Katniss felt his eyes on her and it made the knot of tension coiling at the base of her spine tighten. His eyes are always on her and normally she can just tune it out, but for some reason, today it irritated her beyond belief. She can't for the life of her figure out why he stares, only that it makes her feel hot and prickly, like her skin doesn't fit right. She's not pretty, not like the insipid blondes that normally hang all over him with their big boobs and perfectly coiffed hair and jeans that don't come from Wal-Mart or Goodwill.
She's short and almost flat-chested, with slim hips and lean legs from running track for so many years. Her long, dark hair isn't ever in anything except a braid and the only makeup she uses is a bit of lip gloss. She wouldn't have the slightest clue how to even apply anything else, not since her parents died five years ago, leaving her and Prim alone in the world. Grey eyes that stare out on the world that confuses the hell out of her. She's never been good at anything normal girls are good at. Small talk is beyond her and she could care less about the celebrities that the others talk about all the freaking time. Between her after school job, school and taking care of her sister, she's barely hanging on.
He's leaning against the wall, staring at her over the top of Glimmer Mitchell's head, paying no attention to whatever it is the blonde girl is spouting with such devotion. His attention is wholly focused on her, standing in front of the bank of lockers just like she does every morning. Katniss jumped as fingers tickled her waist. Spinning around, she stared up into Gale Hawthorne's grinning face. He's really made up today – thick black eyeliner, spiky hair tipped with blue and hot pink and so many earrings his ears look like one solid piece of metal. The jeans he's wearing are so tight you can tell what religion he is and the black t-shirt barely hides the tattoos that cover his upper arms. "Something's got your panties in a twist," he said, winking. "Is it Mellark?"
Katniss rolled her eyes and shoved hard against his chest. "Shut up," she said firmly, folding her arms over her chest.
"C'mon, you gotta admit he's hot, even if he's a jock" Gale said, eyes darting to where Peeta stood, winking at the other boy as their eyes met. Peeta flushed and dropped his gaze, but Gale watched as he returned it just as quickly to where Katniss stood next to him.
Katniss snorted under her breath. "Like you have a chance, he's straighter than a ruler."
Gale shrugged, dropping his gaze back to her face once more. "A guy can dream, right?"
"I guess," she said, glancing back over her shoulder. Peeta's bluer than blue eyes met hers and she felt the beginnings of a blush creep up her cheeks. "Dammit," she snarled under her breath, kicking Gale when he laughed at her.
"Honey, that boy has it so bad for you, even Glimmer can see it," he said, laughing and pointing over her shoulder.
Katniss turned around fully to stare at what Gale was pointing at. Glimmer was glaring over at her, her Cupid's bow mouth pulling into a tight, angry line. Katniss shrugged and rolled her eyes before turning around to face Gale once more. "Whatever, like I care what she thinks."
"We both know you don't give a shit what she thinks, but Mellark, he's a different story, right Catnip?"
"I thought I told you to quit calling me that," Katniss snapped.
"Since when do I do what you tell me?"
"Is it your life's mission to be the world's biggest prick?"
"Is it your life's mission to eye fuck Mellark across every space you happen to share?" Gale shook his head in disgust. "Just talk to him and get it over with for fuck's sake! You two are worse than a closeted politician with a bondage fantasy. You want him; he wants you, what the hell is the holdup?"
"Would you kindly shut up?" Katniss snapped, stalking away from him to her locker, spinning the dial angrily.
Gale followed her, leaning against the locker next to hers. "You do want him, right?" he said softly, staring at her.
She bit her lip, fingers slowing on the dial. "I shouldn't…"
Gale shook his head, playing with the end of her braid. "Why not?"
Her eyes lifted to his and she sighed. "He's…" Her gaze dropped back to her locker. "Everything I'm not."
"And?" Gale asked, snorting as she slapped his hand away from her hair. "If that's what's holding you back Catnip, you're even worse than I thought." He turned to glance over to where Peeta still stood, leaning against the row of lockers across from them. "He's been staring at you for the past four years; don't you think it's time to take a chance?"
She shook her head, finally hitting the combination and jerking the locker open. "That's exactly why I shouldn't," she said, shoving books out of the way angrily as she searched for her English textbook. "He's done nothing but stare. Don't you think if he really was interested, he'd have at least said something to me - especially now when we're graduating?"
"You aren't exactly the most approachable girl in the world, Catnip," Gale said.
