But Loving Him Was Red

by Everybody's Starry Eyed

"You met me at an amusement park and you swept me away with your nonexistent basketball skills; you took me to the fanciest restaurant I've ever been to and in return I gave you my first kiss. You made me feel something I've never felt before and I was scared. I was scared because you knew me better than I knew myself."

Title: But Loving Him Was Red

Rating: T

Characters: Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Everlark, Primrose Everdeen, Finnick Odair, Annie Cresta, Johanna Mason, Haymitch Abernathy

Word Count: 9,300+

Summary: "You met me at an amusement park and you swept me away with your nonexistent basketball skills; you took me to the fanciest restaurant I've ever been to and in return I gave you my first kiss. You made me feel something I've never felt before and I was scared. I was scared because you knew me better than I knew myself."

Author's Note: Here's my go at a Hunger Games story. I tried to make the characters stay in character as much as possible, which took a lot of rewriting. Summer is heavily on my mind, so I couldn't help but set it in the sweltering heat of June. I hope you guys like it a lot because I put a lot of effort into it.

And to those of you who are waiting for me to update my chaptered stories and are wondering why the hell I'm wasting my writing time on one shots, don't worry I'm planning on updating fairly soon!

. . .

Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes

Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go

But moving on from him is impossible

When I still see it all in my head, burning red

. . .

The summer heat weighed heavily on Katniss's shoulders as she grabbed the basketballs and put them back on the shelf where they belonged. Sweat was collecting on her forehead and the obnoxiously orange T-shirt the park required her to wear was sticking to her skin. Using her hand, she pettily waved it in front of her face, hoping to find some sort of break from the heat. It didn't work. She walked to the back of the stall and flipped the switch on the fan. Its rickety blades spun slowly, releasing little relief to the June heat.

Katniss was stuck working at the amusement park, Panem Land, for the whole summer. Her mother only just got back on her feet after her father died and they were behind on some of the bills. She had no other choice than to chip in and get a job the summer before her senior year in high school. Most people she knew would be visiting colleges or going to the beach or hooking up yet here she was, watching sweaty middle aged men take turns shooting a basketball into a hoop.

It didn't help that she was constantly worrying about her sister, Prim, who was at home alone until her mom was done with her shift at the hospital. She was old enough to take care of herself, but it was second nature for Katniss to be worried. She loved Prim dearly and would often spoil her with whatever was left of her paycheck after she paid for the food.

"Hey, missy!" called an obnoxious teenager. Katniss shifted her gaze to the youngster who wore a huge basketball jersey with a backwards baseball cap. He leaned heavily against the counter that separated the two and smiled suggestively at her. Holding up a five dollar bill, he declared, "I need my shots."

She rolled her eyes as she walked back and grabbed three basketballs from the rack before bringing them back and shoving them into the guy's chest. Ripping the money from his hand, she stepped back and watched him attempt to throw the basketball through the hoop that sat three feet above them on the far wall. She tried to hide the smirk as she watched the balls go anywhere but the hoop.

"Hey! I want a refund!" he whined, placing both hands on the counter and giving her a pleading look.

"Sorry, no refunds." She responded curtly, turning away and placing the balls back on the rack. He huffed and stormed off, leaving Katniss more irritated than she already was. More time passed as she listened to the roar of the roller coasters screeching on the metal rails and the shrieks of the little kids as they ran by her booth. More people came by to try the hoops but only a few won a small stuffed animal or a mini basketball. Most of the people who came to the booth were guys around her age who were looking to show off in front of their friends. She hated her job more and more as she watched douche bag after douche bag try to swish the ball through the hoop.

It was getting to be night time and in a few hours, Katniss would be heading back to the small apartment that she shared with her mother and sister. She was counting down the minutes until she could clock out when an unruly customer came to the booth. Unruly might not have been a fair word since he acted just like any other customer that day, but always near the end of her shift she become grouchy and everyone became unruly.

Her boss, Mr. Abernathy, or Haymitch as some of the other employees would call him, stumbled up to the stand. She had rudely sent the kid away after he begged her for another ball after his failed fifth shot when he leaned against the counter. She could clearly smell the alcohol on his breath and recoiled back slightly, offended by the stench.

"Sweetheart, what the hell are you doin'?" he asked loudly. She didn't grace him with a response, instead turning around to organize the basketballs on the rack. "If you don't get your shit together and act a little more pleasantly, I'm goin' to kick your skinny ass right out of this booth, capiche?"

She grunted and he took that as answer enough to leave. Rolling her eyes, she took the money from the next person, remembering to add a smile even though she was sure it came off as a grimace. As she laid the balls on the counter, she looked out to the park. It was getting more crowded as the night wore on and Katniss was glad that she was getting out in the next hour before it hit insane hour.

Suddenly, she looked over to find a boy staring at her. He had tousled, curly blonde hair that framed his face nicely and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. She found herself staring longer than she should have and saw that he was still staring at her. Ducking her head, she took the money from the next customer and handed him three basketballs.

