Hey guys, sorry for the wait for this update. I've been in bed with the flu and sinus infection, and I haven't been of much use lately. So sorry. But finally, here's the next chapter for you guys.
This chapter is kind of Peeta and Katniss' chapter, where they kind of start to form a bond, and an actual relationship. I know that this is what a lot of people have been waiting for, and I have been more than willing to deliver. I just hope you guys like it. I'm trying to make it as perfect as possible.
Enjoy! :)
The weather is horrid today, with a constant downpour of rain and sleet, you would think the world was ending. And, although most people would consider this weather to be awful, I particularly love it. The constant pounding of the rain on the roof calms my nerves, and sooths my every being.
I stare out the window, towel drying my hair, when my thoughts wander to Peeta, whose usually happy demeanor has been replaced with a kind of sullen attitude. I can't place why he's acting the way he's been acting lately, but I'm determined to find out soon. It's not that's he's been angry, or even upset, he's just been…restricted.
The only real chances that I have been able to talk to him have been between coming over to babysit, and leaving. And, even then, that doesn't give us much time, because he's always in a hurry to rush me out the door. And, now that I think about it, it makes me a little angry. I don't know why, and I can't place the feeling, but it makes me feel…hurt.
I'm snapped out of my thoughts immediately when my phone starts to ring. Speak of the devil.
I let it ring a few times before I pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Katniss?" It's noisy, and I can hear Avery jabbing on and making noises in the background.
"Yeah?"
"Are you busy around two?" I glance at the clock, it's only eleven thirty.
"Um, I don't think so."
"Great!" He sounds happy, actually. "Would you be willing to meet me somewhere for lunch?" He asks. I think about it for a few seconds before answering.
"Sure…I guess." I don't want to sound too eager, but I really need to talk to him.
"Okay," he pauses before continuing. "Can you meet me at my restaurant? And then we can go from there."
"Yeah, that should be fine." I bite my lip to keep from smiling too wide.
"Great, I'll see you at two."
"See you at two." I hang up, and throw my phone onto the mattress. I press my lips together and try not to scream.
"It's not a date," I tell Prim.
"Whatever you say," she smiles, and it takes all of my will power not to slap her.
"It's not!" I yell. She's going through my closet, trying to find something for me to wear. She finally decides on a pair of dark blue jeans and a loose fitting white, long sleeved shirt. I am almost seven months pregnant, after all.
"I'm having another mans baby," I shoot her a look, pointing to my growing belly. "It's not a date."
"I'm just saying…you want to look the part." I roll my eyes at my sisters insistent nagging.
"I don't need to 'look' anything. We're just going to lunch."
"Exactly, which means it's a date." I groan, and hide my face in my hands. This can't be a date. I don't even know if I want it to be a date.
"Prim, this is ridiculous. I shouldn't even…I shouldn't even be going out. I mean…really?" I stumble over my words as I sling my arms through the sleeves of my shirt. It gets stuck trying to fit over my stomach, and Prim has to help me stretch it.
"Besides, who wants to date a seven months pregnant woman, who's pregnant by another man?" Prim smiles before rolling her eyes.
"Peeta Mellark."
I could kill her.
She starts to burst out laughing at the look I'm giving her. "Shut up," I spit. "This isn't funny."
"No no, it's not. I'm sorry. It's just-" she stops herself, taking a deep breath while trying to calm herself down. "You're getting so worked up."
"Worked up? For the love of god Prim-" I throw my hands down to my sides. "-why wouldn't I be worked up?" I say, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She walks over to my vanity and plucks up a brush and sits down behind me on my bed, beginning to run the brush through my long hair.
"You need to relax, Katniss," she starts. "Just don't worry about it."
"I don't date, Prim," I say, fisting the blankets in my hand. "I've only ever dated Gale, and well, we know how that turned out."
"First, you need to stop comparing him to Gale. Peeta isn't Gale, okay?"
"I know, it's just…am I stupid to actually think that I might…feel something for him?" I turn to face her, and she drops the brush onto the floor, pulling me into a hug. I'm confused at first, but I wrap my arms around her, hugging her closer to me.
"You deserve to be happy," she sighs, and pulls away to look at me. "And, if Peeta makes you happy, then go for it."
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"A hundred percent."
I pull into the parking lot of Peeta's restaurant, and begin to panic. I feel my anxiety rushing to me all at once, and I rest my head against the steering wheel. I take several deep breaths in order to calm my aching nerves, but it doesn't seem to do me any justice.
