Seize Me
Chapter 2
"Hey oh, here I am,
And here we go, life's waiting to begin.
I cannot live, I cannot breathe,
Unless you do this with me."
The Adventure-Angels and Airwaves
I'm practically aching with need when the show ends, having been drooling over this Peeta character for a solid hour and a half, and I have to keep my legs clamped together while we wait to get in to see the boys in an attempt to calm the throbbing at my core. As I'd watched him, I'd realized I probably wouldn't have even noticed him in a crowd if it hadn't been for him being in Gale's band. And I think how awful that seems, how vain. But, in my defense, not many guys really stand out to me. Most of the time they just sort of appear, like Douche-Guy/Cato, and I either take them up on their offer or shoot them down. And I've certainly never gone out of my way to meet a guy.
Which is why the fact that I'm standing here with Madge, Johanna and Prim waiting to see Gale and his sexy guitar friend is so amusing to everyone.
"I'm surprised, Katniss," Madge says with a knowing smirk. "I thought you'd have tried to duck out as soon as the show was over, offer to pull up the car or something."
"I was to see Gale," I retort with a sniff, annoyed at what she's insinuating.
Prim rolls her eyes at me with a smile. "Sure," she says, drawing the vowels of the word out in a way that makes me want to give her a swift kick in the shins, just to shut her up. She's lucky it's her birthday.
I'm trying to figure out something witty to say in response when the big escort from the concert comes to meet us where we've been waiting at the door leading to the backstage dressing area. He gives us a wave as he approaches, smiling broadly at us.
"No fights tonight," he says giddily. "Somehow the boys' concerts always seem to lead to a fight or two. We were lucky tonight."
We all turn to each other, eyes raised in surprise, when he says this. Really? Gale's band provokes riots? What have we missed?
"Mr. Hawthorne said for you guys to come straight back once everything cleared out," he says, knocking on the door in front of us. Another tall, strong man is opens it from the other side. He's dressed in an outfit to match our escort, meaning he's also part of security. He sees us standing there and smiles.
"Hey, Marshall," he says in greeting to our escort. "These the girls?"
Marshall nods, his teeth made brighter by contrast with his skin. "Yeah, Chad. These are them. Misses Katniss, Prim, Madge and Johanna."
We all give Chad a nervous round of 'hello's and he's grinning at us stupidly as he opens the door wider so we can slip past him. He exchanges a few words with Marshall, and then he closes the door behind us, effectively shutting out the last of the chatter from the show.
"Right this way," he says, turning to walk down the hallway. We follow him in a scurry of leather and high heels, not wanting to be left behind.
Prim, unable to bear even the smallest period of silence, asks Chad, "So, do you guys travel with them, or are you the club's security?"
Chad turns and gives Prim a grim smile and says, "Yeah right, you think clubs like this have the security for a band like this? Nah, we travel with them. It sucks, because we have to spend all day coordinating everything to match the venue." He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "I'm just glad I do security and not babysitting."
"Babysitting?" Johanna asks, tilting her head to the side in interest.
Chad chuckles. "Yeah, keeping them on a schedule, making sure they have everything perfect for the dressing room, that sort of thing. I guess they're not bad as far as rock divas go, but I don't have the patience for that shit. I'd rather get the chance to throw around some drunks then get to sit on the sidelines with the band."
He's led us down to nearly the end of the hallway, stopping at a set of double doors. There's a simple piece of printer paper taped to the front of the door with the name "Misery's Fortune" scrawled on it.
"This is them," Chad says. "Go ahead and head on in, I've got to go help Marshall get stuff wrapped up before we take off tonight." And then, without another word, he's turned on his heel and is going back the way we just came.
