I enter the living room and see Katniss sitting on the couch.
"Hi." She says, smiling.
"Hi." I reply.
I sit next to her. She laces her fingers in mine. I feel a rush of warmth enter my cheeks.
"Thanks for letting me stay with you." She says.
"No need to thank me." I reply.
"No really." She says. "Hey, did you know that anybody is capable of living on the streets, the human race is just too soft to learn how."
I laugh. "Where did you learn that?"
"My grandfather told me. He was the greatest." She replies.
"Cool. He sounds like he would be a great guy." I say.
Then, out of nowhere, she kisses me. On the lips. Heat rushes to my face. This isn't my first kiss, but my first was just for a second, not like this. He pulls back, and smiles. I just stare.
She laughs. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."
I laugh, too. She leans her head on my shoulder. It doesn't seem right at first, but then I realize that we're 18, and we've graduated. I lean my head against hers and close my eyes.
"I love you." She says.
At first, I am at a loss for words. But, eventually I say, "I love you, too."
XXXXXXX
Later that day, I fix my dad, Katniss & I up some homemade ciabatta bread, and Katniss cooks up chicken. We all sit around the kitchen table, laughing and enjoying ourselves, when suddenly the leg on my chair snaps, I hear Katniss yelp, my head hits the ground, and I am knocked out cold.