She sighed and pulled out the book she was searching for, slapping the locker shut. "Maybe so." Her eyes met his once more and she knows they're filled with emotions she refuses to let spill out. "But maybe he realizes that girls from the Seam aren't exactly what he should be bringing home to Mama either." Gale grabbed her arm but she shook him off, ducking her head and darting out into the crowded hallway.
Fifteen Years Later
Katniss sighed as the rain poured down even heavier. If she didn't have bad luck, she'd have no luck at all. Turning, she dug into her purse, pulling out her cell. The signal was weak, barely one bar. "Of course," she said, rolling her eyes. The phone vibrated, a quacking sound coming from the speaker.
Katniss pushed the send button, launching the speaker. "Hey Prim."
"Hey big sis, how's the drive going?" The line was full of static, and she could barely hear her sister's soft voice.
"I just got a flat, ten miles outside of town, on state route 211."
"Oh Katniss, did you call Triple A?"
Prim's worried voice filled the tiny car and Katniss sighed. "Was just going to when you called." As soon as she got the words out, the signal died, leaving her stranded and alone with no service and a flat tire at least ten miles outside of town and the nearest help. She rolled her eyes heavenward. "Is this your way of telling me that coming back here was a bad idea? Because I'm really starting to get that feeling."
A loud crack of lightning speared the ground a few feet away from her and the resulting thunder shook the car. She jumped so high that she banged her head on the top of the car. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the torrential downpour. The rain soaked through her jacket and shirt in the time it took her to get to the trunk, the uplifted hatch barely offering any protection as she rooted around, trying to get the damn jack loose from its slot in the sidewall. It finally came free, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground as she pulled back with all of her weight.
Sluicing her hair back up off her face, she resolutely unscrewed the bolt holding the spare down, rain slicked fingers slipping more than gripping the wing nut as she tried to spin it. Headlights pierced the dank gloominess and she turned around, squinting as a truck pulled up behind her, the driver distorted behind the rain slick windshield. A guy, she thought as she turned back around, uneasiness prickling along her nerves and settling hollowly in her stomach. Her fingers curled around the tire iron as the door opened and he stepped out of the car, holding a small umbrella over his head that was ripped from his hands the second the door shut behind him.
"Dammit." The curse word floated to her over the wind and it made her smile for some reason. Should've realized that an umbrella was useless, the rain coming down so hard and the wind blowing everything to kingdom come.
He walked up beside her and her gaze lifted, her breath freezing in her chest as impossibly blue eyes met her own. No, it couldn't be. Fucking universe, really? What the hell have I done to make my karma this bad? Scratch that, she knew what she'd done. But really, it's not enough you send a hurricane to Pennsylvania the first time in five years that I've been back, but now this?
"Katniss?"
She blinked water out of her eyes and nodded, gaze dropping back to the tire and the useless nut that refused to budge. Her fingers slowly uncurled from the tire iron and she clasped them together, wringing them nervously in front of her.
He bent closer, one hand pulling the hatch down a bit to offer a little more protection from the wind. His dark blue henley was soaked through and she tried not to notice how it stretched across a chest that was so much wider than the last time she'd seen him. Her gaze dropped to the ground, inadvertently skimming along the thick lines of his thighs, heavy with muscle encased in tight jeans as they braced against the wind that felt like it was going to send her flying. Damp heat speared through her and her stomach fluttered with what felt like a million butterflies. Damn him, couldn't he have been bald and fat like jocks were supposed to be fifteen years after high school? Five years ago he hadn't been nearly this fit, but then again, she hadn't been as bruised and soul weary either.
His hand rose, settled lightly on her wrist, drawing her attention once more. "What happened?"
"I got a flat," she said woodenly, desperately trying to ignore the frenzied thumping of her pulse as it reacted to his touch. "I'm trying to change it."
She watched him shake his head, eyes darting over the swelling river to the right of the car, about half a foot higher than it normally was. "We'll never get it done in time, the bridge is just about to wash out, and we need to get out of here!" He tugged on her arm lightly. "Get in the truck; we'll come back for your car tomorrow after this blows through."
Katniss shook his hand off. "I can't, everything I own is in here," she snapped, reaching for the nut once more.
"Grab what you can, but you're coming with me if I have to pick you up and toss you over my shoulder. This road is about to be under about six feet of swollen river."
She turned her head to glare at him, eyes narrowed. "Who asked you to be my savior?"
