A/N: It didn't take me almost three months to update this time! XD Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites, they have been a great encouragement!
Disclaimer: I own nothing b/c I'm not Suzanne Collins.
Katniss' Point of View
I couldn't help but marvel at my new house. While not nearly as extravagant as the Capitol, it was still way more lavish than my old house in the Seam. The few meager possessions that my mother and Prim brought with them barely took up any space and I knew that many of the rooms would be left unused. We all couldn't believe how much food filled our pantry and refrigerator. I doubt my mom or Prim had ever seen so much food in one place in their lives – the only reason I have was because of the Games. Right away my mother began to gather ingredients to start making dinner while Prim and I explored the rest of the house.
"I can't believe I'm going to have my own room!" Prim exclaimed gleefully as we looked through all of the upstairs bedrooms. I chose one at the front of the house that had a perfect view of Peeta's house across the street and Prim picked the one right next to mine. "Prim! Can you do something for me?" I heard my mother call from downstairs and we both went down to see what she needed. Seeing that I had come down too, she whispered into Prim's ear something that caused her to smile before she left the room. "Where is she going?" I ask. "You'll see," my mom replies cryptically. Shaking my head at their antics I busy myself by setting the table, knowing that they'll tell me what they're up to before long.
I'm nearly done with the table when Prim reappears and shoos me out of the room, telling me that she'll finish. I don't feel like arguing with her so I decide to wait in the living room until dinner is ready. I have just barely sat down on one of the super comfortable couches when there's a knock on our front door. Knowing that my mom and Prim are both busy I get up to answer it but Prim runs out of the dining room to answer it herself. Now I'm really curious. What are they hiding from me? I head towards the door and see Prim talking to someone but I can't tell who. Before I can get close enough to see/hear the other person, my mother comes out of the kitchen asking me to help put dinner on table. I grudgingly agree and follow her back to the kitchen. I really want to know what they are trying to keep from me.
"You made lamb stew?" I couldn't keep the surprise from my voice as I saw the dish she had prepared. "How did you even know how to make it?" "Our fancy new house comes with cookbooks too it seems. You mentioned in your interview that you liked it so as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it for you. We're just lucky we had all of the ingredients," she answered with a smile. I smile back and experience a flickering hope that our relationship, strained since my father's death, may finally be repairable. I carry the stew into the dining room but glance around confused as I set it down. "Why is the table set for four people?"
"Because your mom invited me over." I squealed in a most un-Katniss like manner as I turned around to see Peeta standing in the doorway, Prim by his side. I rushed into his arms, relishing in his presence even though we had only been separated for an hour tops. He laughed a bit at my reaction by held me closely as he planted a kiss on my head. "I'm guessing that you didn't know I was coming?" he asked in a questioning tone. "No, some people obviously felt like keeping it a secret." I replied while pulling away to glare at Prim. She just smiled sweetly back at me before going to sit down. Peeta chuckled slightly at our exchange as he led me to the table, pulling out my chair like a gentleman.
Overall dinner was great. My mother's stew tasted just as good as the Capitol version. Peeta effortlessly carried on conversation with my mom and Prim and I could tell that both of them adored him. We found out that our families had surprisingly spent a lot of time together watching the Games. That's how Mom knew that they weren't staying with Peeta over at his new house and it was okay to invite him to dinner. In fact, we decided to have dinner together every night, except when Peeta goes over to the bakery, so that he doesn't have to eat alone.
Somewhere along the line we all moved out into the living room, my mom seated in a chair with Prim at her feet and me and Peeta cuddled together on the couch. We must have been talking for hours until Peeta noticed that Prim had fallen asleep on the floor and we realized that it was probably time for him to be heading home and for us all to get to bed. I walked Peeta to the door as Mom carried Prim upstairs.
"I had a great time tonight," he said when we reached the door and he pulled me into a tight hug. "Me too," I said smiling against his shoulder. "You know it is later now." "Hmm…is it now," I say, pulling back slightly while remembering my promise from earlier, "and what do you expect me to do about that?" "What do you want to do?" he asks, his lips millimeters from my own. I answer by closing the distance between us, smiling slightly against his lips as his arms tighten around me again, pulling me close to him.
"I love you, so much," he states in between heavy breathes when we part. "I love you too," I reply with a small smile. With a kiss to my forehead, he hesitantly lets go of me and heads back to his house. When he reaches his own door, he turns around and blows a kiss back towards me before heading inside. Smiling, I go back inside myself thankful to my mom and Prim for inviting him over tonight.