The next day was Saturday, and it was Peeta's last day to get Katniss to admit she was in love with him.

Katniss had finally admitted it to herself, but she wanted to wait one more day to tell him, just to see if he'd keep his promise of not flirting with her anymore. It was stupid, but she also hated losing, so this way they would both win.

But just to tease him a little bit more, Katniss snuck out of bed earlier than him - they were sleeping in his room again - and got in the shower. She made sure the bathroom was all steamy and that her towel showed off just the slightest hint of cleavage. She opened the door right as she heard him walk into the common space, drying her hair with a smaller towel. Peeta stopped and took in the sight of her.

"Oh my god... it's deja vu." He whispered to himself. Katniss smirked.

"See something you like?" She winked, walking over to her room.

"Katniss-" He whimpered, his arm reaching out to her. "Why are you doing this?" He ran a hand through his hair.

"I feel like it's only fair if I do some of the same stuff to you that you do to me." She told him, taking a step closer to take his hand. "Does it have the same effect on you?" She asked quietly.

"Fuck Katniss." He said huskily, pulling her closer to wrap his arms around her. "I really want you right now. I really really want to kiss you. So bad." He told her. "Is that the same effect?" He asked. She didn't answer, just leaning her head against his chest. The words 'I love you' were on her lips but she stopped herself. One more day, and she'll do everything in her power to make him the happiest man alive.

"I'm gonna get dressed." She told him, pulling away. He sighed.

"Alright love. I'll see you in a bit."

She went into her room and closed the door behind her, taking a deep breath.

How could she have not noticed how attracted to him she was and how... in love... she was? He was right about her... again.

She put on sweats and a tshirt and went back out to make some breakfast while Peeta showered. It was kind of fun to 'play house' like this. Live together - dorm complex though it may be - and do little things together and for each other.

She put their eggs on the table right as Peeta came out from the bathroom, steam following him just as it had the other day. She caught herself staring again as he came over in just a towel.

"Two can play that game." He whispered in her ear, kissing her neck before pulling away, leaving her breathless. He winked, heading into his bedroom to dress.

"That's not fair, Peeta! You already used that one!" She shouted at him. She could hear his laugh from inside his room.

"And it still worked! Katniss, how can you be oblivious to it." He yelled back. Katniss rolled her eyes, both at him for being so stupidly attractive, and at herself, for not paying attention to all the obvious signs. His door opened a second later and he came out, wearing nothing but sweatpants with the waistband of his underwear visible. He tied the strings on his sweats. Katniss gaped.

"I've always known how hot you are. Not you have to rub it in my face?" She rolled her eyes, trying to refocus on their food. Unfortunately for her, he had other plans.

He came up behind her and put his hands on her arms, pulling her back against him and wrapping his arms around her. She leaned her head back and he dropped a little kiss on her forehead.

"See? Isn't this nice?" He asked her quietly, his eyes boring straight into hers. She blinked.

"Our eggs are getting cold, fake husband." She whispered unintentionally. She cleared her throat and said in a normal voice, "You hungry?"

"I'm hungry... mostly for something that isn't eggs, but I appreciate the eggs too." He sat across from her and dug in. She smiled. This was nice.

XxxxX

"I'm taking you out again. Except without leaving here this time." Peeta stated, coming into Katniss's room while she folded her laundry.

"So you're not taking me out." She clarified.

"No, but you still have to dress up. For fun." He said. "I'm planning a really romantic little dinner, so put on something pretty."

"I mean... you've seen my clothes. Not a lot of 'pretty' stuff."

"Borrow something then. Take that one dress Jo always wears. I've been imagining it on you ever since she bought it anyway."

"Fine. But if I wreck it and she kills me, my blood is on your hands."

"Fair trade. I'll make sure it stays intact then. Any special beverage requests?"

"Non alcoholic. We've had a lot this week and I'm over hangovers."

"Alright then, non alcoholic it is. I'm going out to get groceries, I will be back in approximately forty-five minutes."

"Mkay, thanks for the itinerary. I'll just be here... folding clothes." Katniss said, gesturing to the massive pile on her bed.

"Sounds good." Peeta wrapped her up in his arms and gave her a kiss on her hair before taking off. She heard the car start and then heard him drive away. As soon as he did, she dropped the shirt she was folding and went into Jo's room, pulling The Dress out of her closet.

This dress was no joke, it was just risque enough for Jo to like it, but still not too crazy. The perfect combination for Katniss's needs. She put it on, slipped on the matching pair of heels and looked in the mirror. She smiled. This was a great dress. It showed off just enough skin to tease and hugged her curves in a way that Peeta would die for.

She carefully took the dress off and splashed some water on her face before doing her makeup.

After two failed attempts at smokey eye makeup, Katniss eventually settled for something more natural but still seductive. A glittery silver highlighted her grey eyes, and a dark violet lipstick gave her just enough pout.

She heard the door, and called out.

