This chapter is dedicated to LucyDiamond1 for giving me the amazing idea for the date in this chapter.

Cato took me where we began, to the roof.

What I expected was for us to maybe go out to a dinner or even see a film together, but no. Cato took me to the elevator and brought me all the way up to the top of our buiding. The setup was absolutely magnificient. Little candles were set around the plaid blanket, with a basket placed directly in the middle. There were comfy looking pillows scattered on the blanket, placed around to make sure that I would be as comfortable as possible.

"Wow.." I mumbled.

"Do you like it?" Cato asked.

I nod, completely awe struck. I was at a loss for words... I didn't know what to say.

Cato smiled. "Well, do you wanna sit down?"

I nod again, not letting any words describe what I was feeling. The city cast millions of beautiful different colored lights that surrounded the entire building, the yellows, blues, reds, and all other colors creating a amazing glow over the roof.

Cato takes my hand and gently tugs me toward the mini picnic, letting me sit down on the soft, feather filled pillows.

"Did you do all of this yourself?" I ask as he takes a seat next to me.

He nods and reaches next to him to pull out a bottle of some drink. "It took a hell of a long time, too," he answers with a small shake of his head. "But of course, it's worth it for you."

I blushed as he popped the bottle open. It looked like wine. "Is that-?"

"No," Cato answered quickly. "It's sparkling juice. I wanted to get the whole effect, but I didn't think you would want to be getting drunk anytime soon, so I bought a bottle that looked like wine."

I laughed at him. "Very creative," I joke.

"You look great," Cato says with a distant smile, changing the subject completely. He turns to get two wine glasses for our 'wine', letting the bubbly liquid fill our cups.

"You said that already."

"I meant it."

I looked down at the ground, hiding my smile from him. "Thank you."

He hands me my glass of sparkling water and my hand shakes at the slight touch of our fingers. I remove my hand quickly as my mind wanders to my lustful thoughts.

Cato raises his glad. "To new beginnings," he mumbled, staring at me as though he could see right through my soul.

I nod and take a sip of the drink, letting the sweet, yet tangy drink burn my tongue lightly as it went down. It was incredibly sweet, with the faint taste of grape making my tastebuds stand up at attention.

It goes silent as I sip on my drink and watch the skyline as the lights change colors every so often. I feel Cato's eyes burning a hole through the side of my head, but I don't turn to look at him. I'm incredibly shy around him right now, even though I really shouldn't be.

"How are you?" Cato speaks up. I turn and face him, registering the worry in his eyes. It still puzzles me that to this day, he still worries so much about me.

"I'm fine," I lie through my teeth.

"Okay," Cato nods with a frown, "now tell me how you really are." He saw right through my lie, but why wouldn't he? Cato knows more about me than I do, so a lie of that nature would never pass through him.

I shake my head, wanting the pained memories to go away. We're supposed to be on a date, enjoying each other's company, making corny jokes, and kissing... this isn't supposed to be consumed with our sorrow. Yes, we're sad, but we're supposed to be trying to move past it.

"I'm deeply hurt," I admit, "but I'm trying to convince myself that it'll get better so that I can stay sane everyday." Cato nods. "What about you?" I ask. I realized that I hadn't even asked how he was doing. He did just lose his father.

Cato hesitates, and I know he's really contemplating his answer. "I don't know. I can't decide whether I'm upset or relieved that he's gone."

"Why would anyone ever be relieved about a parent dying?"

Cato shakes his head, chewing on his bottom lip harshly. "When you've been tortured by someone that should love you, it's hard to feel any sympathy for them."

I want to understand him, but I have no idea how I can when I still don't know what it is his father did to cause his family's pain. I simply sigh and look away. I want to ask him to tell me, but I don't want to force him into such a tough situation. He's been through a lot and making him retell his memories wouldn't make anything better. I would love to know, but I want him to trust me enough to tell me on his own.

"I get it," I mumble.

Cato turns to the picnic basket, pulling out a couple of plates and some silverware for us. "I made this special, just for you." He reaches back into the bag and pulls out a full steak dinner, boxed and wrapped tightly. You could see the steam coming off of the juicy meat, creating a sensual smell drifting into my nostrils. It smells divine.

I bite my lip as Cato cuts a heaping piece of the steak and sits it onto my plate, followed by mashed potatoes. "When did you have the time to do all of this?"

"You were gone for a while today," Cato answers with a shrug. "And you're pretty oblivious to almost everything."

"Yeah," I agree sheepishly. He could have been cooking the steak while I was in the kitchen with him, and I wouldn't have noticed a thing.

Cato picks up his fork and smirks at me. "Dig in."