A nervous shiver goes down my spine and I can feel Madge echo it. Prim and Johanna are excited in a 'we're meeting the band' way, but for Madge and I this is different. I haven't seen Gale for four years, since that long weekend sophomore year. Madge, who is convinced Gale is the love of her life, hasn't seen him for a few months and has been enduring tabloids insisting every female within a 7 foot distance of him is sleeping with him. Prim knows Gale from back home, but to her he'd always been the cute, older friend of her sister's. Johanna knows Gale too from our time in high school together, but they hadn't been best friends like he and I and they hadn't really kept in touch after graduation.
Madge reaches out and takes my hand in hers. I look over at her and smile, and I can see the excitement there in her eyes, the tears of relief threatening to fall over her lashes. Yes, we've missed Gale terribly. Seemingly reassured by my presence and equal state of mine, Madge sighs and squares her shoulders then reaches forward and pushes open the door.
After which she's immediately enveloped into an embrace by Gale.
"Madge," he sighs into her hair as he holds her. I can see that she's got his shirt in a death grip, her nails biting into the fabric as if she's scared to let go. And I know she probably is. Gale's got one hand at her back and the other is buried in her hair, holding her to him. "I've missed you."
And then he's pulling away from her and planting a sweet kiss on her lips, which makes Prim, who's stepping up in front of me with Johanna, sigh wistfully.
At the sound of Prim's sigh Gale pulls away from Madge and turns to take in my baby sister. She's grown since he last saw her, when she'd little pretty thing of sixteen. And now she stands before him a woman, and I can tell he's having difficulty connecting the two images in his head. But he gracefully shakes his head and smiles at her and gives her a quick, one-armed hug that makes her blush.
"Hiya, birthday girl," he says with a laugh. "Not getting in too much trouble tonight, I'm sure?"
He says this last bit as a question, which makes Prim laugh. "Only just enough," she says, beaming up at him.
He chuckles and releases her, then turns to give Johanna a good once-over. She's been standing there with her arms crossed and her hip popped to the side, waiting for him to notice her. Gale whistles, which relaxes her posture and I can make out a grin on her face as she twirls wickedly for him.
"Look at you, Jo," he cackles, reaching to embrace her as well. "How many asses did you have to kick to keep sleaze-bags off my girl?"
Johanna rolls her eyes as she pushes him away from her, but she's grinning ear to ear when she says, "None for her tonight. I think they could sense her infatuation with the bassist."
Gale grins at this and turns back to look at Madge, who's blushing vividly now. Gale bends over and reaches out to take her hand and bring it to his mouth. He places a soft kiss there on the top of her hand while looking into her eyes and saying, "Well of course she is. Or maybe they could just sense that the bassist would have them thrown out if they touched her." Madge shakes her head as a brush-off of this but she doesn't pull her hand out of Gale's until Johanna speaks up again.
"Actually," Johanna says, stepping back to stand beside me, "it's this one I actually had to rescue tonight when Prim proved to be a very bad wing-woman."
I can see Prim stick her tongue out at Johanna and now I'm blushing, annoyed at the suggestion of weakness on my part. As if I'm incapable of taking care of myself.
"I had it under control," I reply angrily. "He'd even paid for the drinks."
At the mention of me Gale straightens up, gently dropping Madge's hand, and turns to look at me. My heart catches in my throat as he gives me his widest smile yet. I open my mouth to say hi, but I'm cut off as he strides forward and seizes me into a bear hug, spinning me around so fast that my legs fly out behind me. Normally I would smack him or demand he put me down, but it feels good to have Gale hug me again, to be able to smell his distinct scent even through the cloud of smoke and alcohol that hangs on him from the bar. He laughs loudly in my ear and squeezes me close to him and I can't help laughing with him. And then he slows our spinning and plants a huge, sloppy kiss right on my lips.
He pulls back to look at me, grinning as I splutter at him. I'm trying to come up with something to say in response to what's just happened and fail, but I give him a few smacks on the shoulder to compensate for my lack of verbal scolding. Gale doesn't falter, instead he just puts me back down on my feet and holds me out at arm's length to get a good look at me.
