Peeta picked up his phone and read her email for the millionth time.
Sorry I can't come home; the opportunity is just too good to pass up. I'm going to be studying under Dr. Enobaria Castaglione in Lima, Peru for the next nine months. Dr. Beetee knew her from back in the day and he pulled some strings to get me the internship. I know I promised I'd be home for your birthday, but how about you come down and meet me in Belize? We could spend the week on the beach, getting sand in inappropriate places and drinking as much tequila as we could hold. I miss you Peeta and I want to feel your body next to mine again when we sleep. Can't you just leave that damn town and come out here?
Love you,
Katniss
He shook his head. He still hadn't replied and it'd been three days. Didn't she realize that you don't just leave a bakery during Valentine's week? He'd never be able to get away, not with all of the wedding cakes he had to finish. Suck it up, Mellark. Email her and get it over with.
Just as he was getting ready to reply, his phone dinged, signaling an incoming email.
Peeta-
Where the hell are you? I emailed you three days ago and you can't even bother to answer?
Katniss
He sighed and started tapping out a reply, one that wouldn't make either of them happy. His balls were about as blue as they could get and the thought of one more night with his hand and the bottle of lotion left him sick to his stomach.
Katniss,
Sorry, was trying to come up with a response that wouldn't piss you off, can see I've already failed miserably. You know I can't leave, this is one of the busiest times at the bakery, that's why I thought you were coming home, to help as well as the fact that I haven't seen you in close to three years and I miss you.
I'm happy for your opportunity, but I'm tired of being here alone. You told me you were coming back and since the day I put you on the plane to go to Spain, it's been one thing or another. I love you and I miss you and I want to be with you, not doing this long distance thing.
Love always,
Peeta
His heart felt heavier after he sent the email back and he knew that she was going to be pissed, but dammit, didn't he have a right to be angry as well? She'd said she was coming back and now it was almost two years later. Last summer it'd been a seminar with a guesting professor that she couldn't miss and now this summer she'd be in Peru of all fucking places. His phone vibrated and he was almost afraid to look at it. Chickenshit! He flipped it over, the picture of Davin giving him the finger showing on the screen. He pressed the speaker button. "What?"
"Fucker, did you forget you were supposed to work for me this morning? I have a test in an hour."
"Shit, I forgot. I'll be there in ten minutes."
"You'd better or I'm leaving this place unlocked with a sign on the door saying help yourself."
Peeta ended the call, cursing under his breath. He'd been so caught up in thinking about Katniss he'd completely forgotten that Davin needed this morning off. Some fucking boss he was! He grabbed his keys and went into the garage, pushing the button for the door after he got into the truck. When the door finally opened, he pulled out and slammed it into gear, pushing the button for the door again. He checked in the rearview to make sure it was going down before speeding off down the rutted, gravel strewn driveway towards town.
The normal ten minute ride took seven since he'd sped nearly the entire way into town. Luckily Darius wasn't sitting in is usual spot this morning, so he'd managed to not get a ticket on top of everything else. He parked in his usual spot and leapt out of the truck, locking it and racing inside.
Davin was behind the counter, talking to Lavinia, the pretty redhead he'd hired last week to run the register and watch the front when it was only him working. He saw Peeta and nodded, whipping his apron off and balling it up as he pushed open the swinging doors to the kitchen area. Peeta smiled at Lavinia. "Morning, has it been busy?"
"Just the usual crowd," she replied, smiling at him.
"Great, I'll be in the back if you need any help."
"Sure thing, Peeta," she said, turning back as the shop bell jingled, signaling another customer had entered. "Hi, can I help you?"
He pushed open the door and stepped back into the kitchen, his brother's apron hitting him square in the face. "You knew this was important."
"I'm sorry," Peeta said, taking the apron and tossing it into the bin beside the door for the laundry service to pick up later. "I was dealing with something and I forgot."
"They only accept three people from the county into the program and if I don't make it, I'm blaming you."
