Hello, dear readers! Here is the start of a new Everlark fanfic for you! It was inspired by a prompt submitted to everlarkedalways on Tumblr and I had to write it because I recently went to Manhattan Beach, so the scenery is all fresh in my mind. You can also now find me on Tumblr as shining-city. Hope you enjoy! Leave a review and let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

~Peeta~

I still couldn't believe I had done it. I had convinced Katniss Everdeen to move to California for me. Well, not for me exactly. For school. But I liked to think that part of the reason she agreed was to be with me too.

We had been friends since we were kids, both having grown up in a small town in West Virginia. We went to school together, too. It must have been some time around then that I'd developed a crush on her. The quiet, tough girl with dark hair and grey eyes. We had always been friends. Ever since she came to school one day in Kindergarten with no lunch. I had noticed, maybe because even back when I was only six years old, something drew me to her, and I moved over to her table to offer her half of my sandwich. Of course, even back then she was stubborn and tough as nails, so she wouldn't accept any charity from me. I had to play it off like I was too full to eat it.

From that day forward, we were friends. We rode the bus together to and from school and always sat together, sharing jokes and secrets, helping each other with homework. She was better at math and science and I was better at reading and writing, so she would help me with adding and subtracting while I helped her with grammar and spelling.

Even as we went into middle school and, eventually, high school we stayed friends. Still sat together on the bus. We would even see each other outside of school, hanging out in the woods or she would help out in my parents' cafe to earn a little extra money. Of course, only when mom wasn't around.

That was when I finally realized my feelings were stronger for her than I'd thought. I couldn't help that the feelings of friendship were giving way to...other...feelings. Going through puberty was the worst. I would have dreams about her that definitely crossed the boundary of friendship and caught myself more than once noticing her own physical changes brought on by puberty as well. But finally, once I was in high school, I got control of myself and the crazy hormones.

Even though I couldn't help feeling more for her than friendship, I never let it get in the way. I never even said anything to her. I didn't think she felt the same toward me and I didn't want to ruin what we had. I would just have to be content with the time we spent together in and out of school.

The summer before our junior year of high school, I had finally worked up the courage to tell her how I felt. She had been more friendly with me and I'd noticed she spent more time touching my shoulders or my arm during conversation. Maybe she felt the same way?

And then I got some of the worst news of my life. My parents were getting divorced, my dad was moving to California...and I was going with him. I had never felt so torn in my life. I guess I had always expected Mom and Dad to get divorced at some point. They argued constantly and Mom had been heavy-handed toward my older brothers and me more than a few times while we were growing up. There was obviously no love between them anymore...if there had ever been any in the first place. I wasn't even sure about that.

To be fair, Dad had given me the choice. He said I could stay with Mom in West Virginia or I could move to California. That's where he was from and he had family in the Manhattan Beach area still. He said I could help him start a new business there. I told him I would need time to think about it.

Of course, that time to think included talking to Katniss about it. I knew she would help me figure out what was best. I had texted her and asked if we could meet at our usual spot in the woods. She replied quickly and said she would see me there.

Thirty minutes later, we were sitting on our favorite large rock by the river. I had told her my news and waited quietly for her response, too afraid to look in her eyes. I knew this news would devastate her.

I was really the only friend she had. And I didn't mean that egotistically. It was just the truth. She wasn't exactly a warm person. I was one of the very few fortunate people that had gotten to know the soft side of Katniss Everdeen. Everyone else at school saw her as quiet and maybe even a little arrogant. I knew she wasn't actually full of herself, she was just uncomfortable meeting new people.

She rarely trusted anyone after her mom had left their family when Katniss was five years old and her sister Prim was barely a year. Their dad had taken to working two, sometimes three, shifts at work, and Katniss had been left to raise Prim. They were dirt poor and were barely able to put food on the table. That's why that day in Kindergarten, when I had offered Katniss part of my sandwich, she'd had nothing to eat.

Things had gotten better, though. Her dad's hard work at the mining company had paid off and he got a promotion working in the offices instead of the mine. It still wasn't much money, but it was better than it had been. I still offered her part of my lunch now and then, but those days had thankfully grown to be much fewer.

