Chapter 8: What Didn't Happen
(Peeta's POV)
Peeta felt his eyebrows nearly shoot straight up his forehead after Katniss asked if she could join him. Was this the same girl that had shot him down earlier that day? He could hardly believe his luck as she fell into step beside him, her hair down and loose around her shoulders in the moonlight. She wore a simple t-shirt and her khaki shorts from earlier that day, but somehow she still managed to look stunning. Katniss seemed like the type of girl that could be beautiful without even trying.
He tried to calm himself down as he walked beside her, trying his best to think rationally. Friends can go to the lake. Of course. It means nothing. But do friends take late night strolls together in the dark? Of course they do. Right?
He tried not to freak out as she walked beside him, her hands swinging loosely at her sides, her hair moving in the soft breeze. He tripped a little on a tree root, which made him remember to talk, or at least try to talk.
"Nice night."
"Yup."
Silence.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked finally, turning to look at him. You don't want to know. He was glad it was dark, for his cheeks were burning in the darkness.
"Oh um…nothing really."
"Really?" Something in her tone told him she didn't believe him.
He snorted. Of course she would call him on his bullshit. She can see right through bullshit, remember what happened with Cato? He asked himself.
"No. Actually. I uh…was thinking about what you said earlier."
"Oh. That," she replied flatly. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"I know that, it's alright," he admitted. They made their way down the dirt path as it wound through the trees. It was wide enough that a car or truck could drive down it easily, but the trees overhead made it seem a lot smaller than it was. He suddenly felt a little trapped being this close to the girl he wanted so badly. He silently reminded himself to cool it. When the lake finally came into view, he gasped along with Katniss. It was beautiful, even in the darkness.
It seemed to stretch on for miles, the water glittering as the moon reflected off of it. A gentle breeze was blowing in the hot night, the water barely rippling in response. Tall pine trees lined the sandy shore as far as he could see and the crickets chirping seemed to echo off the water.
"Wow," she breathed, "this is gorgeous."
"It is," he agreed. "Want to go down to the dock?"
"Sure," she smiled, following him down the wooden dock. They moved to the end of it, taking off their shoes and socks to put their feet in the water. "Oh! It's cold!" she laughed.
Peeta's teeth chattered slightly as he placed his feet in the black water and sighed. "Sure beats sitting in a hot cabin."
"Very true. Not much of a breeze. Those cabins will be hot this summer. I love being out here," she said softly in agreement.
Maybe we could come down here at night alone together to cool off…he thought. I am such a pervert.
He watched her profile for a moment. Katniss inhaled the fresh air deeply, sighing with contentment. A faint smile graced her features, making her look more relaxed than she had the entire time he had known her. Her nose was small and perfectly rounded, leading to her plump lips. He fidgeted as she turned to look at him with her piercing stare. A strand of wavy chocolate hair fell in her eyes, and he fought the urge to reach over and push it back.
"You really like this stuff, don't you?" he asked.
"Nature you mean?"
He nodded, glancing down at his side where her hand was splayed on the worn wood. "You seem to really be at ease here. Did you take a lot of family vacations to places like this?"
She laughed to herself, shaking her head. "No, not at all. I um…my dad was really into nature. We live in a small town, with the woods on our back doorstep, and he was always taking me out and showing me things. We used to spend every Sunday in the woods, taking walks. No matter what time of year it was. He loved being outdoors and taking me anywhere we could explore. What about you? Do you um….like outdoorsy stuff?"
Peeta chuckled, "I do, but…not much chance. My family isn't a real 'together' type. Well, I mean I bake with my dad. He likes to experiment with like recipes and stuff…Not nearly as cool as running around the woods once a week."
Katniss turned and looked at him. "No, that's cool. I can't even bake cupcakes for my sister's birthday. Is your dad a chef or something?"
"No, ah, we own a bakery back home," he added lamely.
"Wow, that's neat."
"Eh…not really. Part of the reason I took this job is so I don't have to spend the summer hauling around bags of flower and scraping sugar out of every crevice," he chuckled. "Glamorous, right?"