She adjusted her shorts nervously, pulling them up so they would stop falling off her butt. A little toddler tried to heft a ball into the hoop but failed miserably and knocked over a whole display of stuffed bananas. The mother started apologizing profusely but Katniss simply shot her a glare to make her scamper away with her kid in tow. Grumbling to herself, she bent over to start picking up the bananas and unceremoniously stuffing them back to where they were. Fucking ridiculous, she thought bitterly as she glanced at the clock, noticing there was only ten minutes left before she could retreat to the safe haven that was her small apartment.

"Babe, can you hit me up with some balls?" an arrogant voice called from behind the counter. She snapped up, looking at the man who called her babe. He was tall with a lean physique and combed bronze hair. His sea green eyes lit up with amusement as she glared at him.

"One second," she muttered, picking up the remaining stuffed bananas and placing them back on the shelf. After she was done, she looked back to the group of people leaning against the counter. The babe guy had his arms around a petite girl with brown hair who was giggling at something that he was whispering in her ear. Then there was a girl standing next to the couple with short, dark hair who was on the phone yelling at some poor soul.

Next to her was the blue-eyed boy from earlier. And he was staring at her. Again.

She quickly turned her gaze back to the man who had addressed her, "How many?"

"Three." He stated, passing her a five dollar bill with a wink. She rolled her eyes as she walked back to the rack and gathered three basketballs in her arms. Laying them out on the counter in front of him, she stepped back and watched him shoot all three balls through the hoop. She saw the couple embrace and share a kiss as she grabbed a panda bear to give them. Barf.

"Here you go," she said, reluctantly handing him the toy.

"Thanks, babe." He replied, tossing her another wink. "Hey, Johanna!" he yelled, throwing the bear violently at the small girls head.

"What the fuck, Finnick?" she exclaimed, picking the bear back up and chucking it at him. He only laughed loudly, catching the bear with ease before stooping down to plant a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek.

"That was pretty rad, right Peet?" the boy, Finnick, asked.

"Yeah." Blue-Eyes said, flashing a bright smile before turning his gaze back to her. She quickly bowed her head before turning back to collect the basketballs. While stacking the balls on the rack, she could feel his eyes piercing into her spine. The door to the booth opened, revealing the person who would be saving her from her shift.

"Thank god." She breathed, leaving the rack and pulling the sweaty shirt off her body to reveal the black tank-top she wore underneath. Picking her leather bag up from its spot on the ground, she made her way to the door that led to sweet freedom.

"Wait!" she turned around, coming face to face with Blue-Eyes. He held a crinkled ten dollar bill in front of her face, "I have a proposal: if I can make three shots, than I get to take you out on a date."

She crossed her arms, not believing that this guy had the nerve to even ask her something like that. Opening her mouth to deny his proposal and wipe the confident smile off his face, Finnick interrupted, "Oh! My boy Peeta! You have do it!"

"I don't have to do anything." She said stubbornly, glancing between the two boys.

"Oh no, you have to do it." He challenged, wrapping his arm around Blue-Eyes shoulders.

"No, I don't." she repeated, her irritation rising with each passing second.

"Oh, don't be such a pussy." Her eyebrows rose at the term and she shifted her stance, ready to beat the crap out of him. "There's nothing to it: if he loses nothing happens and if he wins you get a free dinner. No harm, no foul."

He did have a point. The more Katniss thought about it, she realized that there was no way he was gonna get three out of the five baskets he's given. She's seen guys twice his size and strength miss every time. It might be satisfactory to see him get a taste of his own medicine. And if he does miraculously win, free dinner doesn't seem too bad, right?

"Fine." She agreed finally, dropping her bag to grab five of the basketballs. Laying them out in front of him, she stepped aside to watch him take his shots. He grabbed one of the balls and tossed it around in his hands, testing its weight or whatever dumb shit guys did to psych themselves up.

He positioned his arms and smoothly released the ball into the air. She watched it fly through the air as it hit the back board and bounced onto the ground. Biting her lip, she tried to hide her smile. She knew it was going to be impossible for him to make one basket, let alone three.

"Shake it off, Peet. Shake it off. It's all in the wrist." His lackey, Finnick, encouraged. Katniss shook her head, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"I got it, Finn." Blue-Eyes replied, picking up another basketball. He eyed the basket for a long moment, setting up his shot.

Swish!

The ball successfully fell through the hoop, dropping onto the floor below it. Finnick and his girlfriend cheered loudly, smacking Blue-Eyes on the back. Katniss compelled herself not to roll her eyes as he picked up another ball and let it sail through the air.

Swish!

Yet again, another ball fell through the netting with a satisfying thump as it fell to the ground. The cheering from his groupies became even louder, the short girl with dark hair joining in as well. Katniss bit her lip to hold back the nerves that were creeping up into her chest. There's no way he's getting another one, she reminded herself.

He picked up another ball and squared up the hoop with his shoulders before throwing it towards the hoop. Luckily, it bounced off the rim and Katniss skillfully caught it before setting it back on the rack. She chanced a look back at Blue-Eyes to see him studying her intently. She quickly looked away, hoping that he wouldn't see the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Alright, don't get too cocky. You only got one shot, Peet." Finnick coached him, rubbing his shoulders encouragingly.

"Go Peeta!" Finnick's girlfriend screeched.

