I'm back! *waves*

I hopped on Tumblr last night and happened to see that I was nominated for a few Everlark Smut Awards and I about dropped over I was so happy! Thank you to the person/peeps who even THOUGHT of me - I am honored! I do love my smut writin'.

I've had this fic in a folder on my desktop for almost a year and a half, slowly chugging away on it here and there but that nomination seriously made my day. So, I dragged my ass to the computer and decided to post a few chapters to see what you all think. It's a bit different than anything I've tried to far, but fingers crossed you all enjoy it.

(and yes, there will be smut, it's still me...come on now, you know I can't write no 'G' rated fic ; ) hah!)

CHAPTER 1 – A Girl like Her

He couldn't understand how a single person could be so utterly beautiful it could make his heart hurt.

His hands stilled in the lukewarm bread dough he was kneading as he watched her walk past the glass windows that lined the front of his family's bakery. Her blonde hair blew lightly in the wind as she paused at the door and swung it open with a carefree pull.

Yes, he thought with glee. Time seemed to slow down as she floated gracefully up to the counter and flashed a dazzling smile. Her lips shone with a fresh coat of shimmery pink lip gloss and her loose, golden curls seemed to frame her angelic face in a way that made his heart pound. Her aqua colored eyes squinted when she smiled, making her entire face seem to glow happily.

He gulped silently and tried to keep his cool.

"It always smells so amazing in here!" she trilled happily, giving him another grin.

He smiled back. "Thanks. We uh….bake a lot."

She smiled back, her dazzling expression making his heart beat so loud it started to resound in his ears. Shit, he thought, that sounded like a whole other level of stupid.

"In a bakery? Hmmm," she teased playfully, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder. She offered him a playful wink to go along with her smile and he thought he might keel over. She was just so utterly gorgeous it hurt.

Say something, say something, SAY SOMETHING! his mind screamed at him. Mouth suddenly dry, he fought to find the words.

"It's Glimmer, right? I'm Peeta."

"That's right, you remembered my name!" she trilled, placing a perfectly manicured hand over her heart. "So cute."

"Um….can I get you something?" he finally managed to stammer.

"Oh, you know you can," she said, leaning onto the counter. Her infectious laugher rang out in the quiet bakery, the sound making Peeta smile bigger.

"Uh…well, u-uh….You name it."

I think I'd get you anything you wanted.

"What's the best thing you have? I'm in the mood for something different today."

Peeta nervously bit his lip. "Oh, ah….I think the Danishes. Or maybe the doughnuts. Or the Croissants. I mean…I think so at least."

He barely noticed as her eyes raked up and down his frame once, her lip twitching slightly as she fought back a smile.

He heard his father snort behind him – Peeta had forgotten there was a witness to his shameless flirting. He cleared his throat and wiped some of the flour off his apron. Glimmer was a regular at his family's bakery. He surmised she lived nearby, for she almost always stopped by on weekends for a doughnut or a bagel to go with her Chai Tea Latte. The grand entrance, hair flipping, warm smiles and flirty winks were consistently a part of her routine. She never did it with either of his brothers – granted, they both wore their wedding rings on full display, but still.

She always seemed to flirt with him.

"Those little fruit tarts you make are always amazing," she sighed. "Maybe one of those?"

He stuttered. "Oh, I….I didn't have any made up today. Um-"

She clicked her tongue and gave him a helpless look. "Oh, I had so hoped you would have…."

She gave him an expectant look that he didn't quite understand. Suddenly, an idea dawned on him.

"I erm…I could make some up. Do you uh…maybe want your usual latte while you wait? Skim milk, right? It'll just take a second," he stammered nervously.

Her show-stopping grin returned. She looked like an angel. "You're the best."

He let out a little cross between a squeak and a laugh and bobbed his head a little too quickly. "Sure! Sure, not a problem. I uh…I'll bring that out to you."

She winked again and winkled her nose in an adorable way before prancing off to a table in front of the windows. Peeta sighed as he watched her tuck her blonde curls behind her ear and whip out her iPad. He'd had his eye on Glimmer for almost six months now. She was everything he wanted; beautiful, sweet, and an infectious laugh. While he knew his father's croissants and his pastries and lattes were wonderful, they couldn't be so wonderful that she would come in nearly every weekend just for them, right? He had himself convinced that she had an ulterior motive involved, and he secretly hoped it was him.

He hurried back to the kitchen, ignoring his mother's irritated stare and his father's raised eyebrows.

"Did you make any of those mini fruit tarts yet today?" he asked hurriedly, flipping the door to the fridge open. He pulled out the fresh batch of whipped cream and looked at his father expectantly. "Did you?" He grinned.

His dad laughed, shaking his head. "Is that what Miss Long Legs wants today? No, I didn't make any," he replied with another chuckle. "You gonna moon over her all day or ask her out?"

"Dad…"

His mother gave a dissatisfied grunt from behind him, making a show of yanking the cellar door open and stomping down the steps. His father's eyes followed her before he shook it off.

"What? You act like a giddy little teenager whenever she comes in. Might be time to see if she's game for a Mellark man," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Right," Peeta snorted. "I could get a girl like that? Seriously? Come on, pop."

