It had been a stupid idea.
As she stood at the edge of the Ferris wheel Katniss carefully scanned the crowd of the fairgrounds, she couldn't believe she had allowed Prim to talk her into something so ludicrous….
Four days earlier…
"Katniss, seriously, have you even changed out of sweatpants aside from when you go to work in the past two years?"
"Yes," She stated simply.
"Yoga pants don't count," Prim deadpanned.
"Uh, objection," Katniss replied indignantly.
"Peeta?" Prim said shifting her gaze to the stocky blond stretched out next to Katniss on the couch.
He stopped mid-chew at being called into the squabble between the two sisters, "Uh…can I recuse myself?"
The glares of both of the Everdeen girls fell upon him, "No."
He sighed and placed the now cooling cheese bun onto the plate, "Well, they're not exactly sweatpants but…"
"Exactly!" Prim crowed.
Katniss scoffed and rolled her eyes as she tore off a piece of the cheesy pastry from Peeta's plate, "So what? Who cares?"
"Katniss, you haven't been out on a date in years," Prim groused.
"Peeta's not dating, I don't see you harassing him."
"Peeta wears real pants! Peeta actually socializes with people other than you. Peeta doesn't look at people and growl."
"I do not – " Katniss began to protest loudly when Peeta's hand came down tenderly on her shoulder and rubbed against her soft skin, "I don't growl," she said, calmed by his actions. Peeta chuckled at her petulance and she turned her body to look at him, "Peeta, I don't growl."
His blue eyes twinkled as a grin spread across his handsome face, "Of course Kat, you're just discerning."
Prim sighed and rolled her eyes, "Peeta, don't encourage her. You guys can't spend the rest of your lives on this couch watching Netflix and Amazon Prime."
"Here we go again, Dr. Prim and Proper," Katniss grumbled under her breath, leaning back into Peeta's shoulder.
Peeta's arm curled around her shoulders, trying to alleviate some of her aggravation with her little sister. "Kat – "
"No, Peeta, I'm tired of the constant ragging on me because I don't go out every weekend. Is it so bad to want to just hang out with my best friend?"
"Katniss," Prim sighed, "I just want you to put yourself out there again."
"And I just want you to stop looking at me like I'm one of those pathetic abused puppies in the Sarah McLaughlin ASPCA commercials. Just because you're engaged now doesn't mean I need to rush out immediately and do so myself."
"I just don't want you to isolate yourself."
"I'm not, I have my best friend. I don't need a boyfriend. I don't need a marriage," she replied earnestly reaching up to pat Peeta's hand on her shoulder, not fully understanding the impact of her words on the man beside her.
Peeta's gaze at Katniss's profile faltered for a minute and something clouded his eyes. He quickly recovered and squeezed her shoulder, and while one Everdeen was oblivious, the other was not. With an idea percolating in her mind she pursed her lips and bargained with her older sister, "Just let me set you up on one date and then I'll let it drop."
Katniss huffed out, "Fine," while Peeta's arm slowly retracted from around her shoulder.
Katniss nervously looked around the fairgrounds trying to spot what she assumed was one of the resident's from the hospital Prim had talked about setting her up with. Her sister had been cagey about sharing a picture of her date, convinced Katniss would find something physically wrong and bail, the thought didn't leave her with a whole lot of confidence. Her eyes flickered to her watch, he was already 15 minutes late and her patience was waning. Tapping her foot she looked down to see zero new messages on her phone. She pulled up her last text with Prim and sent off a swift text.
My date is now 20 minutes late [Delivered 7:21 PM]
Prim Everdeen [Sent 7:22 PM] That's not like him…are you in the right place?
Yes, by the Ferris wheel. I should just leave. This was a bad idea. [Delivered 7:22PM]
Prim Everdeen [Sent 7:25PM] No! Just hold on, I just got a text from him, he's on his way to the wheel, just get in line, he'll be there.
Katniss growled in the back of her throat and begrudgingly trudged over to the short line, her lips set in a firm scowl as her fingers flew over the keyboard again.
I shouldn't have put on real pants [Delivered 7:27PM]
Peeta Mellark [Sent 7:27PM] Context?
I'm getting stood up [Delivered 7:28PM]
Peeta Mellark [Sent 7:29PM] Oh, okay. I thought you meant you were going to jump this guy and should have worn a skirt ;)
PEETA! [Delivered 7:30PM]
Katniss's face flushed red at the thought.
Peeta Mellark [Sent 7:31 PM] Well, it could have been a really awesome date Katniss.
Yeah, because that's very me. [Delivered 7:32PM]
Peeta Mellark [Sent 7:34] You never know what the future holds, Kat ;)
"NEXT!" The carnie manning the yelled right at Katniss. She slowly trudged up to the platform and gave another look around for her missing date, feeling more pathetic by the minute, "Riding alone, sweetheart?" The carnie with the nametag reading 'Haymitch' mocked, his breath reeking of booze.