When Katniss finally spoke, I tore my eyes off of the rushing river and looked at her. There was definite sadness in her eyes but the rest of her features were strong. Probably more for her than for me.

"You should go with your dad, Peeta," she said softly. Did I imagine the glossiness her eyes seemed to take on?

I let out a breath. I knew she would say that. Part of me was hoping she'd ask me to stay. But I think we both knew that would be much worse for me. Things hadn't been easy with my mom even having my dad around, I couldn't imagine how much worse they'd be without him.

I finally nodded slowly.

"I know," I replied, barely above a whisper.

We sat in silence for a little while, listening to the river below us and the hundreds of sounds within the forest. It was almost peaceful, except for the nagging sadness. Suddenly, I felt Katniss taking my hand where it had been resting on the rock. I looked at her and saw a single tear leak out of her eye before she brushed it away quickly. I blinked back my own tears and squeezed her hand tightly.

I thought of all the things I wanted to say to her. How I'd been feeling and that I didn't want to leave her. But no words would come. And I felt like letting it all out now would only make this that much harder. So I held onto my feelings. But they never went away.

The morning Dad and I left, we were finishing up packing the van with our few belongings when Katniss pulled up in her dad's old pick-up. I wondered for the hundredth time how that thing was still running.

She parked at the curb and walked over to me to help me carry a box. Even though I wasn't struggling with it, I smiled at her anyway. I was glad she'd come to say goodbye.

After she helped me finish loading the last few things, we stood awkwardly behind the van on the driveway. Nothing had ever been awkward between Katniss and me. But this felt different. It was like we both knew we had a lot of things to say, but neither of us were brave enough to say them.

Finally, Katniss broke the silence.

"I brought something for you," she said, pulling something out of her back pocket.

"Oh, you didn't have to-"

But she cut me off, "It's not much."

She unfolded the piece of paper and revealed a picture of the two of us working behind the counter at my parents' cafe. We obviously hadn't known the picture was being taken, but I remembered that day well.

It was the day Katniss said she wanted to help me bake something before the cafe opened, instead of just working the register. We only baked a few loaves of bread because we ended up throwing flour at each other most of the time instead. When the store opened, I was setting the loaves out on the display counter while Katniss manned the register and we both couldn't stop laughing at the sight of the flour all over ourselves. It was in our hair, on our faces and clothes. It was one of the best days of my life. I was so glad someone had captured this moment.

"Where did you get this?" I asked breathlessly, gingerly taking the photo from her. I couldn't help the broad grin on my face.

She chuckled, fondly remembering the event as well. "Prim had come in that morning for coffee and thought it was funny too, so she took a picture. I had no idea until she gave it to me this morning."

I admired the photo a moment longer before looking up at her and putting it in my pocket. "Thank you," I said, enveloping her in a hug.

She hugged me tightly back. "I'll miss you, Peeta."

I squeezed her again. "I'll miss you too. You have no idea."

She pulled away and wiped her eyes. "We can keep in touch. This doesn't have to be the end."

I nodded, hoping that was true. But we were young. We hadn't even gone to college yet. I knew a lot of friendships were lost and changed after high school. I didn't tell her that, though.

"Of course," I replied. "Thank God for modern technology. With texting and social media it's almost impossible to not stay connected!"

She smiled and I saw the hope in her eyes.

"Do you think you'll come back to visit?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I hope so."

Her face fell and she looked down at her feet.

"Maybe you could come visit me," I said excitedly. "We're moving by the beach. You've never even gotten to see the ocean before, Katniss. Think how amazing that would be to see the ocean for the first time with me!"

She blushed a little but couldn't help the smile. "I would like that, Peeta. I really would."

It seemed there was a deeper meaning hidden behind her eyes, but before I had a chance to really understand what it meant, Dad was bounding out of the house.

"Ready to go, Peeta?" he called. "Hey, Katniss!"

Whatever had just passed between us was suddenly over.

"Hey, Mr. Mellark!" she called back. "I was just here to say goodbye."

"I'm glad you did," Dad replied, giving her a hug. "We'll miss you. You'll have to come visit some time!"

She smiled warmly at him. "I would love to."

With that, Dad got in the car. I hugged Katniss one last time and promised her, "I'll keep in touch. I will."

