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To answer a guest's question, yes i do make all the songs up. Katniss mentioned a song that likened marriage to a sea voyage in the book, so i tried my best. hard to do that without sounding cheesy...

Anyway, thanks for all the incredible support! So many people commented on 41 to let me know when they started (a lot of originals) and literally turned me to a pile of goo with all their warm compliments. Some of you are so dedicated to this story i can't even express my appreciation for your reads, reviews, and follows. If i ever publish a book, i'll see if i can post another chapter on the end of this and announce it's title and whatnot. Not sure if that's allowed...

And without further ado, Chapter 42. Happy reading!

42

'Til We Meet the Shore

"Plutarch, really, it's fine. We don't need to go out of our way here, I'll just wrap a sheet around me a few times, tie a belt on and there we'll have it."

He looks at me like I'm insane. Okay, I am by definition insane. But not when it comes to this. The wedding so far as been a symbol of excitement, fun, stress, controversy, culture, and painstaking social interactions. Heavensbee has fought Coin tooth and nail for every guest on the list. Personally, I think everyone should be allowed to come. Why should we discriminate against others and rub our fun in their faces? But that's how Coin's playing it, so I guess those who do come will feel really special.

"Annie, understand that your wedding is a beacon of light not only to the people in Thirteen, but to people in all the districts. They need to see some joy, happiness, and celebration. What you may consider to be 'minor details' is what I consider to be complete and utter necessities in pulling this whole event off! If we all-"

He continues to ramble on with his rant so I tune him out and stare at the strips of chicken covered in red sauce on my plate.

Darius's fingers. His blood. On your plate, on everybody's plates. You're consuming him.

I push my plate away a little and look up to see what part of the rant the exigent man was at. The importance of the dress. Of course. I remember Echo and I on Pearl's wedding day obsessing over how beautiful her dress was. If this was all on my terms and we were being married in Four, then I would have liked to wear that same dress. But I'm here. And we can't go back right now. So something else will have to do.

Katniss enters in and sits beside the reddened gamemaker. She pops a finger-chicken strip-in her mouth and watches him cautiously.

"I mean honestly! We can't have entertainment she says. We can't have a dinner, she says. We can't even have alcohol! I mean, it's like Coin doesn't even want the wedding to work! And now the bride has nothing to wear. Nothing! And she's the main piece in the storyline here, the peacock amongst pigeons! But what have we got? A mundane wedding and a bride wrapped in a bed sheet. What's the point of the propo if no one's having any fun?!"

"I can bring Annie to my house in Twelve," Katniss says, "I still have all my clothes Cinna designed for the Victory Tour."

"What about the wedding dresses?"

"Sorry, those all went back. But it's better than nothing right?" she looks at him hopefully and then adds, "And we could snag one of Peeta's suits for Finnick while we're there."

Heavensbee finally nods and looks at me. "You two are about the same size, I'd say. Waist-wise anyway. You have a little more..." he waves his hand erratically over his chest area, "Well, we'll manage. Thank you, Katniss. It's a very generous offer."

"My pleasure."

They both resume their eating and I have to look away when he bites his chicken strip and gets red sauce on his hands. I can still hear the sound of him slurping in off his fingertips when he greets Finnick, who's just sat across from me and next to him.

"You okay?" he asks casually, looking at my untouched plate. I nod and ignore his eyes because I know they'll be sending me some kind of message. He sends the message anyway by pushing my plate towards me. "It's just chicken and tomato sauce Annie. It's just like fish, only these animals lived on land. That's all."

Plutarch glances at me like 'how could they be discussing something so trivial' before returning to his food. "We were just discussing my wedding dress," I tell him, "Katniss volunteered to take me to Twelve for one of Cinna's dresses."

Finnick is much better at interacting with these people than I am. At best I pass as shy and nice. He's funny, self deprecating, charming, lively, what have you. I don't know why he even bothers with me sometimes. He immediately takes that information and gets Heavensbee going on everything positive he can. I just shake my head, close my eyes and eat before images of Darius's fingers return.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

So now I'm on the hovercraft. This is the first time that Katniss and I actually get some alone time, and I can't help but feel I'm being scrutinized; as if she's using this time to learn everything there is to know about me and the rumors about my sanity. It doesn't help that-since I'm away from Finnick-I'm seeing and hearing things left and right. Tristan in a corner with black blood pouring from his head. The Sandy monster lighting different parts of the room on fire. Mags weaving a net for the wedding. Whenever I see them, I see Katniss try and figure out what I'm looking at and have to return. She's nice though, she seems to be able to look past my behavior.

