Coming Home Chapter 2
Peeta Mellark was standing there in front of the door right across from hers. He was smiling at her making his blue eyes sparkle even more, "Katniss Everdeen it's nice to see you".
Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes wide, what the hell was he doing in her apartment building "Uh hi Peeta, umm what are you doing here?" Her voice was lacking the confidence that it usually held, Johanna was watching with the two with a questioning look, but Katniss had forgotten she was there.
He ran his hand through his blonde hair making it even messier, "I live here, moved in a couple of months ago".
"Oh uh" she heard Johanna cough from beside her, "Right Peeta this is my friend Johanna Mason were in the same unit, Johanna this is Peeta Mellark his family owns the bakery".
Johanna gave him a seductive smile and said "Well aren't you a cutie".
Peeta gave an uncomfortable smile but said "Thank you. Well I have to get going. It was nice seeing you Katniss, it's good to have you home" and then he did something that she didn't expect he hugged her, she awkwardly hugged him back. He smelt like cinnamon and cologne it was nice, the hug didn't last long, when he pulled away he smiled at her making her lightly blush, he turned and headed for the stair case. She stood there staring after him before Johanna nudged her in the side.
"Hey brainless stop staring after sexy buns and open your damn door I'm tired" she shook her head and bent down to pick up her keys she opened the door and walked into her apartment with Johanna following her. It was exactly the same as when she was last here, hopefully her mother and Hazel Gale's mother had removed all of Gale's things, she couldn't handle it if his things were still here. There was a simple couch with a coffee table and a flat screen T.V. the kitchen was small but worked for her because she wasn't much of a cook, with a small four person dining room table. She headed towards the bedrooms to show Johanna were she would be staying.
"So what's up with you and sexy buns?" Johanna asked.
Katniss stiffened bet kept walking "Nothing, I hardly know Peeta" it wasn't a complete lie, even though they grew up in the same town and shared most of the same classes, she had only ever had three encounters with Peeta Mellark.
"I can tell when you're lying Katniss, you're a horrible liar. But I'm too tired to bug you about it so I'll do it tomorrow" Johanna said yawning.
"Whatever Johanna, here's your room, Prim said she made the bed and everything so it should be set to go, the bathroom is at the end of the hall" Katniss said hoping Johanna will forget to question her in the morning.
Johanna opened the door and stepped in, Katniss headed towards her own bedroom but Johanna stuck her head out and said "Don't think I'll forget brainless, good night" she said drawing out the last word before she shut the door.
Katniss sighed and opened her own bedroom door, there was a full size bed with a forest green comforter with two night stands, there was a small closet, and a large dresser with a small T.V. on it, there was a bathroom attached with a sink shower and toilet. There were still pictures on the nightstand of her and Gale, one of when they were in high school, it was Gale's senior prom somehow he had convinced her to go with him, the other was both of them in uniform in Iraq when they were still in the same unit, and there was one of them smiling at each other after he proposed. She threw her bags on the floor took off her jacket and threw it on the chair in the corner of the room, seeing the pictures made her chest ache, she picked them all up and put them in the bottom drawer of the dresser on top of some sheets. She sat on the bed and put her head in her hands, tears were falling down her face, all the memories she had with Gale in this apartment coming back at once. Once she was done crying she took a deep breath and took her shoes off and then dug in her bag to find a tank top and some pajama pants and her toiletries she went into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. She took her hair out of her normal braid and watched it fall down her back, she needed to cut it; it was now to the middle of her back.
Once she was changed and ready for bed she turned on the night stand lamp before turning off the main light, she climbed into the bed and laid her head on the pillow, she remembered all the nights her and Gale laid here with her head on his chest listening to his steady heart beat as they talked about anything and everything. The memories brought the tears back, she put a pillow over her face to cover up the sobs, she cried herself to sleep that night something she hadn't done since Gale died.
