As promised, a double update tonight! This chapter is longer and much better in my opinion. Thanks for being so patient again! -Honeybooboo
Chapter 8
I saw him put one hand on her shoulder, and take her school bag with the other. They walked to the building side by side.
What was that?
I took out my insecurities on the floor. Even though the house was pretty clean, I sat on my knees with a scrub brush until I could see my damned reflection.
I still wasn't sure about what I had seen earlier. Delly and Peeta seemed pretty friendly, and pretty happy. How close were they? Was he the type to just mess around with a lot of girls? He was a guy after all. A very attractive one at that. I'm sure it didn't go unnoticed in this small part of town. Delly was from the merchant class. Definitely more appealing than some brat from the Seam.
But something was wrong. Didn't Peeta say she was getting married soon? Maybe he lied to me. Maybe they were getting married. I shuddered at the thought. There's just no way.
Breaking away from my thoughts I realized that I was literally growling at the floor. I stopped and sat upright, almost wanting to apologize to the ground, after all it didn't do anything to deserve my abuse. In fact, it was so clean that I was starting to scratch the linoleum.
I exhaled.
I had been trying to distract myself since the incident in the school yard this morning. I wasn't even sure that it was an actual "incident", but I was still feeling green with jealousy. I didn't like the way he smiled at her. I didn't like that he had touched her. But then again, he wasn't really mine, so why should I be upset?
The front door unlocked and swung open. I didn't expect anyone, but then I saw the clock hanging over the kitchen table. It was only noon, no one should have been home yet.
"Hey there." Peeta greeted in a smooth manner. He was grinning ear to ear. Was this the attitude of a player?
"What are you doing home?" I said a little cooly. I still wasn't sure what to make of what I had seen earlier.
"Well, it was lunch time and I missed you so I figured I'd come home and maybe we could eat together?" He rambled all too quickly. To my own dismay, I found myself smiling. Dammit! He was too charming. What was his angle?
"Want some left over turkey?" Why did I ask him that? Shouldn't I had been trying to find out about him and Delly?
"Yes ma'am. Want some juice?"
"Sure!" Dammit Katniss, you idiot.
He poured some fruit juice into glasses and gently set them on the table. He had suggested turkey sandwiches, and retrieved a loaf of rye bread and an unmarked jar of something he called "mayonnaise" from the cupboard. What the hell is going on.
I watched him make us sandwiches in silence, gripping the back of one of the kitchen chairs for balance. I studied his facial expressions intently, as if that would lead me to an explanation.
"Katniss?" He interrupted my study.
"Huh..."
"I asked you if you wanted some salt on your turkey?" Salt? I suppose salt would be okay. What a weird thing to just casually add to your food. Shouldn't that be saved for curing game and cooking?
I nodded my head yes anyway and sat down to eat.
"Are you okay? You seem really disconnected." He said as he bit into the sandwich. I wiped a bit of the mayonnaise concoction off the side of my mouth and shrugged.
"I don't know Peeta. Its whatever." Damn I probably sounded mad. But I'm pretty sure I am mad.
"Well okay." He set his sandwich down, looking up at me. Trying to figure me out. I didn't like that he was doing that. I also didn't like that his eyes were brighter than the sky. Bluer than the jeans he was wearing. Like nothing I had ever seen before. Dammit, what am I thinking. He kissed you the other night. He kissed you back last night. He was all over Delly Cartwright like a carrion bird this morning. I looked down at my plate and felt my eyes narrow.
"You're angry about something? Too much mayo?" Why was he always pretending to be concerned about me. Why couldn't he just out and tell me that he was a flirt.
"I thought you said Delly Cartwright was engaged." I picked a little at the bread crust.
"Yep. They set the date, December..."
"Don't joke with me Peeta."
"No I know, a winter marriage is a ridiculous idea. Who wants to be cold at a wedding?"
"Peeta. I saw you this morning." He tilted his head at me and smiled.
"Oh you saw me? Doing what?" his expression was playful and I almost smiled back. There he was, charming me again.
"With Delly. You were lifting her and hugging her and all over her at the school yard this morning." I saw him steady himself and purse his lips. He blinked for a moment and then smiled again.
"You're so cute."
"Stop it Peeta."
"You're jealous." I stopped myself short. I couldn't disagree with him. He had this commanding way about him that made you admit your insecurities and promise the world you'd be a better a person.
"Well we've kissed a few times haven't we? And then I see you hanging all over Delly, what am I supposed to think?"
"Well I don't know, don't you think it would be weird for me to like my cousin that way Katniss?" He smiles again. This time I let my mouth hang open a little. I didn't think of it that way. I've always seen them hanging around each other. If he had liked her, wouldn't he have made his move years ago?
"Cousin?"
"Yep, and I was throwing her around like a sack of flour because thats what we Mellarks do to our younger cousins. We tease the hell out of them." He folded his arms across his chest triumphantly. I wanted to smack that smirk right off of his face. He had no idea how much all of this had stressed me out all morning. And what if his mother comes home and sees the scuff marks on the floor where I scrubbed them to Hell?
Then I feel the tears come, and I know I've lost my mind over this boy. Within seconds, he's got his arms around me, brushing his hand through my hair.
"C'mon now Katniss, don't cry. Please? I'm sorry for teasing you...Delly is just my cousin I swear." I feel myself hiccup into his shirt. And then I realize that I've made myself look foolish. We've only kissed twice. Its not like we were together or anything. Its not like I had any stake on him. He was my employer. My boss. He was supposed to be off limits anyway. I looked up at him.
He chuckled a little.
"You're so mean." I grumbled and buried my face in his chest again.
"Your nose is so red, you've got snot everywhere...I'm sorry I couldn't help it." I feel myself smile. My goodness I'm so up and down today. I look up at him again and he releases me. I almost scold him for doing so.
He sits back in his chair and smirks.
"So. You like me Katniss Everdeen." He declares. I wiggle my nose a little at the statement. I don't like admitting anything to anyone.
"Well."
"Can the tough guy act. You like me. You kissed me. And I have nail marks on my back that I'm pretty sure are from you last night." He was biting back his laughter.
"Okay. I like you. But you're my boss."
"Correction, my dad is your boss. I'm just a guy that lives here." My eyes widen at the realization. My contract is in his father's name, not his.
"Oh and Katniss, I like you too." He gets up from his chair and kisses me on the top of my head. I bring my hand to his stomach in front of me, and let my fingers lay there. I could feel the muscle beneath his shirt, its as hard as the table. I close my eyes, savoring the closeness of the moment.
"I gotta get back to school."
"Okay."
"Thanks for killing that turkey yesterday."
"Okay."
And within seconds he's gone and I'm left breathless. Sitting in the Mellark kitchen, snot and tears mixing with a bit of rogue mayonnaise on the side of my mouth.