Peeta Mellark smiled at her with the same lopsided smile she remembered from the very first time she'd seen him and every time in between. Time fell away and her life flashed before her eyes in a rapid fire dance. That smile was the one constant in her life, no matter what she'd done, or how hard she'd pushed him away, he always had that same smile for her when he saw her again and it killed her, cracking into the stone she'd encased her heart in after the last time she'd left him. She could barely hear him over the rising wind. "Hurricane Johanna, apparently." He reached into the hatch for the two suitcases she'd pushed out of the way to get to the tire. "C'mon, my house isn't far, I have a generator and a pantry full of food."
She watched as he turned around to walk to the back of the Sequoia he'd been driving, opening the back and tossing her bags in. He peered around the back as he shut the door. "Katniss, come on!"
With a muttered curse, she slammed the hatch down and stomped over to the driver's side door, jerking it open and reaching in to grab her purse, phone and charger. If he had a generator, she'd be able to charge the phone and maybe get a signal to let Prim know where she was. A honk startled her and she nearly banged her head on the roof of the car. Backing out of the car, she slammed the door and pressed the alarm on the key fob, even though the damn thing'd probably be washed away by the stupid hurricane. Whatever, it was a rental and she had copious amounts of insurance.
Stomping back to where the car idled, she jerked open the door, climbing awkwardly into the big leather seat. She was miserably wet and the heat blowing full force in her face was a welcome distraction as she shoved her phone and charger into the sopping leather of her purse before tucking it down by her feet.
She could feel his eyes on her as she slid the seat belt across her body, fastening it and it took her back to high school in an instant, her skin feeling about four sizes too small as heat spread across her chest and bloomed underneath her olive skin. Anger bubbled hot and heady and she whipped her head to the side, glaring at him. "Why are you staring at me?" she snarled, fingers curling tightly into fists at her side.
His eyes widened and he jerked his gaze away, throwing the car into gear and pulling out into the downpour. "I'm sorry," he muttered, leaning over the wheel as he peered out into the gloom, trying to keep the vehicle's tires on the rain slicked road. "It's not every day that I run into someone I thought long gone."
She rolled her eyes and lifted her hands to her hair, trying to braid the sodden mass back away from her face. Like you even wanted to see me again. He glanced at her again quickly before returning his eyes to the road again. "There's a towel on the back seat."
"Thanks," she muttered as she turned around as far as the seat belt would allow her. The towel was just out of her reach and she sighed, shaking her head. Peeta's long arm slid beneath her, brushing against her body as he pulled the towel close enough for her to reach before returning to the wheel, fighting against the surging river that had begun spilling over the road. Her body sang with his touch, inadvertent as it was. Her brain may not be ready for reunion part whatever, but her body certainly was.
"I'm just up ahead, as I'm sure you remember, and you can get into some dry clothes," he said with another quick glance at her. Heat bloomed everywhere his eyes landed and she crossed her legs uncomfortably, her sodden jeans feeling about twenty pounds heavier than when she'd put them on this morning.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, looking at him but trying not to make it obvious. His hair was still just as curly as it'd been back in high school, flopping over his forehead in fat, messy waves. His jaw line was so delineated, it made her want to run her fingers along it and feel the hint of darker blond stubble that covered it. Big hands gripped the steering wheel and her thighs clenched together as she traced slowly over them with her eyes. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply; trying to find the calm that she'd perfected over the past few years in therapy, but it was elusive and she was knew without a doubt that had everything to do with the man sitting next to her. Her eyes opened again and she laughed silently. It was strange to think of him as a man, but clearly that's what he was. He was always just Peeta to her, the man that owned her body and soul. He'd aged just as she had; only the last few years seemed to have been a bit kinder to him than they were to her. Her grey hairs were well hidden beneath the layers of hair above her ears, but it still pissed her off that they were even there. She looked for a ring, or even the telltale tan line, but his fingers were as smooth as they'd been when she used to watch him in Algebra, wondering what exactly it would feel like to have them ghosting over her skin.
He looked at her, darting his gaze between her face and the road and a fiery blush stomped across her cheeks as she realized that he'd spoken to her and she had absolutely no fucking idea what he said. A wide grin stretched his face as he became conscious that she'd been staring at him and her blush got impossibly hotter, stabbing prickly fingers down across her chest.
"What did you say?" She sputtered, kicking herself for having been caught not paying attention.
"I asked what brought you back here? The last I heard from you, you were never coming back."
She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I needed a change and Haymitch told me about the job here. I'm the new teacher at the high school."
His head turned, eyes appraising her. His brow was raised and she could almost hear the question that was forming before it tumbled from his lips. "Phys ed and music," she said preemptively.