She dreamed of Gale and the day he proposed to her but it quickly turned into a nightmare, one she had frequently for a year after he died. She sat up in bed breathing heavy and sweating, it was nine o'clock. Instead of trying to go back to sleep she decided to get in the shower and get ready for the day, she had to go buy food today because there was none in the house and a hungry Johanna was never pretty. She dressed in black skinny jeans with a white V-neck shirt, she put on her old hunting boots that were in the closet and grabbed a grey zip up hoodie. She decided to go get coffee and some breakfast for when Johanna woke up, she would un-pack later. She grabbed some money from her back pack her cell phone and keys, she left a note on the counter telling Johanna that she went to get breakfast.
Greasy Sae's wasn't open for breakfast so decided to go to the bakery hoping that Peeta didn't work the morning shift. She was also hoping that Johanna would forget about interrogating her when she woke up, she had never told anyone of the last two encounters that she had with Peeta Mellark, Gale didn't even know. The bakery wasn't far from her apartment so she just walked there, even though Katniss didn't like Mrs. Mellark she would rather deal with her and her rude comments than seeing Peeta again. But of course luck wasn't on her side today, when she walked into the bakery Peeta Mellark was standing behind the counter restocking the display case. When he heard the door open he looked up when he saw it was her he got this big smile on his face.
"Hello Katniss, how can I help you this morning?" Peeta asked whipping his hands on his apron. He had a smudge of flour on his cheek, and there was some in his hair, it looked cute Katniss thought before she realized she was thinking that and quickly shoved the thought out of her mind.
"Hi Peeta, I just came to get something for breakfast, I have no food yet and if I don't feed Jo things will turn ugly" Katniss said.
Peeta laughed and said "She's a unique person isn't she".
Katniss gave him a small smile before saying "Jo is a good friend, she's got a rough exterior but on the inside she's a big softy, she's a great friend and has helped me through a lot. And if you tell her I said that I will hurt you".
Peeta put his hands up in surrender and said "I won't tell her a thing. So what would you like?"
"Uhh how about two blueberry muffins, and two sticky buns" she figured that would hold Johanna over until lunch, and she would pick up some coffee at the coffee shop next door.
Peeta put the pastries into a small to go box and sat them on the counter "Is that everything?" When Katniss nodded her head he said "Alright your total is $9.50".
Katniss handed him a ten and he gave her change she grabbed the box and went to leave but before she did she remembered the cake he gave Prim for free "Thank you for the cake you gave Prim, it was an amazing cake".
Peeta smiled and said "Your welcome it was no problem, it's not every day we have a war hero coming home".
She grimaced and said "I'm no hero".
She grabbed the box and hurried to the door before she could open it he spoke again "I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry".
She turned towards him and said harsher than she meant "It's fine, thanks for the pastries", she opened the door and left, she headed next door and got two coffees. On her way back to her apartment she thought about what Peeta said, she was no hero, she had killed people in Iraq without a second thought. She and Johanna had received many medals and awards, they both received the Army Valorous Unit Award when their unit had taken an entire village while under heavy fire and with no back up coming. Katniss was awarded the Sharpshooter badge, she was also awarded the purple heart a year and a half ago when a land mine went off in front of her Humvee causing it to flip, she received shrapnel in her legs and arms when she got out of the Humvee to return fire she was shot in the leg, Johanna also received a purple heart that day because of shrapnel. Technically they are both war heroes but neither felt like it.
When she got back to her apartment Johanna was still asleep so she put her pastries on the counter along with her coffee, Katniss sat down at the table eating in silence. She had just finished her blueberry muffin when Johanna came stumbling out of her bedroom yawning, her short hair was all over the place and she was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. "Morning Jo, there's a blue berry muffin and a sticky bun along with coffee on the counter for ya".
Johanna's response was a mumbled something that Katniss couldn't make out. Johanna grabbed the food and coffee and sat down once she took a huge drink of the coffee she was able to make a coherent sentence "Where are these muffins from?"
