Disclaimer – I do not own The Hunger Games or any of its characters. All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.
A/N: You have actually no idea how happy I am right now. I recently just hit 100 reviews and words cannot expresses how thankful I am for you guys (: thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and extra thank you to those you review it.
I want to apologize for taking a week to write this chapter, I did have some difficulty on where I wanted it to go, but I got to grips with it in the end. I hope you enjoy it!
My eyelids slowly fluttered shut as I felt his lips gently move against mine in a sweet, blissful kiss. His lips were warm and inviting. They were cushiony and soft like velvet, and I marveled at how they fit perfectly with the contours of my lips without mistake, like two puzzle pieces made for each other.
He peels his lips away from mine very slowly, savoring the taste of my first kiss. His cerulean orbs stared longingly, burning with such intensity and passion into my gray ones and I could see it, the twinkle of love and affection.
The school bell rings seconds later and he doesn't say anything but quickly walks off into the direction that leads to the exit of the school grounds. I watch him walk away, my mouth parted slightly, forming a perfect 'O'. Peeta Mellark had just kissed me.
I then hear the sound of footsteps approaching from behind me and feel a small hand enclose mine. I look down to my right and see Prim with a wide smile painted across her face, in her other hand she holds a bunch of bright, blooming dandelions.
"Hey, Katniss," she greets me in her usual exuberant fashion. "Was that Peeta?" A puzzled look etched across her face as her thin eyebrows knitted together, forming a small crease on her forehead.
Did she see the kiss? She couldn't have. "Hey, little duck," I reply with a hint of nervousness behind my voice. "Sorry I didn't see you there. Did you have a good day?" I ask, gesturing to the flowers as we begin to walk out of the school.
She nods her head but then her eyes narrow curiously. "Its Thursday, isn't Peeta going to walk with us?" she asks again.
"Not today, little duck."
"Ohhh," the corner of her lips curved downwards into a small frown. "Why?"
"They've got some important orders that need to be made," I say to her. I hate lying to her, but I just couldn't be in his presence, for now anyways. "So what did you learn today?" I say moving swiftly onto a different subject.
The smile on her face reappears and I can tell she's going to tell me everything they learnt about plants until we make it home. "You'll never believe what our class is doing!"
Prim continued to talk about the different plants and flowers they studied today. I managed to listen to parts of it, like how their class is doing an experiment by placing one plant in the cupboard with hardly any light and one near the window to see which one grows to be the healthiest.
I tried to pay attention to her but my mind kept drifting back to the kiss. I placed my finger tentatively to my lips and quickly jerked it back. They were still warm and burning from his touch.
"Katniss, can I please?" I snap out of my trance and look down at Prim.
"I'm sorry what was that, little duck?" I hadn't realized that we were already in the merchant area.
"Can I quickly go into the flower shop? Please? These dandelions would go great with some Primroses," she asks with pleading eyes.
"Be quick," I tell her and kiss her forehead.
She hands me the dandelions before she skips merrily into the shop. I wait until I can hear her greet the shop owner before I drop my heavy bag down on the floor and lean against the old wooden framing of the shop. Prim was going to be while, no doubt deciding which flower was the most perfect and prettiest to accommodate her set.
I look down at the bunch of dandelions clutched in my hand. To Prim they were just a bunch of dandelions, but to me, it's a symbol of hope. A small smile tugs at the corner of my lips as I continue to examine them. The sun hits each flower perfectly, bringing out its yellow petals. I bring the dandelion to my nose, the soft, delicate petals rubbing against my lips. I close my eyes and inhale the fresh and exotic scent the flower holds.
My mind goes instantly back to Peeta. The kiss was gentle, sweet and, dare I say it, nice. How could something so wrong feel so right?
The bell hanging on the door of the shop rings as Prim exits. She's holding a tiny bouquet of pale Primroses. "Did you coax him again, little duck?" I smile cheekily at her as I push myself of the wooden frame and continue to walk home.
Once we get home, I decide to go hunting. Hunting would definitely take my mind off the whole Peeta situation. Thankfully, Gale is out helping his brothers; I could really use the alone time.
I quickly change into my hunting gear and sprint down to the meadow. As I lean in close to hear if the electricity has been turned on, Gale enters my mind. What if someone told him what happened? Would he still want to be friends with me? What would he think of me? I shake my head at these thoughts. Gale's my best friend, he wouldn't think differently of me.
When I don't hear anything, I slip through the weak point and enter the tranquility and serenity of the woods. I grab my bow and arrow from the usual hollow log and perch myself beside a bush of deep purple berries. I pluck some of them and toss a couple into my mouth. The sweet and refreshing liquid explodes across my tongue and travels down my throat.
After eating a couple more berries, I silently walk deeper into the woods with my arrow locked in position. I spot some fresh doe tracks, the first I've seen all year. I crouch down and bring my hand near the tracks, but don't touch them. I quietly stalk through the woods and crumple some leaves near my face every once in a while to hide my scent.
I continue walking until I see the doe. She's hidden behind the foliage, but she brings her head up as her ears twitch. I bring my arrow up and draw back the string until my brunched fingers touch my cheek next to my mouth. I squint my right eye and focus my attention on the doe.
But before I can release the arrow, I hear a deep booming voice from behind me, "Just what do you think you're doing?"