A sudden knocking on my window knocks me out of my daze. Peeta's calm face is on the other side of the frosty glass, and I roll down my window.
"You okay?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. "You've been sitting out here for a good ten minutes. It's freezing out, you should come inside." I roll my window back up and get out of my car, accepting his hand as he walks me to the door.
"No kid today?" I ask, walking through the door that he has opened for me.
"Ah, no," he says, following close behind. "He's with his mother this afternoon. One of the very few times she gets him."
"Oh, okay." I don't press him any further. "So, lunch?" I ask.
"Yeah, ah, I wanted to take you out," he stutters. He never stutters. "I just wanted to talk to you." He finalizes.
"Okay, well…where are you taking me?"
"I'm taking you somewhere special." I raise my eyebrows at him, but he doesn't seem to notice my confusion. "Just trust me." He grabs my hand and leads me to the back of the restaurant, to the private parking lot where his car is parked. He walks me to the passenger side and opens the door for me. I smile at him before climbing in.
We drive in relative silence, the only noise being the rain pouring down outside, and the light music playing on the radio. I look over to Peeta a few times, but his face is mostly neutral, apart from when he catches me staring at him. And when he does, he smirks when I turn my head away, a fierce blush forming on my cheeks.
After twenty minutes of driving around downtown, he finally pulls into the parking lot of Mason's, a small diner right in the heart of downtown Seattle. This place has been around for ages.
Before I get the chance to say anything, Peeta speaks up.
"I know it's a really shitty diner, that serves really crappy coffee," he starts, turning to look at me. "But my dad used to bring me here every Saturday morning when I was a kid. So it's kind of a tradition for me to come ever Saturday afternoon." He smiles brightly at me, and I feel, for the first time in a long time…happy. He wants to include me in his life. So I smile back at him.
"Usually I bring Avery, since it was a kind of father and son thing, but I figured I would bring you today." He gets out of the car and walks over to my side, opening the door for me. He offers me his hand, and I graciously take it.
Once we walk in, a tall, dark haired man greets us at the counter.
"Ah, Peeta, hello." He greets him, shaking his hand.
"Hey, Mark." Peeta chimes. I watch the man's eyes roam over me, drifting over my stomach before falling back to my eyes. He doesn't say anything about it.
"Avery not joining you this evening?" He asks, quirking an eyebrow.
"Ah, no. He's with the misses."
"I'm sorry about that," he says gently. And it makes me question why. "So, a booth? Or a table?"
"Booth," Peeta smiles, and we follow the man to a booth near the back of the diner.
"Johanna will be here soon to take your order," Mark nods his head to Peeta before walking back to the front of the building.
"So…" I start. "You've been coming here a long time, huh?"
"Oh, uh yeah. Ever since I was able to walk, that is." My eyes widen, and I can't help the smile that crosses my lips.
"Wow, that's quite the tradition."
"Tell me about it, my pops says this kid's been around since he could barely talk." My attention is now directed to a tall, and dark short-haired woman, who's jabbing her thumb towards Peeta. "He's definitely a familiar face around here."
"Oh shut it, Johanna." Peeta jokes, shooting daggers at the woman.
"Where's the kid? This is like…the first time you've eva been here without him." Her accent is thick, and richly northern.
Peeta rolls his eyes. "He's with his mother." That's all he has to say for her to back off.
"Oh, okay. Well, what can I get ya?" She asks me. "I know he's gettin' the regular."
"Oh, um…I'll just have the number two."
"Great, I'll get em' out to ya as soon as I can." She smiles, and takes our menus from us before quickly shuffling to the kitchen.
"Wow, seems like you've got quite the reputation here." I finally say, after what seems like an endless time of silence.
"Oh, yeah," he laughs. "I mean, after coming to the same place for more than twenty years, I'd say people will remember you." I smile. Twenty years? That would mean he would have been coming here since he was only two or so. At the age of twenty-five, he's only a year older than me.
"Wow…twenty years huh? Your dad stop coming with you because you got too old?" I laugh, but stop when I realize he's gone completely silent.
"Ah, no. He uh…he passed a few years back."
"Oh…I'm…I'm so sorry, I didn't know…" I admit. He sits there, looking pensive, his hands tightly clasped together. He's looking hard at the table, not making eye contact, even when he speaks to me.
"Everyone here knew him. He was kind of a living legend."
"How so?"
"It's a long story…maybe I'll tell it to you sometime." He finally looks up at me with sad eyes. But, as soon as he makes eye contact with me for a few seconds, his face softens, and I smile.