Blue-Eyes took a deep breath, picking up the last ball on the counter. Glancing at her, he flashed a quick smile before focusing back on the hoop. He squared his shoulders with the backboard and took several deep breaths, prolonging the suspense. Shoot already! She wanted to scream at him but thankfully held her tongue. Her prayers were answered when he tossed the ball towards the backboard.

Swish!

Katniss couldn't believe it. Blue-Eyes was able to make three whole baskets. This entire week she had watched men older and twice his size struggle with even making a single basket. He was only a tad bit taller than her and he made three. Three fucking baskets. She couldn't help but feel a little impressed.

His three friends cheered loudly, patting him on the back and lifting him off the ground. She rolled her eyes; then again, impressed seemed a little generous. Eventually, he broke away from the showering of compliments and leaned against the counter, smiling widely at her.

"So, I guess we have a date then, Blue-Eyes." She stated, resting her arms on the counter.

"My name's Peeta." He told her.

She swallowed nervously, unaware that she had called him the nickname she had created in her head. She tried to hide the embarrassment by saying, "I know." She opened the door that led outside into the open space of the park. Pulling a pen out of her bag, she grabbed his hand unintentionally roughly and started to write her number on his palm.

"I'm free after work on Friday at seven. You can pick me up here." She told him, peeking up at him through the wisps of her bangs. He was smiling at her stupidly and she felt that he was looking into her soul. "Don't take me out to some sleazy place."

"Never." He uttered, glancing down at the number on his hand. She quickly stepped away, shuddering at the thought of how close they were just then. "I'll see you then…"

"Katniss." She supplied, turning away before the conversation could continue. She nearly ran to the parking lot behind the park to avoid any more social confrontation; she absolutely hated it and didn't know where any of that just came from. She barely spoke a word to anyone outside of Prim and Gale, her best friend. What the hell was so special about this Peeta guy anyways?

She unlocked the door to her beat up Pontiac and started the engine. The sooner she got home, the sooner she could sleep it off.

. . .

However much she wanted to, Katniss could not sleep off the impending date with Peeta on Friday. She let it slip to Prim and she practically went crazy about it. She insisted on picking out what to wear and how to do her hair and giving her advice on how to act. She decided to leave out the detail that she was working five hours beforehand in the blistering heat and she would probably look like a sweaty pig.

The night before, Prim came to her room and forced her to read issues of Cosmo, giving her tips on how to flirt or kiss or whatever it was that people were supposed to do on dates. After that, Katniss was then forced to watch about a dozen Lifetime movies about first love. They all went the same: boy meets girl, they go on date, first kiss at end of first date, fight, and then makeup with sex or marriage. It was beyond sickening.

So, the next day, Katniss was not looking forward to this date at all. She reluctantly let Prim style her hair into some braided bun and picked out the shirt to wear under her work shirt, which just made her increasingly sweaty. It was hard to understand why Prim wanted to go through all this work when in the end she was going to look like shit anyways.

By the end of her shift, she was moody and tired and hungry above all else. She had to clean up after some kid who vomited all over the counter and then she was hit in the head with a basketball at least three times today. Haymitch was an ass and only gave her half of her break time today so she couldn't eat her lunch. It was one of the most miserable work days so far. Katniss doubted that this is how she was supposed to feel before her first date.

She spotted him making his way over to her booth. Thankfully, the next shift showed up on time so she could peel off her shirt and attempt to fix her hair before seeing him. Rolling up her jeans, she kicked open the door and stepped out to meet her "date". He wore a pair of faded jeans and a ratty flannel shirt. His hair was untamed and looked golden under the sunset sky. His eyes seemed even bluer than the last time she saw him which must be impossible.

"Hey," he greeted casually, "you look great."

"Um, thanks." She said hesitantly. There was no way that he was telling the truth; she could literally feel the sweat dripping down her neck. Was that attractive to him?

They made the silent trek to the parking lot where she was met with his shiny BMW. Her jaw dropped at the sight of it and she daintily opened the passenger side door, afraid it could be broken with just the slightest of touches. Pulling out of the parking lot, he turned the radio on to some classic rock station and let it play softly throughout the car.

It was unbearably awkward but she didn't want to say anything to make it more awkward. Actually, she was still admiring his car. It looked brand new and smelled like air fresheners. The seats were leather and the floors didn't have trash or stains. Her Pontiac was filthy to the core and she was glad that he was driving instead.

After ten minutes of excruciating silence, they arrived at a fancy restaurant called The Capitol. The place gave off the vibe of rich, white people; there was a garden with a fountain out front and people who opened the door for the guests walking in. Inside, everything seemed to be made of some sort of glass or granite. Katniss felt horribly dirty in her rolled up jeans and white, lacy tank top.

The hostess guided them to a table in the back outside next to a radiant garden. It was very secluded and quiet, perfect for intimate conversations or romantics. Both of which Katniss failed miserably at. He was a gentleman and held out her chair for her as she sat down.

"I know I said don't take me some place sleazy, but I was not expecting this." She said, trying to break the horrendous silence that hung around them.

He laughed lightly, "Yeah, I know the guy who owns the place. I called in a favor." She nodded, hardly finding it surprising that he knew the owner of an upper class restaurant. Just by looking at his car, she could tell that his family was rich. She fiddled with the stray wisps of hair that hung out from her bun, nervous under his gaze.

