Clato: Cuts Beneath the Surface

Chapter 35

I am all alone with Cato. He's also in his pajamas, long sweat pants and an old t-shirt. His icy eyes are still melting with anger. I take a few steps away from him and hug myself. We stand in silence as I slowly get my breathing regulated. He watches me concernedly but makes no move to touch me again. Finally, I can't stand the silence anymore.

"Why did you rescue me?"
I whisper, "Again."

His face softens considerably. "I promised I'd never hurt you. And I've been doing a pretty terrible job of that. Letting Brutus hit you because I was holding a grudge would be the same as if I'd attacked you myself."

"I thought you hated me." I snivel.

He runs a hand through his hair. "I tried." he confesses and my heart contracts. "I knew it was a bad idea to be your friend because of the games, but that couldn't be helped. I can't even imagine us not being friends."

I give him a small smile, "I hated you at first. I thought you were just some jerk playboy." He gives me a grudging smile. Then Cato sighs.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. I got caught up in the moment and didn't even think about how it would affect you. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know you didn't, I'm sorry I flipped out."

"No Clover," he says fiercely, "Don't apologize to me." We stand there awkwardly for another minute or so, avoiding eye contact.

"Can we just go back to being friends? To the way it was before?" he asks quietly. I look into his gorgeous blue eyes.

"I've really needed you."

"I know."

"I still need you to he my friend. Of course we're still friends." I say. Then I do something that surprises both of us. I rush forward and hug him. I can feel his muscles beneath my hands. He hugs me back, tentatively at first and then harder. I feel so warm and safe in his arms.

"I will always be here for you Clover." he whispers in my ear. I smile and snuggle into him more, laying my head on his shoulder.

"And I'm here for you." I say.

Cato holds me closer.

A/N Sorry this is really short! I will try to write a lot more for the next chapter. I hope you liked it, please comment and vote! Also, it may be a few days before the next one. I'm going out of town and may not have a chance to write but I will try my best.
Cheers!