"I've missed you, Catnip," he says with his mega-watt smile. "Madge keeps me updated on everything, but I feel like I've missed so much. You look good."
I look over at Madge, worried what her response to all of this will be, and I'm relieved to see she's beaming at both of us like a proud parent.
"He really has missed you, Katniss. He's always asking about you, wanting me to relay our every 'adventure', pressuring me for every little detail about your life. It really is annoying." She says this with mock anger, but it's ruined by that smile on her face.
Gale's about to give Madge what I'm sure he thinks is a witty retort when the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat interrupts him.
Finnick, the singer, steps up with eyes shining in amusement and says, "Well, Gale-o, are you going to introduce me or just keep hogging them for yourself?"
I can practically feel Johanna's body start to thrum to life with anticipation at the appearance of the green-eyed god.
Gale laughs and releases me to move to stand with Finnick. Finnick laughs with him and gives him a good whack on the shoulder with a fist. Gale moves to punch him back but Finnick is too fast, jumping aside so Gale's punch only hits air. Finnick chortles some more, but the next time Gale comes at him he's not fast enough. Gale's arm reaches out and he manages to seize Finnick's neck in the crook of his elbow. He then brings his arm in so Finnick's head is pinned to his chest in a headlock.
"This-" Gale grunts out while trying to keep a hold on a struggling Finnick, "is our disgusting singer, Finnick."
Finnick's struggling eventually pays off when he manages to squirm from Gale's grasp. He stumbles away from us once he's free, his hair tousled and his eyes bright with merriment. I think all the girls in the room go simultaneously wet at the sight of him.
"Disgusting, you say?" says Finnick. "I do believe I've been told I have the voice and looks of an angel."
Gale rolls his eyes. "He lip sings."
Finnick gasps in real horror at this. "I do not!"
Gale shakes his head, suddenly too overcome with laughter to respond. Eyes wide, Finnick turns to Madge, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.
"Madge, darling, can't you do anything about that?"
Madge has been laughing quietly at the exchange between the boys, but now she composes herself and manages to get out, "Gale, really?"
Gale manages to bring his laughter to a stop with the look in Madge's eyes effectively snuffing it out. Shaking his head he reaches for Madge and pulls her up to his body where he holds her in a tight hug. He bends down and kisses her forehead, making her blush.
"Alright, Odair," he says. "These are our friends from back home. Johanna and Prim and-"
"Katniss."
It's not Gale who says my name. It's not any of the girls or Finnick either. Our heads all snap around to see Peeta leaning up against a dressing station, the lights around the mirror casting shadows on one side of his face. My eyes snap to his and I'm overcome by the blue of them. His eyes are intent on mine, as if he's trying to decipher something in my gaze, and I feel a blush start to creep up my neck to my face. Even with my gaze caught in his I'm able to make a quick assessment of his appearance. His black leather jacket is off and slung over the back of the chair he's standing next to. With it off I'm able to appreciate his sinewy arms, which are exaggerated by his crossed arms. His shoulders are wider than I had originally thought. He's not really built like a football player like Gale or a swimmer like Finnick. Maybe more like a wrestler. Short and compact, but built for speed and strength. Strong and hot...I'm pretty sure I'm screwed at this point.
'Or at least,' the dirty part of my mind thinks, 'I hope to be.'
I'm about to ask how he knows my name when Gale says, "Oh, that's right, Peeta. I forgot you'd met Katniss when she visited a few years ago. Good memory."
I yank my eyes to look at Gale, silently asking him what the fuck he's talking about. I sure as hell would have remembered eyes like that if I'd seen them before. He's been showing pictures or something, I know it. Leave it to fucking Gale to show off all his lady friends from back home.
Dick.
"You did, Catnip!" Gale retorts to my stare. "Peeta was my roommate in college. You had to have seen him, like, ten times while you were visiting."
