I don't own THG and a big thanks to for-prim for being a wonderful and fast beta! Sorry for the wait, real life has been stressing me out as it is wont to do. Also, even though this story is rated T because I'm not planning on there being anything *graphic*, there are some more mature elements to this chapter.

Please- Read and Enjoy!

Finnick had Annie pressed against the wall outside her apartment door. They had only come up for air once since the walk to her door had turned into an impromptu makeout session. They hadn't seen each other since the night swim that led to their first kiss, and Finnick had been worried about where they stood. But they went to a movie that evening and laughed their way through it with Annie's head on his shoulder and the entire drive home Finnick's right hand was linked with Annie's on her lap. As soon as they stepped out of the car his arm was around her waist and soon after his lips sought hers.

Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck to press him as close to her as he could get. His arms were wrapped around her waist and he dared to lower one of his hands to the curve of her bottom. She just pressed herself closer. He took this as a sign and firmly grabbed her ass. She squealed into his mouth and pulled away laughing. He leaned his forehead against hers. He licked his lips. He was extremely apprehensive about what he was about to ask. She was looking up at him through her lashes and he was positive that she could feel him with how close she was to him.

"Would it be presumptuous of me to ask to come inside?" he asked with his eyes closed. When he chanced a look at her he was shocked to find her blinking back at him as her mouth shifted downwards into a frown. He stepped back and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but no," Annie answered. Finnick swallowed the knot in his throat and croaked out.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No! It's just. People aren't allowed in my apartment. Wait, that sounds weird. I don't let people see my apartment," Annie said looking off towards her door, her forehead crinkling. Finnick was trying to wrap his head around this, he really was. But all he really felt was confusion.

"I'm not sure I understand. You don't let people in your apartment?" he tried to ask as gently as possible but Annie snapped her head up and her green eyes were cold.

"What do you not understand? I don't let people see my apartment. I don't think it's that difficult to comprehend," she snapped. Finnick recoiled at her tone. He had never heard Annie's voice so sharp before. He did what he always did and attempted to diffuse the situation with humor.

"You're not hiding a dead body in there are you?" he laughed. Annie's frown just deepened.

"It's none of your business what's in there, so I would appreciate it if you would just drop it," Annie said, her hard resolve clearly present. Finnick just took another step back and ran his fingers through his hair, which had already been mussed by Annie's enthusiastic fingers.

"I'm sorry. Really I am. I didn't mean to push," Finnick began but was cut off by Annie.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever. I'll see you later." And just like that, she disappeared through her apartment door.

For the second time in as many weeks, Finnick was left standing outside Annie's door confused by her actions, but this time he was confused in the worst way possible. He slowly walked back to his car wondering how their evening had done a 180 in a matter of seconds. He kicked himself for his stupid question. However on his drive home he became less angry at himself and felt his anger more directed towards Annie. Yes, he pulled a dick move and asked to come inside but she didn't have to shut down like that. And he couldn't tell if her reason was just an excuse to get him to leave or not. If it wasn't, what exactly did it mean? Surely she wasn't serious that she didn't let people in her apartment. That was ridiculous. As soon as he got home he pulled out his phone and pulled up Johanna's number. Maybe this was unfair going behind her back, but he was determined to find out. He typed out a quick message.

Hey Johanna, it's Finnick. Can I ask you a question?

And in less than a minute his phone buzzed.

Hey stud, need help picking out an engagement ring already?

Finnick rolled his eyes.

Um no not quite. This might sound stupid but have you ever been in Annie's apartment?

He felt so stupid asking. Johanna was one of Annie's best friends. Of course she's been in her apartment.

Is that a joke? I helped her move in. Broke like 3 of my nails in the process. Yes I've been in her fucking apartment.

Okay, so maybe Finnick wasn't crazy.

Have you been in since then?

His phone was silent for a good five minutes before he finally heard the telltale buzz. He checked it and only saw one word waiting for him in the message.