Who's with us is her prep team, a group of three little people with funny skin colors and hairstyles. They seem excited to be doing something in their element. One of them makes a comment to Katniss that she should take care of her hair the way I do. They don't realize I pretty much do nothing at all to it, but it's flattering.

When we land I make sure I don't look around. I know Twelve was burned down and honestly I can't look or I'll break down. Katniss leads us into her home after her victory-a little less extravagant than what's available in Four-and we follow her into the bedroom containing a large closet. Something strange happens when she opens it though. All of a sudden all the chatter dies and the four of them stare at the closet as if Cinna was standing in there himself. One of the poor funny looking people falls down and rubs a skirt against her cheek, crying; "It's been so long since I've seen anything pretty."

True. The colors and vibrancy-even the smell lingering behind on the clothing-is captivating after so much darkness. I guess that's why he was considered the master of his trade.

"I'm going to go to Peeta's house and find Finnick a suit," Katniss says, "Help yourself to anything you want."

So I'm left now alone with the prep team. To their good graces they are quite ignorant of my condition which I find refreshing. They pay no attention to what I am and am not looking at, and they talk so fast that if I laugh or respond in a weird place, they barely notice. Suddenly I'm wishing I could just stay here in this room, in the free air, and sit amongst these chatter boxes and their finery forever. But I want to get back to Finnick. Even if it does mean returning to a cave.

"Oh, try this one first!" the crying one begs, shoving a velvety blue dress at me. I nod and change into it, but I'm not sure I like it. It's beautiful, but I've never worn such a thing. Even the team agrees I don't carry it correctly.

So I go on like that. It's fun actually; never in my life have I worn such finery. We were never able to afford things like this in childhood, and even during my trips to the games my designers were not this good. It was like wearing some sort of remnant from a dream, a good dream. I try on an orange dress with yellow shimmers, a black dress with crystals, a pink dress with flowers printed on the skirt, and a purple dress made of twisted tulle that fades into gray and white. They almost chose that one too, but I saw something in the closet I wanted more.

"Can I see that?" I ask in a timid voice. They stop fussing over my hem and look where I'm pointing.

"Of course, of course. That's a stunning dress, try it!"

They're so happy that it makes me smile. As they rush to pull the dress off the hanger, I turn and see Katniss sitting on the couch. I don't know when she came in, but she's there now. It almost startles me. "You pull these off better than I ever did," she remarks, "Finnick's not going to be able to keep his eyes off you."

I smile and then allow the team to slip off the purple dress and pull the one I picked over my head. And when I face the mirror I freeze.

It's stunning. The most stunning thing I've ever seen. I'm not wearing a dress-I'm wearing art.

It's mostly made of green silk. It's loose on the top and tucks into a sweetheart neckline. There's a piece on top-I guess you could call it the sleeves-that wraps around my chest and forearms, draping enough so I can move freely and then meeting over my heart where the ends are fastened with a diamond pin. The fabric tucks and wraps so that it's tight on the hips and dips low in the back. And then, after elongating my torso and making me look elegant on the top, the green silk tumbles down to the floor like water. In the back there's a slight terrain and little crystals that line the hem of the dress. It hides all my flaws, all those days starving in the prison, and makes me look tall and beautiful. I have curves, I have glowing skin, I am stunning. Even the team seems to tear up.

And of course, more than anything, it reminds me of the dresses I'd wear at home. They weren't this fancy nor this masterful and elegant, but they were of the same mood. Flowy, loose in places and tight in others, easy as if I'm wearing air. Then Katniss offers some matching earrings and a necklace which makes me want to cry more. I nearly do when Flavius pins a piece of my hair back with a silver barrette.

"You look perfect," Octavia says, "This is the one, for sure."

So on that note, we head back to Thirteen; but not without harvesting some long grass to make the wedding net with. I'm excited when I hear all the plans. Children singing, decorations made of some sort of foil, even a fiddler. I wish we had flowers, but I have to make do with the ones they created from their imaginations.

"What about the salt water?" I ask at one point. Plutarch smiles and taps his head.