Oh. Well that explained it, then. I remember there being a roommate, registering that it had been a male. I also remember now Gale saying his old roommate was the one he'd started the band with. I'm suddenly regretting not paying more attention when I'd visited. Maybe then I wouldn't be so overcome by the sight of Peeta. He'd be old news to me by now and I could concentrate more on taking care of my baby sister on her birthday instead of gawking at a blue-eyed guitar player. I'm lucky tonight's the only night I'll see him. He'll leave for their next venue and I'll allow him to feature in a few of my fantasies for a while until it becomes old, then I can forget all about him. I can move past my erotic imaginings and this will just have been an exciting night for Prim's 21st birthday.
Who has, in fact, disappeared into a corner of the dressing room with Rory and is running her hands up and down his arms while they talk. She's leaning against the wall, her weight all on one leg while the other is popped up femininely. I wouldn't be so concerned if it hadn't been obvious that, after three Long Islands, she's a little unsteady on her feet. I'm about to go over and pull her away from Rory, preventing her from making any bad decisions, but a look from Gale stops me cold. The look says that he will embarrass me in front of everyone, throwing me over his shoulder if he has to, to keep me from pestering Prim tonight. I huff and cross my arms, but I stay put.
"Katniss?" Finnick asks, raising an eyebrow as he takes on a mischievous smile. He steps up and takes one of my hands in his, bringing it up to brush his lips against it like Gale had done to Madge. "I've heard a lot about you. You and Gale have been friends since you were, what, ten?"
My blush is full on now, coloring my cheeks a bright red in my embarrassment.
"Seven," I correct, my voice far more light and airy that I would have liked.
Finnick gives me a knowing smile as he takes in my blush. He plants a firm kiss on my hand then stands up straight to look me dead in the eyes, an sea of green washing over me. His thumb traces over the place where his lips had touched my skin, sending skittering waves of pleasure through my body.
"A long-time friend, then," he says in a deep, gravelly voice that sends a shiver up my spine. "I'd imagine Mr. Hawthorne knows quite a bit about you."
"Which makes her off limits, Odair," Gale snaps.
Finnick laughs and releases my hand, then turns to look at Johanna, who has been bristling over the attention he's been giving me. She's caught off guard by his gaze suddenly being on her and she begins shifting foot to foot in a discomfort that is very un-Johanna.
"What about you, hm?" he asks, stepping toward Johanna. "Are you off limits to me too?" And in the same fashion as he had me, Finnick picks up Johanna's hand and brings it to his lips. But instead of laughing nervously and blushing as I had, Johanna has recovered. A corner of her lips lifts in a sultry half-smile and her eyes twinkle with excitement.
"No," Gale says with a laugh. "You can have that one."
I expect Johanna to throw a witty retort at Gale, but instead she just rolls her eyes and continues to stare intently at Finnick. But he doesn't seem to notice her intensity on him as he stands up straight again. He's already looking over her shoulder at something on the wall that I don't see.
"Nice to meet you, Finnick," she says, her voice low and seductive. I have to concentrate in order to not roll my eyes at her.
"The pleasure, my dear Johanna, is all mine," he responds, his voice an automatic low croon to match hers. Johanna flushes in response but I get a sick feeling in my stomach, seeing his indifference and her immediate attachment. Somehow I don't think this is going to go Johanna's way. Again, I am relieved this is only a one-night thing.
"Is anyone else as nauseated by this as I am?" Peeta asks, standing up straight and walking over to us.
He moves to stand between Johanna and Finnick, an impish on his face as he kills the sexual tension faster than a cool bucket of ice water ever could. In the movement of his approach he brings his smell with him and I'm hit with the scent of cinnamon, dill and oil paints, which intrigues me. Not something you can really pick up at your local department store. Definitely a smell you pick up by contact. For a half-second I'm disappointed that I only have this brief time tonight to learn about him. But only for that long. Then I'm remembering my summer plans and how thoroughly boys have always fucked up everything for me. No, it's good they're leaving tonight.
