Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all of your birthday wishes yesterday, you definitely made my day that much more special! Thank you for your kind reviews and comments, too! Special thanks go to pookieh for being a great beta and for helping me every step of the way with this project. Thank you, soamazinghere, for all of the pre-reading, editing, and general hilarity that goes on when you read my chapters.

Katniss and Prim's conversation is roughly inspired from a conversation I've had with my own teenage sister. Awkward, but necessary.

I don't own the Hunger Games series.

Find me on tumblr at english1823

This has been the longest Christmas break of my life. Ordinarily, that would be perfect, because who doesn't want Christmas to last just a little bit longer? This girl. As much as I love having time away from my studies, I miss seeing Peeta every day. Instead of snuggling with my boyfriend, I'm standing in the kitchen of my childhood home, waiting for the water to boil so that I can make hot chocolate before my mother, Prim, Finnick, and I settle in to watch movies.

Tonight is Christmas Eve and it's been exactly ten days since Peeta and I last saw each other. The physical separation has been difficult for both of us, but texting and using FaceTime has been a lifesaver, although I'm still blushing thinking about last night when our FaceTime adventure went terribly wrong.

"Aw, come on, Kat. Don't be shy."

My eyes are wide and I'm shaking my head from side to side. "No way, Peeta," I hiss. "I'm not taking my shirt off so you can get a quick boob shot. What if Rye walks in and sees me on your computer screen?"

Peeta is sitting at a desk and he looks like a scene out of a movie; the fire crackling behind him, illuminating his blonde curls and making his eyes seem even brighter. He's adorable in his grey thermal and fleece sweatpants and I'm having difficulty with not indulging him. "I already told you that I locked the door. Besides, Rye's in the hot tub with some girl he met, I'm sure he's getting his own show out there."

I scowl at him. "Okay, fine," I huff out. "But I'm not touching myself! You only get to look."

"Deal," Peeta says enthusiastically. By this point, I think he's just willing to take what he can get. After having sleepovers almost every night for a month, we're both feeling the frustration of being apart.

I muster up my courage and scoot my chair back from my desk, giving Peeta a clear view of my body from the waist up. I let out a deep breath and quickly tug off my sweatshirt, leaving me in my camisole.

Peeta wolf whistles and grins.

I laugh and begin to inch up my camisole, deciding to tease Peeta just a little. "Katniss!"

Smirking, I take off my camisole and before I can lose my nerve, my hands slip back to my bra to unsnap it. The straps slip down my shoulders and I use my hands to hold the cups up into place. I see Peeta straighten up and look at me closely, all traces of laughter gone. When his eyes meet mine I let go of my bra and let it fall to the floor leaving me exposed.

Peeta groans. "I've missed seeing you like this. I can't wait to come home and see more of you."

I run my hand through my hair nervously as I smile back at him. "Me too."

Peeta moves his hand from the desk to his lap, and I know he's stroking himself through his shorts. "I'm going to have to take care of this soon."

I blush and reach back down for my bra. "Happy now?" I ask as I start to put it back on.

"Yes, but now I'm even more frustrated than I was before!"

I chuckle and hook my bra into place. "Hey, this isn't easy for me, either. Especially after that last night we were together…" I trail off with a blush.

"Oh, you don't say? I wasn't sure if you liked that or not," Peeta responds teasingly. "I really enjoyed our last night together, too. I really, really liked it."

I think my blush might be permanently etched on my face. Knowing that I'm no good at dirty talk, Peeta laughs before he continues, "You actually left some scratch marks on my back."

I'm mortified as I slap my hand to my mouth. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry!"

Peeta waves me off. "After you finished you asked me if you passed out, and that's like the best compliment I've ever gotten. I think it was the hottest thing I've ever heard in my life. I wore those scratch marks like a badge of honor."

"Well, at least you have to wear lots of layers in the snow, so no one else saw them."

"Well, actually…Rye did see them the day after I left. We were changing in the bedroom and he asked me why I looked like a raccoon attacked me. I had to tell him the truth."

I groan. "Awesome. I can't wait to get made fun of the next time I see him."

"Yeah, you probably will. I got a slap on the back and a 'congratulations,' but yeah, you'll definitely get made fun of."

