AN:This is my first Hunger Games fic. Had this idea pop in my head the other day. I didn't have a beta for this so I apologize if it has tons of mistakesKatniss is ooc, but it's a work of fan fiction so it's bound to happen. Forgive. Anyway I had a bit of writers block for my other story and this baby wouldn't stop begging me to write it. So here it is. Hope you like it. As always, no copyright infringement intended.
She has a habit of people watching. A classic symptom of the perpetual loner. Safer to watch the action than be a part of it. Right?
Ever since her sister turned 18 and decided it was time to run off to college and have her own life she hasn't felt the crippling need to be so protective.
Her mother might mentioned a few dozen times that it was ok for her to have her own life too.
But how do you go from having your every waking minute making sure your little sister was fed, making sure she wasn't picked on at school because she had to wear hand me downs from your plump cousin Delly, helping her with school work- to trying to be your own person?
So she started working at a small flower shop close to downtown; it was busy enough that she had human interaction but not slow enough that people liked to linger in the shop, and in turn, make small talk with her.
She had one friend that stuck around for all the bullshit of her father leaving, the only person that could see she wasn't a frigid bitch. But someone who was entirely too occupied with the burden of raising a sister while her mother worked her fingers to the bone.
Too bad he got married to his high school sweetheart Madge last year and they moved out of town.
Now she has her work schedule, a lousy drunk who comes in every Monday to buy flowers for his wife, apologizing for something ridiculous he did over the weekend she imagines and the people she watches. It's routine. Mundane. Predictable.
Until the first time she sees him.
She had just finished ringing up a man and a dozen white roses when she spots him; stocky muscular build and sandy blond hair. He is wearing workout gear and holding a basketball under his arm, he sits on a bench across the street and he checks his phone every so often.
After a few minutes of her unashamedly staring at the man a green convertible driven by a man with bronzed hair (with way too much gel she notices) pulls up to the curb and the beautiful blond man tosses the ball in the back and settles into the seat. After a second of back and forth banter and laughter the men drive away leaving her momentarily stunned.
Who was that man? Why had she never seen him before? She had been working at this flower shop for six months and this was the first time she had seen him.
So she watches and waits, like a crazy person. Because really, she's seen the blond stranger once and it had unnerved her so much to the point that she feels anger towards the man. Him and his beautiful hair made of pure sunshine and his perfect jaw and how flushed his face looked like he had just gotten done running around. A single person shouldn't be allowed to be that attractive. Just who does he think he is?
Two weeks. She hadn't seen Sunshine in two weeks.
As usual, her alcoholic "friend" paid a visit on Monday afternoon.
"What is it this time Haymitch?" She asked as he handed her a rumpled 20.
"Lost some money playing poker and slept on the lawn." He growled.
Katniss laughed. Every week for almost 6 months Haymitch had some crazy reason for buying his wife flowers. They were never boring and sometimes hard to believe.
He says one time he got so drunk he went to an AC/DC concert, somehow got backstage and has all of the band members autographs tattooed on his left butt cheek, he said he would prove it but Katniss took his word for it.
"Why in the world does she stay with you?" She asked him.
He gives her a sly grin and a wink.
"Gross," Katniss says as she hands him his change.
"See you next week, Sweetheart."
The day passes very slowly; a man in a gray suit bumps into a woman almost knocking her over, he keeps walking.
Two large men carrying boxes into the butcher shop across the street drop one and three live chickens fall out and terrorize the block. They are corralled into the shop thirty minutes later.
A long train of small children linked together by clasped hands make their way down the street following their teacher, two stragglers (a boy and girl) are fighting with sticks. No casualties.
A bald man sitting on the bench across the street eats a pretzel. Katniss tries not to laugh as a passing pigeon makes a mess on his head. Mission failed.
Katniss sighs as her shift comes to an end, she has been staring out that window all day and Mr. Too-Handsome-For-His-Own-Good hasn't walked by.
She's closing out her register and happens to look up as He walks by. Blond hair perfectly messy, sweat pants slung low on his hips wearing a damp t-shirt and dribbling a basketball as he passes her window.
She slams the register shut and runs skidding into the glass door. She has never felt so unhinged at the mere sight of a person, she has to meet him.
Say hello to him and then she can be done, once she realizes he's human she can quit obsessing over him. Maybe get a name for the face that taunts her as she tries to sleep.
When she finally manages to open the door He is nowhere to be seen, like she had conjured up his image only to have him vanish once out of sight.
She tries hard to not be disappointed, she really does.
Katniss is not prone to dramatics, but still it frustrates her and she kicks the wall to the flower shop and huffs back inside to finish closing.
She resumes people watching the next day, not really watching for anyone in particular.
Honestly.
A woman sits on the bench, a small white poodle on her lap. A rough looking thug sits next to her, he attempts to touch the poodle only to be bitten on the finger. He sews together many colorful words and the woman looks mildly offended.
A few people mill about the shop looking at and smelling flowers.
An older gentleman is with a small girl with two dark braids, she leads him around the store in complete bliss over the beauty of the flowers.
She stops and points at a pink rose and her father hoists her up to collect it, she holds it out for his approval; he smells it and nods giving her a smile and kiss on the cheek. Katniss has to turn away because the scene is too much like her childhood.
Her father used to pick her up from school early every other Thursday to have lunch, then they would get a bouquet of pink roses to take to her mother and baby sister Primrose.
But that was long ago. She doesn't even know her father anymore.
Katniss is startled out of her reverie by three young boys pressing their faces to the shop window making a ruckus and dirtying her windows.
As the last person pays for their flowers she grabs a bucket of soapy water and a towel to clean the window.
She sets the bucket on the windowsill and dips a corner of the towel into the water, this is the third time this month those kids have harassed the store window. She scrubs the window roughly and manages to topple the bucket full of water down the front of her pants.
"Shit!" She hisses.
"Here, let me get that." A mans voice says behind her.
Katniss stiffens, something deep in her bones tells her that it's His voice. She turns around and looks at the hands holding the bucket for her and slowly, but bravely lets her gaze travel up to his face.
Gray eyes meet intense blue eyes, a smile spreads over his perfect lips. And she blushes as she opens her mouth to speak.
"Hello,"
So there it is! Not sure if I want to turn this into a series of one shots someday, depends on if people want more I guess. But if not I'm happy with the way I chose to end it. Please review and tell me what you think!