"Yes, let's talk about something else," Madge says, a mock frown coming over her face. "Like, let's talk about this."
She's pointing to the bar in Gale's left eyebrow. I'm amused by this, apparently having been wrong about it being an old accessory. Gale has the decency to look guilty as he raises a set of fingers to brush over the offending stud. The change in atmosphere has acquired Prim's attention. She and Rory are coming over to join us now, as eager as the rest of us to see how this will play out.
"I'd noticed that," Prim says cheerily, her blonde curls bouncing around her while she rocks back and forth on her heels, forever unable to stay still. "It looks good."
"It was Peeta's idea, actually," he says nodding to Peeta.
Peeta gives a small smile and shakes his head saying, "I never told you to do anything. I just asked you to come along. You're the one who thought it looked bad-ass and wanted one yourself."
Gale rolls his eyes. "Please. Like it was your first piercing. You didn't need me there to hold your hand or carry you out the door if you fainted. You knew I'd want one too once I got there."
Peeta's about to respond when Prim asks, "You have more than one?"
Gale smirks. "Yeah, he's got one other one."
"Ooooo, can I see it?" Prim asks, rising to her tip toes with eyes shining in excitement. My ever lovable sister, infatuated with anything new or different.
To my surprise, Peeta blushes. "It was a stupid bet when we'd started the band," he says and I think he's making a point to not look at me.
Gale snorts when Peeta says this. "It's his tongue," he spits out, the smirk on his face now a full grin as he enjoys himself at his friend's expense.
Oh. My. God.
He has a tongue ring.
There is a strong possibility that I'm going to just cum on the spot, here in front of everyone, at the thought of it. God, what would that feel like to kiss, to feel it brush my tongue in a hot kiss? To feel it on my body, on me...
Fuck.
I'm praying that no one will see the flush that's come over my body or the rapid rising and falling of my chest as I attempt to get my breathing under control. But luckily, Prim has distracted everyone with her endless curiosity.
"No way," she says, eyes wide. "Can I see it?"
I don't know who's blushed more tonight, Peeta or myself. He bites his bottom lip in hesitation, then gives his head a small shake and sticks his tongue out.
Dear god. There it is, a silver ball of delicious sexual fantasies peaking out through the slick flesh of his tongue.
I'm going to combust. I am.
Especially when Peeta looks over at me. At first his face is confused, as if he can't decipher the emotions going across my face. But then something clicks and he understands the flush on my face, my strange posture as I press my legs together in an effort to control the throbbing. He raises his pierced eyebrow at me and gives me a sexy little half-smile that makes me what to die.
Dear god. I want this man.
"Cool!" Prim says, clapping her hands in delight like a small child. She turns to me, her face imploring. "I want one."
Her statement slowly penetrates the sexual haze I've been trapped in. When I process what she's said I'm horrified. I shake my head slightly in surprise, my eyes widening.
"No. Way," I manage to spit out. "There's no way in hell you're getting anything pierced."
Prim crosses her arms, her bottom lip coming out in a pout. She's staring me down now, eyes flashing with resentment.
"You can't tell me what I can and can't do," she snarls softly. It's like watching a kitten try to growl. Tiny, pathetic and not particularly scary. "I'm not a child anymore and you don't need to take care of me."
I'm shocked by this. "Prim," I say softly. "I don't think you're-"
"Hey!" says Gale, jumping in to swing an arm around Prim's shoulder. He's doing his best to cut the tension when he says, "Just wait, Primy. After a whole tour on the road with us maybe even she'll leave with something new on her skin."
This statement makes me freeze. I turn to face Gale, who's smile is falling at the look on my face. He looks at Madge with a worried look on his face, eyes wide in fear.
"You did tell her...right?" he asks Madge in a low, concerned voice.
"No..." she says, looking back and forth between the two of us, confused. "I thought it'd be fun to tell her together, to surprise her."
If Gale was worried then, he looks down-right scared as shit now.