I slowly cut a piece of the meat, wanting to enjoy it as much as I possibly could. It smelled and looked so good... I could only imagine what it tastes like. I place a piece into my mouth and chew as slowly as I could. It was probably the best I've ever had. I had to force myself not to shove the whole slab of meat into my mouth.

"You like?" Cato asks with a wide grin.

"I love it," I moaned, shoving another piece in my mouth.

We eat silently, and I think the silence is a bit awkward. There's pent up tension, thick enough to cut with a knife, but neither one of us were brave enough to do anything about it.

"Have you been able to talk to your family?" I ask. I haven't had the chance to even think about calling Mother to see how she was doing. Maybe he got the chance to call his mom and talk to Charlie for a bit.

Cato shakes his head no. "Why?"

I shrug. "I dunno, I was just wondering." I look away again.

Cato visibly saddens and I can tell that he's a few seconds away from shedding a tear. "Can you come here?" he asks, setting his plate and drink to the side.

I nod and crawl over to him, placing myself lightly onto his lap. He wraps an arm around me and leans into my shoulder. "Do you really think we can make this better?"

"Make what better?"

"Everything. Us, our families, life in general... you think we can make this happen?"

I nod, because I do think it can happen. We have nothing else in this world but these small things, and without them, we're nothing. So, while we still have some chance of hope, we need to hold onto it and make it stronger.

"Okay." Cato takes in a huge breath and closes his eyes. "I always wished that one day, my Dad would see through his darkness and finally look at me as his son, and not an asset."

Oh my gosh.. he's talking. About his Dad.. to me.

"My Dad always said that he would die before he let his sons breeze through the world without making a name for themselves. He never got the chance to do it for himself, so he tried to live his life through me."

Cato's arms get tighter around me. "He had always been so distant, so cold towards me and my Mum, staying away from home from the moment the sun came up until the moon came out. I knew he was a drunk, but I always tried to think about the best of him, not his worst. My Mother and I never saw him for more than five minutes every day. He would sit and eat breakfast with us, and then come home late at night. Mum would heat up the leftovers for dinner, I would say goodnight, and that would be all.

"It all changed the day after my eighth birthday. It was the first time I had seen him during the daylight. I was sitting in the kitchen with Mum, who was newly pregnant, and my Dad walks into the kitchen, takes my hand, and pulls me into the yard. He was clearly drunk, but I was way too happy at the fact that he had even paid any attention to me at all. I was prepared to do whatever he wanted to do, so long as I got to spend even a minute with him.

"I didn't know what I was getting myself into. He began training me for the Games, beating me to a pulp. He thought it was making me a stronger person, a man. But as the days went on, he started to lose all control. My Mum would try to stop him from hurting me, and he would only end up hitting the both of us. That didn't start until after Charlie was born, thank goodness. My Dad would never stop. He pulled me out of school and made me do my studies from home. It was two hours in the books and the four hours worth of training."

I found myself rubbing Cato's back in attempt to soothe him as he told me about his troubles.

"He wouldn't stop with me. It was everday, all day, training for the Games, training to be this big man that he wanted me to be. I put in all the hours as the days went by, hoping that I would be able to work so much that he wouldn't have the chance to start with Charlie when he was old enough. Every day, I lost the love I had for him and my hatred grew.

"And one day, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had come home, I don't remember from where, and heard my Mother screaming. I knew he was probably beating her, and after that, I don't know what happened to me, but I must have blacked out, because the next thing I know, I'm being pulled off of my Dad, his blood everywhere. I beat the shit out of him, had him paralyzed and almost killed him."

"Oh my god..." I mumble. He almost killed his Dad? How...?

"The fucking bastard deserved it, and I felt good about what I did for a while. But as the days passed, I realized that he was still my Dad, and I wouldn't be here without him. He worked his ass off to keep my family well off, no matter how much he drank. And thinking about it now, if it wasn't for what he had put me through, I wouldn't have found you."

I smile and wrap myself closely around him. "I love you so much, but I wouldn't have known that if he didn't kick my ass everyday. He made me stronger, and he gave me something worth fighting for. I hated him, but I loved him just as much, and as much as I hate to admit it, it hurts so much to know that he's gone."

"Cato." I grab his chin, forcing him to look at me. "You're a strong, confident, and loving man. Everything you've accomplished up to now was because of you. Your motivation and love for others drove you to keep yourself going. You brought yourself to me, not your father. He only started the path that led you here."

Cato shakes his head, placing a light kiss on my jaw. "When I thought I lost you for good, it was like I fought all those years with him for nothing..."

"You didn't lose me, you never have and you never will."

"I almost did. If you were taken away, there would be nothing worth fighting for; nothing would keep me grounded. I know you hated me for what I did, and we could have avoided it if I would have just told you about what happened with Molly right away."