She gave one more cursory glance around the fairgrounds and nodded.
"SINGLE LOOKING TO MINGLE!" He shouted out to the crowd.
"Is that necessary?" Katniss sneered.
"Can't go up alone," he puffed out with his whisky breath.
Katniss threw herself in the gondola seat and picked at the fraying edges of her jean shorts, wanting nothing more than to escape this embarrassment. "I'll ride with her," a familiar deep honeyed voice volunteered.
Katniss slowly glanced up to the man in front of her. He was in her favorite pair of jeans and a blue v-neck t-shirt that set off his intensely blue eyes, "Peeta?" She asked quietly.
He chewed on his bottom lip as he slid in next to her on the seat, "Hey Katniss."
The drunk carnie closed them into the gondola and winked at Peeta, "May the odds be ever in your favor, kid," he said as the gondola rose into the sky.
Katniss furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at Peeta, "Peeta, what are you doing here?"
Peeta stared out at the night sky interrupted by the twinkling lights of the fair and slowly slid his hand on top of Katniss's. He took a deep breath and exhaled, finally looked into her gray eyes, "Katniss, I'm your date," he stated as the Ferris wheel hit the pinnacle of its height.
"What?" She squeaked as the Ferris wheel came to an abrupt stop.
Peeta's ears turned bright red as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "I – uh…," he mumbled, at a loss for words for the first time in a long while.
"Did we stop moving," Katniss rattled out, obviously panicked.
"I think we're – "
"We're trapped." She said grabbing his hand instinctually.
His thumb caressed the soft pad of skin between her thumb and forefinger as he looked at her cautiously, "Katniss, just focus on me, we'll be fine."
She worried her lip between her teeth and nodded at him, "O-okay."
He used his other hand and cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb and she couldn't help but notice the little sparks that ricocheted between their skins, "You're fine," he repeated soothingly.
She gave him a quick nod, never taking her gray eyes off his cerulean ones as her breathing evened out and came in sync with his. "So um…what did you mean you're my date?"
The tips of his ears burned again but he spoke more confidently this time, "Katniss, I've known you since we were five years old, we've been best friends since we were seven years old. You pushed Cato Montgomery in the mud when he called me a sissy baker and you ate my first cheese bun. You were my safe place when my life was falling apart when my mom lost it, you were my happy place. You've been my everything for as long as I can remember."
"Peeta…"
"Just – just let me try and get this out," he said exhaling softly. "I know that you've only ever seen me in a "friends" capacity, and god knows you aren't the most observant person, but you can't even begin to know the effect that you have on me, Kat. When Prim said she was going to set you up with someone, I just couldn't sit by and watch on the off chance it could turn into something. I called her after I left your house that night and spilled an apparently poorly kept secret and she agreed to hold off, to give me this chance. So here I am," he spoke with so much care in his words, "Katniss, I've been in love with you since we were five years old and I can't put it on the backburner any longer. You're my best friend but…I want the chance to make you my everything," he finished earnestly.
Katniss looked at him a bit shell shocked, "Peeta I had no idea."
"I know," he said bashfully, "And I know it isn't fair to spring it on you, but if I didn't do it now – I just had to – oomph" he grunted as he was interrupted by her lips on his.
She pulled back slightly, "Just shut up and let me try something," Her fingers gripped onto his strong defined shoulders as he opened his mouth to her and tentatively stroked her tongue with his. He could feel the sparks radiating off of them and she was half surprised the current they were producing wasn't enough to make the Ferris wheel start up again. Her grip tightened he explored her mouth and she could feel the warmth in her spread to her extremities. All these years, this was right in front of her and she had been missing it.
Finally she pulled back gasping for air, "Wow," she uttered breathlessly.
His blue eyes flickered open, the same ones she'd been looking into for the past 20 years, just with heat bubbling below the surface, "Yeah," he grinned.
"Why weren't we doing that before?"
"I was just waiting for you to notice me."
She leaned in again as the Ferris wheel began to move again, "Sorry I was so slow," she whispered against his lips as she buried her hands into his blonde curls exchanging another searing kiss.
"You got here eventually," he grinned as they reached the bottom of the ride.
"Get what you need, kid?" Haymitch the carnie asked nodding at Peeta.
"You got us trapped on purpose?" Katniss scolded as she stepped off the gondola.
Peeta's blue eyes twinkled mischievously, "Perhaps…"
Katniss let out an unusually bubbly laugh and snaked her arm through Peeta's, "Can we go home and watch Netflix now?"
Peeta smiled brightly at her, "You can even wear your yoga pants."
"I think this is going to work Mellark," she said curling her finger under his chin and bringing his lips to hers.