Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"They seem to like this couple-ly play," Aries murmured, though his tone didn't quite match the ease of his words. His eyes scanned the vibrant, gilded audience, sweeping past the sea of bright wigs, lacquered smiles, and fake laughter.
Everyone was watching them, eating up their performance like sugar-drenched cake. And yet, something in his gut twisted with unease. He narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the shadows beyond the lights, searching for that ghostly presence he knew wouldn't be announced—the haunting calm of President Snow.
"It's too quiet, nothing is happening yet. He's plotting something," Aries added, his voice dipping lower, more serious now, his gaze locking on Estella. To everyone else, it looked like he was staring at her with infatuation, but in truth, it was concern.
Estella met his gaze with matching intensity, her mind working quickly behind her calm exterior. She was trained now—polished and poised like a Capitol doll—but her instincts were still sharp, and they were screaming at her not to relax. "Hm, must be," she whispered, her lips barely moving, her breath brushing his cheek.
The way she said it wasn't a theory—it was a certainty. She repeated it under her breath again, more to herself this time. "Definitely something." Her hand brushed lightly against Aries's, grounding herself in his warmth.
"Just stay close, I don't want you out of my sight to long," Aries said, his voice just above a whisper, the words thick with unspoken meaning. His eyes lingered on her lips, not entirely intentional, but not entirely accidental either—drawn by how close they were, how easy it would be to just... lean in. "We'll just play along for now," he added with a faint smile, trying to soften the tension, though the heat between them only grew heavier.
There was something magnetic about the closeness, something neither of them fully understood, but both quietly craved. In a world where everything was staged, this moment felt maddeningly, confusingly real.
"What this, what this? Are we perhaps disturbing something here?" Flickerman's voice rang out, his tone playful as ever. He grinned from ear to ear as the crowd leaned forward, absolutely enchanted by the chemistry radiating off Aries and Estella. They had no idea the couple was plotting survival, not romance—yet that didn't matter. They didn't need scripted love because the illusion had taken on a life of its own.
Flickerman chuckled knowingly, his eyes gleaming like a host watching his favorite drama unfold.
Aries let out his fakest, most theatrical chuckle, deep and resonant, drawing a wave of laughter from the crowd. "Don't worry," he quipped smoothly, eyes sliding to Estella. "The whole world is being the third wheel in this relationship."
Estella blinked, surprised by the comment, then laughed—soft and genuine, her amusement too real to fake. The audience adored it. They leaned forward in their seats, completely hooked, desperate for more of this effortless banter and undeniable spark between them.
