My mom just moved out last week after explaining to me that she just couldn't handle living here any longer. It's just the fact that Prim and my father..so I've been down in the dumps according to Peeta. He's invited me over this afternoon and night for some surprise. He told me to wear my pjs and bring whatever I sleep with. This is crazy, but he says I should just trust him so I do.
I decided to bring the blanket my mom made for Prim when she was a baby. I can't seem to sleep without it. Her smell is etched into it and it's all I have left of her. I carefully unbraid my hair so it falls down in waves. I slip on some stripped shorts and a tank top. I grab one of Peeta's sweatshirts that I've kind of made my own and put on a pair of these vintage boots Cinna sent me called Uggs. Apparently they were popular back then. Before heading out the door I spray some vanilla scented perfume on and head out.
I hurry down the street for the cold is making my face hurt. I open the door to Peeta's house and slam it behind me. "You'd think we lived in district 1 with weather like this!"
"Well hello to you too" Peeta says, looking as charming as ever, even in pjs.
"Oh ya, hi" i say still trying to catch my breath.
"Hey is that mine!" He says laughing pointing to the sweatshirt.
"I'm pretty sure you gave it to me Mellark!"
"Well let's not get fiesty!" He says with a chuckle and putting his hands up in surrender. With that i wrap my arms around his torso and bury my face into his shirt.
"I've missed you" i say with a sigh.
In response he wraps his arms around me and kisses me on my head and rests his chin on top of my head. "Is it that or are you just cold?" He says laughing.
"both!" I say proudly.
"well then Ms. Everdeen, I can say things haven't been the same without you around here."
With that he lets go and grabs my hand, leading me into the living room where there are tons of blankets and pillows.
"Oh my what might this be?" I say placing Prim's blanket on the sofa.
"Would you do me the pleasure of making a fort with me?" He asks genuinely.
"Why i'd love too"
We push the furniture together and drape blankets over the top. I place most the pillows inside and carefully place Prim's blanket inside.
"done!" We both say at the same time. We exchange a smile.
"well I haven't seen that smile in a while" Peeta says happily.
he's right. I haven't much cracked a smile since my mother left. Even though I didn't mind her leaving, it hurt that she abandoned me for district 2. Ever since she left I'd been lying to Peeta about why he couldn't see me. I was a mess and i didn't want him to feel responsible so I came up with every excuse in the book, until today he insisted on seeing me. I even denied him to come over at night nor did I ask.
I get a slight chill and hurry inside the fort we've built. I grab Prim's blanket and wrap it securely around me. Peeta soon joins me and i curl up next to him.
"How's your week been?" I ask.
"Alright, didn't have much going on at the bakery. How about you?"
What should I say? I contemplate. Tell him the truth or give him a pretty little lie? Before I know it, I'm brought back to reality by the sound of his voice.
"Kat?" He says worried.
"Oh sorry, what'd you say?"
"are you okay?" He asks.
"oh I'm just fine" i say.
"well how was your week is what I asked"
"oh well i mean it was okay"
"Did you get any hunting done?"
"No not really, I wasn't much up for it."
"well that is quite unlike you..really what's up Kat? When I've talked to you on the phone you sounded pretty upset"
"I mean it wasn't really a great week." I finally say.
"what hap..." To avoid this conversation I kiss him softly in the middle of his sentence.
"Now what are we having for dinner?" I ask a little too sweetly.
"wait what?" He says confused.
mission accomplished.
"dinner?" I say to refresh his memory.
"you're not gunna get outta this conversation so easily sweetheart, but to answer your question, no dinner, but breakfast."
"i have to wait all night?' I pout.
"no, no you've missed the point, we're having breakfast for dinner" he says with a smirk.
"oh how exciting" i say.
I snuggled closer to him, feeling sleepy. I yawn and he says, "Kat do you realize how early it is?"
"nuh uh" i shake my head.
"well to early for you to be asleep!"
"Let me just take a little nap, please? I haven't slept much." I say yawning again.
"alright fine, but ill go make breakfast-dinner, and ill wake you when I'm done."
"no" I say laying my head on his chest so he can't leave.
"But Kat, I have too."
"Please?" I plead.
"alright fine" he chuckles.
Peeta's POV:
Whenever I'm with her it doesn't take her long to fall asleep. Since she left her hair out today I begin to play with her hair. I twirled it around my finger and watch her sleep. She looks so small when she's asleep, so fragile that I feel if i don't watch her someone might take her away from me. She begins to tense up a bit. I sense she's having a nightmare. I quickly grab her hand and rub the back of it with my thumb while whispering in her ear.