"We couldn't get to Four to get some of your sea water for you. But there's an ocean not far from here. It's much colder than the one you're used to I'm sure. But we managed to get some saltwater there. And we-"

Finnick shoots him a look and he clams up. When I ask, neither of them will tell me. So I shrug and decide not to care. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.

The whole place is up in a buzz, but every second I get, I'm staring back at Finnick. Surreal how the day I never thought would come is coming so fast. And I couldn't have chosen someone better to spend it with.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Why are my palms sweaty? I mean honestly, I was the Golden Boy, and now I'm nervous at my own wedding?

I'm wearing a suit they altered for me that Peeta once wore. It's striking. I never got to wear anything designed by Cinna, but I have to say, he makes a damn good suit.

"Are you ready to go?" someone asks. It's Dalton, the man from Ten who's doing the ceremony. I nod sheepishly and adjust my collar one more time.

"How do I look?" I ask with a weak smile. He shakes his head and slaps my shoulder.

"Ya look better than the most of us, son."

I head above ground, waving at person after person who hasn't been invited but came to see the people anyways. They don't let me see Annie because they say it's a surprise. Then I'm in an elevator and my hearts beating so fast I have to sit down. Plutarch, Haymitch, and Coin greet me when I emerge, along with a guy and his camera.

"You look great boy, now get up there and make yourself happy," Plutarch tells me. He too gives me a slap on the shoulder, which is starting to hurt. There's three hundred lucky people assembled out there, Katniss and Johanna amongst them. But I don't see any of them; I just want to see Annie. All the rest is a blur.

The ceremony begins with me standing in front of all the guests under an arch with the ceremony holder-Dalton-as he welcomes the crowd and announces why we are gathered.

"Friends, it's a pleasure and an honor to have you all gathered here today for the marriage of Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair," he says, "And now without further ado, let's have the song, if you will."

The children's choir perks up because this is their big moment. My heart is thudding and my knees shake because I know at any minute, Annie will come walking towards me.

The ship is raised from the ground piece by piece

And put on the shore to wait.

The hands that sets the sail's release

And hangs the flag of sweet cerise

Will steer the course of the ship's fate.

Sail away, sail away.

Annie emerges from the cover and starts walking towards me. She looks absolutely stunning. I've never seen fabric on a dress move so much like water and I can see her eyes glowing from here. She's the girl I knew back home with shining green eyes, wild and wavy dark hair, red lips, and freckles dusting her blushing cheeks. She smiles at me and I smile back, making sure to maintain eye contact.

And when my ship sets sail for the sea

The wheel and sail is manned by two

The one who swore their allegiance to me

And I to them, for this voyage would be

Nothing, without you.

Sail away, sail away.

When Annie reaches me, her eyes have watered with tears. Maybe because she's happy, or because she wishes this were all done at the beach back home, but she's still smiling widely at me. I take her hands and we face each other in front of the entire gathering as the net is draped over our shoulders and the shanty is continued.

And the first of the voyage is easy and free

Full of life, laughter, and sun

But there's a world out there we have yet to see

I'll go there as long as you're with me

Our adventure has only begun.

Sail away, sail away.

So let the tempests swell and roar

Let the rain come down and the volcanoes spew

Let the sun hide and freeze us more

Let me cry out like I've never before

We'll still steer the ship right through.

My love, if you stay true...

Then nothing shall turn my eye

No, nothing that does pass us by

No distant shore, no passing fleet

No treasures will ever move my feet

I'm tethered now to you.

And lighthouses will marvel how we grew.

Sail away, sail away.

For now the song diminishes into a sweet, harmonized hum and the low trembling of the violin. I want to kiss Annie, to hug her, but we're not allowed. We have to stand still. I lean in and whisper in her ear, "Green really is your color."

The memory of our time together in the Capitol and various times throughout life surfaces and her smile widens. She reaches up and fixes a piece of my hair. And Dalton begins the vows.

"Love seals the most sacred of bonds. Family, friendship, and of course, marriage. It's the foundation of a life shared by two people who are promised together such as Annie and Finnick shall be today. Love builds us up, makes us strong, and supports us when we would otherwise crumble. There's nothing more sacred nor miraculous than two people joining together in the name of love for the rest of their lives. Finnick, are you prepared for the responsibility of a complete dedication to Annie?"

I smile at her and say, "I am."

"And Annie, do you promise to embrace the responsibility of a complete dedication to Finnick?"

