Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 3

"You're dead!" Taiya yelled.

"You're a crazy person!" Kenna yelled back.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"It wasn't my fault," Kenna snapped back.

"No? Well, who else did I put in charge of the balloons!"

"You are a psycho," Kenna mocked. "He's had 23 birthdays before, I doubt he cares about the number of balloons at his 24th," she rolled her eyes.

"But I was so specific Kenna. I wanted one for each year and you only brought 10, not 24 like I asked."

"You have control issues, you know that right?"

"I don't have control issues," Taiya denied. "Because I delegated this to you. I passed control over." Kenna then smirked. "What?"

"You do have control issues. And I know that because Tyler and I were talking, and I know you don't trust me and asked him to bring balloons as well."

Taiya turned to glare at her friend. "Are you serious? Tyler's bringing the rest?" Taiya asked and Kenna nodded. "So you only brought these to mess with me?"

"Yep," Kenna nodded. "I'm bringing 10 and triggering this weird little freakout for my own amusement and he's bringing the other 14."

"Tyler agreed to go along with this?"

Kenna just shrugged. "I have to be entertained somehow, I think he just prefers I annoy you and Finnick," she said as she leaned forward to take a strawberry off the plate, only for her hand to be smacked away. "Ouch."

"You don't get any."

"Well, that's unfair. I did organise the balloons."

"You want to play jokes, you get punished," Taiya winked.

"You're a tyrant," Kenna mumbled.

"And a despot," Tyler added as he walked in. "How's the cake going?"

"Mags cooked it," Taiya admitted as she pulled it out to show him. "Didn't trust me not to burn it."

"Well you've never been able to cook cakes," he smirked as he grabbed a strawberry and handed it to Kenna.

"Did you see him?" Taiya asked

"I think he worked out that there's no such thing as wine-specific coasters in town. Buck said he was heading back so he should be about 5 minutes. Calm down, Tay. He's going to love anything you do."

"Finnick always plans the best things. Every time. Whatever he thinks of is perfect. I want to do the same for him. So you two, get out," Taiya shooed them. "Go, go, go!"

*********************

"So I asked at the shop," Finnick said as he entered the house. "And they said there's no such thing. Coasters are coasters. Maybe it's only in the Capitol you can get ones only for wine, but the guys in the shop were pretty confused."

"Hey!" Taiya greeted with a wide smile as she ran out of the kitchen and into the foyer.

"Hey," he frowned as he saw her wide smile. "What's going on?"

"Come, come, come," she waved him forward.

"Ok," he hesitated nervously.

"Come on, it's fine," she laughed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. "Ta-da!" she announced as he walked into the kitchen and saw her decorations.

"Tay," he smiled.

"Happy birthday."

"It's tomorrow."