I felt her nod against my shoulder. As she slowly started to pull away, she planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

"You better," she said in a light-hearted voice. I knew she was trying to avoid the sadness that threatened to overwhelm us both.

My cheek was still tingling from where she kissed me and it felt so impossibly good, I suddenly just had to know. I had to know what her lips would feel like on mine. I gently took her face in both of my hands and kissed her on the lips. Not hard or even passionately. But just enough to leave her with something to remember me by.

I half expected her to pull away but she didn't. Her lips briefly molded into mine before we both pulled away, blushing.

"Bye, Katniss," I said, squeezing her hand one last time before walking around the van to get into the passenger seat.

She looked stunned and barely got out the word "bye" before I closed the door and Dad drove away.

That was two years ago now. We had kept in touch. We texted and emailed and chatted on social media. We even talked on the phone every once in awhile. We never brought up that kiss though. And we never brought up anything related to dating. I had gone on a few first dates but nothing ever stuck. None of them were Katniss. I was too afraid of the answer to ask her if she had dated anyone.

We only talked about safe subjects. Like how her family was doing, how the Mellark Cafe was doing since Dad and I had opened it just up the street from the Manhattan Beach Pier, approaching graduation, what majors we were considering for college.

One day we were talking on the phone, when I asked where she was looking to go to college. She said she wasn't really sure and asked me the same thing.

"I decided to go to USC," I replied. "To major in architecture."

"Really? Don't you have to be good at math to major in architecture?" she replied jokingly.

"Good one, Everdeen. But my math skills have significantly improved since elementary school. Thanks to some nerdy girl," I joked back.

"So what you're saying is it's all thanks to this girl that you're even able to major in something that pays as well as architecture. She might demand a portion of your salary. With interest."

I loved when we bantered like this. We always ended up cracking up at the end. God, I missed her.

"You should come with me," I suddenly blurted out, surprising her and myself.

"To USC?" she finally asked, a little hesitantly.

"Yeah!" I replied, trying to sound more confident in my suggestion. "You said you were considering social work, right? They have a program for that! And you've never been able to visit me out here. Katniss, you've still never even seen the ocean. But if you go to college here, you could see it every day!"

She didn't respond. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad yet.

"If you're worried about a job, my dad would definitely hire you on at the cafe. And there are some apartments above it that he just bought and wanted to rent out. You could live there!"

I couldn't help the excitement that crept into my voice. But the possibility of being with Katniss every day again made it difficult to restrain myself.

She hesitated a moment longer before saying, "I guess I could talk to my dad about it. And schedule a college visit."

I almost dropped my phone, I could barely contain my happiness.

"Yes! Talk to your dad!" I replied. "And you could stay with us! We've got some extra room!"

She laughed. "Settle down, Mellark. Nothing is set in stone yet."

"I know. But...I'm just so glad you're considering it. And that I'll get to see you for the first time since I said goodbye to you." I hoped that comment would remind her of the kiss I had left her with that day.

I think it did because I could have sworn I heard her gulp through the phone.

~Katniss~

I was a little overwhelmed by the crowds once Dad and I landed at LAX. Our little town in West Virginia probably didn't even have as many people as were in the airport. We worked our way through the crowds to the digital screens showing which baggage claim to go to. Once we'd identified it, I texted Peeta to meet us there.

My Dad and I were able to successfully maneuver through the crowds and eventually found our baggage claim. I held my breath as we drew closer. Waiting to see that dark blonde hair and his smiling face waiting for us.

It had only been two years since I'd seen Peeta, but it felt like longer. A lot had happened after he left. We had graduated from high school and made new friends. Well, that was more of an assumption I'd made about him. He'd never actually said that he'd made new friends, probably to spare my feelings, but I knew him too well. He was too kind and outgoing to not make new friends. Even before he moved, sometimes I would wonder how someone like him was friends with someone like me. I'm sure a lot of other people at school had wondered the same thing. Why the good-looking, friendly son of successful business-owners was close pals with the quiet, unsociable, poor girl. Everybody liked him. Except Gale. But I didn't want to think about him right now. It would only put a damper on my mood.

Suddenly, I spotted him. He hadn't seen me yet. He was checking his phone, probably making sure he was at the right baggage claim. I smiled as I realized he was switching his weight from foot to foot nervously. I was glad he was nervous too.