I roll my eyes and as I reach for my camisole, I hear a short knock and Prim's voice as she opens the door. "Hey, Kat, dinner is ready." She pauses in the doorway, taking in my frozen stance and Peeta's dropped jaw on video chat. "Were you getting dressed in front of Peeta?"

Peeta clears his throat nervously. "Oh! Oh…I'm sorry!" Prim squeaks out as she retreats back out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind her.

I'm still frozen when I hear Peeta laughing hysterically.

"Peeta!" I hiss.

"Katniss…I'm so sorry." More laughter. "But come on! How many times did you ask me to lock my door to make sure no one would come in and you didn't even do it yourself?"

I scowl as I shove my sweatshirt back over my head. "We are never doing that again! I'm serious, Peeta!"

Peeta and I said goodbye shortly after so I wouldn't keep my family waiting for dinner. To her credit, Prim didn't tease me or shoot me any funny looks; she was actually rather mature about the whole thing.

The whistle of the teakettle snaps me out of my reverie and I grab the kettle and pour the water into four separate mugs and stir hot chocolate powder into each one. I place them on a tray and walk into the living room, where I see the lights have been dimmed. My mother sits in the love seat while Prim shares the couch with Finnick, who cheers when he sees me.

"Finally! Okay, Prim, turn on ABC!" I can't help but smile at their excitement as I walk around, letting everyone choose their mug. I grab one for myself and set the tray on the coffee table before sitting next to my mother, who flings open the blanket she's snuggling under over my lap with a smile.

"Thanks," I say quietly and as we all settle in to watch 'The Santa Clause.'

After the movie is over, my mother gets up and yawns loudly. "All right, kids, I'm going to bed. " She leans down and gives us each a kiss. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," we echo back.

Finnick stands up as well. "I'm tired, too, ladies. Night. Merry Christmas."

We say our goodnights to Finnick, who heads to the guest room upstairs.

Prim looks over to me and gestures with her head, letting me know that I should come snuggle up with her on the couch. Playfully, I roll my eyes and settle in next to her.

"Aren't you tired too?"

"Not yet. Are you?"

"I think I could stay up for a little while longer." I shift a little on the couch so I can face Prim. "So how are things going with Rory?"

She gives me a toothy smile. "Awesome. Wonderful. Amazing. He just…he makes me feel so happy, like all the time. It makes me wonder if this is what it's like to really truly love someone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, there are so many people I love, but the way that I love Rory is so different. It's not just that I'm in love with him, it's that he makes me feel so different than I've ever felt before… Like, I love every part of him, even the flaws are worth loving because they make him who he is, which makes me love the flaws even more. They show just how great his strengths are."

Fuck, when the hell did she grow up? "That was really beautiful, Prim. How do you come up with this stuff?"

Prim giggles. "I was just being honest!"

"I know! That's what made it so great! Peeta's like you. He has this way with words…like, he'll say something sweet to me and it sounds like poetry, but if I were to try to tell him the same thing, I'd sound about as eloquent as a five year old."

"Well, you just have a different way of showing Peeta you care about him." Prim gets a mischievous look on her face. "Like by taking your top off for him."

I bury my head in my hands. "Oh, geez, Prim."

She laughs. "Katniss, it's okay, you don't have to explain anything to me. Just maybe lock the door next time."

I peek up at her and she's looking at me with her eyebrows raised. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, if you don't mind."

Straightening up, I say, "Of course, Prim. Anything."

"How, um…how did you know that you were, um, ready to be 'intimate' with someone? Like, how old were you?"

Anything but that. "Oh, uh, are you and Rory…?"

"Well, we've made out and done, like, over the clothes touching, but lately I've been thinking that I want to do more. I've tried talking to some of my friends about it, but I've gotten some mixed reactions. Some of them tell me to just get it over with and to stop being a late bloomer, while other friends tell me that I need to wait or everyone in school will find out and call me a slut."

"What? Prim, you're not a slut," I say angrily. "That's not for them to decide. Are your friends the only reason why you're thinking about doing this?"

"No! Rory and I talked about it a little while ago and we both feel like we're ready. Like, now is the right time for us to do this."

I nod my head slowly, trying to process the fact that my younger sister is pretty much on the same sexual level that I'm on. "Okay. Well, to answer your first question, Peeta is the first person I've ever done anything serious with."

Prim looks surprised. "Really? I always thought you and that one guy you dated a while ago…Cato, had hooked up."

