Chapter 7: Sun and Moon

Katniss had arrived home from another long day of rehearsal, thoroughly spent. Seneca had been on edge all day and took it out on the cast, and Katniss in particular.

What had made the day even harder was the fact that Peeta had failed to make an appearance. Katniss didn't want to admit that it affected her work, but the fact that she was main target of Seneca's wrath made it pretty clear.

Thankful that the cast had the next day off, Katniss grabbed a pint of ice cream out of the freezer and plopped herself in front of the television in a tank top and boy shorts.

Halfway through her pint of Rocky Road, Katniss was interrupted by a knock on the door. She looked at the clock and figured that Johanna must have forgotten her key in her rush to make it to work on time. Still holding her pint of ice cream, Katniss answered the door.

"I swear, if you forget your keys one more time..."

Instead of seeing an annoyed look on the face of her best friend and roommate, Katniss was caught face to face with Peeta Mellark. "Hi."

Katniss was suddenly made aware of her state of undress when she finally remembered to respond. "Hey... what are you doing here?" she said, swinging the door partly closed so she could hide behind it.

Peeta appeared flustered as he tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I found your apartment number on the directory downstairs. I was driving by your complex and wanted see if you would go and grab a drink with me."

Katniss was confused by his proposal at first, but reminded herself that she had gone out for drinks with Peeta almost a dozen times during these past few weeks of rehearsal. There was nothing to read into; they were just friends.

"Sure, let me go get changed. I'll be down in five minutes."


Peeta didn't realize where he was headed until he suddenly found himself sitting in his car in front of Katniss's apartment; the building where he dropped her off after almost every rehearsal. He had purposely avoided the theater today so that he didn't have to see her, still considering the legitimacy of his mother's threats.

But his subconscious wouldn't be scared so easily; he knew he had to see her. Katniss Everdeen was not a woman you could quit cold turkey.

When she opened the door in nothing but a tank top and underwear, he had almost passed out. The quick flash of her bare skin sent Peeta's mind back almost seven months to the night she strutted towards him in the fire-red outfit and high heels. He quickly pushed the image out of his mind and tried to compose himself.

As promised, Katniss joined him downstairs after five minutes and they drove to a bar that they had frequented during their last few weeks of friendship. They sat down in a booth and ordered drinks.

Both were silent as Peeta's mind raced, trying to come up with something, anything to say. The question escaped his lips before he could stop himself.

"How do you know if you're in love somebody?"

Katniss looked confused for a second, and then seemed to carefully consider the question. "I don't know. I've never been in love," she confessed.

Something in the air had shifted and they were both silent again. Peeta's nerves started to rise and in his anxiety he began speaking.

"My mother wants me marry Delly. She wants me to propose in three weeks, when Delly gets back from Europe. I don't know if I'm ready to commit to her like that. Delly's a sweet girl; she's down-to-earth and friendly and we understand each other well. But I don't know if that's enough. I wish I wanted to marry her; it would make everything so much simpler."

Peeta sighed and put his head in his hands. He was surprised when he heard Katniss start speaking.

"If I know anything about love, I know that it's anything but simple. Almost everyone I know wants to be in love, but I don't. I've only ever seen love be destructive. Love was what destroyed my mother after my father died. Cato told me he loved me and we both know how that turned out..." Her voice trailed off.

"Why did you stay with him, if you never loved him?"

Peeta regretted asking the question, but in that moment, his mouth was moving too fast for his brain.

Katniss didn't appear bothered by his curiosity. Instead she thought for a moment and answered. "Staying with Cato was about survival. I needed the money, the security. But as time went on, I realized that there was a big difference between surviving and living. I wanted to live, and that's part of what gave me the courage to leave him."

Peeta silently considered her words. As he pondered, he thought of one last question to ask her.

"Do you think your mother regretted falling in love with your father?"

Again, Katniss was silent for a few moments.

"I'm not sure. I can still remember the two of them; the looks that they gave each other, how comfortable they were together. Right after he died, I wished that they hadn't loved each other as much as they did, especially after seeing the way my mom reacted to it. I thought that maybe if had they loved each other less, my mother would have been able to move on and take care of us after he died. But then I remembered the way she would watch him when he sang; the joy and disbelief in her face that a man like my father was with her. I can remember feeling the same way when I was sitting next to my dad on the piano. The feel of the ivory keys underneath my fingers while we harmonized together. I think that's the closest I'll ever be to being in love." Katniss's hand went to the pendant on her necklace as she recalled the memory.

Peeta smiled as he watched her talk about her father; he could see the love and adoration she had for him. He wished that there was something he could do to help her hold on to that memory a little longer.

Suddenly, he remembered something. "Would you like to stop by my apartment on the way home?" he asked her. "I have something I want to show you."


Katniss trusted Peeta. She wouldn't have agreed to go if she didn't.

Yet, for some reason, her entire body was on edge as he drove her to his apartment. Despite how comfortable they felt talking to each other, Katniss couldn't deny that there was a strange spark that ignited every time they touched. Every nerve ending in her body would jolt with electricity whenever he brushed his hand against hers as they walked, or whenever her foot would accidentally kick his under the table.