Peeta glared at him. "Quit flapping your mouth and get the hell out of here then." Davin flipped him off. "And good luck on the test, you'll do fine!" he called as his brother left the kitchen. He'd never pictured Davin as a cop, but apparently that's all he'd ever wanted to be, so when they'd announced the test for the academy, he'd been the first one to sign up. Peeta shook his head. To each his own, he'd rather bake than enforce the law.
He grabbed the list of items he'd need to make this morning and walked over to the big steel table in the center of the kitchen, laying it down before going to the sink to wash up. His mind was still on Katniss and he shook his head, staring at his reflection in the tiny mirror over the sink. Suck it up asshole, if she really cared, she'd be here. He'd been thinking that a lot lately. Their phone calls had gotten gradually less frequent and the pauses between had grown to uncomfortable levels as they struggled to find some common ground between their vastly different lives. She was out in LA, living with Gale and going to school and he was here, trying to keep the bakery afloat while taking classes part time at night online. Drying his hands on a clean towel, he tucked another one into the string of his apron and moved back to the table, trying to focus on what needed to be done here.
His phone dinged just as the door to the back opened, startling him.
"Peeta!"
Davin burst through the doors, a wide smile on his face. "I passed! I'm heading out to the academy in two weeks!"
"Congratulations!" Peeta said, carefully tucking the last bit of strudel dough underneath the braided log to cover the cinnamon apple filling. Effie Trinket loved these strudel logs and she ordered at least three a week. He'd been so busy this morning he'd barely had time to make everything the bakery needed for the shelves before starting on the special orders. If Davin was leaving, he was going to have to hire someone to help him back here. His phone vibrated against his hip again and he knew it was Katniss without even having to look. Truth be told, he was getting a little sick of her selfishness. What the hell was wrong with being here with him? It's not like everyone hated her, she just thought they all did.
"I want to go out tonight and celebrate," Davin said, leaning a hip against the table. "You haven't been out in forever; it'll be like old times."
Peeta rolled his eyes. Davin's idea of going out involved getting shit-faced drunk and hooking up with whatever woman was willing to take his drunk ass home and fuck him until he passed out. 'I don't know man; I have to get up early-"
"Fuck that. I get into the academy and you won't go out and celebrate? Who replaced you with Willem?"
"Screw you," Peeta said, turning around to slip the strudel into the big, brick oven. "Fine, but I'm not drinking more than one beer and you promise to leave when I'm ready."
Davin rolled his eyes. "Whatever pussy. Just be ready by seven, I hear there's a wet t-shirt contest down at the Rodeo tonight."
"Mmm, sounds like my kind of night," Peeta said, shaking his head. The Rodeo was pretty much the only bar in town that catered to the college aged kids. There was a big dance floor and a mechanical bull that never failed to claim someone's pride on the weekends.
"You'll like it plenty when you see titties bouncing in your face," Davin said, laughing as he pushed open the door to the front. "I'll be at your house at seven, little bro."
"Fine, but remember it's just one beer," Peeta said, checking on the strudel. He lifted the wooden paddle and slid it a little further away from the crimson coals. Effie didn't like it burnt. His phone vibrated once more and he sighed, pulling it out of his pocket.
Peeta
Is this how we're going to handle things? I email you, you ignore me, I text, you ignore me. This is getting really old. If you want to be together, get your ass to Belize! I wasn't coming home to be your assistant, isn't that what you've got Davin for? I know he's an imbecile, but he works there, even someone with his limited brain capacity can bake a freaking cake.
Stop with the guilt trips, you know I was in school and how important it is to me. I've had to work my ass off to get where I am. You made the choice to go to community college after you broke your leg, not me. I wanted you to go back to Notre Dame and get the hell out of that shithole but no, you went and bought the damn bakery, tying yourself there even more!
I'm tired of fighting about this, over and over.
Katniss
He very nearly threw the phone into the brick oven as anger boiled hotly in his gut. He was guilt tripping her? That was rich! She's the one that kept leaving him and he was the bastard? Fuck that!
Katniss
I'm the bastard because I won't go traipsing off to whatever fucking shithole you're calling home these days? I'm running a business, working towards my future, just like you are, but for some reason, my life isn't as important as yours! I'm under just as much pressure to succeed as you are, have you met my mother? Do you think it's fun explaining that no, you're not going to date Delly Cartwright or anyone else here because the woman you love is halfway around the world from you and you'd rather just sit home and be miserable waiting for her to come back to you? I want to be together, and you claim that's what you want to, but you aren't willing to compromise at all!