I took advantage of seeing him before he saw me and looked him over. He was a little taller and more muscular. He told me on the phone once that he'd picked up surfing since he moved out here. I told him I'd always wanted to learn how to surf and he promised that if I ever came to visit, he would teach me. I hoped he remembered that promise.

His face was pretty much the same. Maybe his jaw was a little more defined, but his hair, eyes and lips hadn't changed. When I noticed them, all of the feelings of his goodbye kiss came rushing back to me. I had tried not to think about it over the past couple of years, but I had. More times than I cared to admit. It gave me a weird, but not unpleasant, feeling in my stomach and made my heart race. I had never gone so far as to analyze what all that meant, though. It was too hard to think about since he had moved. But if I came to college here…

Suddenly, he spotted us. His whole face lit up and he smiled so wide I thought his cheeks would start to bleed. I couldn't help but smile back. I tried not to, but my feet seemed to go of their own accord, and, before I even realized it, I was running toward him.

When I reached him, I crashed into him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. For a moment, I worried that he was going to fall over but he managed to stay upright and held me back tightly. His warm, strong arms wrapping around my middle. All the nerves where his fingers touched my back seemed to ignite. I had missed this. I had missed him. I knew I wasn't going to be the first to let go.

Finally, he pulled away from me to shake my dad's hand and offer him a greeting. I wasn't even sure what he said, though. My mind was all fuzzy from the way his one hand had stayed wrapped around my waist.

I looked at him and smiled. He smiled back.

"I'm so glad you're here! I have so much to show you!" he said excitedly.

"I'm glad too! I missed you," I replied, wrapping one of my arms around him too.

Somehow, his smile widened even more.

Our luggage finally made its way around the carousel and, of course, Peeta wouldn't even let me touch mine. He carried mine and even offered to carry Dad's. Dad smiled and thanked him but said he was fine.

"Dad's parked just out here, waiting for us," Peeta stated as he led us toward the automatic sliding doors.

Sure enough, Mr. Mellark was waiting in a new silver Toyota Camry. He got out when he saw us approaching.

"Finally upgraded from that old van, I see," I chuckled at Peeta.

He scoffed. "Yeah, the van finally died. Darn it," he said sarcastically, snapping his fingers.

"Hi, Everdeens!" Mr. Mellark said as he came around the car to greet us.

Dad shook his hand and stated, "Thanks so much for letting us stay with you, Graham. We were having a hard time finding a reasonably priced hotel."

"No problem at all!" Mr. Mellark replied, patting him on the shoulder. "We're glad to have you!"

I knew he meant that sincerely. Peeta was so much like his dad. Kind, warm, genuine.

"Good to see you, Katniss!" he said, stepping to me and giving me a hug.

"You too!"

"Well, let's get you two back to our place to get situated and then we can show you around," Mr. Mellark said, opening the trunk of his car and taking our luggage from Dad and Peeta.

The day was quite a whirlwind of sight-seeing. I think Mr. Mellark was just as excited to show us around as Peeta was. First, though, they insisted on taking us to In-and-Out Burger. I had never heard of it, but apparently it's only found on the West Coast so they insisted we had to try it.

When we were done, the Mellark men stared at us from across the table, waiting for our reactions. It was comical how similar they looked, their big blue eyes staring in anticipation. Dad and I laughed and said it was delicious. My favorite part was the chocolate shake, though. I think I could have had eight of those.

They took us all around Los Angeles and Hollywood the rest of the day. Although, by dinner time, Dad and I were getting pretty worn out. The time change was really wearing on us in addition to all the walking and new views.

Thankfully, the Mellark men were also intuitive and figured out we were exhausted.

"I think that's enough for today, Peet, don't you?" Mr. Mellark asked as we drove back to their home in Manhattan Beach.

Peeta immediately picked up on it and said, "Yeah, L.A. is a lot to take in in one day." He was sitting next to me in the back seat and turned to smile at me. "I'd really like to show Katniss the ocean, though."

Suddenly, I didn't feel so tired.

"Oh, of course!" Mr. Mellark said. "Do you want me to drop you off at the cafe to get something to eat and then you can walk down to the beach?"