Katniss didn't want to mention Peeta's name but she couldn't find a way around it Johanna could see through a lie like x-ray vision. "Mellark bakery".
"Oh sexy buns place, was he there this morning?" Johanna said winking.
Katniss rolled her eyes and said "Yes he was".
Johanna smirked and finished her muffin, "Alright brainless I want to know what's up with you and sexy buns and don't bother trying to lie I can always tell".
Katniss sighed and said "Fine I'll tell you" Once she was done telling her about the bread they had both finished their breakfast.
"So he saved your life when you eleven. Keep going I know there's more" Johanna said moving to the couch, Katniss sighed and followed her to the couch.
"Alright what I'm about to tell you has never been told to anyone, not even Gale knew. It was our senior year of high school, Gale had already shipped off to basic training, my friend Madge convinced me to go to a party at our friend Finnick's house, Peeta was there of course because he was popular like Finnick. There was alcohol there and I got drunk, Peeta started talking to me being really sweet and flirting with me, eventually the alcohol kicked in I started flirting back. When the party started dying down Peeta offered to walk me home so I let him, my mother and Prim were out of town so it was just me, I convinced him to come inside and have some tea so his mom wouldn't find out he was drinking. His mother is an awful women, Peeta ended up making the tea after I spilt the water all of over myself. The tea helped me sober up and we were just sitting and talking he asked if Gale and I were a couple but at that time we weren't I saw him as a friend. Then Peeta kissed me and I kissed him back, one thing lead to another and we had sex. I lost my virginity to Peeta not Gale. The next day Peeta wanted to start dating but I didn't want that, so he left and we never spoke about what happened or really talked to one another except saying Hi in the hallways". Katniss took a deep breath and stood up from the couch "I'm getting a glass of water, you want one?"
Johanna was just sitting there with her mouth open and eyes wide, she looked stunned, like Katniss knew she would be, like everyone else she thought Gale was the one to rid Katniss of her virginity. Katniss got a couple of glasses out of the cupboard and filled them with water, she sat Johanna's down on the coffee table, she took a big drink out of her glass and sat down.
"So Gale wasn't your first?" Johanna finally asked.
Katniss shook her head "No, I could never find a way to tell him, so I just lied and said I was a virgin, Gale and Peeta never got along at school so I knew if I told him that Peeta took my virginity after I had been drinking he would come home and beat the shit out of him".
"Wow, and there's more isn't there" Johanna said after taking a drink of her water.
Katniss took a deep breath and started talking again "It was six months later at my going away party that Madge was throwing for me, it was at her house, her parents were never home so of course there was alcohol again. Peeta was there, we avoided each other for the most part but when I drink I get cockier and brave kind of like you on a normal basis" this caused Johanna to smirk "So I walked up to him and started flirting with him, he had been drinking to and flirted back, somehow we ended up upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms, where we had sex again. The next morning Peeta told me that he loved me that he had been in love with me since he was five years old. Of course I told him that I couldn't love him and left. That was the last time I talked to him. He was in town when Gale and I came back and he proposed, Peeta made the cake congratulating us, I saw him in town and he looked heart broken, yesterday was the first time I've spoken to him since my going away party".
"Wow that's some story, I always thought Gale was your first. So tell me who was better in bed?" Johanna asked.
Katniss blushed and said "You're not going to let this go until I tell you are you?" Johanna shook her head no smirking, Katniss huffed and said "Peeta was better for my first time, Gale thought it was my first time and I knew it wasn't his but he was really clumsy and kept apologizing for everything. But Gale diffidently got better after that" Katniss said blushing like crazy.
Johanna laughed and Katniss spoke again "If you want food you need to start getting ready so we can go shopping. And if you tell anyone I'll shoot you".
Johanna laughed and got up "I won't tell anyone brainless but I'd like to see you try killing me". Katniss laughed and watched her friend head towards the bathroom.