Ugh, I forgot about those few dates I went on with Cato Mortensen. "No way. He tried, but I wasn't feeling it, so I said no. We broke up because of it."

"Oh, ew. I knew he was a jerk." Prim's quiet for a moment. "Okay, I have to ask. Have you and Finnick ever kissed?"

I pull a face and shove her. "Oh, ew, ugh. First of all, never suggest that again."

"Sorry!" Prim interrupts. "He's just so handsome! You've really never been tempted?"

I furrow my brow. "Yeah, Finnick's handsome all right, but he's just never been attractive to me. He's hot in a sexless kind of way."

Prim snorts. "Okay, sorry, I've just always wondered."

"He's my best friend and I love him very much. But no, never ever."

"Good to know." We fall into a comfortable silence.

"It's a little weird to think of you doing things with Rory, but if that's what feels right to you and to him, then I say go for it. I haven't had sex with Peeta because I haven't been ready yet, plus we've wanted to take our relationship slowly to make sure that we really are together for the right reasons. There's no need to rush." I pause for a moment before adding, "It doesn't matter so much what age you start having sex, so long as you make safe choices and feel like it's the right decision for you."

Prim nods her head slowly, taking in everything I've said. "You okay, Prim?"

She looks up at me and smiles as she leans in to hug me.

"Thanks, sissy," she whispers in my ear.

Christmas Day arrives and we spend most of the day in the dorky knitted Christmas sweaters Finnick insists we wear, even during our family picture in front of the mantel before our presents are opened. Finnick has inserted himself so perfectly into our family; it's as if we didn't know we were missing a brother until he showed up. Our presents aren't very many, but Prim's surprise is the best of all: a new flute.

When I was in middle school I tried to pick up the flute, my father insisting that my musical abilities would extend to instruments as well as my voice. My flute lessons were a disaster; I somehow managed to make the instrument sound like a herd of honking geese. Prim, who was only seven at the time, had a knack for the instrument and soon my teacher became hers. After my father died and money was tight, she had to give up lessons, but a couple years ago my mother was able to afford to buy her a second hand flute at a pawnshop for her to continue lessons again.

But the flute Prim opened Christmas morning isn't from a pawnshop; it's brand new and sparkling, never been used. Prim's eyes well up in tears as she delicately runs her fingers along the pieces in the rich, velvet case. "Oh, mom…"

My mother's eyes are teary as well. "Music used to be such a big part of our home, for both you girls." Her eyes flit over to mine. "I think it's time we brought some of that back."

Finnick reaches over for my hand and gives it a squeeze when I realize that I'm crying as well. I cannot imagine how much this gift means to Prim. Silently, I release Finnick's hand and crawl over to my mom and sister and we embrace.

Prim gives a shaky laugh when we break apart. "It's so beautiful. Thank you, Mama." She leans over and picks up a small box with my mother's name on it. "Why don't you open one now?"

My mother accepts the gift and turns it over in her hands. "And who is this from?"

"That's from me," I respond, nervous to see her reaction.

She gives me a small smile as she opens the box and pulls out an unlabeled CD. Her brow furrows. "What is it?"

I take a deep breath. "It's a CD I made. A while back Madge asked if she could accompany me singing for one of her music classes. I haven't sang for a while, but I thought maybe you would like it."

At this point I'm staring at my lap and mumbling, but when I look up, I see my mother is crying again. "I mean, if you don't want it…I know singing was more Dad's thing than mine, but—" She cuts me off with a hug.

I hold onto her tightly because we haven't hugged like this in such a long time, not since before my father died. "This is so special to me. What made you think to share this with me?" She asks.

"Actually, it was Peeta's idea."

I think back almost a month ago to my conversation with Peeta.

"Hey, Katniss, can I ask you something?"

Peeta and I are snuggled up on his bed, enjoying a rare break from studying for finals. "Mmm?"

"I don't want to make you mad."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Okay…" I draw out the word as I shift so I can look him in the eye.

"Remember when we ran into each other at the bar that one day? We were fighting in front of Haymitch?" I nod. "Remember how I mentioned that CD that you and Madge were making? What ever happened to that?"

I make a face at him. "Nothing happened to it. Madge used it for her class, she got an 'A,' end of story."