He cleared his throat, "How was work?"

The rest of the evening, the duo asked each other questions, learning more about each other. Peeta was going to be a freshman at Columbia in the fall, studying business. His family owned a bakery and he was planning on taking over the family business once his parents retired. She also learned that he decorated most of the cakes at the bakery and liked to paint. When the waitress asked him if he wanted sugar in his tea, he kindly decline which she thought was odd since tea was tasteless without the sugar. And his favorite color is orange.

"Orange, really?" she asked, crinkling her noise at the thought of her awful work shirt that made her want to puke just looking at it.

"Yeah, but not like bright orange." He said, resting his head in his hands, "A soft orange, like the sunset."

The evening was over before she knew it; he insisted on paying for the check, but he unwillingly let her tip the waitress. They walked back to his car and drove back to the parking lot behind Panem Land where her disgraceful Pontiac was parked. After putting his car in park, he hopped out and escorted her to her sad excuse of a car.

"Thanks for tonight, Peeta. It was fun." She said, hating herself for reciting the exact same lines from the Lifetime movies she had watched the day before.

"No problem, we should do it again some time." He responded, smiling down at her.

They stood by her car for a few awkward seconds. Katniss rocked on the heels of her feet, waiting for Peeta to say something but he just looked at her expectantly. She sighed, "Isn't this the part where you're supposed to kiss me or something?"

He laughed, his blue eyes twinkling like the stars in the night sky. Before she knew it, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She stood frozen, unsure what to do or where to put her hands or how to do anything for that matter. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her lips against his. She must have done something right because he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting one hand at the nape of her neck where her bun ended.

She pulled back slowly, biting her lip as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. He was giving her a dopey grin and his eyes were as clear as the ocean. She knew that she could stand there and stare into his eyes for hours on end but she had work early the next morning and Prim would be gushing when she got home.

Stepping away from him, she opened the car door and whispered a final goodbye before starting the engine. She pulled out of the parking lot slowly, waving again to Peeta who was making his way back to his BMW. Hitting her head back against the head rest, she couldn't help but think about the way his lips felt on hers.

. . .

Katniss was beginning to enjoy her summer. Peeta came to the amusement park to visit her every other day (eventually she told him that there was an opening in the wooden fence behind the tea cup ride that he and his friends could sneak into so he wouldn't have to pay every time) and would steal kisses from her throughout the day. He officially introduced her to his friends Finnick, Annie, and Johanna. At first, it made Katniss want to gag whenever she was around Finnick and Annie but she got used to it after a while and found it almost endearing. Johanna was ill-tempered and the two girls would often argue a lot, much to Peeta's amusement.

Even though her social life was blossoming, other aspects of her life weren't so chipper. Haymitch drilled her for more hours each week, totally in an average of thirty hours per week. Her mother let up a little bit on her nursing shifts so she could take care of Prim and also because she was starting to miss dad again, leaving Katniss to mostly take care of the family. She lost a little more weight because she missed a few meals to keep Prim fed, but that didn't matter. Her family was on the road to recovery and that was enough for her.

Gale had barely talked to her since he left for a summer program at the college he was going to. She missed his companionship but understood the importance of what he was doing. Often she saw his little brother, Rory, biking past her house, hoping to catch Prim so they could play together. It was cute to watch his crush on her develop throughout the years.

She was brought back to the reality when a basketball hit her in the head. She was slowly forming a permanent lump on her skull from where the basketballs always hit her. Shooting a glare in the direction of the offender, she hoisted her loose shorts over her hips and bent over to pick up the ball and put it back on the rack.

Checking the clock, she realized that Peeta would be at the booth any minute to take her to a drive through movie. She helped the last few customers before she saw Peeta on the other side of the park, making his way towards her. A smile broke out onto her face as he spotted her, waving enthusiastically to her.

"Woman!" a rude man called from the other end of the counter, "Give me some balls!"

"I'll get you some balls alright," she mumbled, quickly grabbing three basketballs and sauntering over to where the request came from. An older man with a bit of a potbelly leered at her. His breath smelled like tobacco and whisky and it made her want to throw up all over him. "Here." She abruptly set the balls down in front of him after taking the five dollars he had set down.

Peeta came up beside the man, "Hey, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just give me a second." Katniss responded. She turned around and bent over to pick her bag off the ground before she felt a sharp spank! to her butt. She turned around to see the man from earlier there smirking at her as if he was the slyest son of a bitch on the planet. Before she could blink, Peeta was on him; he decked him so hard that he stumbled back a few feet. The older man tried to swing back at him and that's when she knew she had to step in before things got worse.

"Peeta!" she warned, hopping over the counter to step in between the two and planting her hands firmly on Peeta's chest, "Hey, it's not worth –"

Slap! The force of the hit sent Katniss careening backwards onto the dirt ground. She held her cheek in her hand, hoping to calm the throbbing pain there. Looking up, she saw Peeta wailing on the guy, shoving him to the floor. Luckily, Haymitch somehow sobered up and intervened, stopping the fight from getting much worse.

"Katniss! Are you okay?" Peeta asked gently, taking hold of her forearm and helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, wobbling a little bit as she began to walk, "Just a little dizzy that's all."

