Azalea Rose Willow loves three things above everything else:
summer, the only season that mattered in her mind.
singing, alongside the comforting embrace of her guitar.
but above all, the easy camaraderie with the boy who lives next door to her, and...
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The sunlight kissed her skin, the salty breeze ruffling her hair as she stretched out on the warm sand. The waves rolled lazily onto the shore, a rhythmic melody she'd heard a thousand times before, one that felt as much a part of her as her own heartbeat. Azalea hummed contentedly, her fingers tracing lazy patterns in the grains of sand, the warmth of the day soaking into her bones. She felt strangely disoriented, like the world around her was both familiar and foreign at the same time. It was peaceful, but something about the moment didn't feel entirely right. She glanced around absently, hearing the waves crash against the shore and feeling the cool breeze brushing through her hair.
"Daydreaming again?" a voice teased, smooth and familiar, dripping with amusement.
"Mhm," Azalea smiled, eyes still closed. She turned back to Finnick, the playful glint in his eyes a sharp contrast to the nagging sense of confusion in her mind. "I was a princess roaming around her castle. It had the most beautiful garden! All filled with the most exotic flowers, all for me."
"You totally just made that up!" A laugh followed, deep and rich, as she felt someone plop down beside her. When she finally turned her head, there he was. Finnick Odair, dripping wet from the ocean, the sunlight glinting off of the droplets still clinging to his skin. His hair was tousled from the swim, his boyish grin dazzling and completely unapologetic. His presence was comforting, grounding her in a way that almost felt like everything was just... right.
"What, do you have a key to my mind or something?" Azalea teased.
"Of course I do." Finnick smirked.
Azalea laughed, "no one has a key to my mind, Odair."
"Well that's because I'm the only one that has a key, Azi."
"Okay then,"" Azalea said, defiantly. "What am I daydreaming about now?"
But there was still that odd, distant feeling gnawing at her. Her mind wandered, and her eyes flicked to the horizon, trying to place it. She looked around, her eyes focusing on the familiar view—the jagged rocks lining the beach, the way the ocean stretched out to meet the horizon, the palm trees swaying gently. District 4...
Right.
This was home. She was home. She smiled faintly, the realization grounding her, but there was still something that felt a little off, as if she couldn't quite settle into the moment. It was a small thing, just a shift in the air that made her feel... unsettled, but it wasn't enough to worry her.
Finnick looked deep in thought at her, as if he was trying to read her mind, before chuckling, interrupting her thoughts. "Hmm, Let's see. You are obviously imagining how I would look as a knight in a shiny armour, around your castle, because I'd look breathtaking." He teased.
"That is so not what I was daydreaming about!." Azalea laughed, now imagining a knight fighting a dragon in his shiny armour outside of her castle.
"Well, I bet you are now." He checked, a deep blush trying to make its way on her cheeks. "You know, that pink princess dress princess you was wearing is very pretty on you." He said teasingly.