Peeta sits up a little straighter. "Come on, Katniss. You are a fantastic singer. I bet you could've majored in music if you'd really wanted to. Why don't you sing anymore?

I bite my lip and suddenly become very interested in playing with the string of my pajama pants. Peeta nudges me softly.

"Singing was always something my dad and I did together," I begin quietly. "We used to sing all the time. My mother has a terrible singing voice, but every night while she cooked dinner, my dad and I would go into the kitchen and help her, or help watch Prim. And we'd sing. When he died there just wasn't a need to sing anymore."

"Katniss…"

"What, Peeta?" I know I sound defensive, but I'm starting to feel anxious and uncomfortable. "Lots of people can sing, it isn't any big deal. It's a silly thing to worry about."

Peeta stays silent for a long time. "Does your mom ever ask you to sing for her?" he asks finally.

My heart sinks. "Yes," I nearly whisper. Sometimes when we cook in the kitchen together she'll turn the radio on and will quietly sing along, but I never join her. I know she misses having music in our home, but when I sing I think about my father, and when I think about my father, I think about all my family has lost.

Peeta rubs my arm soothingly. "I bet she'd love to hear that CD, Kat. Think about it."

My mother sniffles. "Well, Peeta sounds like a very nice young man." She leans in to hug me again. "Thank you, lovey."

After we finish opening our presents, we decide to spend the rest of the day relaxing together and watching movies. In the afternoon we decide to make Christmas cookies together, and Prim and Finnick challenge each other to see who can come up with the best decorations. My mother and I laugh as we watch them pile on mountains of sprinkles and frosting, making the cookies almost inedible. Finnick scowls as I wipe off the majority of his decorations on the cookie I'm about to eat.

"Hey, I worked really hard on that one!"

"Finn, if I ate this cookie my blood sugar would go through the roof! You'd find me passed out under the tree."

"You just don't know anything about haute cuisine." He looks to my mother, who is trying to finish one of Finnick's cookies, decorations and all. "They're delicious, right Lily?"

My mother's eyes widen and I see her force a smile. "They're the yummiest."

Finnick beams at her and turns to help Prim with hers. As soon as he turns, my mother quickly and quietly shoves the rest of the cookie into the trash can. I stifle a laugh as she pulls a face.

Finnick turns back around and looks at my mother, pride written across his face. "All done, already? They were that good, huh?"

My mother rubs her stomach. "Mmm, they're the best!"

"Do you want another one?" he asks eagerly.

"No!" she half shouts. "I mean, no thank you, sweetie. I don't want to spoil my appetite for Christmas dinner. We should probably check on the ham, see if it needs basting."

Finnick lights up. "I'll do it for you!"

"Oh, okay, thanks, Finnick."

He goes to the oven to baste the ham, and my mother and I decide to take our leave from the kitchen. When we're out of earshot, I begin to laugh. "Too much?" I ask.

"Way too much. I think next year you and I will be in charge of the cookies."

We share a small smile and I realize that this is one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Even though my father isn't here and we all miss him still, we've managed to enjoy the day together as a family. My mother has been bright, cheerful even; she hasn't retreated to her room once today, and I'm grateful. Prim has been walking around the house, beaming, and I'm so happy to see that look on her face.

But as happy as I've been, I've found myself wishing that Peeta was here with us, making sugar cookies and watching corny Christmas movies. I wish I was able to call him today, but the reception in his cabin has been spotty at best, so I usually just wait for him to let me know when they have a good Wi-Fi connection. After dinner though I get a text from him wishing me merry Christmas and that he would call me soon.

The next day, Gale and his family stop over for dinner. Hazelle and my mother are finishing up cooking in the kitchen, leaving Gale and me to sit on the patio to watch the younger kids play a game of soccer in the backyard. Gale no longer has his leg cast, but his physical therapist still wants him to take it easy. Ordinarily, Finnick would be here too, but he's spending the day with Annie and her family.

"So, I haven't seen you around the Lodge very much lately, what gives?"

I make a face. "Yeah, they've cut back on my hours quite a bit, but that happens every winter. When the weather warms up I'm sure I'll get some more requests for private lessons. At this point, I'm more of a seasonal summer employee, anyways. How's the front desk treating you?"