His strong arms wrapped around her waist and led her towards the exit of the park, "C'mon then. Let's sit you down somewhere." Peeta half carried her to his car, the world around Katniss was turning slightly blurry and spinning a little bit. The man had clocked her right in the eye and she could already feel the bruise on her cheek forming. How was she gonna explain this one to Prim?

He hoisted her onto the trunk of his BMW and jogged to the passenger side, returning with a rag and bottle of water. Quickly dousing the rag in water, he gently touched it to the blister. She winced, pulling back slightly. He halted in his actions, searching her eyes for approval to press on. She nodded and he placed the damp rag back to her cheek once again.

After he was done, he tossed the rag in the back seat and lifted himself on the trunk to sit next to her. He softly took her hand in his and they sat there for a few moments in silence. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's not your fault. That stuff happens all the time." She waved him off, shifting uncomfortably under his thoughtful gaze.

Silence fell upon them again. Fatigue washed over Katniss as she lay back on his car. Peeta soon joined her and they gazed at the stars together, crickets and the occasional gravel crunching under tires the only sounds made in the night. His hand still tightly clenched hers as he sighed in content. This is the part of their relationship that she likes the best, Katniss decides in this moment. She was a girl of few words and Peeta understood that completely. She never felt the need to express herself or communicate the feelings that were clearly there.

"So, I'm guessing that you don't want to see the movie anymore?"

She snorted, "No, not really."

"Let's get you home, then." She opened her mouth to protest but he wouldn't have any of it, "C'mon, I know you're tired."

Hopping off the trunk grudgingly, she slid into the passenger seat and they were on their way to her small apartment. He pulled into the parking garage and killed the engine, settling back in his seat as he glanced at her. Her hands began to fidget and a blush stained her tan cheeks.

"So, now probably wouldn't be the best time to ask if you wanted to go to a wedding with me, right?"

She laughed until she saw the anxious apprehension on his face. "Oh my god, you're serious."

He nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. She noted that he always did that when he was nervous; it happens whenever he asks her out on dates. "Yeah. My brother is getting married this weekend and I need a date."

She popped her lips. Katniss at a wedding? That would definitely be a sight to see. She could only imagine what pink, frilly dress Prim would shove her into – the hours she would spend pampering her by curling her hair and meticulously applying makeup to her face. She shuddered at the thought and was ready to deny Peeta's request until she saw the pleading look on his face.

"Alright, I'll go." She complied, causing Peeta's scowl to turn into a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"Katniss, you are seriously a life saver." He sighed with relief, leaning over the console to give her a quick kiss.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it." She muttered under her breath before stepping out of the car. He laughed heartily at her comment, turning the key in the ignition to start the car.

"I'll see you then, Katniss." He said cheerily, backing out of the parking space slowly before taking off back to his house. She quickly walked to the stairwell that led to her apartment, willing for the swelling in her cheek to stop. She hoped that it would be gone before the wedding this weekend.

What the hell have I gotten myself into? She thought miserably as she opened the door to the apartment.

. . .

"What in the hell were you thinking, Peeta?"

Katniss flinched at the sheer venom in Mrs. Mellark's voice. She stood a yard from the porch, awkwardly fidgeting with her fingers. This was not the way she imagined the day would turn out.

In all honesty, Katniss had been dreading Saturday. She'd never been to a wedding before; how was she supposed to act? What was she supposed to wear? When she told Prim about the invitation, she was absolutely elated. She blabbed on about all the things Katniss could wear and how she should do her makeup and how much Peeta loved her. From the moment she met Peeta when he came over for dinner one time, she had been absolutely smitten with him.

Prim finally convinced her to be brave and go the night, for Peeta's sake. She picked out her best outfit – a grey pleated skirt and a white tank top – and dabbed on a little makeup and was out of the house by noon. When Peeta saw her, his jaw dropped so she thought that she must have done something right.

The wedding was held at the Mellark household in their beautiful backyard. Katniss had never seen such a huge house before; it had a white picket fence and everything. Peeta had saved her an honorary seat in the front row where she could see the dashing husband and the beautiful bride. The ceremony was wonderful and she found herself actually enjoying herself.

Until she met Mrs. Mellark.

Peeta had offhandedly mentioned how much of a snob she could be, but Katniss was not expecting the woman she had encountered. The minute she saw Katniss, her eyes literally lit up with distaste. She couldn't help but shrink under the woman's cold gaze as she greeted her condescendingly. Their conversation was terse before she called Peeta to talk with her on the porch.

That's when everything started to go downhill. Katniss closed her eyes as she heard another insult come from the older woman's lips. As she stood alone on the front yard, she could feel the judgmental glares of the Mellark family on her. She glanced around and saw a group of older women whispering to each other, obviously about her. She tugged at her braid, biting her lip as she tried to hold the tears back. Katniss had never felt so helpless.

"How could you invite such a dirty skank like her here, to your brother's wedding?" Mrs. Mellark screeched.

"Don't talk about her like that!" Peeta snapped, raising his voice.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, young man. I should've said something weeks ago when you told us you had a girlfriend who works at an amusement park. You have embarrassed me and your brother today by bringing her here today."