Katniss laughed her throaty laugh, and Peeta immediately liked the way her voice sounded slightly scratchy and unique. Yet another thing that set her apart.
"I can see your point."
"What does your dad do? He sounds like a really cool guy."
He watched as the smile slowly faded, her face growing serious again. "Oh um…he was a cool guy. He was….a phenomenal guy. He died a few years ago. He worked in a coal mine, with Gale's dad. They were both killed in the same explosion."
Peeta felt every ounce of self-confidence go draining out of him. His heart fell to his feet to have made her bring up her deceased father. "Oh my gosh, I'm….I'm so sorry. Katniss, really….I….I didn't mean to make you talk about it."
"It's okay," she replied softly. "I….don't talk about him much anymore. It makes my mom and my sister Prim, too sad. It was nice to talk about him in a good way again. You made me remember how great of a dad he was."
His shoulders slumped. Even though she had assured him it was alright, he still felt terrible for making her talk about it. He stared out at the water, just listening to the crickets chirp. "Well…he sounds like quite a guy."
"He was. Gale's dad was great too, we all grew up together and he was like an uncle to me. That was…a really tough year. I almost didn't go to college because of it, but my mom made me. Insisted they'd be fine. I'd already spent two years taking care of my sister while she worked all the time. I guess we all grieve differently," she shrugged.
"Gale turned into a really cool guy. He's in the bunk next to mine, and he's all right."
She nodded. "He's one of my best friends. He dealt with it all a lot better than me. He actually took time to grieve and I…I just dove into survival mode."
"Did your mom do anything?"
"She threw herself into work. Like I said…we all grieve differently. It kinda left me to be mom though. I didn't know what I was doing half the time."
"I wouldn't either," he admitted.
"I didn't have a choice. I just did what I had to do, and….you get through it. Somehow."
Peeta watched her profile again, afraid to say anything. She was clearly venting, and he wanted to be a good listener.
"What's Prim like? You talk about her a lot. You guys must be close."
Katniss chuckled to herself, picking at the worn wood beneath her fingers. "Prim is….amazing. She never complains, and always sees the good in things. Inside and out, I'm pretty sure she's better than I am in every way."
"Well don't say that," he said quietly, "she probably couldn't have done it without you."
"I guess. My mom worked all the time and I took care of Prim. We barely had any money, so she had to miss out on a lot. I'll never forget when she made the junior high volleyball team and had to quit because we didn't have the money for it. She would have needed new shoes and special pads and…I just couldn't do it. I was so mad at myself for not being able to give that to her. I felt like I had failed her and….and my dad. She said it was okay and that she didn't care because she's sweet like that…but….broke her heart. Broke mine a little too. So….I guess that's why her getting to come here is such a big deal to me. I just want her to have fun this summer," Katniss explained, turning to look at him.
"That makes a lot of sense. You seem really selfless," he replied honestly.
Katniss reached up, covering half of her face with her hand in embarrassment. "God, I can't believe I'm telling you this. You must think I'm crazy."
"Would it help if I told you something personal as well?"
Katniss winced. "Um, maybe later?" she squeaked out. He laughed, nodding.
"Fine. But I understand why you um…wouldn't want to get distracted this summer. It sounds really important to you and Prim."
"It is. She would never get to do anything like this otherwise. This is kinda my 'sorry' for all the other stuff she had to miss out on over the years."
"I'm sure she'll appreciate it. She'll have a blast this summer, I know it."
"She deserves it," Katniss admitted. Peeta watched her face turn serious again as she stared out at the water.
"What about you though?"
She frowned, clearly caught off guard by his words. "What about me?" she asked, splashing her toes in the water slightly. He grinned, turning to her.
"Well, when do you get to have fun?"
Katniss shook her head. "I….I have fun."
"When?" he challenged. This girl had complete control of him in such little time – he was falling hard and fast for her.
"I….I guess I don't. I'm sorry, Peeta. To just dump all of this on you."
"It's fine," he assured her. "I'm just being a good friend."
She smiled sadly. "I appreciate that."
