Peeta or Cheese Buns?
Katniss POV
The smell of cheese buns. Ooooooh, so delicious I'm getting hungry! Again, it leads me to Peeta's doorstep.
I came in and said, "Hey Peeta," as I headed to the kitchen. I wasn't surprised at all to see him baking. I stood with my back against the counter and asked him what he's baking.
"Heeeey m'Katniss," he said, facing and smiling at me. "You see, I'm here baking you some of your favourite cheese buns."
"Ooh cheese buns, sounds good," I tell him. "You know I'm gonna take them home, right?"
"Of course. I baked them all for you," he tells me.
"I don't know why, but you've always kept me well-fed."
"I don't want to see you the way you looked when I first gave you bread that rainy day."
"Because I looked so helpless. Right?"
"Yeah. But now, I'm not gonna keep you full with my cheese buns."
"Why? That's unusual."
"No silly, I'm also gonna keep you full with my love."
"Ooooooh I see. Tsk, you're just trying to get a kiss from me, aren't you?"
"A bit."
I shook my head and walked away from him, but he got me by the waist and spun me around. I squealed and he laughed.
"Let's go to the lake tomorrow," said Peeta.
"Okay! Just make sure to bring us lunch."
"Of course, I will," he tells me with a smile.
The next day…..
The sunlight from my window woke me up. I suddenly remembered that Peeta and I are going to the lake later. I decided to go to his house, to wake him and get some of my cheese buns. I took a bath, dressed up and headed to his house.
"Peeta," I called as I stepped into his house. I smell bread. I walked to the kitchen and there he was, baking.
"Hey Peeta," I called.
"Oh, hey Katniss," he said, kneading some dough.
"Why aren't you still dressed?"
"Why? For what?"
"We're supposed to go to the lake today, right?"
"OH! How could I forget?" Oh nooooooooooo," he said, burying his face in his hands.
"Yeah, how could you forget? You were the one who said we're going."
"Katniss, I'm so sorry. I just had to bake some bread to sell."
"Yeah, yeah, but this happened a few times already. And I don't like it."
"Look, I'm really sorry about this. I promise to make it up to you as soon as I'm done."
"Forget it."
I went back to my house. I didn't talk to Peeta for the past few days. I'm starting to get jealous between him and his baking, you know. I know it sounds weird, but he forgets to spend time with me because he's busy having picnics with his baking and it's annoying me.
I was sitting on the couch, eating cheese buns and suddenly thought of a crazy idea. I thought that I'd make Peeta jealous with his cheese buns. He knows I love them a lot, so I'll try to pretend that the cheese buns are more important to me than the one who baked them.
I got up to my feet and went to Peeta's house to execute my evil plan. Mwahahahaha!
I knocked at his door, and he opened. I think he was a bit shocked to see me. He made a gesture that signals me to come in.
"So do you have any of your cheese buns?" I say, sitting down on the couch.
"Yeah, I baked some early this morning. I'll bring some for you."
"Sure."
"Wait here."
I waited for a few moments, and then Peeta finally came back, holding a small plate of cheese buns in his hand. He settled it down on the table and we ate them.
While I was eating, Peeta broke the long silence. He tells me, "Hey Katniss, I hope you've forgiven me for what I did the last time."
"Of course I do. If I lose you, I'll also lose my beloved cheese buns forever," I say. But I thought, I don't wanna lose my cheese buns because I'm gonna use them as a weapon against you, mwahahaha.
Peeta tries to strike up a conversation we usually have, but I don't reply or just give a short one. You know, for him to be annoyed. And I sometimes bring up stuff all about cheese buns like, "Yeah, but I never really noticed how good your cheese buns are," and "Yeah, but these cheese buns are better than anything else." Sometimes, he just keeps quiet and I can sense he's getting annoyed by my cheese bun obsession. MY PLAN IS WORKING.
I kept doing that for days, and finally, Peeta, as I wanted to, confronted me.
"Katniss, what's going on with you and your cheese bun obsession? You know, I'm getting scared of it. You act so, just so….. unusual. Could you just be straight with what's wrong?" he asks me, his expression very serious. I can sense his determination to know what's up with the game I'm playing with him.
"So… what's wrong? Maybe your picnics with your baking stuff and totally forgetting me and what we're supposed to do," I tell him, looking him in the eye.