"So," he starts, changing the subject. "I really wanted to talk to you." I feel knots forming in my stomach. All I can do is nod my head.
"I know I've been a real dick to you lately," this completely shocks me. I didn't think he realized that he was actually acting the way he was acting. "And I just wanted to apologize for that."
"Really?"
"Yeah…I know I haven't been particularly nice to-"
"Particularly nice? Peeta, you outright ignored me for a solid month." I say, opening and closing my fists underneath the table.
"I know, I know." He says flatly. "And I'm sorry. You just have to understand that…I didn't really know how to handle this situation."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't know how to approach the situation without scaring you off." I raise my eyebrows.
"Scaring me off? Peeta, you're not making any sense."
"I like you." There it is. Out on the table. "I really like you." Fuck.
"I-"
We're suddenly interrupted by Johanna bringing us our food. She shares secret glances with Peeta before leaving us alone.
We don't get the chance to finish our conversation.
As we eat in silence, neither of us making any move to strike up a conversation. The whole meal is filled with silent gestures and subtle eye contact. And, once we're both done, Peeta pays, and we both exit the diner quietly.
Once we get to his car, I climb in and start to buckle myself, when suddenly, Peeta's lips are on mine. He's leaning over the console, his hands cradling my face. I let myself revel in his warmth before I realize what's happening, and quickly pull away. My hand flies up to my lips, and I gently trace my thumb along the seam of my lower lip.
"I'm sorry," he says, backing away and settling back into his seat. "I had to do that, at least once."
"Don't apologize." The words are out of my mouth before I even knew what I was going to say. His eyes meet mine, wide, and confused. His face contorts into something like happiness, before falling into a more neutral tone, his eyebrows creasing together.
"I shouldn't have, I'm sorry."
"No...don't be." I silently berate myself for actually liking the feeling of his lips against mine. But, then I realize that I don't have to be ashamed of myself for liking it. I'm allowed to be happy.
"What?" He looks confused. But before he can say anything else, I lean over and gently peck his lips.
"Because I like you too."
He's smiling widely now, and leans back over, taking my face back into his hands again, and crashes his lips to mine. I open my mouth for him, and he slips his tongue in, sliding it against my own. I moan at the contact of another mans touch, and have to remind myself that I'm not a horny teenager anymore.
I break away, gasping for breath. I stare at him through half lidded eyes, and instinctively lick my lips.
"I don't want to mess this up," his face is hovering only inches from mine, and I can feel his warm breath tickle my face as he speaks. "I don't want to mess this up," he repeats.
"What…what do you mean?"
"I mean…I like you. And, I know that this is going to be really complicated, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm in," he starts, looking down at my stomach before directing his gaze back at me. "I'm all in, if you'll allow it."
It takes me a few seconds to process all that he is saying. This is all happening so fast.
"Peeta…" I start. "We barely even know each other."
"Then lets get to know each other," he says, taking my hands in his. "Come over for dinner tonight. I'll cook, and you, me, and Avery…we can all eat together." He smiles at me so brightly, that it would be stupid to say no.
"Okay…" I say. "I'll allow it."
This is stupid.
I keep telling myself that the entire car ride to Peeta's house. This is stupid. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't be dating right now. But the longer I drive, the harder I find it is to keep myself from going. So, I keep driving, and eventually find myself in front of Peeta's house.
There's an extra car in the driveway, and I can't place who it could be. But as I get out and walk to the door, I hear the screaming from the other side of the door, and immediately want to run away.
"You can't do that, Peeta! He's my son too!"
This is wrong. I shouldn't be eves dropping like this.
"Then maybe you should have acted like it before you decided to leave!" I hear Peeta scream. I shamelessly peek though one of the windows on the porch, and see them standing in the forier in front of the stair case, just feet from each other.
I really shouldn't be doing this.
"Me? You kicked me out, Peeta! You pushed me away!"
"Here we go again. It's always my fault isn't it?"
"Yes!" I see Avery peek his head around the corner upstairs, and get a sinking feeling of dread in the bottom of my stomach. No child should have to watch this.
"Come on Avery, you're coming with me." The woman yells, motioning for Avery to come to her. But as soon as Avery starts walking, Peeta speaks up.
"No, you're not taking him!"
"The hell I'm not!" She stalks up the stairs and grabs Avery's arm, yanking him down the stairs and towards the door. I back away from the window, pressing my back against the cold brick.
"You don't have the right to keep me from taking him." I hear the woman say. I can almost feel Peeta's anger, when I realize that it's me. I'm the angry one.