"What? Your mother looked like that once and got her, s'all I'm sayin'."

Peeta shot his father a withering skeptical look.

"Well…she wasn't as uh…tall. Fit. She had blonde hair. She was…oh…Shut up, quit looking at me like that. She was a catch in her day, still is. But no, I didn't make up any of those fruit tarts yet today. Didn't plan on it. My point is, go out there and offer to make it up to her by taking her out for dinner."

Peeta heaved a sigh and toyed with the frayed end of his white apron. "Seriously? None?" he hated to disappoint her. What if she didn't come back? He glanced around the aging bakery, wiping his hands nervously on his apron.

"Peeta…"

"But you didn't make any of them, right? You're not just toying with me?"

"No, son, I didn't. It's too early in the springtime to make fruit tarts every day, Peeta. Those are a summer treat."

Peeta cursed under his breath and made his way to the front of the store. Glimmer stood at the center of the counter, tapping her high heeled foot impatiently. How she managed to eat something from the bakery as often as she did and still managed to look like a runway model, Peeta wasn't sure. He began making her normal latte, his fingers fumbling clumsily to get the lid on just right.

"So uh…we don't have any today, turns out," he stammered, hurrying to slide on the cup sleeve. "But maybe if you come back later…?"

She tossed her hair and wrinkled her small nose. "Nah, its fine. I was just super hoping for one today. It's a shame you didn't make any…"

He shrugged slowly, not sure what she wanted him to do. "I'm…sorry. It's usually a summertime thing when we have those, and it's still….pretty early yet. But we should have them in a few weeks," he added hopefully.

Glimmer wrinkled her nose, heaving a disappointed sigh. God, even slightly pissy she looked beautiful he thought.

"Its fine I guess. Bummer. Well…."

"I can get you something else," he insisted. He gulped in nervousness, watching her eyes scan over him. There was a small flicker of hope that maybe she liked what she saw when she looked at him. It was small, but it was there. He wiped his shaky, slightly sweaty palms on his pants and cleared his throat. "Maybe I can make it up to you. With dinner."

She cocked her head to the side and gave him an inquisitive look. "Your bakery makes dinner?"

"Uh, no," he laughed nervously, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. I mean…I could take you out. To dinner. Maybe tomorrow? F-Friday?"

Her eyes lit up with realization before showing a flash of horror that she quickly recovered from. He felt his stomach drop.

"Like a date? With you?"

"Y-yeah," he stammered. He swallowed again and chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, if you want. I mean, my treat, I would love to take you out. Dinner a-and…maybe a movie?"

Glimmer let out a weird, half laugh half groan as she bit her lip. "Peter, that's so….nice."

He tried not to wince. "It's…its Peeta, actually."

"Right," she sighed, wrinkling her nose again. "Listen, this is going to sound kinda…bad, but…you're not really my type."

His heart sank. "You have to have a type to just…take you out to dinner?"

She nodded. "I mean, you're super nice and I love your pastries, but I don't go out with guys like you. I mean, the last guy I dated was almost a pro-football player. He had a motorcycle and he had his picture taken with it…shirtless," she sighed, her eyes meeting his. "He sent it to a few modeling agencies and they might put it in a magazine. I mean, a real magazine," she insisted. She did a quick once-over scan of his body and heaved a little sigh.

"He sounds….great," Peeta forced out. The word sounded disgusting and flat and he could barely get it out.

Douchebag, he secretly thought. "So your type of guy owns like…motorcycles and plays sports?"

Glimmer tossed her hair and gave him a look full of pity. "That's not what I'm saying. I'm just…not attracted to you. I guess I just don't want to date someone…. your size."

The air felt like it had gotten sucked out of the room. Peeta's face immediately got hot and his palms began to sweat as her words hung in the air.

Your size.

"My size," he muttered, his face growing even hotter. "So a fat guy, right? You wouldn't ever date a fat guy? Not even once, to give him a chance?"

She was quiet for a few moments, her flawless face sad. Her voice was gentle, but never before had words sliced through his heart so hurtfully. "No. I'm sorry. I don't go out with fat guys."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Disclaimer:

The idea for this story came to me as I was working out one day and reading a lot about health and fitness. Those two words mean different things to different people, simply put. I am by no means any sort of expert on health, personal fitness, or weight loss – all three of which will be talked about as they relate to this fiction. Please do not mistake that I am writing about them for the sake of the story as I document Peeta's fictional journey into physical fitness and NOT as a personal recommendation or even as a halfway professional of any sort. THIS IS JUST FICTION.

That said, I think 'fat' is a bit of a dirty word in our society today and I am using it as a derogatory term used by fictional characters. I will not ever disclose how much Peeta weighs at his heaviest because I truly feel that the number on the scale is irrelevant to the plot. He is however large you imagine him – whatever number you picture for him is the number he is. I am writing this for fiction and not for a reference for anyone out there to feel badly about themselves for weighing more or less than a number. This story is about focusing on what is on the inside while documenting a fictional character's journey to a healthier lifestyle.

I hope I haven't offended anyone who is or isn't working on their own fitness journey. This is just a story and I am NOT a trainer in real life, so...take none of it seriously.

If you guys like it, I'll keep going! : )