Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
And he said, "Would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me?
I'm feeling a little low."
She said, "I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go."
Katniss hastily rebraids her long dark hair and ties it off with a small ribbon as she stands in the back of the café waiting on her latest order. The café is slow today and she is bored out of her mind. Thankfully it is a Saturday so she did not have school before her shift. She hated everything about the waitressing job- the outfit, the customers, her grouchy coworkers. She only kept the job to keep the bills paid at home; after her father died, money had been tight around the Everdeen household. Her mom's midwifery income just wasn't enough so Katniss had picked up the waitressing job as soon as she turned sixteen. The hours were long but the tips were decent and she knew it was a means to an end. When things were slow, like today, she daydreamed about how different her future could be if she could just get out of this sleepy little town. She dreamed of being a botanist, studying the flora of the world. But her dreams were out of reach and she filed her fanciful thoughts away as she picked up the order and slapped a fake smile on her face as she delivered the food to the waiting customers.
As she left the table, she saw that a new customer had made their way in and sat down. A young, blond man in army greens was sitting in a booth alone. He was handsome in all the usual ways but he simply looked too young to be headed off to war. She made her way over to take his order, attempting to keep the fake smile on her weary face.
" Hello there, what can I get for you?" startled Peeta out of his thoughts. He looked up at the waitress with the soft, melodic voice. She was slim and young with long dark hair wrapped in a thick braid that hung down over her shoulder with a red ribbon holding the end. She had large, expressive grey eyes surveying him over high cheekbones and her forced smile was pleasant enough despite her obvious disdain for her job. He found her very pretty and a blush started to creep up from under the collar of his stiff new army uniform.
"Just a Coke and a cup of soup please," he softly replied without meeting her eyes. She jotted the order down and with silent footsteps, headed toward the kitchen. He inwardly chastised himself; a pretty waitress simply takes your order and you turn into a blushing, bumbling fool? How on earth are you going to fight the Vietcong if you can't even talk to a pretty girl? As his mind reminded him of why he was here today he cringed. Joining the army had not been his plan. He had hoped to take over the bakery from his father and assumed he would work there until that time. His conniving mother had put an end to that plan; as soon as he graduated high school she had given him the ultimatum: join the army and get out of her house or she would kick him out and make sure the bakery never became his. He had little to no choice- he would be homeless if he had not chosen the army. He had no money to attend college and to be honest, it didn't really appeal to him either. His choice was simple but his heart was not in it. Regardless, on his 18th birthday he found himself at the war office joining up and now, 2 days later he was waiting to board a bus to learn to fight. This bothered him the most. He was a man of peace, not war. He was not sure how he would ever learn to fire a weapon at another human but he was leaving on a Greyhound bus this evening bound to figure it out. The clink of glass against Formica brought him back to the present as the waitress set down his drink, a genuine smile on her face this time. She sat it down in front of him and as he looked up to thank her, he saw her nametag: Katniss.
"Thank you, ma'am", he said with a small smile of his own.
"Your food will be out soon," she replied and with another small smile, she was gone again.
As Katniss waited for the cup of soup to be ready, she contemplated the young soldier. He could not be more than eighteen and his soft smile and kind eyes did not look like they belonged to a fighter. She estimated that he was drafted or joined up out of a misplaced feeling of duty to his country. Her heart ached at the thought of yet another young American boy off to war that may never come back or if he did, never to be the same again. She made her way to his table with his cup of soup and a heaping plate of oyster crackers (she had added more than usual figuring it was the last he would have for a while). When she came to his table, she realized her smile was for once, utterly genuine; there was something special about this blond boy. He looked up at her with a smile and she set the soup down and asked if he needed anything else. His reply surprised her,
" I need someone to talk to. I'm feeling a little low," came his bold voice. Katniss thought for a second as she stared into his sincere blue eyes. She believed him; a young man off to war all by himself probably just needed a listening ear before he got on that bus.
"I am off work in an hour. I know where we can go to talk. Is that okay?" she replied with a smile. His relief spread over his kind face like a wave.
"That sounds great. Thank you, Katniss," he said with a soft smile when he used her given name.
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
By the time Katniss shed her apron and escaped the pungent café, the blond man had long since finished eating but spent the rest of the time sitting in the booth looking pensive. She had kept his coke full and gave him a warm smile whenever she bustled by. When they exited the café, he held the door like a true gentleman. As Katniss led the way, she turned to him,
"So I just realized I don't even know your name." He looked up at her and blushed in obvious embarrassment.
"Peeta Mellark," came his quick reply.