Gale sticks a finger in his mouth and mimes throwing up. Ever since his accident he's been forced to spend most of his days sitting, which means he's been delegated to the front desk, the most boring job at the Lodge. "Yeah, I just love answering phones and checking people in and out all day. I think I'll make a career out of it," he replies sarcastically.

"How soon until you can go back to your old position?"

"My physical therapist says I should probably wait a few more weeks before I do any strenous activities."

I nod my head in understanding. We hear shouting and turn to watch Posy try and steal the soccer ball away from Vick, and can't help but laugh at the angry look on his face when she succeeds. Still grinning, I turn to Gale. "So, has Madge been helping you with your 'physical therapy?'" I ask playfully.

Gale rolls his eyes. "We're just friends and we have been for years." With a slightly more serious tone he adds, "I still don't feel too up to dating yet."

I nod my head in understanding, but I'm not really sure how to respond. Prim scores a goal, effectively winning the game for her and Posy. "Oh, score!" Gale shouts. "Awesome job, ladies! Better luck next time, boys."

We watch as Rory tries to give Prim a noogie, but she squirms out of his grasp and jumps on his back, tackling him to the ground. Vick and Posy laugh, and they all dog pile on poor Rory. Gale and I can't help but laugh with them.

Gale turns to me. "Catnip, you don't have to feel bad about what happened between us. I was thinking about it, and I'm glad that you at least were honest with me from the beginning. I'm moving past it. Don't worry, I won't end up an old maid, waiting for you," he finishes teasingly.

Gale and I share a look, and I know we've said all we need to. I reach across the small patio table between us and pat his hand. "Well, when you are ready to date, promise me you'll give Madge a shot? She might have a little crush on you."

Gale grins. "Yeah, I may have gotten that impression from her."

I laugh. "Madge isn't too great at hiding her feelings, is she?"

"Actually, she told me that she has feelings for me."

My eyes go wide. "What? When did this happen? No one tells me anything around here!"

"Calm down! It was about a week ago, right before she left for vacation with her family, so she probably hasn't gotten a chance to tell you the hot gossip yet, Perez Hilton."

I scowl. "Ha ha. What did you say?"

"I was honest with her. I told her she was beautiful and a great friend, but that I wasn't really into dating right now." He gives me a wolfish grin. "When I am though, she's at the top of the list."

I roll my eyes. "Good to know."

As Gale shrugs his shoulders, Hazelle comes outside to tell us to come in for dinner. Prim and the Hawthornes quickly run in to get washed up. When I stand, Gale throws his arm around my shoulders and we share a grin, and I know that I really do have my best friend back.

Sure, the past few months have taken a toll on our friendship, but the fact that we've been able to move past it has been a testament to the bond we share. We head inside and take our seats at the kitchen table, ready to eat.

The day before Peeta is set to return home, I'm sitting in the living room of my apartment watching TV, when I get a request to FaceTime with him. I pause the television as I answer.

"Peeta!"

"Hey, Kat."

Immediately, I notice his melancholy voice and his lackluster smile. "Peeta, what's going on? Where are you?"

Peeta sighs. "I'm in my room in the cabin. I'm supposed to be packing, but I just felt like calling you." He pauses. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Tentatively, I ask, "Is everything okay?"

Peeta huffs and runs his free hand through his hair in frustration. "No! My mother just drives me insane sometimes! The vacation started off nice enough, I mean, she made a few little snide comments during the trip, but nothing too bad. Last night though, it was like all the nastiness she had been restraining just exploded on me and my brothers."

"Oh, Peeta, what happened?"

"Well, it all started over this snide comment she made to Barm about when he and Daisy are going to set a wedding date. I mean, they haven't even been engaged for that long, and I know Daisy has felt kinda weird about wedding planning since her mother passed away a few months ago. Barm has just let Daisy handle things on her own time, you know, when she's ready."

"Poor Daisy. Well, that's understandable."

"Right! But my mom just kept throwing in all these comments, like, 'You know, our family really needs to know when to buy tickets to fly out here, we don't want to be rude!' So Barm tells her to lay off Daisy, and then came the shitstorm. She just kept criticizing them, saying how flaky they were being. And then she launches into how inappropriate it is for them to be living together out of wedlock, that she didn't raise Barm that way. I mean, come on, growing up we went to church twice a year, on Christmas and Easter, I don't think we really count as 'church-going people.' My dad just sat there and let her say whatever, because that's all he's good at. He never stands up to her, he just lets her just say whatever she wants."

