted nothing to do with Finnick. She reached down and intertwined Finnick's hand with hers while they walked toward the pool.
"Well then, shall we make this one a night to remember?" Annie teased.
Convincing Annie that the only proper way to get into a pool was by a cannon ball into the deep end proved harder than he had anticipated.
"But it's cold," she protested.
"It's going to be cold no matter what. You might as well get it all over with rather than just little by little," Finnick prodded. She finally agreed, but only if they jumped in together.
"I'm not getting pushed in while you run away laughing," she warned. Finnick feigned hurt
"I would never!"
Finnick didn't miss the way Annie's eyes swept over his chest as he pulled his shirt off and he fought his smirk. Finnick never wanted to sound conceited or cocky, but he knew he was good looking. He'd had a few awkward years with too-long limbs and braces, but it all paid off, and nowadays he took very good care of himself. However he had to fight his own stare when Annie took off her dress. Annie's suit was modest but showed off her legs wonderfully. When she glanced back at him, he coughed.
"So, shall we?" he asked to try and cover his ogling. Annie did a poor job of hiding her own smirk and she grabbed his hand and led him over to the edge of the pool.
On the count of three they both jumped into the pool. The rush of cool water flew over his head and pushed into his ears. It was magnificent. He emerged and saw Annie smiling, her hair plastered to her forehead. She shivered but began to breaststroke to the opposite side of the pool. She then propelled off the end and began a backstroke seamlessly. Finnick just watched her while he pulled his way through the water.
"Yes, I must say this was a very good idea that you had Finnick," Annie purred. Her eyes were closed and she merely floated along her back. "I don't use the pools often enough. I really should take advantage of it." Finnick's throat was tight. He wanted to touch her. He'd gotten his wish when she held his hand earlier and he even got to know what her cheek felt like under his lips, but he wanted to hold her, to press his lips against hers.
She felt his stare and turned her head to him, causing her to fall out of her float. She smiled.
"What?" she asked. Finnick knew he had to do something besides apologizing for staring at her, so he said the first thing that came to mind.
"Marvel said to ask you to show me your 'koala' move. Whatever that is," Finnick said gently, unsure of the reaction he would get, but Marvel said that it was Annie's "signature pool move," whatever that meant. Annie's face turned a red he had never seen before.
"What? What? Why?" Annie was so flustered she couldn't get a whole sentence out.
"He just said it was something funny. I don't know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Finnick trailed off, pissed off at himself for ruining a perfectly lovely moment.
"That bastard ," Annie muttered under her breath and then she began to swim towards Finnick.
"What are you doing?" Finnick asked, alarmed.
"I'm showing you what I refer to as 'koala-ing'. See, I am a koala and you are a tree limb," Annie said. Finnick began to laugh until he felt Annie's arms go around his neck. Any laughter and words on his tongue died immediately when he felt her legs move around his waist. He understood now. He was a tree limb and Annie was a koala wrapped around him. He felt her face press into his neck. Her cheeks were so warm, probably from blushing. His left arm was trapped beneath her body from where she clung to his side. He wished he was holding her, but this was certainly no consolation prize. He turned his head to the left and with his right hand he lifted her chin up from where it was pressed into his shoulder. She was still blushing but he felt her arms wind tighter around him as she tilted her face and met his lips with hers.
Their lips moved together seamlessly. He snaked his arm out from under her body and pulled her closer to him. He sucked her lower lip between his. She maneuvered herself around to his front. One hand tangled in his hair as the other dragged down his firm chest. Finnick brought one hand down to hoist Annie up even higher so she wouldn't feel his growing arousal. Their mouths continued to slant against one another. His tongue slid into her mouth and was met with equal fervor. Finnick groaned when he felt Annie's nails dragging across his scalp. One of his hands held firmly to her bottom holding her up while one hand was tangled in her tresses. There wasn't an inch between them. It wasn't until they heard voices that they sprang apart. They did so just in time, when two guys rounded the corner and passed by the pool, sending them a couple of suspicious glances. Finnick could hardly make eye contact with Annie. He worried that he crossed a line and gone too far. But most importantly, he needed to calm down. His breathing began to even out before he chanced a look at Annie. She was looking right back at him, a smile spread across her face and a light blush present on her cheeks. She began to laugh and swam over to him. She stopped before any part of them touched, to Finnick's dismay but the words out of her mouth made him feel just as joyful as any touch could.
"I'm really glad you kissed me," she said with a grin. He leaned forward and pressed another kiss to her lips. They both pulled away smiling. They didn't take their eyes off of each other the rest of the swim.
It eventually came time for them to leave the fantasy world that they had created in the pool once their fingers started to prune and their eyes burned from the chlorine. They wrapped themselves in towels and sat for a few minutes, waiting to dry off a bit before putting their clothes back on. Annie suddenly hopped to her feet.
"Ohmygosh I have to grab your book for you!" she exclaimed and started off in the direction of her apartment.
"Wait!" Finnick called after her. She stopped and turned back around. "Why don't I just grab it when I change back into my clothes?" he asked. She frowned.
"Oh, well why don't you go change at Marvel's and I'll meet you there. My apartment isn't fit to be seen," she said flippantly. This bothered Finnick some, but he didn't want to say anything after they had such a wonderful breakthrough. She headed off again but not before saying one last thing. "But please don't tell Marvel I showed you the koala."
Finnick couldn't help the grin that broke across his face when remembering Annie's limbs wrapped around him, although he couldn't think about it for too long before starting to get hard again. He stood up and made his way to Marvel's. He thought about all the ways Annie had let him in. Her work, her friends, he had shared a meal with her, and she let him kiss her. He wondered when she would let him into her apartment.
He knew that he needed to bring Annie more into his world. Now, things between them were going so well and he felt confident that this was a real, tangible thing he knew that he wanted her to officially meet Peeta. And Thom.
And maybe one day, Mags.
Thanks for Reading. Reviews are always appreciated! Feel free to find me on tumble at mereditheo dot tumblr dot com :)