The first time Finnick says I love You
Annie sat by the fire, waiting for Finnick to come back with their cookies so that she could show him her Christmas present. It was snowing outside and her parents had warned her not to leave the house, but Annie had told Finnick that was exactly what she wanted to happen. Finnick watched Annie for a moment, smiling to himself. He had to admit, she'd definitely become a bit more of a rebel since the pool incident.
Of course, he blamed himself. But he never pushed her too far and he admired that she only did things she wanted to do and didn't let anyone tell her what to do. All through high school he made sure to do everything that people wanted him to do so he could have this perfect image of 'Finnick Odair. Swimming Extraordinaire', but Annie--sweet, innocent looking, Annie Cresta-- had shown him that it didn't matter what people thought as long as he was okay with what he was doing.
"Stop staring. I want a cookie!" Annie laughed, snapping Finnick out of his daydream.
"Sorry," Finnick chuckled and went over, setting the platter of freshly baked cookies next to them. "So..." he smirked at her, watching as she took a cookie and bit into it.
"MMmm," Annie sighed happily and then looked at Finnick with excitement. "Oh! Your present!" she set the cookie down and turned to grab the small box. "I hope you like it," Annie grinned at Finnick, bouncing on her seat lightly. "It took forever to make!"
Annie's excitement was contagious, and Finnick started to bounce on his seat as Annie handed him a small box with blue wrapping paper. He carefully peeled it away, holding his breath as he revealed the small gift. "You made this?" he asked, holding up a beautiful glass sculpture in the shape of a seashell sitting on a small pile of glittering sand.
Annie nodded,"My dad helped." she grinned. "But I came up with the design," she said proudly. Anie's green eyes lit up as she explained the process and Finnick listened with interest. He loved that she could be so passionate about so many different things. Every time she talked about the things she loved, her eyes shined and her hands moved in every direction as if they were the ones telling the story and not her lips.
"I love you," The words were out of Finnick's mouth before he could even think. He paused as he saw Annie process what he was saying and he grinned, knowing he meant it. "Annie Cresta. I am madly in love with you," he said, setting down the seashell so he could kiss her.
Annie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips against his. Finnick pulled away after a few moments, licking his lips,"Tastes like chocolate," he teased, grabbing a cookie and taking a bite.
Finnick kept his arm around her, stroking her hair lightly. "I love you, Annie," he whispered again. Now that he'd said it once, it was like he couldn't stop. He loved her.
"It's funny how that works." Annie smirked, turning so she could look at him. "I didn't think you liked me all that much after the pool incident," she admitted.
"I didn't," Finnick laughed. "you were too smart. You were so good at everything and every time you talked to me, it seemed like you hated me because I was popular. But then..." he sighed,"You crept up on me, Cresta,"
"As you did to me, Odair," Annie grinned, kissing his cheek lightly. "I love you too."