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, watching the lake ripple, the stars shine, and listening to the crickets. "I should get back," she finally sighed, lifting her feet out of the water.
"You sure?" he asked.
She grinned as she clumsily shook the water off her feet. "We can come back."
He smiled into the darkness as he pulled his own feet out of the chilly lake. He reluctantly followed suit, putting on his shoes and standing back up. They walked up the dock, the silence between them now a little more comfortable.
"Sorry for unloading on you like that," she finally said quietly. "I never do that."
Peeta shrugged, silently flattered that she had opened up to him. Knowing about her father made him feel privileged in some way – he guessed that wasn't information she would share with just anyone. Even though it was horribly sad to talk about her father, it prided him to know that she already trusted him somewhat. He pictured himself in her shoes – would he share something like that with a person he had just met? He wasn't sure. Picturing his father dying was something he never wanted to do, and certainly something he wouldn't ever discuss with a stranger. Yes, she must trust him a little.
"Maybe you needed to talk about it. If it makes you feel better then…I'm always around. I'm a good listener."
I must have some quality that puts me in the friend zone every single time. Maybe that's it. Oh well. Too late now.
Katniss smiled as she walked along, shrugging. "I don't normally talk about him. Like I said, no one wants to talk about someone who died so young. Makes people sad."
"I can understand that," he replied, biting his lip. They walked along the dirt path back toward the cabins in silence for a few moments, just the sound of the crickets around them. Katniss slowed her pace once they reached the main path that ran through the camp.
"You're….good," she stuttered out, pushing her hair behind her shoulder. She toyed with a strand of it, winding it nervously around her finger before letting it twirl loose. Peeta glanced at her sideways, watching as her petite hands fidgeted with her hair. She bit her lip as if she was deep in thought, her worn sneakers scraping at the dirt as she walked.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
She smiled, still avoiding his gaze. They drew nearer and nearer to their cabins, and Peeta found himself dreading leaving her. The night had been so perfect – she had confided in him and told him something rare about herself that she didn't share with others. He was on cloud nine and didn't want it to end. He walked her to her bunk, the sound of the crickets almost deafening as she stood in front of him. He jammed his hands in his pockets and looked around awkwardly, trying to think of something deep and meaningful to say to end the evening with.
He found himself kicking at a pebble into the darkness.
"Peeta?"
"Huh?" he answered without thinking,
"Can I um….you're good with secrets?"
Her question caught him off guard. "Katniss, I would never say anything about anything you tell-"
Peeta barely had time to think before Katniss lunged forward, her fingernails scraping his chest as she grabbed the front of his t-shirt, pulling him down to her. His eyes widened as his lips went crashing into hers, a moan slipping out before he could even process what was happening. It was brief and clumsy and full of heat, but for five or six seconds her mouth was against his in a fiery kiss. Time slowed as she moved her lips against his, kissing him again. He tried his best to savor the feeling of her lips against his, but it was all happening so fast. She squeaked quietly before pulling away, her gray eyes wide.
"Um…good, because that didn't just happen."
He gaped at her. "Um….wha…whoa…"
She squeezed his arm and gave him a panicky look as she breathed shakily. "That didn't happen," she pleaded in a whisper, "I'm sorry, had to know what it was like, I….I have to go."
He watched with a still open mouth as Katniss darted silently up the steps to her bunk. Without making the door squeak, she was inside gone before he could even make a coherent thought in his head. He looked around him in disbelief, looking for someone to jump out and yell something embarrassing. When nothing happened but the crickets chirping, he scrubbed his face with his hands and blinked a few times.
"What the….oooh wow," he muttered, taking a few steps back. He had just accepted the fact that he and Katniss were just going to be friends, and then she gives him the most loaded, passionate kiss he'd ever received.
It was going to be an interesting summer.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed their first kiss!
I have a terrible migraine today but I had to get on and post this for you guys. I know you were all waiting for it, and I can only hope I did it justice. Some of my Twilight girls have crossed over and read this, and I thank you for that. To my HG readers, thank you for giving a Twilight writer a chance. It means so much to me and I sincerely thank you all for the love this little fic has gotten. Thank you.
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