Katniss had enough. She turned around and marched towards her beat-up Pontiac, holding back the tears that wanted to leak out. Throwing open the door of the car, she fell into the driver seat and shoved the key into the ignition. It made a horrible screeching noise as she turned the key. She tried and tried and tried, but the car would not start. She hit the wheel in utter fury and got out of the car, intent on walking all the way back to her apartment.

Her flats clicked on the concrete as she trudged the way to her house. It was miles and miles away, but she had walked from her school to her house several times before – this was no different. Tears pricked at her eyes as the July heat beat down on her bare shoulders.

"Katniss!" Peeta shouted. She ignored him and kept walking, not wanting him to see her like this.

"Katniss!" he continued to call. She could hear the heavy pitter pater of his dress shoes hitting the concrete as he ran after her. His hand was on her forearm in a second, spinning her around to face him. Closing her eyes, she tried to shove him away, knowing that if she looked into his crystal blue eyes she would melt right away.

"Katniss, look at me." He pleaded, placing his hands on her cheeks. This only caused her to close her eyes tighter, fearing to look at him.

"Katniss, look at me!" he commanded a little more strongly. She opened her eyes only to be met with blue pools of the sea. Under his gaze, she couldn't help but break down. She shoved him away and a look of hurt flashed across his face.

"Leave me alone, Peeta!" she screamed, her eyes filling to the brim with tears. "Everything she said was true; I'm nothing but a dirty skank and you know it."

"Katniss, nothing she said was true. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He said, taking a step toward her.

"You don't mean that." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. He took a step towards her, reaching his hands out in some gesture of comfort. "Don't touch me!" she screeched, swatting his hands away.

Instead of flinching away like she thought he would, he continued his trek over to her. Her eyes widened in surprise and panic began to bubble in her chest. "Peeta Mellark, if you take another step, so help me…!"

He finally closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her petite body, bringing her to his broad chest. With strong determination, she tried to pull away from his grip but he wouldn't let her. She started to vigorously beat at his chest, the tears freely streaming down her cheeks now. After moments that felt like hours, Katniss gave up and succumbed to his embrace.

When he realized that she fully calmed down, he rested his chin on top of her hair and rubbed soothing circles into her back. Sobs wracked her body and she clutched his dress shirt in between her small hands. As she came down from her emotional high, she slowly pulled away from him and wiped any remaining tears away. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye; she was ashamed at what he had just witnessed. Katniss was always the one with her shit together. She wasn't allowed to break down and look weak, especially not in front of someone like Peeta.

"Hey, look at me," he prodded gently, lifting her chin with his finger, "you are the most amazing, intelligent, beautiful, and perfect girl I've ever known. You have to believe me. My mother and her words aren't worth crying over, okay?"

She only nodded, afraid if she spoke her voice would crack and she would end up crying all over again. She fell back into his embrace, his sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon overtaking all of her senses. Feeling him kissing her forehead, she couldn't help but smile at his subtle sweetness.

It didn't matter that they were standing in the middle of a road in some strange neighborhood. It didn't matter that Katniss's outfit was wrinkled and that Peeta's shirt was soaked with her tears. It didn't matter that they had probably ruined a wedding. All that mattered was that Peeta was here, holding her in his strong arms, not needing to say anything. Because she was able to grasp all the unspoken words.

. . .

In a week, he would be gone. Katniss didn't know how to handle the situation.

It had crept up so fast. One moment, it was the beginning of the summer with her stupid job at the amusement park and then the next it was two weeks until her senior year began. Which unfortunately meant that Peeta would only be here for another week.

Katniss tried not to think about it too much and enjoy whatever time they had left together, but her mind didn't work like that. In fact, most of the time they spent together, she was trying to figure out how to break up with him. She didn't want to be one of those girls in a long distance relationship who held onto her phone for dear life, waiting desperately for a boy to call her. Columbia was hours away and Katniss would be unable to make any trips to visit him because her family couldn't afford the gas money.

So, she spent hours on end, trying to devise a plan to make the break up as short and sweet as possible. She pondered just texting him and saying it was over, but that would only result in him coming to her house and confronting her about it. Maybe if she went MIA he would give up and go to college, forgetting about her completely. Or she could fly away to a foreign land and write him a letter, saying she fell in love with an exotic prince.

In the end, all of these ideas were unrealistic and Katniss wished that break ups weren't so goddamn hard.

After finally coming to the conclusion that there was no easy way to end her relationship with Peeta, she sucked it up and decided that she would just tell him in person. It had to be done as soon as possible, and the perfect opportunity presented itself. Peeta asked her to go to The Capitol with her the day before he left for college. Although it wasn't exactly the place she wanted to break up with him, it would have to do.

The date eventually came around, much to Katniss's displeasure. She drove to the swanky restaurant and did a poor parallel parking job to avoid the valet. Walking towards the entrance of the restaurant, she tried to shake the nerves out of her body. This is what's best for both of you, she reminded herself as a gentleman kindly opened the door for her.

Peeta was already there, sitting on one of the cushioned benches by the door. He quickly stood, crossing the short distance over to her and planting a kiss delicately on her cheek. "You look beautiful," he whispered, his breath hovering over the shell of her ear. She scolded herself for the blush she could feel creeping up her neck.

