𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔯 ℭ𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔡 - Clove and Cato/Clato

XX

For the next few months, Cato and I slept in separate rooms in Victor's village's only house. Dinners were silent other than Enobaria's occasional comments. I was too scared to say anything to Cato. I didn't want anything to trigger him and send him into a frenzy like on the train. Enobaria had told me to make an effort, but I simply wasn't ready. The only time I had talked to Cato was for the sake of the Capitol's entertainment. They were all over the process of my and Cato's wedding. I had to attend interviews, try on dresses, and show them my "wedding planner," all of which was put together by Apple and the prep team.

I continued my usual routine of avoiding sleep and avoiding my housemates; this time, I avoided them more than before. I was afraid that if I spent more time with them, I would open up about Cato. I was beginning to feel like my old self again: emotionless. All I had wanted after the games were to return to Victor's village with Cato, but now that the time came, it didn't feel right.

I knew Snow wouldn't have been so generous to me as to let Cato come home unscathed, especially after what I had caused in the districts. I wondered if there were still uprisings going on. The only news that was broadcasted was about the wedding. I knew what Snow was doing. He let Cato return so that we would be forced to marry and create more of a show for the capitol until the next games. He wanted to crush my image amongst the districts and raise it amongst the capitol. He wanted the districts to hate me. He needed to show them that I was "one of them."

I sat alone by the sycamore tree as I usually did, just looking at the sky as the sun set and reminiscing about simpler times. I heard footsteps approaching behind me, likely Enobaria telling me that I had another interview scheduled. "I'm not in the mood, E." I grunted at her.

But it wasn't Enobaria that responded. "You're never in the mood for anything." I turned and was met with the blond boy whose eyes melted my soul. I watched as the sun glistened off his golden hair and shone on his skin. It had been a while since I had seen him like this. He sat himself next to me. "You know, I'm starting to regret asking you to marry me," he chuckled.

"How did you know I was here? Did Enobaria tell you?" I questioned, refusing to make eye contact.

He shook his head. "Clove, I've always known you would be here. I'm the one who introduced this place to you."

"I didn't think you would remember," I said softly.

He scoffed. "You need to stop acting like they brainwashed me."

"Well, they did!" I interrupted. I expected him to have some sort of angry rebuttal, but he sat in silence waiting for me to say something else. "If you knew, why didn't you come to me sooner?"

"I was giving you space. You obviously didn't want anything to do with me, so I gave you what you wanted. I just want to be what you want," he replied. I felt his eyes boring into my skull.

I sighed. "That's the problem," I replied. "You only exist right now to be what I want so that they can use you to get to me."

"Don't say that," he replied. "The capitol is kind and generous. They spared me even though they didn't have to. I should've died in that arena, but our love moved them, they couldn't stand seeing us apart."

"Right," I sighed sarcastically, looking down. I knew there was no getting to him.

I felt his hand touch the top of mine, so I looked up at him. He seemed sorrowful. "Give me a chance."

"I can't."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because if I do, then they win. I'll find myself falling in love with you all over again and... and they'll take you away from me again!"