Peeta
Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, he stared at the coals, getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about what she'd said.
"Peeta, I never see you anymore!" Glimmer Mitchell threw her arms around his neck the second he stepped inside, rubbing her breasts across his chest suggestively. "I told Davin I thought he'd done buried you out there behind that bakery."
Peeta gently unwound her hands from his neck and squeezed her hands. "Hey Glimmer, good to see you too."
She freed one hand and trailed her index finger down the front of his shirt. "Seriously, Peeta, where've you been hiding?"
He smiled and shrugged, nodding at another of his friends as they moved past. "I've been working; I took over the bakery from my parents."
"And that means you can't go out at night?" she pressed, moving closer to him, staring up at him with wide eyes. Her shirt was so small and tight he could see the tops of her breasts pushing up and his traitorous cock twitched in response.
Time to end this before his body got him in trouble. "Not when I have to get up at four am to get things ready for the day. S'cuse me, I'm gonna go get a beer, I'm here to celebrate with Davin."
She squealed and he winced. "Oh, I know! I can't believe he's gonna be a cop!"
"Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it?" Peeta tried to go around her but she latched onto his arm and followed him over to the bar, leaning up against it and staring at him with puppy dog eyes. Well fuck, this wasn't going to end well. He motioned to the bartender. "Corona with lime and whatever she wants," he said, motioning towards Glimmer.
"Tequila," she said, turning around to smile at the bartender. "Double shot."
Peeta sighed and pulled out his wallet, handing his card to the bartender. "Start a tab."
"You got it," he said, reaching beneath the bar for the beer. He pushed it over to Peeta after putting the lime wedge on top and then poured Glimmer's shot. She curled her fingers around it and slurped it down like it was water.
"Thanks babe," she said, trailing her nails across his chest. His phone vibrated against his ass and he turned away from her, pulling it out. The email notification flashed and he walked over to the table where Davin was sitting. Hooking a chair with his foot, he sat down and took a long pull off the beer before opening up the message.
Peeta,
I really hate your passive aggressive guilt trips, they make me feel like shit, as I'm sure you intended. However, I've asked you repeatedly to come and visit me and you refuse every single time so don't tell me I'm the one doling out excuses like its only my problem. I don't know what your attachment to that place is, but it makes my skin crawl to be back there. Try walking in my shoes and you might understand why I hate it so much, but then again, you've always been the golden boy so you'd have no clue what it's like to not be.
I want to spend your birthday together but sometimes life just doesn't let us do the things we want. I have to think about my career as well and this opportunity is just too important for me to blow off. You need to compromise too; I can't be the one coming running to you all the time. If you want to call me to tell me you're coming to Belize, then I'll be more than willing to listen, otherwise I guess I'll see you when I see you.
Katniss
He growled and took another long pull of his beer. Davin looked up, and seeing his expression, laughed uproariously. "Whassa matter Peeta, did the uptight twat turn you down again?"
"Fuck off, Davin. She doesn't like you either but she doesn't call you a douche bag even though you act like one constantly," Peeta snarled, lifting his beer and finishing it off.
"Get another beer and have a fucking shot and quit being such an asshole. It's my night to celebrate, not listen to you whine about Katniss."
Glimmer's head swiveled towards him. "Katniss…Everdeen? I thought she left town ages ago?"
Davin's bark of laughter made Peeta's blood boil. "She did, right after she fucked my brother here all summer long and then left him high and dry. He hasn't seen her in three years and still lets her yank his chain."
Peeta ignored his brother and went to the bar, sliding onto a stool. When the bartender approached, he pointed to the tequila. "Double shot."
Glimmer sidled up next to him, rubbing her breasts against his back. "So, you haven't had sex in three years?"
He gulped down the shot, welcoming the fiery burn. "Nope," he said, motioning for another shot.
"That's an awfully long time to go without," she said, trailing her nails lightly along the back of his neck.
