Chapter 10
One morning I wake up before dawn and leave for the woods to hunt. As I step out my door with my bow and arrows, I glance at Peeta's house. His kitchen window shines with yellow light. He must be making bread already. I can't seem to resist. Maybe I'll just say hello. I knock on his kitchen door and he comes almost immediately, brushing flour off of his hands and arms. A dab of flour on his nose makes me smile.
"Hello, Katniss. Heading out to the woods early today?" He smiles back at me.
"Yes." I stand there, grinning like an idiot. Actually we're both grinning like idiots. I can't remember the last time I saw him really smile like that. There is a touch of sadness in his eyes that wasn't there before, and will probably never go away, but he is genuinely happy to see me.
"Want to come in?" I nod and walk through the door. I can't wipe the smile off my face. I start to laugh.
"What?" he asks, "What's so funny?"
"It's just a little flour on your nose." I'm still laughing. He starts to try to wipe it off and I reach out to help him. "Right…there. Here, let…me do it." I can barely get the words out because I'm laughing so hard. He's smiling, but raises his eyebrows a little at me. I take a deep breath to calm myself so he won't think I'm completely crazy. "I know, I know, its not that funny, I don't know why I can't stop laughing." Because I'm laughing again, and then he's laughing too, really laughing.
We just sit there on the floor of the kitchen, laughing like there is nothing funnier than someone having flour on their nose. After a minute, I look over and he's crying.
"You know, my dad used to always ask if he had flour on his nose before he went to the front of the bakery to help customers." He's crying, but then he starts laughing too at the same time. "It was kind of a family joke, because he usually did actually have flour on his nose. One time, he left it there on purpose while he was helping customers just to tease my mom. We all thought it was hilarious, but we couldn't laugh in front of Mom or we would have gotten in trouble." I just look at him, imagining the scene. He sighs. "I miss my dad."
I close the space between us and give him a hug, right there on the floor. When I look up to see how he's doing, our eyes meet and before I know it, I've kissed him. A sweet, warm, sitting on the floor kiss.
A bell rings and Peeta extricates himself to take some buns out of the oven. I stand up and look at him a little sheepishly. He sets down the pan and looks up at me as he takes off an oven mitt, the same sheepishness reflected in his eyes.
I go toward the door, picking up my bow and arrows and game bag, which are all over the floor.
"I guess I'll get going."
"Here, take some of these with you," he says, handing me some hot buns wrapped in a kitchen towel, "I'll see you later?" He looks at me hopefully.
"Of course."
Dawn is starting to break over the horizon as I head out into the woods, and I can feel the warmth radiating from the bundle of bread I'm holding.