But Vivian had very clearly seen that a bug had flown into the room.
All the blood was drained from her face; she had always been deathly afraid of bugs.
She’d hoped that the bug wouldn’t move around after flying in through the window, but she didn’t expect it to fly towards her and perch on her arm.
Nearly jumping out of her skin, she gasped and tried to get away from the bug, somehow stumbling into Finnick’s arms.
The warmth of their bodies calmed both of them down as she gazed awkwardly and fearfully up at him.
He had wrapped an arm around her waist, a charming, satisfied smile on his face, looking like a cat that had gotten the cream.
Larry knew his mommy very well, and he was well aware that she was afraid of all kinds of insects.
Seeing that the couple inside had reacted exactly as he’d wished, he giggled to himself and got ready to carry out the last phase of the plan.
Meanwhile, the grasshopper had long since been stomped to death by Finnick. Slowly lifting her face from his chest, Vivian’s cheeks were flushed a deep shade of red.
“Are you alright?” Finnick asked, concerned.
“I’m fine.” Thinking that that was all she would say to him, he was surprised when she followed up with, “Thank you.”
Vivian’s mother used to be constantly ill and needed to drink traditional herbal medicine, but their family was poor and couldn’t afford to buy it from the stores.
So, Vivian had had no choice but to pick out herbs to make medicine for her mother, repressing her fear and disgust every time she stepped into the long grass infested with all kinds of bugs in order to do that.
As a result, she eventually developed a phobia of insects, her legs would grow weak at the mere sight of them.
Thank god that Finnick is here. She wasn’t sure if she would be able stay sane until Larry was saved otherwise.
“It’s okay. It’s gone.” Finnick, noticing that Vivian was staring blankly into space, assumed that she was thinking about the past.
He stepped forward and hugged her, rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her fear.
After a long while, she pulled away from he, proving to him that she was fine before he was willing to let go of her.
“What is that?”
Vivian spotted a rolled-up ball of paper by the door that she hadn’t noticed before.
“Stay here. I’ll go take a look,” instructed Finnick, wondering if it was a trap.
Worried for his safety, she fretted, “Okay. Be careful.”
Finnick stopped in his tracks.
How long has it been since I last heard her caring words? How long has it been since she talk to me willingly? How long has it been since I last heard her using such a soft, gentle voice when talking to me?
He couldn’t stop the grin from growing on his face, turning around to pick up the paper ball on the floor.
The words “Sleep on the bed” were written on the crumpled paper in neat yet childish handwriting.
He did a double-take at the strange message, handing it to Vivian and observed her reaction.
Shock flashed across her face, and then her eyebrows furrowed together.
Assuming that she didn’t want to sleep on the same bed as him, Finnick suggested, “You can take the bed. I’ll just sleep in one of the chairs.”
Saying that, he spun around and was about to head for the chair.
But he had barely taken more than a few steps away when Vivian abruptly squatted down, trembling all over.
“Finnick,” she whimpered, clearly sounding like she was in pain and discomfort.
He quickly ran towards her, observing that her forehead was damp with sweat and her messy hair had fallen out from behind her ears.
Finnick was at a loss for what to do.
“Vivian? Vivian, what’s wrong?”
His heart was hurting for her and wanted nothing more than to help her, but he had no idea what just happened.
I just turned around and she is all pale and disheveled. What is going on?
Having no time to think about all of that. He reached out and propped up a hand under Vivian’s neck, helping her move into a more comfortable position.