"Any relation to the bakery?" she asked, remembering seeing his last name above the bakery she passed regularly but never had enough money to enter.
"It's the family business," came his stilted reply and she saw a dark look cross his face.
They fell into companionable silence as she let him down the path toward the pier. It was a quiet afternoon and there was no one else around. She led him down to the end of the pier and they settled down with legs hanging over the edge as soft waves lapped at the shore below them. This was one of her favorite places to think. Once there, Katniss turned and looked at this young man she didn't even know. He had said he needed to talk… she was no much of a talker so she was content to just listen. He stared down at the waves as he started to speak.
"I don't really want to go to war. I want to run the bakery but my older brothers already work there and I was not necessary. It was my mom's idea for me to join up actually. She is happy to be rid of me." Katniss was taken aback by this. What kind of mother would encourage her son off to war? Her heart ached for Peeta and he spoke again.
"I don't want to kill people. I don't even understand this war." She reached out and took his hand. She was not normally one for physical contact but there was just something about him.
"You know what I love most? Decorating cakes. It's like art and it makes people so happy."
"are the cakes in the window at the bakery yours?" She asks.
"Usually. I am the one who likes it the most so they let me do them usually."
"I drool over those cakes every day when I walk past. They are incredible. You are very talented," she told him honestly. He smiled at this and that blush creeped up again. Sensing that he may be out of words, she decided to tell him some of her own life.
"I hate the diner if you couldn't tell. I never wanted to work there but after my dad died, we needed extra money. It is horrible but it makes ends meet."
"What would you rather do?" he asks curiously.
"I want to be a botanist and research flora. The forest is my favorite place." He smiles at this.
"You seem to be the outdoor type. Can I ask you one more question?" came his reply. She nods.
"Is there a boyfriend that might come knock me off this pier for talking to his girl?" She laughs out loud at this.
"Not even remotely. No boys like me," came her firm reply and he blushed again. He could not believe this. She was much to pretty to not have boys lining up.
The sun began to get lower in the sky as they sat on that pier and went from strangers to confidents much easier than either had ever done before. Finally, Peeta looked down at his watch and said,
"I have to board the bus soon." Katniss sighed. She could not imagine this sweet boy who loved baking heading off to war to fight. She looked up to meet his soft blue eyes.
"Thank you for this, Katniss. I know we just met but could I send you letters? I don't really feel the need to send them to my family and there's just no one else I care about." Katniss looked at him and felt something tug within her.
"Of course. I would be honored to read your letters and I might even write back," this earned a small smile from Peeta. He looked out over the ocean again,
"This is my favorite time of day… that's my favorite color," he said pointing to the soft orange on the horizon.
"Mine is green, like the forest." Katniss replied, still unsure why she felt so comfortable with this boy she barely knows. She stood up and dusted her skirt and watched as Peeta gave one more long look into the horizon before following her back to the bus stop in a silence full of the weight of the moment.
The distraction was over, he was going to war. Talking with her had been lovely and keep his mind from the inevitable for a little while. She even was allowing him to write to her. This surprised him the most as girls usually were not interested in him. He internally chastised himself; she was only doing it to be nice. Either way he was happy and was looking forward to writing to her. She was very pretty but more so than that, he was drawn to her personality. She had a quiet strength that drew him in. She was a great listener and something about her just made him feel better about things.
Katniss waited with him as the bus pulled in and travelers disembarked. Peeta seemed to grow more and more agitated as the moment grew near. She reached out and grasped his hand, feeling callouses from his bakery work.
"Stay safe, okay? I am expecting letters," she said with a smile.
"I will try. After all, I have to come back and make you one of those cakes you like so much," he replied with a smile of his own. The driver called for final boarding and Peeta looked deep into her eyes before bringing her hand to his lips for a soft kiss.
"See you later Katniss. Thank you for taking the time today."
And then he was gone in a cloud of dust as the greyhound pulled away. Katniss turned for home while she mulled over how her day had started out mundane and normal and ended very differently. She never anticipated that she would meet a soldier and agree to write to him. She was honestly surprised at her own actions but still, there was something about him. He seemed so inherently kind and good… and the all American good looks didn't hurt either. She kept on walking with a small smile on her face, a small ache in her heart and a tingle on her hand where his lips had touched her skin.
Peeta had settled in on the rattling bus with nerves in his mind but more peace in his heart. He was shown kindness today by the pretty little waitress and through he didn't understand why, he was very happy to have someone at home waiting for his letters.
Thank you for reading. Let me know thoughts in the comments... next chapter will be up soon-ish!