She gives a little nod and keeps her eyes on me, "I am."

"Now Finnick, please recite the sacred vows of the future husband to his future wife."

Normally, in Four, we'd repeat after the ceremony-holder. But because it's a little different and Annie and I both know them, we decide to just recite them from memory.

"I, Finnick Odair, promise to love you in the light of day and in the dark of night. To return from each voyage ready to embrace our own. To provide for you and our family. I promise to hold you in sickness and find joy in your health. I promise to respect you, to listen, and to cherish your life as my own."

Annie can't stop the smile from brimming all over her face along with some tears. Now, I think, people will see her as I do. There's no denying her radiance when she smiles like the sun is inside her chest.

"And now, Annie, please recite the sacred vows of the future wife to her future husband."

She blinks as if she forgot she had to speak and for a moment I think she's forgotten them. But then she takes a deep breath and begins.

"I, Annie Cresta, promise to love you in clearness and confusion. To embark on each voyage with your heart in mine. I promise to share life's burdens whenever they arise. I promise to nurture you and care for you in sickness, and to rejoice in your health. I promise to hold you in equal measure, to respect you, and to cherish your life as my own." Quietly, so only I can hear, she says, "More than my own."

Dalton warmly continues, "Finnick, you are Annie's betrothed, to have to and hold her for as long as you both do live?"

"I am."

"And Annie, you are Finnick's betrothed, to have and to hold him for as long as you do live?"

"I am."

Dalton presents the salt water in silver bowl. "Salt water. The movement and the waves of the ocean. The thing of sweat and of tears. It carries the ships to the shore and carries them away again. Finnick and Annie, as you two embark on your own voyage, may you never forget the promise you made to each other. You may now seal the oath with the salt-water ritual."

Annie dips her thumb in the water and touches it to my lips. I do the same and watch how the water makes her lips glisten. The children finish the song.

Our ship weathers through the years

Connected now and forevermore

Passing with smiles and tears

Our deck of memories and defeated fears

To hold on to what we're living for

'Til we meet the shore.

The song ends and the anticipation begins to swell.

"I now declare you husband and wife! Finnick, you may kiss your bride."

My excitement pitches and I cup her face in my hands and we kiss, savoring the taste of salt water and joy on each other's lips. Everyone claps and cheers like they've never seen anything more wonderful. Annie wraps her arms around me and we hold the embrace while Dalton takes the net off our shoulders. I've never been happier. I never dreamed I could be this happy.

We're congratulated and kissed and hugged, but I never let go of Annie's hand. Compared to all the everyday clothing and uniforms, Annie and I are radiant in our borrowed finery. We're toasted with apple cider instead of alcohol. The fiddler strikes up a tune and suddenly the guests come alive. Everyone from Twelve seems to know some kind of folk dance that everybody joins in on. It's a lot of swinging, spinning, and switching. Annie can't stop laughing even when people trip over the back of her gown. Johanna even convinces Katniss to join in with her sister Prim. I smile because even Johanna is dancing, and not only that, she's managed to snag Gale as her partner. I can't tell if he's having fun or if he's just scared of her.

"A dance for the couple!" someone shouts. Annie looks at me nervously because she's never danced in front of so many people. I give her an encouraging wink as the fiddler mellows the tune down to a happy but slow little song. The guests form a circle around us and it's just me and Annie. I take her waist and hand and go with the rhythm. She follows my lead well and we manage to pull off enough grace that other couples start to join in.

"I love you," I tell her.

"I love you too," she says. At the end of the song, I dip her down low and kiss her which makes everybody hoot and cheer.

And after an hour of dancing, the real surprise comes out. It's a massive wedding cake covered in swirling blue frosting that looks just like the water back home. Tears spring to Annie's eyes as she lightly touches the peak of one of the waves as if to check and see if it's real. There's also fish, sea flowers, dolphins, and shells all over it. It's not even a cake, it's art. And it's making Annie cry.

"It's like a piece of home," she says in disbelief. They tell us that it's tradition-if there's a cake-that the couple cut the first piece and feed it to each other.

"It's an old tradition," Plutarch says, "Just try it, it's fun."