"Madge...Katniss hates surprises. I mean, she's had her period marked out on the calendar for every month for the last 3 years."
"Hey!" I shout at him, waving my arms to get his attention. "Is that really supposed to be common knowledge?" I ask, glancing nervously back and forth between Finnick and Peeta, who are both smirking at me now.
"Katniss doesn't hate surprises, do you?" Madge asks me, eyes wide with bewilderment. "You love them. Like the time we made you a surprise breakfast the morning of your 21st birthday, or the time I brought home that kitten, Buttercup."
I'm about to open my mouth to reassure my delicate friend, falsely, that I do love surprises and that Gale has no idea what he's talking about when Johanna jumps in with a scathing laugh.
"Oh my god, Madge. She hated all that. We interrupted her early-morning birthday sex that morning with the cute football guy from down the hall. And she hated that kitten, that's why she gave it to Prim." Johanna says all this with mirth. I know she's not being intentionally cruel, but I can see how her words sting Madge.
"You said...you said you have allergies," Madge says, her voice wobbling with hurt. "And you loved those pancakes...at least you said you did."
"No, Madge," I say, stepping forward to take her hands in mine. "Johanna's a bitch." I throw Johanna a dirty look. She rolls her eyes with a smile, then blows me a kiss with her middle finger. "I loved those pancakes...and so did Kyle, once you left. And I am allergic to Buttercup. At least, I get sick when I'm around him-" sick with hate "-so tell me the surprise. I really want to know."
I gaze at her imploringly, horrified when I see her eyes had begun to water. Really, Madge is usually level-headed, so I'm surprised at this reaction. But I'm relieved to see her eyes dry up as her excitement returns.
"We're going with them on tour!" she belts out, shaking our joined hands with glee. "Gale arranged everything. He booked us an extra room with them at all the tour stops, and they were able to get a big bus for us to ride on with them. We get to spend the next three months with them!"
I blink repeatedly at her, not moving. Somehow, the words aren't really registering. Slowly, the idea begins to sink in. We'll be gone for three months. Three whole months.
What the fuck?
"No, Madge," I scowl, ripping my hands from hers. I ignore the hurt look on her face when I say, "I can't afford to take three months off work. It's summer. I refill my savings during the summer with tourist tips, you know that Madge. Even if I get out of rent and expenses, I won't make it through the rest of the year without that money."
"Hey," Gale butts in, wrapping an arm around me. "No problem. It's actually worked out perfect, Katniss. Mom and Posy just sold the house now that Vick's ready to move out, but the apartment isn't ready until August, so they're subleasing your until you get back."
"Great, Gale," I say, throwing his arm off me in anger. "That doesn't change the fact that when we get back I'll be broke."
Gale shrugs. "I'm going to cover you. And Prim."
I roll my eyes and cross my arms at him, my anger rising.
"No, you're not," I snarl.
Gale reaches out and takes my shoulders in his hands, shaking me slightly in frustration.
"Catnip, you're my best friend. I haven't seen you in years and I've missed you. You got me through the roughest shit in the world when Dad died, you held me together. You talked me into leaving you behind to go to school. Now, I want us all to be together again, even if it is only for a little while." His eyes are imploring when he says, "Please come. It's also kind of a birthday gift for Prim, too. You wouldn't let down that face, would you?"
I look over to see Prim beaming at me, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as she awaits my answer anxiously. And I realize, as I watch this, how little excitement Prim has had in her life. Like me, she's spent her time in college working to support herself. We've both missed out on so much of the college experience. And this trip would probably be like one big, long college party. It would make up for so much that she's missed.
I hear Finnick laugh over behind and beside me, his cackle melodious even in its impudence, as he says, "Well isn't that just the most adorable proclamation I've ever heard out of your lips, Gale Hawthorne." He walks up to me and clasps his hands in front of him like Prim, giving me a pouting look at says, "Will you come, Katniss? Please?"
