When Finnick Met Annie

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I headed back home as fast as I could. How could I have forgotten Annie's birthday? I couldn't shake off the look on her face when she realized I had forgotten. I sighed. I had to make it up to her, but how exactly? I reached my house in a matter of minutes. Once inside, I picked up the phone and dialed Tide's number. "Hello?" Tide's muffled voice asked. He must've been fishing somewhere. Aside from Annie, Tide was the only other person I could count on. "It's me, Finnick, I need your help." I spoke into the machine. "Oh hey Finnick! What's up?" Said Tide. "Well it's Annie's birthday, and I want to do something for her, you know. I just don't know what to do." I said and Tide laughed. "Oh I see, well that's not really my expertise see Finnick, you know more about women than I do." He said jokingly and I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very funny Tide, but this is different..." I said thinking about how close I’d come to losing her today. "Nothing you say will make me want to leave you..." Her voice echoed in my mind. I hoped that was true. "How so?" Asked Tide in the other end of the line. I sighed. "I don't care for all those other women, it doesn't mean anything to me... But with Annie, it's different. I get all these feelings, it's like when I'm with her, nothing seems to matter. I...I love her..." I said and the moment I said it I knew it was true. The line went dead. "Tide? Are you still there?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm here. Hm... I've got it! I know what you can do!" He said in victory, I started tapping the table with a pen in wonder. "Ok, spit it out then." I said, curiosity overcoming me. I could almost feel Tide smiling on the other side of the line. "Hold on, I'll be over at your house in five minutes." He said and hang up. I put the phone down and stared at the celling for 5 minutes. It was already three when I heard a knock on the door. Tide was here...

It was already 6:30 and everything was set. I had thanked Tide for everything and all that was missing was Annie. I was wearing a dark blue shirt that seemed black in the twilight, with grey jeans and the macramé bracelet Annie had given me 4 years ago. I waited patiently until I heard some footsteps. Annie appeared through some bushes and made her way to where I was. Her hair was pinned back in the front and the rest was lose. I noticed she was wearing makeup and a simple grey and green dress. She looked absolutely beautiful. "Finnick? What are we doing here, and where are your shoes?" She asked in confusion. I smirked. "Shush, you'll see, and shoes aren't necessary." I said and pointed to her shoes. She rolled her eyes and took off her shoes. "I need you to close your eyes and trust me, okay?" I said and extended my arm so she could take it. She looked at me for a moment and then did as I asked her to. "Finn, where are we going?" She asked and I squeezed her hand reassuringly. "You'll see..." I said. We walked for a few more minutes before we came to a stop. "You can open your eyes now..." I whispered in her ear an she did. Her eyes winded and her mouthed formed a little 'o'. We were still in the beach. Before us was a small round table set with plates, some fresh fish Tide had caught, a candle and a rose in a glass. Next to it was a little bonfire to keep us warm and torches that provided light. Everything looked perfect. The moon was high in the sky now and the stars were shinning more than ever. A smile crept on Annie's face. "did you do all of this?" she asked in a whisper-like tone. "Tide helped, now c'mon, before dinner gets cold. She nodded and I lead her to her seat. I went behind the bonfire and turned on the radio. I sat down in front of Annie and we started eating. "You didn't have to do all this, I was fine with just..." she began to say but I shushed her. "I wanted to do all this, besides I owned you for not remembering your birthday." I said an I swore I saw her blush. The dim candle light made Annie look paler and her eyes look bluer. When we finished eating, I got up and offered her my hand. "Finnick, you know I don't dance..." she said and I shrugged. "C'mon, it's just one dance." I said and she took my hand. The song that came on was a slow dance, I recognized the melody from somewhere but I wasn't quite sure. I closed the proximity between us an we swayed to the sound of the music. Nothing else seemed to matter. When she was in my arms, everything else seemed surreal, like the only thing that was real was her and everything else had disappeared.  "Finnick..." Annie began to say but I understood. The song had stopped. I could have stayed like that forever, but I backed away a little. I looked at her eyes and impulse overwhelmed me. I leaned in and my lips met hers. My heart flattered as her soft lips moved with mine. What was I doing? I had kissed my best friend, and even more surprising she had kissed me back. Our lips parted and I felt dizzy from the sudden rush that had come over me. "Finn?" she asked, unsure of what had just happened. "Annie, I..." I swallowed hard trying to find the proper words to tell her. I looked at her eyes and took a deep breath. "I love you.. I know you deserve more but..." I began to say but Annie interrupted me. "I love you too Finn..." she said and I became quiet. She placed a hand on my cheek and kissed me again, and I could feel her smile. We stayed that way for a moment. I was now sure, that I was completely and absolutely in love with my best friend, Annie Cresta...