As time wore on, Vivian grew increasingly agitated. Noting Vivian's near-constant frown, Finnick asked again, "What's wrong?"
It was as he had predicted. Vivian refused to tell him.
His only reply was from the wind whistling past them outside and Vivian's pointed silence.
Out of genuine concern, Finnick resolved to break Vivian's silence. Keeping it bottled up within her would only be detrimental to her health.
"Vivian, you can tell me anything. I'll help you in any way I can," Finnick said gently. His kindly tone seemed to move Vivian slightly.
She turned to look at him.
However, Vivian considered that telling Finnick anything wouldn't have an impact on the situation whatsoever. There was no point, then, in introducing this distraction to their mission.
"Vivian, I was wrong for what I did five years ago. Don't keep things from me, OK?" Finnick pleaded, seizing upon the one matter he knew was the stumbling block in their relationship.
Back then, he had neither trusted nor defended Vivian, and in that, Finnick knew he had failed.
He also knew that his apology was five years too late. However, Finnick was anguished at the thought that Vivian saw him as an outsider and treated him as such.
"Five years ago..." Vivian's mind seemed preoccupied with these words. She looked at Finnick thoughtfully.
"Yes. It was five years ago," she intoned. Finnick felt rather peculiar. What about five years ago?
Finnick searched his mind but remained clueless. What does this affair have anything to do with what happened five years ago?
"Finnick, you're an absolute jinx. Why do you have to keep turning up in our lives?" Vivian wailed, hammering her fists at Finnick madly.
The tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes slid down her cheeks and landed on her tongue.
She swallowed down a deep breath, together with her salty tears.
"If you'd never appeared, I wouldn't be in this state right now! Things wouldn't be so dreadful. You didn't trust me five years ago and treated me so horribly. Why are you back to haunt me now?"
Vivian continued, blubbering. "Do you want to hurt me all over again? Or are you back to gloat over the pitiful state I'm in?"
All at once, Vivian unleashed the torrent of bitterness that she had harbored inside her onto the hapless Finnick. When she finished, she fainted dead away.
Finnick bit his lip with a grave expression on his face.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Touch of Sweetness novel (Finnick and Vivian)