I risk a glance over at Peeta, who's been silent for so long. I'm surprised to find him looking at me intently...imploringly. He's got a half-smile on his face and his ridiculous blue eyes are sparkling with merriment...and a question.
Will you come?
The thought makes me shiver in the double meaning my over-heated body gives it.
I turn to Gale and say, "Fine. But I'm paying you back next summer. Every dime." I glance at Finnick's impish smile and roll my eyes. "And I want to sleep as far away from him," I jab my thumb in Finnick's direction, "as possible."
Gale laughs and throws his arm around my shoulder as the girls shriek with delight, Madge and Prim going so far as to actually clasp arms and give a little hop. Johanna's laughing too, but her laugh is brought down to a sexy tone by the stare she's giving Finnick, which he returns with a wink. I glance toward Peeta again and see he's smiling widely with everyone else, apparently pleased by my answer. I blush at this, but return his smile with a raise of an eyebrow that I hope says,
'Why do you care?'
Peeta raises an eyebrow back at me, but instead of giving me an easy answer he merely shakes his head slightly while apparently fighting back amusement.
I'm annoyed by this, and I'm about to give him a look that expresses this when Gale says, "Good, I'm glad. Because your bags are already packed, and that would have been awkward to try to explain later..."
I'm shocked by this. I turn to Madge, who's making a point of not making eye contact with me.
"Madge," I ask sternly. "How did you manage to pack up my bags when we've only been out of the flat for 3 hours...and you've been with me the whole time?"
Madge gives me a guilty look and is about to respond when Gale jumps in again and says, "Not Madge, Catnip. Cinna, our stylist. Madge gave him a key and he packed everything for you guys. I even gave him some money to pick you up a few things for on the road. Everything from toiletries to concert-appropriate attire, just to be sure."
I'm appalled. Not only by the fact that Gale has spent what I'm sure is another exorbitant amount of money in addition to what he's already giving me, but that a complete stranger has been in my home, touched my things...packed my underwear. I'm furiously trying to remember when the last time I'd done laundry was and how far back in the drawer I'd shoved the emergency granny-panties the last time I'd put them in the underwear drawer. My math is not coming out to a number I'm comfortable with. I'd put off chores in favor of spending Prim's birthday with her, and I'm sorely regretting it now.
"Ah, calm down, Kitty," Gale says, using his most irritating nickname for me. "Cinna's professional and a genius. You'll love him."
I'm at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the direction tonight has taken, so I do the only thing I can do to get my point across to Gale...I give him the bird.
I hear Finnick go into hysterics at my tactics and he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me up against his firm chest. I see Johanna go visibly still at the gesture and I roll my eyes at her to make sure she knows just how annoyed I am by this...even though his is warm and smells of sea-salt and man...
Damn.
Then Finnick says, "I like this one, Gale. We ought to kick you out for holding out on us like this. Probably would, if you weren't so damn good."
Gale rolls his eyes and gives Finnick a friendly shove. I brace myself to stumble at the impact, but Finnick doesn't move and he holds me tight against him to keep me steady.
"You forget who started this band," Gale says lowly. It's not unfriendly, but it's firm.
Finnick just stakes his head and laughs again. I get the impression this guy is the clown of the group, which is a feat with Rory in the group, who is usually the star clown of any group. "Yeah, yeah, Hawthorne. I know. You came up with the idea and Peeta named the band. I'm just some jerk you found in a fight club and Rory's the tag-along kid-brother."
"Hey," says Rory, speaking for the first time since the whole exchange began. "Speak for yourself. I've got skills, dude." He says this while puffing out his chest, which makes Prim giggle. "Having a brother in the band just jump-started things."
"Hey, Finnick," says Peeta softly, a smirk on his face. "Don't downplay yourself. You're an important asset. What's a band without their sex-symbol, ass-hole singer?"
Finnick surprises me by smiling widely. "Sex-symbol, huh?" He looks down at me, eyes shining, and asks, "Is that right, Kitty? Am I a sex-symbol?"