"I do, I got the right to keep him. I have sole custody of him, because you decided to run off when you thought it got too hard for you. So I'm sorry, but my son is staying with me." I smile.
"Oh bullshit Peeta, you're all talk. I'm taking my son-" she stops for a second. "Come on Avery, let's go."
"I said you're not taking him."
"I don't want to leave." My heart stops, and it seems theirs does as well. There's a long moment of silence before anyone says anything else. "I want to stay with dad."
My chest physically hurts for Avery. He shouldn't have to be the one to mediate between his parents. I want more than anything to hold him and tell him, everything is going to be okay.
"You are, Avery. You're staying here. Mom's not gonna take you." I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the screaming, but it never comes. Instead, the door swings open, and a very angry looking blonde woman stalks out, stopping only when she sees my standing against the wall. That's the first time I get a really good look at her.
She's beautiful. Really, really beautiful. With blonde, curly, flowing hair, and round blue eyes. I can see why Peeta would have wanted to be with her. I suddenly feel insecure, and wrap my arms across my chest. Chills shoots down my spine when her eyes meet mine. Cold, and hard.
But, she doesn't say anything, just turns and walks away, slamming the door to her car and speeding down the street towards the gate. I have to take a few deep breathes before I decide to look up.
Peeta's standing there, his eyes red, and wide with horror. He must know I heard just about everything.
"Peeta-" I start to say, but his arms around me in an instant, hugging me close. Confusion fills me, but I wrap my arms around his back, rubbing my hands up and down.
"I'm sorry," is all I can manage to say. He pulls away and looks at me.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know she was going to be here, or I wouldn't have told you to be here at seven," he says, stepping away from me. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"No, I'm sorry…I didn't know it was that bad…"
"Yeah, it gets a lot worse than that-"
"Katniss!" I look behind Peeta at the door, and see Avery running through the open door. I kneel down, and he throws himself at me, wrapping his arms around my neck.
"I missed you!" He says smiling. I ruffle his matted curls, and swipe them from his forehead. "Mommy was being mean to daddy."
Peeta's eyes go wide, and I stand.
"Avery," Peeta shakes his head, telling Avery not to say anything else. For that, I'm grateful.
"Come in, come in. It's freezing out here, gosh," Peeta directs me into the door, and takes my jacket from me, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "So sorry you were standing out there in that mess." I give him a reassuring smile, looking outside to see the rain still coming down outside.
"It's okay."
"Anyways, I made dinner," he says, walking me to the kitchen. It smells like heaven, and I have to tell myself that this is actually real.
"I made Spaghetti. I know it's simple, but I wanted to ease you into this," he says, pulling out a chair at the table. Avery runs over and claims the chair next to me.
"Ease me into it? Into what?" I laugh.
"Well, I don't mean to brag, Katniss, but I'm a pretty good chef. I want to ease you into this extravagant dining experience." I laugh even harder, shamelessly staring at his ass as he makes his way to the other side of the table, taking a seat across from me and Avery.
He grabs my plate, and puts food onto it, then grabbing Avery's and doing the same.
I lift the fork to my mouth, and have to restrain myself moaning. It's delectable. I see Peeta watching me, and watch the smile break onto his face when he sees me enjoying it.
"What?"
"Oh nothing, just watching you." He smirks, and I stick my tongue out at him. I feel a bony elbow hit my arm.
"Daddy says no sticking your tongue out at the table," Avery says, pointing at me. "It's rude table manners." I try to keep my composure, but I can't contain my laugh. Avery just stares at me, and I stop myself.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I apologize.
"I do believe you just got told by a five year old." Peeta smirks, and I reach across the table and smack his hand.
"No hitting either!" Avery huffs. "Am I the only grown up here?" He pouts his bottom lip, and crosses his arms across his chest. Peeta and I exchange glances, smiling.
"I'm sorry, Avery. I'll behave." I say, ruffling his hair. He giggles and squirms in his seat.
"S'okay," he shrugs his shoulders.
We continue eating, and I listen and both Peeta and Avery share crazy stories about things that I'm sure half of it is made up. I hear about the trolls that live in Avery's closet, and the ghost that lives under his bed that talks to him before he goes to bed.
And apparently, Avery is a quite the ladies man at school.
"Katniss, did you know Avery has a girlfriend?" I almost choke on my water. I snap my head towards Avery, who's face suddenly gets beet red.
"Do not!" He yells. "Olivia is not my girlfriend!"
"Is she your friend?" I ask innocently.
"Yessum, she's my best friend. We play together at recess." He smiles, tapping his fork against his plate.