No.

Annie sat on her bed and stared at her floor. The floor that she could hardly see thanks to piles of things that she didn't even know how to begin sorting through. About once every two weeks she grabbed the piles of clothes and put them in her laundry basket. She'd usually miss a few items but she would just get them next time so she would always shrug it off. Marvel was the only person who had seen her apartment like this.

The worst part about what happened with Finnick was that she wanted to say yes. She wanted to say yes so badly. He looked so handsome and his mouth felt impossibly good on hers, but the second that she thought about the state of the inside of her apartment she knew she couldn't say yes. It was so stupid. How could she let something as stupid as a messy apartment keep her from what she wanted? Eventually she couldn't stare at the floor of her bedroom anymore, so she went into her living room/dining room/kitchen hybrid and found that it was in a similar if not worse state. She fought back the tears and grabbed her keys and walked outside, barefoot and clad only in her nightgown over to Marvel's. She had a spare key so she just slipped inside and settled on his couch and silently cried herself to sleep.

She was woken by Marvel gently stroking her arm. He sat on the edge of the couch and was looking at her with sympathetic eyes. She knew she must look horrible with puffy eyes and cracked lips but Marvel just smiled at her and helped her sit up. He handed her a steaming cup of tea that she gratefully accepted. He didn't say anything. He just let her sip her drink. She then went into his bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She laughed when Marvel handed her a pair of his gross flip-flops and a sweater to put on over her nightgown for the walk back to her apartment. She kissed him on the cheek and headed out. She spent the day doing laundry, but Annie was just disheartened at the clutter that remained after she picked her clothes up to toss into the laundry basket. It would never be presentable. She fought back tears and when she was done washing her clothes she text Finnick and asked him what time he got off work. He quickly responded and asked why but she didn't answer. When five o'clock rolled around she begged Marvel to drive her to Finnick's office. He warily agreed.

"You know, I really must love you if I'm taking you somewhere during rush hour. You know I don't like to drive between four and seven," he huffed, but she promised to buy him dinner the next day.

Marvel dropped her off at the parking garage next to Finnick's office. She walked in and found his car. She stood by his driver's side for fifteen minutes before she saw him approach. Her breath caught in her throat. He looked so handsome. She had no idea how he still looked so put together after a full day of work. His shirt was still had that freshly pressed look. His sleeves weren't even rolled up. His tie just finished the look off flawlessly. He was so ridiculously good looking. Annie remembered the feeling of his mouth moving against hers and how wonderful it was to feel the weight of his body pressing upon her. Her mouth went dry at the memory of their first kiss in the pool and how his hand had slid down to cup her ass. His hands were large and strong and right now they were holding his cell phone.

His head was down paying close attention to his phone, but she caught his tongue dart out between his lips to wet them and Annie had to fight the urge to run and jump into his arms. Not a second later than that thought occurred her phone began to ring. She fumbled with her purse looked and saw Finnick's name flash on the screen causing her laughter to ring through the air. Finnick looked up and to his utter shock saw Annie standing in front of his car. He took the phone away from his ear. Annie saw a ghost of a smile appear on his face before it morphed into a frown as he walked towards her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked quietly.

"I just needed to see you," Annie murmured. She looked up at his face and found it void of any emotion.

"Are we in a fight?" she whispered.

"I don't know, are we?" he responded. His eyes softened as she took a shuddering breath.

"I don't want to be. I'm sorry I overreacted the other night. It's just a thing. I don't know…" she trailed off as her eyes welled up. She just wanted Finnick to embrace her. She closed her eyes and felt a stray tear escape.

"I just don't understand," he began and she looked back up at him. "You could have told me or at least given me some kind of warning. I didn't want to upset you. I don't know, sometimes I just think you didn't want me to come inside."

"Would it help if I told you I did want you to come inside," Annie said with a small smile on her face. Finnick's lips upturned for a fraction of a second before returning to the straight line the held before. He looked away and sighed.

