A/N- Hey everyone! Can I just say, thankyou so much for giving me 20 reviews already! And they're all positive! Honestly, I'm so grateful for all of the feedback you have all given me. Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days, I'm coming up to the end of my school term and it's my leavers year so there's been a lot of events going on everyday and after school for me to go to so I haven't really had any time to just sit down and write. I decided to add a bit of Peeta's POV into this chapter, so I'm really curious about what you all think of it. Please feel free to let me know if you like it or not! I hope you enjoy chapter 6! :-)
Peeta s POV:
As I'm lying in my bed, my mind races with the blur of thoughts throughout the past few days. Katniss hasn't been very clear with me lately, and I wonder if even she knows what to think anymore. This morning, I heard Katniss screaming at Gale. I knew that even though we've had a rough time lately, I couldn't leave her. So I left my house and ran straight toward s Katniss . When I entered her home, I saw Katniss screaming at Gale to leave her alone with tears threatening to pour down her face at any moment, and Gale was shouting back at her. Adrenaline was pumping through every inch of my body. I threw punches at Gale and most of them landed his face; he returned them but missed most. I was quite smug about that. In this moment of feeling smug, however, Gale landed a huge punch on my jaw which caused me to cry out in pain. I don't really remember what happened after that because my eyes jammed tight and filled with tears and my knees buckled and I fell to the floor. When I next opened my eyes, I saw a sight that I wasn't expecting to see. Katniss had sent Gale out; she had sat me down next to her; and she had her head buried in my shirt, trying to do what I assume to be doing- comforting me. She even got me ice for my jaw. My mind was racing like it hadn't before, trying to fit together the puzzle pieces. Grasping at every memory of her and trying to fit it into a reasonable explanation of why she was helping me.
That's what you and I do, we protect each other.
I remember Katniss saying this to me that night in District 13 when we were battling against the rebellion. And when she muttered it to me when she was helping me earlier today, everything began to make sense. No matter what happens to us, we will protect each other. Because that's what we do. With all of these thoughts, I know what has to be done. I jump out of my bed with all of the strength I have. I rummage in my drawers for some sensible clothes that I can pull on quickly. I choose some shorts and a blue shirt and grab some socks that I'm wrenching on as I stumble down the stairs. I ignore the fact that it must be almost midnight. I have to see her.
Katniss POV:
My mind will not fall asleep. All I seem to be able to do right now is think of Peeta, and nothing else. I feel like such an idiot for believing Gale. How could I be so stupid? All Peeta has ever tried to do since being hijacked is love me, and I threw it all away from something that Gale said to me? I can't even begin to conjure a sensible explanation to this, so I can t begin to imagine what Peeta must be feeling.
Hurt, anger, confusion, sadness, loss, betrayal.
These words are the ones that spring to mind when I think of how Peeta must be feeling. How could I be so stupid? I love Peeta. I do. I know I do. I can't help but compare what I could have had with Gale to what I could have with Peeta.
Gale- who was once my best friend, yes, but he hasn't really been living up to that standard lately, has he? He's tried to make me hate a person whom I know has been there for me, and always will be. He hasn't made any effort to consider how much of a shell of a person I have been since I lost my sister and my mother. I practically have no family anymore seeing as my mother hasn t bothered to stay in contact with me since she left the district. He lied to me. I don t even know if this is the only time, or one of the many times he has lied to me. If I've figured out about this one, how can I even begin to trust him the same way again? I can't. I come to the conclusion that Gale has done nothing but hurt me in my most vulnerable stages of my life. Okay, so he was there since I was young and helped me through the death of my father. But I can't help but think that he was only there for me because he had been there. He had lost his father too. Empathy. That's something that he lacks.
Peeta- who, from that moment in the games when it was announced that two victors could survive, I realised had always been there for me. He ensured that no matter what trouble I landed myself into, he would try his best to get me out of it, and get himself into it. Ever since the games have ended, Peeta has tried to understand how much I must be hurting from the loss of Prim. He made a memorial for her. He's given me my space. And all that I ve done to thank him is scream at him, saying that he s a liar.
I suddenly feel sickened with guilt and regret. I love Peeta. I have to tell him before it burns a hole into my heart.
I jump from my bed, I pull on an oversized jumper and some socks and the locket Peeta gave me. I don't care about what I look like. I know I must look like a wreck, though, seeing as all I've seemed to do this evening is cry. I push this thought out of my head; thunder down my stairs; let a smile crawl across my face; and wrench open the door.
And there he is. A few paces ahead of me, his blue eyes shining in the light of the moon. His breath creating a small cloud in front of his face. In a moment of pure impulsiveness, I throw myself at him. I press my lips to his and feel his hands move around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck and let my hands tangle themselves in his blonde hair. He grabs at my legs and roughly pulls them up around his waist. Peeta breaks the kiss only to begin kissing down my neck and back up again, only on the way back up, he gently bites me which causes me to take a short intake of breath. We continue like this for a long time; my hands roaming all over his back and tangling into his hair and his own doing the same. I feel a deep hunger inside my stomach begin to take over my body, from the tips of my fingers all the way down to my toes. I shake with the hunger and fiercely press my lips to Peeta s once more before me breaks away. I look into his eyes, full of desire and lust. I imagine that mine must look the same. 'I've missed you so much,' he whispers to me in a croaky voice, 'don't you ever leave me like that again.'
'Not in a million years, I wouldn't dream of it.' I whisper back to him.
'Well now that you have me again, what are you going to do with me?' he murmurs to me whilst pressing his forehead to my own.
'Put you somewhere you can't get hurt.' I confess to him before dragging him into my house and continuing the kiss from right where we left off.
A/N- WHEW. Well, what do we all think of this chapter? Were you happy with Peeta and Katniss having their first kiss after the games or do you think I should have waited a bit longer? Please let me know what you all think, I really value your opinions! Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter, I kinda just felt like I needed a filler chapter just dedicated to the aftermath of the fight between Peeta and Gale. Sorry if I don t post another chapter for another couple of days, I m still pretty busy with school and stuff. I m holding out for the summer when you ll probably have a chapter update ever day or two! Thankyou, again! I love you all :-) xxx