"Not to mention she comes over here to play a lot." Peeta inturrupts, lifting his glass to his mouth and taking a drink of his water. "She's one of my friends girl, went to high-school with him.
"Ahh," I say. "Is she cute?" Avery's face just grows redder.
"I-I don't know! Girls aren't cute! They have cooties!" Ah, the cootie stage.
"That's right, no liking girls until you are older." I say with a smile. I meet Peeta's gaze, and find him smiling too.
We finish eating, and Peeta takes all three of our plates to the kitchen. I sit there talking to Avery, but he seems to be getting bored. I'm just about to ask him if he wants to watch a movie with Peeta and I, but his mind takes him in another direction.
"Are you gonna have a baby, Katniss?" The question catches me off guard, and I choke on my water. I hear a crash in the kitchen, and turn around to find Peeta standing there with wide eyes, a broken plate on the floor by his feet.
"What? Um…Yes, yeah." I stutter, not really knowing how to approach this.
"But, it's not my daddy's baby, is it?" His face looks sad, but curious.
"Um…no. I-It's not." His face falls, and he looks at the ground. I look to Peeta for help, but he just stands there, frozen in place.
"Then whose baby is it?" I chew on my bottom lip. How in the hell do you explain this to a five year old? I take Avery's hand and lead him into the living room, and set him down across from me on the couch. I tuck my legs underneath me, and fold my hands in my lap. He stares at me with his full attention.
"You see Avery…" I start. "You have a mommy, right?" He shakes his head.
"But my mommy doesn't stay here." He says, and I nod my head.
"Right. And my baby has a daddy, but he doesn't stay with me, either." He nods his head like he's understanding.
"So I won't get a little brother or sister?" His face turns sad, and I lift his chin with my hand to look at me.
"It won't be your sister, but if you're really good, I'll let you hold her when she gets here." He immediately brightens up, smiling wider than I have ever seen him smile before.
"Did you hear that daddy? I'll get to hold the baby!" I look behind me and notice Peeta walking towards me with a cup of something warm. He hands it to me, and I smell it. Hot chocholate.
"Yes, I heard," he says, sitting down next to me. "But you know Avery, you have to be very gentle when she gets here," he says, taking him into his lap. "She won't be a toy. She will be very little for a long time. And we might not get to see her right away, because she will have a daddy that will want to spend time with her." He whispers, but I catch the hint of sadness that fills his voice.
"Okay dad."
"Now go get ready for bed," Peeta demands, and Avery runs up the stairs. There's a thick silence in the room.
"Sorry about that. He's…full of questions these days." Peeta says, running a hand through his messy hair.
"It's okay, he's just curious. Kids are like that." He smiles at me, and I swipe his hair from his forehead. He sighs deeply and closes his eyes, pursing his lips together.
"There something you wanna talk about?" I ask, and he opens his eyes.
"I guess I'm just a little confused."
"Confused? About what?"
"You're going to have the baby in what, two months? And then what? Your ex is going to be coming around all of the time, and I'm sure he's not going to want another man coming into your home to play house with his daughter." He sighs and sinks back into the couch.
"I…Gale can be complicated…" I start, twisting my thumbs together. "It's not his decision to make. He doesn't control my life." I tell him. He just stares at me blankly.
"Yes, he'll be around more than I would like, but I can't keep him from seeing his own child. He at least deserves that." I see the hurt flash across Peeta's face, and immediately regret what I said.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. Our situations are completely different. I'm sorry if I made it sound like I was being hateful." I quickly apologize, rubbing his arm. He looks up at me with sad eyes.
"No, no. It's fine, I understand. And that's why I wanted to talk to you. Because I know that Gale is going to be a part of the deal. I realize that he's a part of this, and if I want you, if you'll have me, Gale is always going to be a part of our lives." I listen to him carefully, taking in everything that he is saying.
"He is. I wish he wasn't, but he is a part of this…" I look down, holding my mug tightly in my hands. "I wish more than anything that it was just us."
"Me too," he whispers. "Me too."
"I'm scared, Peeta." I finally admit. He takes the mug from my hand and puts it on the coffee table, and reaches for me. He pulls me into his arms, and I rest my head against his chest, feeling the rise and fall. He begins running his fingers through my hair.
"It's gong to be a long, really fucking long road. But we can do it," he says. "I know we can do it."
Phew, I hope you like this chapter! I just wanted a chapter to develop some more relationship with Peeta and Katniss, with the right amount of time between chapters. I hope I didn't screw anything up, because I really like this chapter!
