Author's note: Two chapters in one day? Holla! Also, this one is longer than all the others so far and there's some extra Odesta sprinkled in with the Everlark. Let me know what you think.
Happy reading!
Chapter Seven
"That one." Katniss pointed. "It's small, unobtrusive, and it looks like it's at the lower end of your budget. Madge will love it."
Gale pointed to the ring and asked the clerk to see it.
"Would your fiancée like to try it on?" He asked.
Katniss laughed. "I'm an advisor, not the intended bride."
Gale picked it up and looked it over. He nodded. "She would like it. What size do you think?"
Katniss looked at her own hands. "I think her hands are about the size of mine. Maybe a seven?"
The clerk handed her a ring sizer. "To be certain."
They left the jeweler's a short time later with the order complete. Gale would be able to pick up the ring the next week.
"So this bread guy..." He began.
Katniss laughed. "Peeta."
"Yeah, him." Gale started his car and sat there a moment. "So it's working out?"
"So far." She nodded. "We've barely been seeing each other for a week."
"But in that week you've seen each other every day." He pointed out.
She nodded. "True."
He put the car in gear and began driving. "I was worried about you." He finally said.
"Worried?"
"Yeah, you've had a rough life. And when we didn't work out..."
"Were you worried I was hung up on you? If you remember correctly, I was the one who decided we were better off as friends. I was the one who worked the hardest at keeping up with you after the official breakup. I've been over that part of my life for a while. I don't even think about it. Well, I didn't until I met Peeta."
"We should have the talk. Like we did with Madge. Assure him we're just friends, that we would never do anything other than be friends."
Katniss nodded. "Yeah." She chewed her thumbnail for a while. "Want to come over tomorrow and shoot some targets?"
"Sure. I'll see what Madge has planned."
"Bring her along. I'll invite Peeta. He'd probably show up at my place anyway." She smiled and felt content in the truth of her statement. "Finnick and Annie invited Prim and me to dinner tonight. And since next week is Thanksgiving, Haymitch and Effie are giving us a reprieve on the Sunday lunch. I'm totally sleeping in tomorrow."
Gale laughed. "You deserve it."
They sang along to Taylor Swift, Gale's guilty pleasure that he didn't feel the least bit guilty about, as they made their way back to Katniss's house. They were comfortable enough with each other that they didn't need to do much talking anymore.
He parked in her driveway behind Prim's truck. He put out his hand to stop her from getting out. "I'm happy for you, Katniss. Whatever happens, I'll always be your friend. Remember that."
"I will." She kissed his cheek and got out of the car. "Let me know about tomorrow."
"I'll text as soon as I talk to Madge."
She walked inside to find Prim sketching on the couch. She looked over her sister's shoulder and saw a reproduction of the entertainment center. Definitely better than anything Katniss could have done.
"Did he find one?" Prim asked as she closed her sketchbook.
"Yep." Katniss pulled out her phone and showed her sister the screen.
"Where's the diamond?" Prim squinted at the screen.
Katniss gave her a gentle shove as she took the phone back. "You know Madge and Gale both aren't much for frills."
"It's pretty. Madge will love it. So when is he doing it?" Prim was a big romantic and always rooted for everyone to find love, even if it had been elusive for her.
"It'll be ready next week. He'll do it sometime then. So don't say anything when you see her next." Katniss warned.
Prim made a motion of zipping her lips and locking them. "My lips are sealed."
"Good." Katniss laughed. "Finnick and Annie invited us over this evening. Peeta will be there."
"Oh, really?" Prim asked. "You never told me about dinner last night."
"It was dinner." Katniss said. "We just ate and talked and then I came home. But you shouldn't brush it off the next time he offers to cook because he's really good. He pan fried some steaks and I swear I went to heaven with every bite."
Prim chuckled. "I didn't want to intrude on your date."
"Well, thank you." She sighed. "I know it's only been a week, but I think I could spend the rest of my life with him."
Prim wrapped her in a tight hug. "I hope so. You've given up so much of your life for me. It's time for you to do something for yourself." She stepped back. "At least try not to break his heart until after I graduate."
Katniss laughed. "I'll try."
Katniss knocked on the door and heard several feet scrambling to it. There was an argument about who would open it until Annie finally did. Just behind her Finnick and their son were still arguing about who should have opened it.
"Sometimes I think I have two adolescents and not just one." Annie said as she ushered them in.
Prim and Katniss laughed and followed her into the kitchen where they found Peeta stirring a pan of sauce. He smiled shyly at Katniss and they exchanged greetings.
Prim started singing softly, "There you see her, sitting there across the way."
"Prim, don't." Katniss warned.
She continued anyway, "You don't know why, but you're dying to try. You wanna kiss the girl."
Finnick joined in the next stanza as Katniss grew even more uncomfortable. Annie tried feebly to get them to stop, but it continued on until Peeta finally pulled Katniss into the next room.
"I'm sorry." She said softly.
