Come Back to Me

XXII

Finnick's feet felt heavy as he once again, trekked through the streets of the Capitol. He was again on his way to meet with the president, per his request. And if he knew better than to have a good feeling about the exchange the first time, well now his heart was so far down into his stomach that he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to find it again. As he sat on one of the velvet sofas, he's knee bounced up and down wildly. The crazy thing was, he still didn't think this was worse than watching Cordelia in that arena.

The image of her head being banged against the Cornicopia was more than enough to haunt him when he found enough will to shut his eyes. As well as the words that left Christian's lips and engraved themselves into his brain.

"Of course," He snapped, his hand pinning her neck against the wall behind her with ease, "I guess it'd be Finnick right? All those nights he went into your room, you probably had the perfect amount of time to remember what he looks like."

Finnick sat up straighter, pulling the silk sheets nervously at the angry glint in the tribute's eye. It burned bright enough to be searing, even through the screen.

"Oh I'm sorry, was I not supposed to know that? Ah I'll bet that was meant to be a little secret huh?"

The sea green orbs of the boy in the bed widened with disbelief, matching the girl on the screen's expression. The woman next to him, let out a shocked gasp.

"Finnick," Aleesia had a dumbfounded look on her face as she shook it back and forth, "tell me it isn't true."

"It isn't," The words left his lips far too fast for them to be even somewhat convincing. He took a deep breath and tried again, being slightly more honest this time, "okay I have but-"

Aleesia let out a sound that was so awful, so ugly, but Finnick contorted his face in what she could only assume was no more than half the pain she had felt.

"No. Aleesia," She raked her talon like finger nails through her rather messy hair and flung her long legs over the side of her bed in disgust, shivering when the boy pulled at her wrist pleadingly, "Aleesia, please. She was- is my tribute for Christ's sake, I was only giving her advice."

"Really," Aleesia scoffed. She wasn't buying it one bit. Maybe she wasn't as brainless as Finnick had liked to think, "you were waiting until everyone else was asleep, to sneak into her room late at night and unsupervised, just to help her strategize for the games?"

He nodded, disappointed with his futile attempt, only panicking further when the pink haired woman began to dress herself in a rush, "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you."

"And that's exactly why, all you wanted, all you asked of me was- to sponsor her," A crystal tear fell down her porcelain face, and that sent a pang through Finnick's chest. It didn't matter the ignorance he expected from her. She was a person. A person he had hurt, and used. They really had more in common than he thought, "what does she have that I don't?"

"Nothing," He mumbled, finding his own way to finally tell her the truth, "please Aleesia you have to believe me when I tell you what I feel for her is in no way close to what I feel for you."

Indifferent.

"Do you mean it," She whispered, the boy closing the gap between them and tucking a baby pink strand behind her diamond studded ear with a soft nod, "then why don't I believe you?"

This woman, who he had so many intimate moments with but, had really never let in at all fell apart right in his arms. As if he had ripped her heart out and stomped it in to the ground. As if the connection they had was anything more than physical. Tears broke as she collapsed into his arms and he finally gave in. Finnick let himself guide her to the floor and rock her body back and forth. And he had done it again. He was know as a heartbreaker throughout the Capitol, each one of his partners attempting the seemingly impossible task of winning him over with any chance they got. People he had never even seen before, throwing themselves at him left and right as if they'd known him forever, and maybe they thought they had. Just for the chance to give him their love. Except, he never recieved an ounce. Not truly. And it always ended in heartbreak, Finnick walking away, feeling less and less of the person he used to be each time.