It feels wrong to ruin such a stunning piece of work. We make sure the cameras have gotten sufficient footage of it before we hold hands and cut the first slice. It has a massive bright pink sea flower on it. "Bottoms up," I say with a wink. We both feed each other a bite, which is a little awkward to coordinate, but the cake is incredible. Yes, the Capitol's dishes defeat it, but compared to what we've been eating in the cafeteria it's amazing. I dip my finger in the frosting and tap it at the end of Annie's nose. She wrinkles it and goes cross-eyed trying to look at the blue frosting. Then she gets revenge by smearing a bit of it on my cheek.

You can tell the cake is a smash hit. Eyes are bugging out of their sockets everywhere I look. I doubt that the people in Thirteen and Twelve have ever tasted anything close to this kind of delicacy.

There's more dancing, more singing, and more games. We play a kissing game where we all stand in a circle and pass a piece of paper using nothing but our lips. I drop it on purpose to kiss Annie again which gets us a lot of aw's.

And then, to top off the night, Heavensbee goes on for a good ten minutes until Haymitch waves him down. Haymitch himself is too drunk to make a speech, even though I have no idea where he found the alcohol. Johanna congratulates us and wishes us all the best. Beetee tells everyone how we're two of the bravest and strongest people he's ever met. Coin gives a stiff congratulatory address and then they ask us to make speeches to wrap the party up. Annie's still quite shy so she keeps it short.

"Thank you all for coming and being so nice and supportive," she says into the microphone, "I'm so glad to finally be married to Fin, and I'm glad you all got to share the moment with us. It was like having our family here. So, thank you. And Fin, I love you!"

She raises her glass of cider and everyone joins in. I kiss her cheek and then take the mic so she can sit down. I rub the back of my head and then strike a semi-seductive pose. "How ya doin', everybody?"

The crowd roars and claps, shrieking out cat calls and whistles. Haymitch cups his hands over his mouth and shouts, "Take it off!"

I laugh and wave them off. "Okay, okay. I won't bore you with taking you through the journey that Annie and I have had together. It did involve three different Hunger Games, a really intimidating older sister, and some really great trips to the Capitol." The crowd chuckles. "Annie has shown me time and time again that no matter what we go through, she'll always come out determined to survive. It hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't be here today without the support she's shown me. Annie, you're my best friend, my family, and now you're my wife. Thank you all for sharing this day with us and know I couldn't be happier. Annie, I love you too!" she waves at me and I throw her a wink, "But you knew that. Good night everybody, all the blessings." I kiss my three fingers and hold them up in the salute and everybody returns it. Then everything goes into a flying blur as people rush for some leftover cake and to snatch decorations for a keepsake. I take Annie's hand so I don't lose her in the crowd and allow Heavensbee to lead us to our new room.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

I have Finnick's hand clamped in mine. He's following Heavensbee and I'm following him as we duck and weave through the chattering crowd. I'm exhausted, but there's a deeper excitement keeping me alive and awake. We break through the crowd and disappear into an elevator. Plutarch wipes his brow and goes a small whoop.

"What a celebration!" he cries victoriously, "I never expected them all to dance like that! Sure we didn't have all the trims and fixings, but man that was just what we've all been craving. You two were great."

"Thank you," Finnick says kindly. The elevator stops and my heart lurches.

"It's down the hall and to the left," Heavensbee tells us with a wink that makes me blush a deep red. The doors open and Finnick's hand leads me out. The hall is dark and empty with just a few lights lining the doors. My heart is thudding so hard that it makes my hands shake and get sweaty.

"We're married," Finnick says to himself when the elevator departs. The silence is pressing after being surrounded with so many people. For the first time all night, I get a moment to breath.

"Yes, we are."

Our excitement wins out and suddenly I'm jumping up and down and we're giggling like children. Finnick wraps his arms around me and lifts me up in the air. I squeal with delight and squeeze his shoulders. When my toes touch the ground, I tilt my head up and let Finnick kiss me. It quickly deepens and there's a fire inside me that swelters as I trace the form of his lips with my tongue. He tightens his arms around me and lightly bites my bottom lip so I can't escape the kiss. When we finally come up for air, he presses his forehead against mine and takes my hand.

"Come on," he whispers, "I've got a surprise."

I follow him curiously, reveling in the heat of his palm on my waist. The second we turn the corner, my breath betrays me and I freeze. It's not about the candlelight lining the hall, nor the flowers they probably plucked from the woods. It's about the path lined with white shells that grabs me. I drop to my knees and pick up the shells in my hands, feeling the bits of sand still clinging to the surfaces. Tears come to my eyes for the hundredth time this night. I can smell the trace of salt that hangs in the air. I feel Finnick's hand on my shoulder.