"Don't apologize. It was a good suggestion. I'm just not much for public displays of affection." He leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss over her lips.
She smiled shyly and stepped away. "My sister is still in trouble."
He slipped his hand into hers and tugged. "So's my best friend." He led her back into the kitchen where all four of the others pretended to be casual, but it was clear they were all listening at the door.
Katniss let go of Peeta's hand and stepped up to the stove. "So what's cooking?" She stirred the pot Peeta was just standing over.
He stood beside her. "That's some sauce I made at home and was forced to bring here. Annie is making chicken parm." He pointed to the electric skillet in the corner where several pieces of chicken were breaded and frying. "As soon as that's done, we'll put it in a large baking pan, pour this over it and cover it very liberally with mozzarella and bake it until the cheese is nice and bubbly."
Finn said proudly, "I get to watch the pasta."
Katniss smiled at him. "That's a big responsibility."
He nodded. "But I know when it's perfect."
Finnick ruffled his hair. "His mom taught him well."
Annie grinned at her husband. "Look at the flatterer I married." She leaned over the counter and he met her the rest of the way for a kiss.
Finn pretended to gag. "Get a room!"
"Already have one." Finnick said, sticking his tongue out at the boy.
Finn giggled and went to work on getting the spaghetti on to boil.
Katniss stepped away from Peeta finally. And the moment she did, she regretted it. She liked the feel of his closeness. There was something calming about him that made all her daily worries melt away. She tapped Prim's nose. "You're ridiculous, Little Duck." She said softly.
"Did he kiss you?" Prim whispered.
"None of your business." Katniss chuckled.
They watched as Annie and Peeta assembled the chicken, sauce, and cheese in the baking dish. Finnick did commentary like they were in a cooking show, which made everyone laugh. After Annie put the chicken in the oven, Peeta took Katniss's hand and led her out onto the patio.
"They're all watching." Katniss pointed out.
"I know." Peeta shrugged and sat down in the chairs they'd sat in the previous week. "They're all anxious to know what's going on with us."
"So what is?" She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.
He watched her nervously. "Um… What do you want to be going on?"
"I'd like to be your girlfriend." She swallowed. "If that's what you want."
His smile turned confident. "I do."
"Then that's what's going on and they can all get off our backs about it." She said.
He chuckled and reached out his hand. She slipped hers into it and he brought it to his lips. They were soft and warm on her knuckles. An unexpected giggle escaped her and she covered her mouth. They sat in comfortable silence holding hands for several long minutes. Katniss almost forgot where they were or why they were there.
Finnick poked his head out the door and called. "Hey, lovebirds, time to eat."
Katniss stood first and pulled Peeta to his feet. He smiled as they came face-to-face just before he kissed her softly. Everyone inside cheered and wolf whistled at them. Peeta looked over his shoulder and shook his head.
"Just kissing my girlfriend." He called. "No cheering necessary."
Katniss chuckled and gently shoved his shoulder. "Come on, I'm starving."
The table was set with a large salad, the noodles, chicken, and some garlic bread. Peeta took a seat beside Katniss. Under the table he rested a tentative hand on her leg and gave it a squeeze before taking it away. She smiled at him and then returned the gesture. They started passing the food around the table.
Annie asked, "Prim, have you heard back from any colleges yet?"
"I've been accepted at Panem University, actually." She said with a smile. "I'm going to stay at home and commute."
"What are you majoring in?" Peeta asked.
"Pre-med. But I also have some of those art scholarships you helped me apply for and one requires at least a minor. So I have the first year pretty much paid for except my books and supplies."
Finnick said, "You know we could look into some swim stuff to help with that."
"I don't want to spread myself too thin." She said.
"She has some money our dad put away to help." Katniss said.
Prim looked across the table. "You never told me that."
"I was going to give you the account information as a Christmas present." She answered. She smiled sheepishly. "Now I have to think of something else. Socks, I guess."
"You should find some with ducks on them." Prim said with a giggle.
The rest of the group looked at them oddly.
Katniss explained, "She had to wear a uniform to her elementary school and her shirt tail was constantly coming out, so I started calling her Little Duck and it became her nickname."
"I have a lot of duck themed things she got me as gag gifts over the years." Prim chuckled.
Peeta laughed. "That's awesome."
Finnick said with a grin, "No wonder you swim so well. Like a duck to water."
Prim pointed at her teachers in turn. "This stays in this room." She warned.
They both assured her it would.
"What's pre-med?" Finn asked.
"It means I want to be a doctor." Prim told him. "So I take some classes in college that get me ready and then I go to medical school and become a doctor."
"Cool." He said. He looked across the table to Peeta. "So are you going to marry Katniss?"
Katniss nearly choked on her food. Peeta pounded on her back until she reached for her water glass. She waved him off.
Annie told her son, "Not all people get married, Finn. And not many people get married after knowing each other a short time like your father and I did. Peeta and Katniss just started dating and it's not very tactful to ask when a couple is getting married unless they have told you they are getting married. Now apologize."