Katniss trusted Peeta. She just didn't know if she could trust herself.

There was no use denying it anymore; Katniss was attracted to Peeta Mellark. After spending the past few weeks in his company, she had become an expert at stealthily admiring his charming smile, handsome features, broad shoulders, and tight butt.

At first, Katniss chastised herself for succumbing to such primal instincts. But as her mind was slowly populated by thoughts about Peeta, she found that she was becoming even more attracted to his kindhearted personality, thoughtfulness and charisma.

When they finally arrived at Peeta's apartment building, Katniss could not help but wonder how rich the Mellark family really was, considering the location and grandeur of Peeta's residence. When they finally stepped out of the elevator and through the front door, Katniss stood in awe at how large Peeta's penthouse apartment was; silently calculating how many of her own apartments she could fit into the space. Every furnishing screamed "expense" and Katniss couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable.

Peeta must have sensed this and clarified. "My mother's the one who decorated. It's not really my taste. I'd prefer it to be simpler but my mother is all about image. She'd always say 'You can't call yourself rich unless you look rich,'" he shrugged, "I can't complain about the view though."

Peeta started walking towards to floor-to-ceiling window that surrounded the apartment. He motioned for her to follow.

As Katniss approached the window, she was in awe. From up here, the city looked so inviting; the lights flickered from the streets and surrounding buildings like the stars she was so used to watching back home. It didn't look anything like the city that had threatened to swallow her whole over half a year earlier. "It's really beautiful," she gasped.

"It is," Peeta replied.

Katniss could feel his eyes on her, watching her reaction. She felt a flush of embarrassment when she realized how her mouth was open as she took in the view. Suddenly self-aware, she broke from the spell and turned towards him. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

Peeta smiled a mischievous smile and shook his head. "No, I have something I think you will like even better."

He took her hand and guided her towards a closed door leading out of the living room. Katniss momentarily panicked, wondering where he could be taking her. She shook the worry from her head.

Peeta was a gentleman and he respected her, though she couldn't help but shake the small voice in her head that secretly hoped he was leading her into his bedroom. When the door opened revealing a large studio that housed a dazzling baby grand piano, she couldn't help but feel both amazed and disappointed.

Not waiting for permission, Katniss walked around the piano, her fingertips brushing against the polished wood frame. She ran her hands along the keys, the nostalgia hitting her in waves as she remembered the times she shared with her father.

Katniss expected to break down, overwhelmed by the memories, but instead she felt sincere gratitude that Peeta had brought her here and allowed her to re-live the happy moments of her childhood. "Do you play?" she inquired.

Peeta chuckled in response. "Not at all. I bought it when I first decided to invest in musical theater. I had no clue what I was doing, but I figured I would try my best to look the part."

Emboldened by the memories, she asked, "Do you mind if I-?"

Her question was cut short when Peeta interrupted, "Please. I would love to hear you play."

Katniss sat down, trying to think of a song.

She remembered one in particular that she used to sing with her father. It was a duet from the musical Miss Saigon between the two star-crossed lovers, Kim and Chris. Katniss smiled, sadly, knowing that she would have to sing both parts, now.

Placing her hands on the keyboard, the muscles in her fingers remembered the notes as she began to sing the melody.

You are sunlight and I, moon
Joined by the gods of fortune
Midnight and high noon, sharing the sky
We have been blessed you and I...


Peeta was overwhelmed by everything that had happened so far that night. Here was Katniss in his apartment, singing for only him.

He recalled her expression when she took in the view from the window, and watched her reaction to seeing the piano; the elation that had enveloped her face and movements. Peeta knew that, if he could, he would devote his entire life to making Katniss happy and not consider it a wasted life.

You are here like a mystery
I'm from a world that's so different from all that you are
How in the light of one night did we come... so far...

He watched her fingers float along the keys, watched the emotion in her face as she closed her eyes and sang. She seemed so close, yet so far away from him. She was mere feet away but the look on her face told him that she was in her own universe. Peeta wished she could take him there with her.

Instead, he continued to listen, awe-struck by the woman in front of him.

You are sunlight and I, moon
Joined here
Brightening the sky with the flame of love
Made of sunlight, moonlight...

Katniss finished, opened her eyes and looked up towards him. Her smile was radiant. "Thank you, Peeta."

Peeta knew that the polite thing to do would be to respond to her, to tell her that it was not a problem; that he was honored to have heard her play. But for the second time that evening, Peeta's body moved faster than his mind.

Instead, he leaned down, cupped her face in his hands, gazed into her eyes and pressed his lips to hers.


A/N: AHHHHH! Haha. Please don't hurt me for leaving it at a cliffhanger! Right now I'm working on Chapter 2 of Something Old, Something New, which I hope to get done by the middle of this week, but I'll try my best to get Chapter 8 out by the weekend. Sorry for the short-ish chapter; I spent the day at the State Fair yesterday eating deliciously sinful things like Fried Samoas and Fried Grilled Cheese and Fried S'mores. They fry everything these days. I can't possibly recommend trying them, as a health professional, but what's wrong with a little indulging once in a while? Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review =).