HIS VISITS BECAME A REGULAR THING WHEN HE WAS IN THE CAPITOL. After he completed what he needed to do, he would come stay with Leia for a day or two before he had to go home. She was so grateful to see him, though she wished that it was not under such awful circumstances.

It was so nice waking up to him kissing her face and making him breakfast like they were a normal couple living in the Capitol. The fantasy ended when he had to leave, but he always came back in the next couple of weeks.

They did everything they could while keeping their relationship secret. She brought him to her favorite hidden spots, and he took her to places that he stumbled upon on one of his walks. Whenever they went outside, he had to keep his face concealed, and they couldn't go out to dinner or brunch.

But Leia was perfectly fine with that because they made up for it with the activities happening inside her home. There were days where they didn't leave bed at all. Sometimes they played board games or hide-and-seek, and she taught him how to make bracelets while he lay next to her and kissed her shoulders and neck.

It was heaven whenever he was there.

One of the nights that he was staying over, Leia stirred when she heard muttering. She sat up and looked over at Finnick, who was whimpering and mumbling something. He was clearly upset, and his face was twisted in pain and anger. She grabbed his shoulder lightly and shook him to try and get him to wake up.

"Finnick. Finnick, wake up," she called, and it didn't take long for him to shoot up in a panic, frantically looking around. He was covered in sweat, and he looked terrified, like he didn't know where he was. She quickly put her hands on both sides of his face and brought his eyes to her. He seemed to calm down as she breathed, "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. You're okay. I'm here. Hi." He was breathing slower, but his hands were gripping the fabric of her nightgown like she was about to slip away. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Just more flashbacks from the Games," he answered, shaking his head. This had happened before, and he had explained to her the reoccurring nightmares that he had, of anything and everything that happened to him during the Hunger Games.

She nodded with a frown. She hated seeing him like this, and she wondered if his mother knew about the dreams and was there to help him. Or if he was facing them all alone when he wasn't there with her. She asked, "Do you think they'll ever go away?"

"I don't know, but it's really nice waking up next to you when it happens," he told her, a smirk making its way onto his face as he leaned over her and kissed her so that she lay back down.

She shook her head with a smile, kissing him back. When he pulled away, he was hovering over her with a grin, and she told him, "Smooth transition, Odair."

"I'm serious, Leia," Finnick said firmly, his smirk turning into a sincere smile. Her used one finger to play with a ringlet in his hair as she stared up at him, entranced. "I love you, and if everything weren't so screwed up, I'd ask you to marry me."

A smile spread across her face. Of course, they knew that they loved each other deeply, but that was the first time he had actually said it. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world, and her next words made him beam. "I love you too, Finnick."

《✵》

ABOUT A MONTH LATER, FINNICK WAS CHASING LEIA THROUGH A FIELD. They had been inside for days and decided to get some fresh air since it was such a beautiful day. She had brought him to this empty grass field that she used to come to as a girl, and they were playing like little children.

She looked over her shoulder to see him running after her, pushing through the tall grass with a smile. He was getting close to catching her, so she sped up, despite knowing that he was not going his full speed. She turned back so that she was looking straight ahead, and he eyes widened when she saw the downhill slope in front of her.

Finnick caught her at the almost perfect time, grabbing her waist and pulling her down to the ground with him. He held her tight as they went tumbling down the hill together. Leia squealed loudly as they rolled, the grass tickling her back and arms. She was most definitely getting weeds in her hair, but she didn't care.

They came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, both out of breath as they flopped to the ground next to each other. Finnick propped himself up on one elbow so that he could look in the eye as he questioned happily, "Have I ever mentioned how happy I am?"

"Me too," she responded, but the small smile that had appeared on her face, the one that had fooled so many others, made it clear to Finnick that she was upset about something. She really was happy getting to spend time with him, but she hated the amount of time that they spent ensuring their secrecy.

He frowned before reaching over and tucking a curl behind her ear, his hand lingering on her jaw for a moment. The last thing that he wanted was for her to be unhappy. He asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just hate that it has to be this way," she responded. She loved Finnick, and she would forever be grateful for their moments together. But no one liked having to keep their relationship secret. She was not able to tell anyone about how happy he made her or about something he did that drove her wild.

"I know, but you know that if anyone finds out about us..." he sighed. There was no way that he was letting Snow take her away from him, so this was the way that it had to be unfortunately. They both knew that, but that did not mean that it sucked any less. He reached down to her wrist that was lying across her stomach, and he began playing with his bracelet that she always wore. "I can't have you getting hurt."

She nodded, and butterflies spread throughout her stomach when his fingers ran up and down her arm. It felt like his touch was setting her on fire, it always did. She thought about what she was going to say before offering, "We could run away together."

"What about your family?" he asked after chuckling at the idea. There was no way that they would ever make it anywhere without Snow finding them. Finnick was too valuable to him, and he would notice if he disappeared. She just shook her head. Her family probably wouldn't even notice if she left. They have yet to check in on her since she moved out. He added, "Snow would find us, and that would not end well for anyone."

"Snow is just so cruel. It's not fair," she groaned, but of course it wasn't fair. He had all the power, and they had none. She looked up at him with sad eyes, hating everything that the President was doing to him. "It seems like even though you won the Games, you keep losing because of it."

Instead of being upset or agreeing with her, he just smiled flirtily. "Well, you, my dear, are a very lovely consolation prize," he told her, leaning over her and kissing her long and hard. His lips on hers instantly made her mood shift, and she smiled into the kiss before standing up and pulling him with her. Satisfied that he made her happy, he laughed when she began running again and took off after her.