Finn nodded and looked at Katniss and Peeta again. "I'm sorry I asked. That was rude."
Katniss rasped, "It's fine."
Peeta said, "Apology accepted, buddy."
Prim watched everyone a moment and then said to Annie, "You never told me you had a short courtship."
She and Finnick shared a smile. "We'd barely been dating a month." Annie explained. "We'd known each other quite a while as acquaintances. We ran in the same circles. And he was just about to start college when we started going out. Tell them how you asked."
Finnick chuckled. "It was the week before I left. I said I wasn't sure when I'd ever come back. Then I handed her this ring I got out of one of those gumball machines and I got down on one knee and I said, 'I don't know where I'm going from here, but I'd love your company.' We went to the courthouse the next day and got married."
"And the next week, I found out I was pregnant with this little peanut." Annie added. She ruffled her son's hair.
"Mom!" Finn put his face in his hands.
Prim sighed. "It's so sweet. Do you still have that ring?"
Annie nodded and left the table. She came back a short time later with a clear plastic cube. She handed it to Prim and took her seat. "He bought me the real one after he got the job here. I wore that for a year around my neck. I never wanted to lose it so I didn't wear it on my finger after the wedding."
"The chain you wore it on was worth about fifty times what the ring was." Finnick said with a sentimental grin.
"We finally found a place that could preserve it in the plastic for a keepsake."
Prim passed it across the table to Katniss. "That's awesome. I want something like that."
"Finish college first." Finnick suggested. "I love my family, but college is stressful enough."
Annie nodded. "We fought constantly those first couple years. But we figured it out." She looked to Prim. "Do whatever feels right. If you meet a guy in college and want to get married before you finish, that's up to you. No marriage is perfect."
"But you guys are pretty close." Peeta pointed out.
Annie nodded. "We work really hard at it."
The rest of the conversation around the table was about small things. Katniss really didn't pay much attention. The talk of marriage made her uncomfortable. Her parents' marriage ended in sadness and death and what she knew of Peeta's, it wasn't much better.
His hand came to rest on top of hers on the table and squeezed gently. The look on his face told her he had the same thought.
A short time later, the table was cleared and the dishes were loaded in the dishwasher. They sat around chatting a while longer in the living room while a movie played on the TV. No one was paying attention. Katniss and Peeta became silent.
He leaned close and whispered, "Let me drive you home."
She nodded and stood with him.
Prim followed, but Katniss stopped her. She reached into her pocket and handed over her keys. "Take good care of that. I'm going with Peeta."
Finnick looked between them and waggled his eyebrows.
Peeta shoved his shoulder as he walked past. "I'm just driving her home, you perv."
Finnick and Prim exchanged a look and he started humming Kiss the Girl again. Prim joined in. Peeta shook his head and led Katniss to the front door.
In the car, Peeta stated laughing. Katniss laughed along with him.
"I'm sorry about Finnick. He can be a bit of an endearing asshole." He said as he drove.
"And I'm sorry about Prim. She never had much chance to tease me about guys before." She reached over and took his hand. "Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Gale and I are going to do some target practice."
"I can always make myself free for you. But tomorrow I definitely am." He kissed her knuckles. "Will Madge be there? I should bake something and show off."
She laughed. "She will. Make some of those chocolate chip cookies."
"I can do better than chocolate chip."
"Tell me more."
He shook his head. "It's a surprise."
She squeezed his hand. "I like your kind of surprises. Those brownies you brought us the other morning were delicious."
"Brownies aren't just for dessert." He chuckled.
"I'll have to actually start working out now that I'm dating you. Otherwise I'll gain so much weight I won't be able to move."
"I'll cook healthy things for you, too." He promised.
Katniss started singing along to the radio. Peeta sat and happily listened. He sang softly along, but never loud enough to overpower her. He pulled into the driveway of her house and turned off his Jeep. He leaned across the space between them and pulled her in for a kiss.
She smiled. "You've done that quite a bit today."
"I've never…" He looked away. "I like kissing you."
"I like kissing you, too." She sighed. "Would you like to come in?"
He shook his head. "I should go. I have to look through my recipes and find out what my best bet is to impress your best friend."
"Walk me to the door at least." She requested.
"Sure." He got out and hurried to her side to help her out. He held her hand and walked with her. He waited while she unlocked the door and turned on the light inside. "What time tomorrow? I just realized I never asked."
"I think around four. We can order pizza or something for supper."
He nodded. "I'm sure Prim is tired of seeing me."
"I'm sure she is. But I'm not yet."
"I'm not your teacher." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "But that would be illegal."
She laughed. "Yes. Come tomorrow whenever you want. I'll be here. And I want you here. And Prim can go spend the day with her friends if she's had enough of you."
Peeta looked her over and nodded again. "All right."
"I'll have the coffee ready." Katniss leaned forward and kissed him once more. "See you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." He watched her get inside and then went back to his car. Prim pulled in and she beeped the horn. He waved and drove away with one last longing thought of Katniss.
