"I love you," Finnick murmured as he nuzzled into her neck. He kissed up and down the column of her throat, trying to memorize every inch of her sun-bronzed skin.

Annie went rigid, and she pushed him away. "What did you say?" Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"I love you," Finnick replied honestly. He tried to embrace Annie again, but she stopped him and stood up from the couch they had been sharing.

"No, you don't." Her words made his blood freeze in his veins. "You say that to everyone."

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He wanted to tell her how wrong she was, that he'd never said those words to anyone before and would never cheapen his love like that, but he couldn't find the words to tell her how much she meant to him.

Annie waited for a response, and when she got none, she sighed. "Finnick, I'm fine with … whatever it is we have," she started, slowly moving back towards the couch. "We're adults – I can handle being just a friend you have sex with every once in a while. That's fine. But I'm not okay with being lied to. If you aren't in love with me, I don't want you to say you are. Those Capitol people might want to hear it, but we need to be honest with each other."

"Annie, it's not what you think –"

"I'm not in the mood anymore." She left the room to grab her shoes.

Seeing Annie walk away finally prompted Finnick into action. He leapt from the loveseat and sprinted to the front door, jumping in front of it so Annie couldn't get out. "No, don't leave! I can explain!"

Annie shook her head and slipped on her shoes, avoiding his gaze. "I don't want to hear it right now, Odair. Let's just let it be, okay?" She finished fastening the straps on her brown sandals and grabbed for the door handle, but Finnick rested his weight against the door to stop it from opening.

"I've never said that to anybody before." He should have said more, but those were the only words that came to mind.

Annie moved her hand away from the doorknob. "Say that again," she demanded.

Finnick looked directly into her eyes and repeated himself. "I've never said that to anybody before, Annie. You're special to me."

A smile spread across Annie's features. She leaned up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.

"You mean so much to me, Annie," he said, folding his arms around her to bring her closer to him. "I love you."

She pressed her cheek to his chest, smiling even though she knew he couldn't see her face. Annie had daydreamed of this moment since primary school, and now those dreams were coming true. Her happiness was quickly joined by curiosity. "Why did you pick me? It's not as though you're starved for options."

"Because you're worth more than all of those Capitol women – and men – combined. Your laugh, your kindness, your strength … Annie, you're the most brilliant, wonderful person I could ever hope to meet, much less fall in love with. Those other people mean less than nothing to me. You're special." Their lips met in a warm, tender kiss.

A tear ran down Annie's face. "I like you too, Odair. I think I'll keep you." Finnick pinched her. He was gentle, but she still squeaked. "Okay, I love you, too."

"That's more like it."

"I believe we were in the middle of something?" Annie asked in her most innocent voice.

Finnick grinned, his green eyes lighting up with mischief. "How could I have forgotten about that?" He swept her off her feet and carried her bridal-style up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Much later that night, when he again whispered that he loved her, Annie did not argue. Instead, she returned his words and kissed him goodnight.

A/N: Hello – it's been a while! Thank you so much for reading – I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was based on the prompt precious from Caesar's Palace. Thank you to turtledoves for reviewing. I really appreciate any feedback I receive on my stories. Thanks again for reading!

~finnicko-loves-anniec