A tale of two cities

Chapter 8- The first date

As my avox carefully ties the bowtie around my neck, I catch a glimpse at the mirror across the room. I cannot believe it. I got a date with the beautiful Mrs Everdeen at last! My head feels like it's about to explode! What should I do? How should I act? Will she even be there? Maybe I should call her again, just to check! But my avox has other plans. As I pick up the phone, she grabs it from my hands and slams it down, violently pointing to the white note on my dresser. "Okay, okay, I get it. I'm trying too hard. I just want this to be perfect, you know? I really think I've found something!" I reply to her angry burst. Then I remember. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot." I mumble. Her face drops at the memory of her past life, her old life, the time when she would be going out with her friends, with her fiancé, the time before she was caught. 'It's fine.' She writes on a slip of paper, 'You didn't mean it, now go get her,' she finishes, as she gives a smile, a true smile, one that lights up all her face. "Thank you!" I say, grabbing my coat and rushing out the door. "Thank you."

(Mrs Everdeen's POV)

I take a sip of my drink and glance around the dimly-lit room. My long black dress flows to my knees and my hair is flowing down my back. Instead of my usual bun, Prim has styled it for me. Bless her. She knows how much this means to me. She knows more about it than I do. I still don't know if I should be doing this. I mean, with Katniss back and the Capitol out to get us, it's kinda dangerous to be out this late, especially with the Hunger Games show host. Suddenly the door swings open to reveal a stunning young man in a black tux. His brown hair sweeping across his face. And his eyes. Oh, his eyes! Brown pools of heavenly bliss, they look so familiar… Oh my GOD!

(Caesar's POV)

Oh my god. I see her as soon as I walk through the door. She's sitting, sipping a drink, with luscious golden hair pouring down her back like a heavenly waterfall. She gasps and drops her drink onto the bar. She blushes and turns around, apologising for the mess. She picks up some towels and starts trying to help. Without memory of moving, I am suddenly at the bar, helping her clean up the pool of alcohol creeping towards the drunken morphling beside her. "Oh my god, I am so sorry sir! It was an accident, I-"

"It's alright miss, no harm done. No point cryin' over spilt milk," the bartender replies to her stammering. " Ms Everdeen, should we sit down?" I ask quietly, as if this visit is purely business. "Um, ok, Caesar, where is our table again?"

"Just over here," I point towards a table in the corner of the room, just peeking out of an alcove in the wall. We walk over to the table, her hand entwined in mine, and we sit down.

"Caesar?" she asks, taking a sip of her wine.

"Yes?"

"Where do you think this is going? I mean, with us."

"Honestly? I don't know."

"Well, where do you want it to go? Because if you're just looking for a one night stand, then I may as well leave now."

"No, NO! That's nowhere near what I want! If it was do you really think I would have brought you here? If it was I'd have just took you somewhere quiet, like everybody else in this damned city! I want you, and only you. I want something real. I want something strong. I want love."

I see a tear rolling down her cheek and catch it before it falls to the floor. "Please don't cry," I beg, "I can't stand to see you cry."

"I-I-I'll be f-fine, j-just t-the stress, y-you know? I-I-I just c-can't be dealing with t-this at the m-moment! M-my b-b-baby is g-going back into t-that hell-hole! A-and I c-can't do a-anything about it a-and…"

"Shh, shh it's ok. I know- I feel it too. I can't believe Snow is sending them back! I can only think of one thing to describe it: Satanic. It's blasphemous what he's doing, but we need to stay strong. We need to keep fighting. If we don't, we'll be lead into anarchy again, and then we will all be doomed. Okay?" I grasp her hand and pull it up to my lips, kissing it gently. "I don't want to lose you. I know you're hurting, and it kills me that I can't take this away, but I want to help, even if it's only for a little while, I want to try. I really think we've got something, or could have, if we wanted."

She takes a deep breath and wipes away her tears before replying, "We need to go, someone's probably heard us. Why don't we go somewhere more private?"

"Where do you have in mind?"

"Home."