"You never really got over it, didn't you?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Well, it is, but you could've just told me, not like this."
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"C'mon."
"No."
"Ooooooh. So you're jealous of me and my baking? How about this: I'm also jealous of Gale because instead of spending time with me here last Sunday morning, you were out there with him and he's probably trying to get you again to run off to the woods and live together."
And with that, I suddenly felt a rage of anger. He's brought up that whole Gale thing again. I don't like it. I don't like it at all.
"Why are you bringing this up again? That was a long time ago!" I yell at him, and I could feel my blood rising to my cheeks.
"Oooooooooh. I don't care if that was a long time ago. What I care about is why you are being so jealous about me and my baking and with you suddenly being obsessed with cheese buns and even putting it up every time I talk to you properly. We all know that this is my job."
"Fine! I had this little obsession with your cheese buns because I was just trying to ignore you and make you jealous with my obsession. Just like how you made me jealous with your baking."
"Well, you could've just told me that! This whole thing is just damn stupid." he said, walking out the door. I followed him outside.
"Peeta! Wait up!"
"Why would I?"
"Because I'm really sorry for what I did. It was so stupid, so shallow —"
"Good that you know that it was stupid and shallow."
"C'mon Peeta. I'm really sorry but why wouldn't you just drop this now? I knew it wasn't a good idea. But you brought up the Gale thing again, and I just got so…. so mad."
He took a deep breath then faced me with a frown on his face.
"Then why wouldn't you just drop this whole jealousy thing against me and my baking now and JUST MARRY ME TO TOP IT ALL OFF?" he said, yelling the last part.
"Okay then, I'll marry you! In fact I would really marry you because of the Capitol and to convince President Snow, AND I'M ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION WITH ALL OF MY SINCERITY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO MARRY YOU!" I yelled back.
We just stood there for a while, facing and staring at each other.
"Oh shoot. Did I just propose to you?" said Peeta, with a shocked expression.
I tried to recall what happened earlier. And yes, he did propose to me. And I accepted it.
"Yes, you did."
"And did you just accept it?"
"Yes, I did," I say, feeling that familiar churn in my stomach, blood rising to my cheeks, smile tugging at the corner of my lips.
"How stupid could I be? Ooooooh no, I've got to do this the right way," said Peeta, his hands searching his pockets for something. When he found it, he walked towards me and got down on one knee. That was the moment my heart started to beat so fast.
"Katniss Everdeen," he said, looking into my eyes, "the girl who I took a beating for to give her some bread to live, the girl who volunteered as tribute for her sister, the girl on fire, the girl tribute from District 12 in the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, the girl who impressed the Gamemakers, the girl who took care for me during the 74th Hunger Games when I was badly hurt, the girl who sings like a mockingjay, the girl who led the rebellion against the Capitol and President Snow, the girl who rescued me from being tortured and losing myself, the girl who loves my cheese buns so bad, the girl who calmed me down if I'm having a nightmare just by being there at my side, the girl who gave me a reason to wake up and go on with life, the girl who makes me smile and my heart race, the girl whom I've waited for so long, the girl I've always loved and always will until forever ends, will you be my beloved Mrs. Mellark?"
I felt the tears threatening to fall. But even before they do, I finally said with a big smile on my face, "Yes, I will be your beloved Mrs. Mellark."
Peeta got up to his feet, slipped the ring on my finger and kissed me softly. I broke away, smiling at him. I looked down at my ring and I noticed something.
"Is this the pearl you gave me in the Quarter Quell on the beach?" I asked him, looking at the ring.
He smiled and said, "Yes, I knew one day that would come in handy. And now it did."
"It's beautiful, Peeta. This must've cost you a fortune," I sigh. He knows how much money means to me and that I don't like luxury too much.
"It's okay, it didn't hurt that much. I've been saving up for this, because I really wanted it to be special. And you deserve this, you know," he tells me, brushing a strand of hair away from my face.
"Thank you very much for this, Peeta. You don't know how much you've made me happy."
"It's nothing. This is why I was born. I was born to make you happy."
We just hugged there for a long while, until I finally tell him, "I think we should tell Haymitch about this."
He laughed. "Of course, he's got to know, after all."
There they walked, hand in hand, feeling at the top of the world, ready to take on anything together as one, opening a brand new chapter in their lives.