The hostess led them to the same secluded table they had sat at on their first date. The déjà vu sent her stomach into somersaults and she felt like running right then and there. Pretending to go missing seemed a lot better than the idea that she had conjured up for tonight. She took her seat across from him at the table and focused on the garden next to her; she was not even going to think about looking into his piercing blue eyes tonight.

The waitress eventually came to their table and took their dinner orders, leaving them alone once again. Katniss wanted to beg her to stay if it would help to avoid the uncomfortable silence between the two. They made idle chatter as they waited for their meal to come; Katniss responded with curt, one-worded responses. She could tell that he was catching onto her sour mood.

Their meals arrived and Peeta dug in while Katniss only picked up her fork and pushed the food around the plate. As he took a breath after shoveling half his plate down his throat, he eyed her strangely. Usually, she would be just like him and inhaling her food.

"Katniss, is something wrong? This whole night you've been acting quiet." He asked, a concerned look etching itself onto his face.

She glanced up at him quickly and immediately wished she hadn't. His crystal blue eyes felt like they were looking into her soul, which made her feel even more terrible for what she was about to do.

"What's gonna happen after tomorrow?" she blurted out, looking down at her piece of steak rather than at him.

He chuckled, "Is that what you're worried about? Look, things are gonna be the same; I can come and visit you and we can talk anytime you want."

"Did you ever think that maybe I don't want that?" she asked, her voice only slightly above a whisper.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"I don't want to be that girl hung up on some guy miles away. I don't want to wait for you to call every night. I don't want that. And the fact that you think I would makes me think that you don't even know me at all." She spat out, looking him straight in the eye. She could see the exact moment his heart began to break – the minute she claimed that he didn't know her at all.

"Katniss –"

"No, Peeta." She said firmly, standing up suddenly, "I can't do whatever this is anymore. I'm done." She began to walk away shakily, willing her legs to walk faster so she could get away from this catastrophe sooner.

"Wait, Katniss!" he called out. She heard the screech of the metal chair as he stood up from his seat, "I love you!"

She stopped dead in her tracks. What? No, he couldn't have said that. How could anyone love someone like her? Here she was, breaking up with him without even blinking. Then, he had to go and say the three words that she had never heard from anyone else except her little sister.

Without thinking, she stated, "If you love me, you'll leave me alone."

That was the moment where she knew that she hadn't only broken his heart, but her own as well.

. . .

It had been a month since the night she broke up with him. And she still felt miserable about what happened. Senior year was quickly underway and she already felt the stress settling in after the first week back at school. Gale would call her sometimes and talk about how great college was and she would listen obligingly. She didn't have too many friends at school; Madge sat with her at lunch and everything, but they weren't like best friends or whatever.

Most of the time, she found herself just going through the motions. Wake up. Drive Prim to school. Go to school. Go to work. Go home. Sleep. Repeat. It was exhausting most of the time; she didn't want to do this routine anymore. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and dream about something other than Peeta and that disastrous night.

He stuck to his word and left her alone, not even bothering to text or call her. More than anything, she wanted him to call her and say the three words that she yearned to hear again. Some nights she would stare at her phone for hours and several times she would pick it up and try to call him. She became the very thing that she was trying so hard not to become in the first place.

It was around eight at night. Katniss had half-heartedly finished her calculus homework and was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't bother to change out of her work clothes and her braid was messy and gross. Prim walked into the room they shared and climbed into Katniss's bed, sitting crisscross at her feet.

"Hey, little duck." Katniss greeted as cheerily as she could. "What's up?"

"You miss him." It wasn't a question; it was merely a statement that sent Katniss's heart into turmoil.

"I don't miss anyone." She grumbled in response, turning on her side to look at the wall beside her bed.

"Yes you do. Come on, Katniss. Don't you think that he misses you too?"

"No, he probably hates me." She said softly, the words stinging as they came out of her mouth.

"I don't think he could hate you even if he tried." She said, causing Katniss to prop herself up on her elbows.

"What are you saying, Prim?" Katniss asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

She groaned, irritated with her obliviousness, "He's so in love with you and you don't even know it. Whenever he came over here, he couldn't take his eyes off of you. It was like you were the only person that existed in his eyes." Katniss sat there in silence, astounded at the words that had come out of her sister's mouth.

"You owe it to him and yourself to at least apologize. Face to face." She clarified, her eyes narrowing at Katniss as she eyed her phone. She softened up when she took her hand, "You don't want to look back on this point in your life and regret that you didn't do something."

Katniss nodded, whole-heartedly understanding everything her sister was saying. If she had to live with regret over this one moment, she would hate herself for the rest of her life. Even thinking about leaving things with Peeta so open with such uncertainty sent her heart into a frenzy. Hopping off her bed, she jogged to the kitchen and grabbed the keys to her Pontiac out of the drawer and dashed back to her room where Prim sat, flabbergasted.

"Stay here and cover for me." She instructed. Prim nodded in response, a smile stretching across her face from ear to ear.

She practically sprinted to her car and was out of the garage in less than a second, speeding her way down the highway towards New York. The night wore on and fatigue washed over Katniss as three o'clock rolled by. She cautiously pulled over on the highway and took a quick nap in the back seat of her car.