"Oh yeah, I'd heard that Old Man Abernathy'd retired," he said, jerking his gaze back to the road as a particularly vicious undertow grabbed the vehicle and it began sliding towards the raging creek.
"Yeah, and of course I decide to move during the only freaking ass hurricane to hit western PA in the last twenty-five years," she said, fingers curling around the armrest as he fought the wheel, skillfully managing to get them back into the center of the road.
"You don't watch the news?" His eyes never left the road as he spoke, for which she was eternally grateful. Given the way her luck was running, the creek was going to be the winner in this battle eventually.
"Been out of the country, digging wells in the Sudan," she said softly. "I just flew in this morning and picked up my car in Pittsburgh. Stupid girl behind the counter didn't even warn me that I'd be driving straight into the teeth of this thing."
Peeta's shoulders tensed as the wheel spun to the left, his hands gripping so tightly the knuckles turned white. "Probably thought you realized and were going to take the risk anyway, since you didn't cancel the reservation."
"Surely I don't look that stupid, do I?" The second the words were out of her mouth, she could've kicked herself. Way to make yourself look like an ass Katniss!
He risked a quick glance at her, a faint blush staining his cheeks. "No, you don't look stupid, Katniss."
She remembered the last time he'd said those very same words to her and her cheeks burned with heat. Cripes she'd fucked up her life but good. If Gale could see her now, he'd be laughing his ass off. He was the one that told her she'd never get Peeta Mellark out from underneath her skin, despite how far and fast she ran. There were some things that just were and apparently the two of them together was one of them. He'd told her that again just before she'd left Paris for the last time, and even though she'd known he was right, she couldn't bring herself to admit the truth. It certainly was slapping her in the face now though. Being in the car with him, breathing the same air, knowing he most likely hated her for what she'd done. Guilt stabbed at her hard and she closed her eyes as she felt tears pricking at her eyes. This was her penance, her cross to bear for what she'd done and she shouldered it gladly, welcoming the weight as she'd done for the past five years.
Peeta fought the wheel a bit more, the darkness falling rapidly around them like a funeral shroud, cutting off everything but the thin beams of the headlights bouncing off the rain slicked road. The rain was coming down even harder, making it almost impossible to see out of the windshield any longer. Katniss glanced at Peeta's strong profile, unsure how he was even keeping the big vehicle on the road, let alone knowing where to turn when he spun the wheel hard and turned into a rutted, water filled lane. She could barely make out the tall house on the hill at the end of the long, meandering drive. He shifted the truck into lower gear, the tires digging deep into the mud and muck, climbing the twisting road slowly. The house got larger and larger in the windshield and he finally pulled to a stop in a large, paved driveway.
Throwing the truck in park, he turned to face her. "Power's out, so I'll have to go around the back and open the door manually. Stay here, we don't both need to get any wetter." He opened the door and stepped out into the storm before she could even blink, darting quickly around the garage to the back of the house.
Katniss shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she stared out into the darkness beyond the reach of the car's lights. Trees surrounded them on all sides and she could hear the roar of the creek over the gently idling engine. This was one nasty fucking storm and if he hadn't been there… No, she couldn't go there, she refused. If therapy had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't play the what if game, it would only destroy the hard won sanity that she'd finally been able to embrace.
The garage door slid up, drawing her attention. Peeta stood illuminated in the headlights, watching her through the glass. His eyes squinted for a second and then he dashed back out to the driver's side, opening the door and slipping inside quickly. He shook his head like a dog and water flew everywhere. The grin he gave her made the angry retort she had ready die on her lips and her thighs clench tightly together as heady desire spun leisurely through her body, teasing along her nerve endings and leaving her feeling restless and hungry. The guilt was still there, it was her constant companion, but it was slowly being edged out by a hunger she hadn't felt in five years. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and her stomach swooped and tumbled as butterflies danced along her veins.
Peeta pulled the truck into the garage and hopped out, going around the back to open the hatch and grab her bags. Katniss watched him in the rearview until their eyes met and she dropped her gaze, reaching for her purse before opening the door, cheeks heating with a flush she couldn't control. She stepped out of the truck and onto the cement floor of the garage, looking around slowly.
"Here," Peeta said, coming up next to her just as the lights went out, plunging them into nearly absolute darkness. His hand found her arm as he clicked on the flashlight he held in one hand. "Sorry bout that," he said, giving her a sheepish grin. Katniss looked up and nearly drowned in the deep blue of his eyes, memories flooding her.