"I'm not gonna lie, it helps a little bit," he said. He looked back at her and the hint of a smile returned to his face. Annie wiped her eyes.

"How about we do this: why don't you take me back to your place?" Annie asked. She knew that they needed to learn to trust each other. He needed to trust that she wouldn't shut down and push him away again and she needed to trust that he was someone she could bring into her life completely. Finnick blinked.

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly and Annie pressed up to kiss him, her hands on his shoulders holding onto the crisp material of his pressed shirt. She loved feeling the muscles flex underneath her fingers as he wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. Much to Finnick's chagrin Annie pulled away and walked around to the passenger side of his car. When she didn't hear the telltale click of the doors unlocking she looked to Finnick who has remained in the same spot, a smirk etched onto his face.

"I don't know. I mean I'll let anyone in my apartment, but Peeta? He's a different story. I should probably call him and get the okay," he said smarmily with his head moving about ridiculously. Annie just cocked her head to the side.

"Haha, very funny. Now unlock the car. I'm very intrigued about seeing your place," she said. She looked directly into Finnick's eyes and smiled fully as they widened.

"I'm especially interested in getting a tour of your bedroom."

The door was unlocked in a second and Annie couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't tease me," Finnick said. Annie looked at him a moment before opening the door.

"Who said I'm teasing," she said before she disappeared into the car.

"Can I be honest with you?" Annie asked as she entered the kitchen where Finnick was standing. He had watched Annie slowly walk around the space: the small living area that greeted them as they entered the apartment, the kitchen, even the bathroom that was just off the living area. She seemed to be inspecting things. She had stood in front of the small bookcase and studied the titles there, and now she had just studied the content of his refrigerator, which thanks to Peeta, was very well stocked.

"Yeah," Finnick said. He was dying to know what was going through her mind right now.

"It's smaller than I expected," she said quietly. She ducked her head down as though she expected him to be mad at her for stating the truth.

"Oh, yeah, it's pretty small. But there's no need for us to live anywhere bigger. It has everything we need. Plus the kitchen," he gestured around them, "is pretty big compared to the rest of the apartment." She nodded in agreement.

"I guess I just always imagined you in some huge, cold, bachelor pad. Not this. It's very homey," she said as she ran her hand along the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, we've been here almost three years. We've made it our own. When we first moved in, a couple of college girls had just moved out. The walls were bubblegum pink and they had left these horrible flowery curtains and a weird sparkly shower curtain." Finnick laughed at the memory. Annie laughed along with him trying to imagine Finnick existing in such a place.

"Well I like the color of the walls now." Annie replied, a large smile on her face.

The apartment was small and quite old. It had hardwood floors except for the kitchen that had a black and white checkered tile. Finnick and Peeta took good care of their place, but it was obvious that it was an older model, particularly in the bathroom. The fixtures were a little rusty and the bathtub and sink seemed to have layers of paint and soapscum that had made its home in their bathroom. They cleaned it regularly, but some things couldn't be covered up. It served its purpose though.

The two were interrupted by Peeta opening the door to the apartment and shouting his usual greeting.

"Honey I'm home!" Annie fought to stifle her laugh as she saw Peeta walk into the apartment and glance around. His eyes landed on Annie through the doorway to the kitchen and Finnick leaned over and his head appeared through the doorway. He grinned at Peeta

"Hey bud, why don't you come on in and meet Annie."

Peeta walked into the kitchen and immediately stuck his hand out to Annie who in turn shook his as she met his kind eyes with her own.

"Annie, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Peeta Mellark," he said gently and Annie reciprocated with her own name. Peeta turned his sheepish smile upon Finnick.

"I wish I could stay. I really do, but I promised Katniss I'd show her how to make my red velvet cupcakes."

"Oh yeah, you own a bakery! The one with the stand at the farmer's market, yes?" Annie asked excitedly. Peeta nodded.