After a two hour restless nap, she resumed her driving expedition. The sun began to creep over the horizon as she finally reached the state of New York. She tried to hold in the anxiety of seeing Peeta again. What would he say? What if he rejected her? What if he was already with somebody else? Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

No regrets. Prim's voice sang in her head, encouraging her to continue on. In under an hour, she reached the campus and parked her car (probably illegally) near the front office. She ran across the lawn and stepped into the cool air of the building. She jogged up to the receptionist and asked for Peeta's dorm room number.

"May I ask who you are?" the receptionist asked kindly, smiling up at her.

Katniss gritted her teeth, trying to think of an appropriate response. "I'm his girlfriend."

"Okay, he's in dorm 221 in the west wing."

She didn't wait for the receptionist to finish whatever she was going to say, instead racing down the hallway. She must've circled the whole school until she found the west wing. Hurriedly, she asked a passing student where to find dorm 221. He kindly pointed her in the right direction, watching as she basically skipped down the hallway to his room.

She stood in front of the door leading to his room. This is it – the moment of truth. This is where she could royally screw things up. This is where her life was going to change for the rest of her life. This might as well be the most important moment of her life. She raised her hand to knock on the door –

"Yeah, I know babe. I'll pick them up at the store later tonight." She heard from the other side of the door as the knob started to twist. It was yanked open to reveal a tall, intimidating man with dark skin and deep brown eyes. Definitely not Peeta.

"I'll call you back in a second." He said absentmindedly, hanging up the phone to look at her. "Uh, can I help you?"

"Is Peeta here?" she asked, trying to peer around the man's large physique to see if he was in the room.

"No, he's in his economics class." The man replied.

"Can you tell me where that is?" she asked, out of breath from running around the entirety of the school.

"Uh, it's in business building on the other side of the school. I can walk you there if you want?" he offered nicely.

"I'm in a hurry." She stated, undoubtedly not interested in walking.

"Clearly." He chuckled much to her chagrin, "We can steal a golf cart, don't worry."

They were in a golf cart in under a minute, wheeling around the circumference of the school until they arrived at the business building. She didn't wait for the cart to stop as she hopped off and sprinted for the building. "Room 101!" he shouted to her retreating form.

"Thank you!" she said to the generous stranger who helped her on her crazy mission. Pushing on the revolving door, she entered the polished lobby of the building and dashed down the hallway straight in front of her. She whipped her head back and forth, trying to find the room where Peeta was.

Room 101 sat at the end of the hallway on the right. She was tired of running around trying to find him and decided to barge in without think about the consequences. Her arrival made the classroom turn deadly silent as everyone's gaze burned into her skin. She scanned the crowd, searching for the one face that she had wanted to see since that fateful night at The Capitol.

There he sat at a desk in the middle of the vast room, staring at her as if she had two heads. She held his gaze, afraid that if she looked away he would be gone forever. All the things that she had planned to say to him on her way here disappeared from her mind just at the sight of him. Her legs turned into jelly and she forgot how to breathe. She realized how she must look to him; she was still in her work clothes and her braid was frizzy from sleeping on it. Her face had to be bright red from all the running around the school.

"Can I help you?" the professor asked gently, slowly making his way over to her to escort her out of his classroom.

"Your favorite color is orange." She blurted out, looking directly into his eyes. Recognition dawned on him immediately and she knew that she's reached through to him somehow. "Not a bright orange, but soft like the sunset."

The professor stopped in his tracks and looked between the pair. All eyes were on her as she continued, "You're a painter and you're a baker. You can only sleep with the windows open. You never take sugar in your tea. Before you go out, you always have to double knot your shoelaces.

"You met me at an amusement park and you swept me away with your nonexistent basketball skills," the class laughed lightly, easing the tension a little bit, "you took me to the fanciest restaurant I've ever been to and in return I gave you my first kiss. You made me feel something I've never felt before and I was scared. I was scared because you knew me better than I knew myself. But the thing I was scared of the most was that I loved you – and still love you - with all of my heart."

The room was extremely silent, so silent that the only thing that could be heard was her heavy breathing. She stared into his stunning blue eyes and waited for him to say something – anything. She knew she had made the biggest fool out of herself; strutting into his class and declaring her love for him in front of all his peers. Maybe he was embarrassed that she had done such a thing. Maybe he didn't want to see her and was trying to spare her the humiliation. Maybe he didn't love her anymore.

"I'm just going to go," she whispered, turning to walk out the door and leave him alone for the rest of her life.

"Wait!" he called and she spun around in surprise. He made his way down the aisle and over to her. Nervous was the only way to explain her emotions when he stood only a few feet away from her.

In one swift movement, he took hold of her waist and tugged her to him. He gave her the most mind-blowing kiss of her life right then and there, in front of a whole class of strangers. She vaguely heard applause but she could care less. The only thing she cared about was that he was here, kissing the life out of her and holding her so close.

He pulled away leisurely and kissed her nose as she looked into his eyes (those eyes were going to be the death of her, she decided) and whispered, "Please say you love me too."

And no other word could have been more perfect than the word that spilled out of his mouth:

"Always."