He swallowed the second shot and turned to look at her. "What exactly do you want from me, Glimmer?" The alcohol burned in his stomach, reminding him that he hadn't eaten when he'd gotten home from work.
A slow, sultry smile curved her lips. "I don't know, what do you want?"
He leaned back against the bar. "Right now I think I want another shot." He was pissed and hurt and tired of being jerked around by Katniss. Staring up at the blond, he could feel the alcohol pulsing in his bloodstream, taking away all of the pain and the guilt and leaving nothing behind but the need to feel… something.
She smirked and leaned closer, stepping into his space so that she stood right between his legs. "I could go for one of those too."
Peeta glanced over his shoulder. "Two more."
Peeta woke up slowly, the sun painting patterns across his face. His head was pounding and he felt like the entire Sahara had deposited itself in his mouth sometime last night. Groaning, he sat up, eyes widening when he heard a soft snore coming from the other side of the bed.
Lifting up the covers, he closed his eyes as he gazed down at his naked body. What the fuck had he done last night? He turned to look at the nightstand and his stomach clenched at the box of condoms sitting on it, top open and torn like he'd done it in a big hurry.
Fuck me! He'd slept with Glimmer last night. He'd let the alcohol and Katniss' ultimatum get to him. His conscience prickled and he carefully got out of bed, reaching for the jeans lying on the floor next to his bed. Sliding them on, he tiptoed out of the bedroom and made his way slowly downstairs. He walked into the kitchen and started the coffee pot, his head pounding. That's it then, they were over. She'd all but told him she was done unless he went to South America to be with her. He was a free man, able to do and fuck whomever and whatever he wanted. Reaching for a mug, he watched impatiently as the carafe slowly filled before filling a cup and bringing the steaming mug to his lips.
"That smells good."
He burned his tongue and quickly set the cup down, cursing as he spun around to stare at her. "What?"
She was wearing one of his t-shirts and the irrational part of his brain thought that it didn't look nearly as good on her as it had on Katniss. She walked over to him and wrapped her fingers around the mug. "I said," she said, looking at him over the rim of the cup, "that smells good." She took a delicate sip and set it back down.
"You can have it."
"Thanks," she said, leaning against the counter to stare at him. "This is the first time you've done anything like this, isn't it?"
He swallowed hard, feeling the telltale burn of a blush creep over his cheeks. "Um..." He sighed deeply. "That obvious, is it?"
Glimmer laughed. "Oh Peeta, if you weren't so damned cute, I think I'd have to hate you. We had sex; it's not that big of deal."
"It's not?" he stammered, frowning at her.
"It was fun, but it's not like I want to move in here and marry you or anything. I'm totally not ready to settle down and I don't really think you are either, at least not with me."
He chuckled. "No, I'm not ready to get married."
"Unless Katniss comes back?"
His cheeks burned hotter. "Um, I don't know. We had a huge fight last night and …"
Glimmer laughed. "So you fucked me to try to forget her. Didn't work, did it?"
"No," he said honestly.
"And it won't, but if you want to try to forget again, you know where to find me, okay?" She leaned closer and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "You've gotten a lot better since high school," she whispered before spinning around and walking slowly back out of the kitchen.
Peeta sagged back against the counter, shaking his head. That certainly hadn't been what he'd expected.
Peeta closed the door to the bakery and locked it, glancing at the clock. Seven o'clock, two hours past normal closing time and he was beat. They'd sold out of everything he'd made today and he had orders for more first thing in the morning, but the new guy would be here in a few hours to take care of those. He pulled out his phone and sighed. No emails, texts or missed calls. This was really it then, they were done. Taking a deep breath, he scrolled through his contacts, dialing before he could think better of it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me, Peeta. I know its last minute and all but I just closed up and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to help me forget again?"
Sultry laughter filled the tiny speaker. "I'd love to; you bring the condoms and something chocolate."
He chuckled. "I think I can handle that, see you in about an hour."
"Don't be late."
"I won't," he said, ending the call and shoving his phone into his pocket. He steadfastly ignored the twinge in his chest and went out to his truck, putting all thoughts of Katniss and their mess out of his head. She'd broken up with him, not the other way around.