"You like it?"

"I love it! Fin, where did you get all these?!"

"When you went to Twelve to get the clothes, some people went to that cold ocean to get the salt water for the ceremony. I asked them to get all the white shells they could find."

I shake my head in disbelief and then stand up and face him. He's waiting for me to say something, but I just grab his face and kiss him full on the mouth. Then I find his hand and take it, leading him towards the door. "Come on," I whisper. We open the door and find that the candles and shells continue all the way to the bed sitting at the back of the little room. The room is as simple and tasteless as all the other's we've stayed in here, but to Plutarch's good graces he must've sprung for a decorative blanket, because ours is a luscious red color. Finnick suddenly turns to me and has my arms. Is he actually nervous? He's done this what, a thousand or more times?

"We don't have to do this if you're not ready," he says quickly. I blink at him.

"We've been together for five maybe six years? I'm ready. I'm more than ready. I might die if we don't."

"But-"

I silence him with a kiss and put my hand on his cheek. "I'm all here tonight. There's no drifting away, no nightmares, no unseen terrors. I'm yours." I kiss him again, only slower. And then move to his neck and whisper into his ear, "And more importantly, you're mine."

The fire roars as he sweeps me up into his arms and brings me to the bed. We tumble over each other like rolling waves on the shore. All these years we've forced ourselves to hold back and resist the blazing heat trying to get out. But now, in this sweetest victory, we don't have to. I undo the buttons on his suit jacket and shimmy it off of him, tossing it to the ground. Our bodies never lose contact as we tear clothing off piece by piece. First my jewelry and shoes. His shoes, vest, and tie. More kissing. He grazes my neck with his teeth and draws my skin into his mouth. It sends electricity tingling down my body and into my fingers and toes. I try and get them steady enough to undo his shirt buttons, but in the end he just ends of tearing the shirt off and throwing it into the pile.

I twist so I'm overtop of him with my hair curtaining our faces. I kiss his lips and then move to the crook of his ear. Then down his neck and onto his chest. I continue my trail of osculation until I reach the hem of his trousers. I feel the hum inside his body and smile before sliding back up his chest and to his lips. He chuckles deeply and rolls me under him. My dress at this point has just become tangled around our legs. He kisses my neck and chest as he smoothly slides my dress up and over my head. In a way, the cool silk makes it feel like I'm diving into water.

Finnick's attention to detail is...wonderful. I'm so absorbed in the moment that I forget why he's so good and just enjoy the fact that he is. His whole demeanor and responses makes me feel like I'm not in the least bit inferior with my skills. I suppose he loves me, and I love him, so that makes all the difference.

Finally all the clothing is gone and for a moment we just look into each other's eyes. He pushes a piece of my hair off my cheek and gives me a subtle smile. I mouth, once again, 'I love you,' and he returns it. And then with a kiss and foreheads connected, we cross over the line and link ourselves as physically now as we've been mentally for years.

And my promise rings true. There's no fear, no dark whispers or ghosts standing in corners. All there is is me and Finnick and the fervent fire consuming us.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

I've never experienced that before. I thought I did, millions of times. But this was different.

Annie's head is resting on my chest and her arm is slung over my stomach. Her breathing is steady and quiet and there's a trace of a smile still on her lips. I take a deep breath and stare at the ceiling and let a grin break over my face.

I remember telling Annie once that I couldn't tell her what that kind of intimacy would be like with her because all I'd ever experienced was with meaningless strangers. The sensations, the motions, the technique may have been the same with Annie, but not the way it felt. The whole time all I wanted was more of her and to give more to her, never to just end it. There was no shame after and no guilt afterwards either, just satisfaction and an incredible sense of being loved as much as you love.

Sleep is winning over, but I manage to secure my arms around her before I slip into the darkness. There's no promise of nightmares and no fear. Sleep just envelopes me in soft, warm wings and whisks me away to nothing but the feeling of incandescent happiness and rest. Annie's face swims into this world and the warm sensation of her skin against mine. The rise and fall of our breathing turns to the tumbling waves of our ocean back home. I'm loved. She's loved. We're so loved. We're floating in a world of blue. The presence of Annie has my hand and together we float until we meet the shore.