"I'm just happy you told me."

"Not with those circumstances."

"Why did you finally decide to tell me about what happened with your father?"

Cato shrugs. "I have no reason not to trust you, though you have multiple reasons not to trust me."

"I trust you with everything, Cato. Even my life," I tell him wholeheartedly. He is my all. I want nothing more. "I love you, way too much for my heart to hold onto it all. That's probably why I feel so lightheaded when you're around. You take my breath away, just being who you are. I love that you haven't changed who you are for me."

"I love you, too, baby. More than you'll ever know. More than anyone could even begin to imagine."

I want him to kiss me. I want him to touch me. I want him to love me with everything he's got. It's immense, and I just can't stop it. I have to let it out now.

My body starts shivering as a breeze picks up around us.

"You cold?" Cato asks. I nod and snuggle closer to him, revelling in his warmth. He grabs another blanket and wraps it around me, not caring to cover himself. I try reaching the blanket around the both of us, but Cato shakes his head. "I'm fine."

"My Victor's tour starts in two days," I tell Cato. Before Snow took me into that room, he informed me that I would be starting my tour in just a few days. I wasn't very excited then, given the circumstances, but now, I had a little bit of happiness with it. It meant that I would have the chance to visit home, and even take a chance to see how Cato's family was doing.

Cato nods, but doesn't say anyhting in response.

"Are you coming with me?" I ask slowly. I want him there with me.

"Of course I'm going with you. Why the fuck would I let you go all the way around the country by yourself? Who knows what sick bastards there are in those places," Cato rushes out in a rampage.

"I doubt anything would happen to me, especially with Effie watching my every move, but-"

Cato silences me. "I don't want to take that chance. I can't let you go, at all."

He sounds like a stalker, but somehow, I don't mind.

I take him by surprise by leaning down, placing a light kiss on his lips. I pull back slowly, and Cato leans forward and kisses me with a lot more force than I gave him. His fingers tangle through my hair, and I feel his desire radiating off of his body. He held me as if letting go would be like losing his last breath; like there was no such thing as life if he couldn't feel my touch.

Cato's hands went to my bum and he turned me to face him, positioning me to face him fully. He dug his fingers into my hips harshly, his fingernails pushing into my skin. Cato bit down on my bottom lip, signalling that he wanted more. It was too early to even think about more and whatever it could entail. I'd be ready for more when I could finally breath on my own without others telling me when to stop.

There was a loud sound from below us, interrupting us. I leaned over to peer down from the building, but Cato snatched me back from the ledge. "Don't worry about them. It's me and you, no one else."

I give my attention back to him, blocking out the entire universe. It was us against the world.

"You excited about the tour?" he asks, squeezing my legs around his hips tightly.

I shake my head. "Not really, no. The only thing I look forward to is seeing my Mother. I'm worried that she's not doing so well by herself."

"I'm sure she's learning how to cope."

"No. She didn't do well when my father died, so I can only begin to imagine what this is doing to her."

Cato looks at me, like he understood but didn't all at the same time. "I get it, but sometimes you just have to let people learn how to cope."

"I know."

Cato looks at his watch and frowns. "Time to go," he says, moving me from atop him. "I don't think those girls were kidding about getting you back in time."

Had it really been that long? It only felt like we had been here for no more than an hour.

I help him pack up all of the things from the picnic and once we're done, he takes the basket in one hand and my hand in his other, leading me off of the roof. I felt my cheeks hurting from smiling so hard. This was the best first date ever. Although, I don't really have anything to compare it to.

I had a feeling the girls were still in our penthouse, and my assumption was right, because as we walked in, the three were sitting on our couch with popcorn, watching a film.

Cato ignores them and sits the basket down on the kitchen counter, reaching in the fridge for a bottle of water. He gulps down about half of it and pulls me inbetween his legs, placing butterfly kisses on my neck. I laughed at the ticklish feeling, which caught the attention of the girls.

"Oh, look who's back," Sunny said with a smirk. I bit my lip, asking her to stop talking with my eyes. She looks at her watch. "Right on time."

"And I see the date went well," Montana adds.

Delphi turns and registers the placement of Cato's hand on my backside. She turns the TV off and stands abruptly. "Well girls, I think we should call it a night. It looks like Cato wants to fuck her into next week, and I'm not willing to stay and suffer through the moans."

I choked on my spit as they walk out. Of course, this night ends with a statement like that.

I hope you guys like it. Meanwhile, I'll be in a corner, crying over heartbreak.

Vote, comment, share, follow and thank you so much for reading.

Cheers. Laters, baby.

Myesha xx