"Yeah, it's just me. What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for a date, what do you think I'm doing?" Katniss asked, trying not to blink while applying mascara.

"I can't wait to see you. I'm going to cook dinner. Shouldn't take too long."

"Alright let me know when you're ready for me."

He hummed a response, messing with pots and pans and the fridge and various other things in their kitchen. She smiled, braiding her hair half up and curling the sections that fell down over her shoulders. She had just enough time to paint her nails and let them dry before the food was ready, so she chose a silvery grey to match the slate color of the dress. Once that was done, she examined herself in the mirror once again, smiling at her reflection.

She generally thought of herself as a pretty average looking girl. Sure, she wasn't hideous, but she didn't turn head either.

But tonight, she'd turn 100% of the heads in attendance. She felt beautiful and confident and ready for a fun evening with a special person.

"I'm ready for you, darling." Peeta said, knocking on the door and startling Katniss.

"Oh, right." She turned and opened the door, looking at Peeta's wide eyes. His mouth opened and closed a couple times, and he eventually just said,

"Fuck. Wow." She smiled and looked into his eyes, which were ever so slightly misty.

"Peeta, are you crying?" She teased gently.

"No, you're crying." He mumbled, blinking quickly and reaching out for her hand. "Fuck you look so beautiful, Katniss." The way he used her name sent a shiver down her spine, and she just blushed and looked down. He led her to her seat at the table, which he'd covered with a wine-colored tablecloth.

He himself looked dashing in his navy blue suit. She looked at him as he served them both their food - some kind of mushroom cream sauce with pasta - and looked at his face when he sat down.

"Thank you for making us dinner."

Peeta laughed.

"Okay, Katniss. We don't need formality. It's just me."

Katniss nodded, smiling at him.

"Shall we dig in then?" They both ate in mostly silence, enjoying the food. Katniss commented on the drinks - non alcoholic juice cocktails - and Peeta winked at her.

When they finished eating, they both cleared the table and washed up together, both wearing giant aprons so their fancy clothes wouldn't get messy. Afterward, Katniss agreed to small glasses of champagne left over from their bath spa night, and they say together on the old couch that clashed with their attire horribly.

"I had fun tonight. And this whole week, really." Katniss said, sipping her drink.

"I had an amazing time with you, Katniss. I don't want it to end. Ever." Peeta said, his eyes shining as he looked at her. "I wish this was life, just spending time with each other, making each other smile and laugh all the time. Dressing up for no reason and driving out into the country just for fun."

"That does sound like a fairytale." Katniss agreed. Peeta's phone played jazz in the background and he put his drink down on the side table, gesturing for her to do the same.

"Dance with me." He said, holding his hands out for her to take.

"Dance?"

"With me. Please." He smiled, taking her hesitant hand. They stood in the middle of the room, swaying to the gentle music and gazing into each others eyes.

"I really love the way you look at me when you want to kiss me." Peeta whispered, breaking the quiet.

"What look is that?" Katniss asked.

"The one you're giving me right now." He leaned closer and she didn't move away. He leaned his forehead and nose against hers and they maintained eye contact.

"So, did it hurt?"

"What, when I fell from Heaven?" Katniss asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Nope." Peeta grinned back.

"Then what."

"Did it hurt when you fell for me?"

"Peeta."

"C'mon Katniss. It's getting close to midnight. Why won't you just admit it. It's obvious you know."

"Why do you say that?"

"You keep giving me looks and then stopping yourself. Why don't you want to love me?"

"I've told you, Peeta. It's not that I don't want to love you. I do love you very much. You're my best friend in the world."

"You're just 'not in love with me.'"

Katniss nodded, looking down. Peeta sighed heavily. She felt awful but had made up her mind for now. She'd wait til like noon tomorrow, after their friends had gotten back, and then she'd tell him and they'd make out for like five hours while everyone else unpacked.

"I love you so much, Katniss. I have for a very long time and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. But if what you really want is for me to back off... I'll do that. I'll do anything to make you happy because regardless of how much I want you to be mine, you're my best friend in the world too, and I want you to be happy."

With that, the clock struck midnight, and Peeta let go of Katniss's hands and stepped away.

"I had a great time with you tonight." He said, and Katniss looked up. She watched as Peeta picked up their glasses and brought them to the kitchen. He washed them quietly, putting them away and coming back out. His lips smiled but his eyes looked sad.

"Any last requests before we go to bed? It's pretty late." He asked cheerfully.

"No, thank you. I'm pretty tired, and I'm sure you are too. I had a wonderful time too." She said with a small smile. He opened his arms and she walked into them. He gave her a kiss on her hair and pulled away.

"Goodnight, Kat." He smiled, reaching up to loosen his tie and walking towards his room.

"Nite, Peeta." She whispered after his door closed.

It felt awful to go to bed alone, knowing she'd hurt Peeta. She hadn't expected him to just give up at 12:00. She hadn't realized what it would really look like to let him lose.

It was a cold, lonely night for both of them.