I grunt and shove him away from me, annoyed that he's picked up on the hated nickname. "You're forgetting the ass-hole bit," I spit out. But I can't help smiling at him because, really, this guy is hard to hate. You can tell that under the conceited exterior, he's a good guy.
"And she doesn't disagree," Finnick says, turning to throw a wink at Johanna, who's still fuming over our semi-embrace. "I'll take it."
Johanna rolls her eyes and looks away, but I can see the ghost of a smile on her face as she does. For a moment, the wink temporarily mollifying her. But I worry over this new obsession of her in conjunction with our joining them on the tour. Johanna has a tendency to chew guys up and spit them out with a heartless ease, but once in a while she'll let herself fall for a guy who has no right to have a place in her heart. Those are the guys that usually crush her the most, and it takes us days to pull her out of the sex-and-alcohol binge that always follows. I just hope that Johanna has the ability to see a potential for disaster this time.
Madge gives me a look and I know we've been thinking the same thing.
Yeah, right.
Prim breaks us from our trance when, rocking back and forth excitedly on her heels, she asks, "When are we leaving?"
Gale gives me a hesitant look before responding, "Tonight. The bags are already on board. Madge's dad hooked us up with a sweet bus, complete with a full bathroom so you guys can clean up. We have to head out by two sharp. We've got a six-hour drive ahead of us, and we have to be at the next stage by 9am for a sound-check before we can check in to the hotel."
I'm surprised by this. "Tonight? Really?"
Prim come up and takes my hands, encompassing them in her own and bringing them to her chest. I can feel hear heartbeat under my hands, racing with joy. She's beaming at me with a look as if I'm the best person in the whole world to her, her everything. And I can feel my heart jump in response, an echo to hers. My sister, my heart. My everything.
This will be worth it, to see her so genuinely happy for such a prolonged period of time. To give her this one, big adventure before she has to go back to school, finish her last year of college and then settle down in the real world. She'll be ruined by the monotony of it all, her youthful poise gone in the eight-to-five rush. I hope that by giving her this, by letting her soak up the gifts of youth one last time, I can give her a spark that will keep her young and vibrant as she goes through the rest of her life.
"This is going to be amazing, Katniss," she sighs, clutching my hands tighter. "I know this is hard for you, jumping on board with something so crazy. But you're the best sister in the world for this, you know?"
I nod, unable to speak, and I bring her into a hug. Over her shoulder, I can see Gale and Madge smiling at us, happy to have us all together again. Johanna is staring at Finnick with a predatory look that he's slyly returning, and I hope that she's finally met her match in him. And in the corner I see Rory and Peeta standing together, staring at Prim and I with matching looks that I can't place.
I close my eyes and breathe in the smell of sweet roses that is Prim, my sister, whom I love with all my heart.
And I know she's right. No matter what happens, this trip will be amazing.
x.x.x.
Hey guys! So my plan is to update this every Friday. I'm planning for this to be roughly 15 chapters long, but I'm not quite done with it yet so that's still up in the air.
I think I messed up when I originally posted this, the way FF did the characters had it showing up that this was a Katniss/Gale story. To clarify, it's not. This is totally Everlark. But I'm not really a fan of making Gale out to be a huge douche, because I really didn't see him that way in the books. I mean, he made some pretty shitty decisions, but I can't judge him too much for it. He's a good friend to Katniss in the books and was driven to do awful things because of what the Capital had pushed them to. I'm not ever going to be an Everthorne, but I'm not a Gale-hater either.
On a different note, anyone interested in betaing? I can give you a few of the chapters that I have and you can check them over and give me input. I'd really like a second opinion on things before we get too far in.
Also, my apologies to everyone who's also reading "Kindled Ember". This week turned out to be really crazy and, for whatever reason, this one was the one that spoke to me this week. I spent all week editing this one instead of KE...oops! I play to have it up by tomorrow night :)
Kisses and love!