"Well, it was my father's but he's about to retire so I'm in the process of taking it over," Peeta explained.

"I love your cinnamon raisin bread so much," Annie gushed. Peeta smiled back at her.

"I'm glad to hear it. Tell Finnick here to let me know next time you're here and I'll bring one home for you. Okay?" he asked. Annie just smiled and nodded her thanks. Finnick watched them talk and was so happy to see the two of them getting along. Soon enough Peeta was out the door and yelling back at Finnick to make sure he doesn't burn down the apartment. Annie turned back to Finnick.

"So what should we have for dinner?" Annie found herself asking, knowingly inviting herself to stay. Finnick grinned.

"I've got a lasagna in the freezer if that sounds good. Courtesy of Stouffer's," he said. Annie giggled and walked over to the freezer and pulled the package out. Finnick watched as she mouthed the words of the directions. She was soon preheating the oven and removing the dish from its box. Finnick brushed his hands on his pants and began to loosen his tie.

"Looks like our work here is done," he said triumphantly. Annie shot him an incredulous look and placed the pan in the oven, setting the timer.

They spent the evening discussing The Bell Jar which Finnick is in the process of reading, each eating a piece of the lasagna at the small dining table and then when Finnick put the dishes in the sink and was about to ask if she wanted to watch television she surprised him by grabbing his collar and pulling him down into a heated kiss. There was still the familiar tang of marinara sauce still present on her lips and when she pulled away he watched her lips as they formed the best words he'd heard all night.

"I still haven't gotten a tour of your bedroom."

They stumbled into the room kissing. Annie knew this wasn't much of a tour but she was perfectly all right with that. She wanted a tour of his body. She sat down on his bed and pulled him down next to her. She wanted more. She moved to where she was sitting on his lap. She could feel his straining arousal and one of his hands went straight to her ass and she groaned as she felt him grab it. Her hands moved from his face, which was covered in a light stubble, into his thick hair. The kiss was intense and desperate. She grabbed one of his hands and moved it to her chest. Finnick pulled away at this and stared down at his hand that was full of her fabric covered breast. He ran his thumb over the mound and his breath caught as he felt the hardened nipple underneath the layers of fabric.

"You can take my shirt off if you want," Annie whispered as she began to unbutton Finnick's shirt. As soon as she pushed the fabric from his shoulders he was reaching for the hem of her shirt and helping her out of it. They spent much time exploring each other's torsos but when Annie reached for the belt buckle on Finnick's pants he grabbed her hand.

"Not now. Not yet." he said quickly

"Why not?" Annie asked quietly, worried she had done something wrong.

"I haven't even seen your apartment," he said with a sad smile on his face. Annie looked him in the eye and with her sheer determination she said the words that made Finnick's heart sing.

"You will."

"We'll continue this then," Finnick replied. They moved up his bed and Finnick pulled Annie to him as they situated themselves underneath his soft sheets. Suddenly everything was quiet and they were the only two people in the world Finnick began playing Annie's hair as he talked.

"Can I ask you a question?" he murmured.

"Yes," Annie answered in a hushed tone.

"Has anyone seen your apartment?"

Annie was quiet for a moment as she thought.

"The only one that's seen it the way it is now is Marvel."

"Why has Marvel seen you apartment?" Finnick asked playfully with a twinge of jealousy present in his voice. Annie swatted his arm as she rolled over to face him.

"Only boyfriends of mine are allowed inside," she teased. His eyebrows shot up. Annie realized what that sounded like and immediately tried to fix what she believed to be an immensely awkward situation, but soon her lips were captured by Finnick's. He gently lapped at her mouth and she sighed into his cheek. He pulled away.

"And what exactly does a guy have to do to be your boyfriend?" he asked shyly but with hope gleaming in his eyes.

"Just keep doing what you're doing," Annie murmured before closing the gap between them once more.

Thanks for Reading! Reviews are always appreciated. Come play with me on tumblr! Username is mereditheo