"That would be great. Thanks, Dad."

The drive to the cafe was full of little beach houses, palm trees and glimpses of what looked like a giant moving reflection of the sky. I guessed that had to be the ocean.

We finally reached the cafe and Peeta and I got out of the car, thanking his dad.

"Just text me when you want me to come pick you up," he hollered out of the car window as he drove away.

I could already smell the ocean on the air. Salty and sweet. The breeze felt amazing flowing through my hair.

"Come on, I'll show you the cafe and we can get something to eat before we head down to watch the sunset," Peeta said, placing his hand on my back gently.

I followed him into the Cafe and was immediately greeted with the smell of coffee and pastries that so reminded me of when we worked together at the cafe in West Virginia. I didn't realize how much I'd missed this smell until now.

"Hey Peeta!" the red-headed girl at the cash register greeted him.

"Hey, Annie!" he greeted back. "How's it going?"

"Good! Can I get you anything?"

Peeta looked at me for a second, and then must have decided that he would order for me. So he ordered both of us a chicken salad sandwich and coconut iced coffees.

"Coconut?" I asked him skeptically.

"It's good, I promise," he replied with a wink.

I shrugged and decided to trust him. He hadn't steered me wrong yet. At least when it came to food.

Fifteen minutes later, I was licking the chicken salad remnants from my fingers and slurping every last drop of the iced coffee through the straw.

"Okay, you were right. That was delicious," I said, leaning back in my chair contentedly.

He smiled. "Glad you liked it. You ready to go to the beach now? It's almost sunset."

I nodded eagerly as he stood up and threw our trash away, then I followed him out the door.

He wasn't kidding when he said the cafe was right up the street from the pier. We had a gorgeous view of the ocean the whole way down the hill. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but the orange and pink hues were already starting to play in the reflection of the water.

I was mesmerized the whole time and barely heard a word Peeta was saying to me as we walked toward the pier.

When we finally reached it, he asked, "Do you want to watch the sunset from here or from down there?" He pointed down to the beach where the waves were lapping at the shore.

"Down there!"

He led us down to the sand and advised me to take my shoes off before we stepped off the concrete sidewalk.

"It's just easier without them," he explained. "Plus, you'll get sand in them anyway, and trust me, it's not a pleasant feeling."

So we both took off our shoes and carried them. The moment my bare feet hit the sand, I couldn't help but sigh. It was still warm from the sun and felt like a little massage on my feet, the way it molded around my heels and toes.

It was surprisingly challenging to walk in the deep sand, though, and I struggled to maintain my balance at first. Peeta noticed and offered his hand. I didn't really need him for balance at that point, but I took his hand anyway. Did he notice the sparks that tingled between our fingers?

When we finally reached the edge of the water, I let out a breath.

"It's so beautiful," I whispered.

"Yeah," he whispered back. But he wasn't looking at the water.

I turned my face to hide my blush from him.

"Do you want to get in?" he asked.

"In my clothes?"

He laughed. "No, I mean, just your feet," he elaborated.

"Oh," I chuckled. "Yeah."

We both took a step together into the darker, wet sand where the tide was swelling. The first gentle wave of water that hit my feet was a little shocking. It was chilly and I could feel all the little grains of sand rushing over, under and around my feet. When the tide pulled back out, I noticed my feet were buried in the sand.

"This is amazing!" I said.

"Let's go out a little more," he suggested, rolling up his pant legs so they wouldn't get wet.

I did the same, and then we both took a few more steps into the water, letting it rush around our legs and ankles. I was entranced by the feeling of the ocean. Even here, in the shallows, I could feel the power and mystery of it. I knew Peeta was watching me, but I pretended not to notice.

"Oh, hey, the sun's setting," he said quietly, running his fingers down the back of my arm.

We turned our heads to watch the sun set. I didn't think there had ever been anything so beautiful as a sunset on the beach. The colors of the sky reflected in the ocean waters, turning everything into soft shades of orange, gold, purple and pink. It was breathtaking.

Peeta and I watched it in companionable silence, letting the waves continue to lap over our feet.

"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever," he stated quietly, as if he were sharing a secret with me.

I looked into his eyes that reflected the sunset just like the ocean waters, before I replied, "Me too."