Hi, all. So…I intended to work on the next chapter of "Vacation of a Lifetime" but I heard this song and I couldn't help it. I had to write this. Maybe it's cause most people hear this song and just don't understand it. I'll admit that I used to be like that too, but I got older and the meaning came to me. Yay for being an English major.

First off, I'm not a country fan, but this song was on the "Best of 2001" station on AOL Radio. This will be similar in structure to "Yours To Hold" but it will be much shorter and it's not part of a mini-series. Once this ends, it's over.

Hope you enjoy…and overlook my lack of knowledge about Texas. I've never been there. Oh, and I'm gonna try and put both POVs in each chapter. Please don't kill me if that doesn't work. It's trial and error.

Chapter 1: The First Message

She left without leaving a number
Said she needed to clear her mind
He figured she'd gone back to Austin
'Cause she talked about it all the time
It was almost a year
Before she called him up,
Three rings and an answering machine
Is what she got.
…

"Katniss, you don't have to leave. Can't we just work this out?" Peeta Mellark pleaded one more time in vain as his girlfriend, Katniss Everdeen, packed her loaded bags into her small car.

Sighing, Katniss looked back into his sad blue eyes. "We've been through this already, Peeta. It's not your fault. I just need some space for a bit. I'm not breaking up with you, but…maybe it's best if you move on. I'm sorry, Peeta…I hope you find happiness in life." With a small smile, she got into the driver's seat, started her car and drove off toward the highway, leaving Peeta to stare sadly at the cloud of dust that the wheels had kicked up from the dirt road.

Katniss POV
...

Upon leaving the small house she had shared with her boyfriend, Katniss had returned to her childhood home a half hour away in the town of Austin, Texas. Her mother and sister had immediately assumed that the happy couple had broken up, but Katniss quickly assured them that was not true. She did, however, leave out the part where she told Peeta to move on with his life.

That had been almost a year ago. No matter how hard she tried to move on and forget, it always came back to her. How was Peeta doing? Had he moved on? She hoped so, but she couldn't be sure. There had been no contact between them because she had intentionally neglected to tell him that her home phone number had changed. However, she did have his number and decided one afternoon to give him a call.

The phone rang three times before the answering machine picked up. Peeta always enjoyed playing around with the message on the answering machine, so she wasn't surprised to hear the newest one play into her ear.

If you're calling 'bout the car, I sold it,
If this is Tuesday night, I'm bowling
If you got something to sell
You're wasting your time
I'm not buying
If it's anybody else
Wait for the tone
You know what to do
And P.S. if this is Austin
I still love you.

Peeta POV
...

It had been almost year since that day that Katniss had left after giving him the "it's not you, it's me" line and Peeta still played it back in his mind. He always wished there was something more he could've done to stop her from leaving. However, he knew that Katniss was stubborn. Once her mind was made up, no amount of convincing would change it.

He had tried several times to call the number of Katniss's childhood home in Austin, but, each time, he always got the same message. Number not in service. Eventually, he resigned himself to knowing that there was no way to get in contact with her. She would have to be the one to call.

Weekly, he changed the message on his answering machine. He had done this since forever and he wasn't about to change just because Katniss was gone. However, each week, he would always finish off with the same words. "If this is Austin…I still love you."

Another day found Peeta in the kitchen. As a baker's son, he had always loved taking after his father. In Austin, he had helped out in the bakery after school and on the weekends. Baking was a comfort for him. Today, he was making cookies and fresh bread. The kitchen was a mess and there was flour everywhere, most of it was on Peeta's white apron and tossed into his blonde hair.

The phone rang. Peeta hated picking up the phone and today his hands were covered in flour and sticky from breaking open eggs. Yeah, he'd let the answering machine get it. Two rings later, the ringing stopped and Peeta knew that his answering machine had taken the call. He waited for the message on the answering machine to play back to the caller. Would the person on the other end leave a message or not?

So…I'm not planning for this to be too long either in story length or chapter length. Hope that doesn't turn anyone off.

Not much to say, so…hope you enjoyed and the second message will be up soon.

Posted: July 23, 2012

Edited/Revised: July 25, 2012