"It's alright sweetheart. It's just a dream. Shhh."
Seeing her cry breaks my heart, so.I try to avoid it as much as possible. She wakes up moments later and sits up a bit, careful not to let go of my hand.
I do the same in response and she just looks at me with those beautiful grey eyes. I can't help but kiss her forehead gently. I lead her into the kitchen and I sit her on one of the stools. When I turn to walk away she doesn't let go of my hand and only says, "no." So I bring her into the kitchen with me. She's usually like this after one of her dreams about losing me, so i don't argue.
I pull out all the ingredients to make waffles. Cheese buns, and cinnamon rolls. Before letting go of her hand I kiss the back of it. She doesn't leave my side but stays close, watching me prepare the food. "What's that?" She says softly.
"you'll see" I wink and touch her nose with my flour covered fingers.
"hey!" She yells.
"oops did i do that? Silly me!" I say innocently.
she comes up and rubs her nose on my sleeve.
"last time I checked, I wasn't a tissue!" I exclaim.
she giggles and steps back as I put all of the stuff in the oven. She places her finger into some flour and writes "katniss loves ?"
"hey!" I say. She giggles and hovers her finger above looking like she's about to write a G before i grab her. She's laughing really hard now but I hold her to me.
"what do you love?" I ask chuckling.
"CHEESEBUNS!" She says laughing.
Before i get a chance to finish our game, the timer goes off on the oven. I take out all of the items and instruct Katniss to put icing on the cinnamon rolls. She trys to eat some but i catch her red handed.
"what?" She says innocently.
"you've got a little something on the corner of your mouth." I say and kiss it off. She blushes and finishes putting the icing on the cinnamon rolls.
I make plates for the both of us and head over to the table. She runs up and hugs me to say thank you.
"oh, now you love me?" I say sarcastically rolling my eyes.
"I don't know, maybe" she giggles and goes for the cheesebuns first.
"hey Peeta, look what's happening out there!"
I turn around to see, but i don't see anything.
"what was it?", I say turning back to her.
"oh i guess you missed it", she shrugs and slightly laughs.
"katniss.."
"yes?" She replies.
"you wanna explain to me what happened to my cheese bun?"
she giggles and I get up and rush over to her and pick her up, slinging her over my shoulder.
"PEETA PUT ME DOWN!" She screams.
"okay" i say placing her gently on the sofa and throw a pillow at her.
"Are you sure you want to challenge a victor to a pillow fight?" She questions.
"If your okay with being beat by a former career, then sure" I smile.
She hurls a pillow at my face. We continue to throw pillows till she pins me down.
"Now who's the winner!" I roll her over and pin her down.
"me!" I say proudly.
I give her a hand up and we shake in a truce. She begins to shiver and I follow her into our fort. I sit next to her and pull her onto my lap where she lays back and has her head on my chest.
"Now Kat, what were we discussing earlier?"
"I mean, I really don't remember"
"come on or I'm gunna challenge you to another pillow fight!" She laughs at this.
"well about my mom." She says.
"what about your mom?" I say confused. "She knows you're here right?"
"well not exactly" she says playing with my fingers.
"Katniss why not? She's probably worried sick!"
"She doesn't care anymore."
"what?"
"She left."
"but I just saw her.."
"She left me last week. She went to two."
"Why didn't you tell me you were alone?"
"I didn't want you to feel responsible.."
I hug her as tight as i can, but she removes one of my hands so she can continue playing with my fingers.
"Is that's what's been bothering you?"
she nods and then wipes something off her face. She's crying.
"sweetheart, look at me"
she shakes her head. So I kiss the top of her head and rest my chin on her head.
"it's alright, shhh, don't cry" I say rubbing the back of her hand.
she sniffles for a bit, and then stops.
"I'm okay" she says giving my hand a squeeze.
"its getting late" i say yawning. She nods in agreement. I slide her off my lap and go to turn off the lights around us.
"No!" She yells from the fort. I forgot she's afraid of the dark. Ever since her father died she never liked being in the dark. I leave one little light on and join her back in the fort.
"its alright I'm here" I say.
like gravity she comes toward me. "Its too dark" she whines.
I just pull her close to me and rub her back. She starts to fall asleep so i do too. This is what are days are made up of. Getting through everyday together and that's all about us.