"Oh, man. Did she rib into you, too?"

Peeta goes quiet and looks down at his lap.

"Peeta, what did she say to you?" I ask angrily.

"After dinner, Barm and Daisy went and holed themselves up in their room, so Rye and I were stuck with her and Dad. She started asking us about classes, but I knew that was her way of making sure we weren't fucking everything up. I tried to get excited talking to her about my student teaching, but she kept making these faces. Finally Rye asked her what her problem was, and she launched into this big thing about me wasting my money on my English and Education degrees, how I was never going to get a job in this recession, and if I do then I won't get paid enough and that I'll have to rely on her and Dad for the rest of my life."

"What?" I screech.

Peeta sighs. "She just kept going on and on about what a waste going into teaching is, and talking shit about teachers and the education system. Half the stuff she was saying was total shit, it was all these 'facts' she had read in Newsweek and Time, which are totally anti-teaching anyways and complete bullshit."

"Peeta, she is so full of shit! You are going to be an amazing teacher and I know you'll get a job after you graduate. Don't let the crap she recites to you from those damn articles get to you."

Peeta groans. "It's like, all of the worries and fears I've had about teaching just kept getting thrown in my face. And she's my mom! She's supposed to be supportive and proud, not critical and judgmental. I went to sleep last night wondering if I had made a huge mistake going into teaching, wondering how I was going to pay off my student loans. What if she's right?" he asks in a small voice.

"But she won't be! She won't be, Peeta. Haymitch and your advisors will help you. They'll make sure you get a job."

"Yeah," he agrees half-heartedly.

"I think it's normal to be worried about getting a job after we graduate, hell, I'm worried about getting a job!" I haven't admitted that to him yet, but since we're sharing insecurities, I thought I'd help make him feel less alone.

Peeta looks at me quizzically. "I thought you said Professor Beetee loves you, don't you think he'll hire you to be on his research team next year?"

"He hasn't mentioned anything yet. Usually those positions are saved for graduate students."

Peeta raises his eyebrows. "Aren't you thinking about going to graduate school? I know we haven't really discussed it, but I thought it was something you were interested in."

I scrunch my nose. "I don't know. Maybe? It would definitely help me get a better position on the research team."

Peeta leans forward and looks at me earnestly. "Katniss, you should do it. When's the deadline to apply?"

"In two weeks," I say defeated. "But there's no way I'd be able to get everything in on time."

"Let Professor Beetee help you! Go talk to him, email him tonight! Do it, Katniss. I know you don't talk about your research too much because you think I'll think it's boring, but I love the way your eyes light up when you do. I know it's important to you. Just do it."

He's right. I don't really talk about my research with anyone because I know that everyone thinks that spending all day in the lab with a whole bunch of plants sounds nerdy and boring, but the truth is…I love it. I love learning about what's inside plants and how they can be used to heal and sustain life. There's an entire pharmacy in our backyards, we just need to learn how to use it. I didn't tell Gale this, but I'm actually glad some of my hours at the Lodge are being cut, because then I can spend more of my last semester in the lab. Truthfully, I can't imagine leaving the team, not when there is still so much to learn.

Peeta stares me down until I crack. "Okay, okay! I'll email Beetee tonight, no promises, though!"

He leans back in his chair, a triumphant look on his face. "Good. You should always listen to me."

I smirk. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you." Peeta sobers up as I continue. "Don't listen to your mother, she is so full of horse shit. You are so much better than she gives you credit for."

In this moment I'm reminded of our conversation the day after Thanksgiving, and I remember thinking I was going to have to hit Peeta over the head with praise and reassurances before he actually believes them.

"I wish I was back in Panem already," he sighs. "New Year's Eve sucked without you."

"You'll be here tomorrow, just one more day!" I try to be encouraging when I say this, but my voice drops when I tell him, "I thought about you all night on New Year's."

"Oh?" His lips quirk up in a devilish look.

"Shut up!" I say with a laugh.

I hear the sound of a door opening on Peeta's end. I'm worried for a second before I hear Peeta call out a greeting to Rye. He turns to me and says, "We're leaving for the airport soon, I should probably finish packing. Well, I should probably start packing."

"Whoops! Okay, Peeta, we'll talk more about this later. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Katniss."