The first time she'd stared up into his eyes like that had been fifteen years ago and they'd been on the back deck of Madge Undersee's house, awkwardly attempting conversation. Gale had forced her to come, since it was the last party of the year before everyone scattered for college or work and he knew it was now or never with her and Peeta.
"So," Peeta said, rubbing absently at the back of his neck, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "You going away to college?"
Katniss shook her head, wishing for the millionth time that night that she'd just left her hair in its usual braid instead of letting Madge talk her into leaving it loose and curled softly. "No, I'm going to work."
Peeta frowned down at her. "You were valedictorian, Katniss, surely you got scholarships?"
Her cheeks heated and she took a deep swallow of the cup Gale'd pressed into her hands as she'd come outside. It burned going down and she nearly choked but the fire spread soothing fingers through her midsection, easing some of the aching agony that his words had inadvertently wrought. "I have to stay here, with Prim," she mumbled before taking another drink.
"Oh," he said. "I uh, yeah. I forgot that you're both living with Mr. Abernathy. Is he your relative or something?"
She nodded, wishing that a hole would open up and swallow her so she didn't have to talk about this, especially with him. "He was my dad's best friend, and listed as our guardian if anything… anything happened to our parents."
"So, you could still go to school, right? I mean, she's got someone to look out for her."
"No, I'm her family, it's my job," she said vehemently.
"But-"
"You don't know anything," she hissed, anger finally getting the better of her. "What the hell do you know about me at all? I mean really, all you've done is stare at me for the last twelve fucking years; do you think that gives you the right to question my decisions? Fuck you, Peeta Mellark. Fuck you and your perfect life!" Katniss spun on her heel and stomped away from him, tossing the red solo cup off the edge of the deck. Anger speared through her, coating everything with a thick, red haze and she pushed her way through the crowded living room, uncaring of the insults and complaints that were tossed her way as she fought her way to the door. She began running as soon as she cleared the door, legs eating up the road as she tried to put as much distance between herself and the stupid party that she knew she hadn't belonged at.
"Katniss?"
She blinked and was suddenly back in the dark garage, standing in the small circle of light that the flashlight threw off. "Sorry," she muttered. "It's been a really long day." She reached for one of her bags, their fingers brushing. Heat speared through her at his touch and she stepped back, inhaling sharply.
Peeta nodded, pointing the light towards the door and a short flight of steps, ignoring the way she moved away from him, glossing over it like he did with everything else that confused him about her, not acknowledging it made it not exist, right? "I've got some venison chili inside. You're probably freezing," he said softly.
"Thanks," she said, curling her fingers around the handle of the bag he'd set at her feet. "That sounds really good right now. I haven't had venison in forever."
"Yeah, I'm sure it's not really on the menu much in New York City, is it?" Her head jerked up and she stared at him with narrowed eyes. How the fuck had he known she'd been living in New York City?
He flushed a dull red and shook his head, turning towards the door. "C'mon, before we catch cold."
She watched him walk up the short stairs, turning back on the top one to make sure she was following. Their eyes locked once more. This conversation wasn't over, not by a long shot. He knew a hell of a lot more than he should have, for someone she'd excised out of her life five years ago. She lifted the bag and followed him up the steps and into the warm confines of a cozy kitchen filled with whitewashed pine cupboards and gleaming silver appliances.
"Laundry room is just off to the left, along with a bathroom," he said, jerking his head at a darkened alcove. "I've done some remodeling, so things are a bit different. You can leave your wet things in there. I need to run down to the basement and start up the generator so we can have hot water and some light."
He set her suitcase in the middle of the floor and handed the flashlight to her before disappearing into the dark. She heard a door creak open and then heavy footsteps thudding down wooden stairs. The generator kicked on with a throaty roar and Peeta ran back upstairs, flipping on the light to the kitchen.
Katniss squinted in the suddenly bright light; acutely conscious of how ridiculous she must look right at this moment. Her hair was soaked, every article of clothing on her body was wet and she could hear the dripping sound her jeans were making on the tile floor. "I'm gonna go dry off," she mumbled, turning towards the doorway he'd motioned to before he'd gone downstairs.
"Take a shower, there should be plenty of hot water, I haven't been home all day," he said softly, "and the power's only been off for about a half hour or so." "I'm going to go change and then get the chili heated up."
Katniss nodded without turning around, her stomach churning with anxiety. She couldn't believe she was in his house, about to get naked – again.