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The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.
Tides
Chapter Nine: Katniss
The movement of his hips against hers—slow, harsh, and pulsing.
She had never felt this want with anyone—not even Cato.
Katniss' eyes snapped open. Another dream.
They've been happening—since the incident.
Slowly, she sat up; fully aware of the throbbing between her thighs and the rapid beating in her chest.
She had to stop this. It was making it weird for both her and Peeta.
Lying back, Katniss took a deep breath trying to calm the ache.
Instead, her hand suddenly went to the waistband of her pajama pants.
No. She wouldn't do it—not again.
She was not going to touch herself thinking of Peeta Mellark. It was wrong on so many levels.
But really, was it?
The memory of him hard against her came quickly. The fire between them was obviously there.
Katniss, however, was unsure if they were ready to act on the feeling and deal with the consequences.
Frustrated, her hand trailed back to her waistband.
Just once more.
"What's up with you and my brother?" Prim asked.
The two walked slowly along the street, heading towards Katniss' house.
Katniss turned to her. "What do you mean?"
"Ever since last weekend, you've been acting weird," the young girl responded, her hands deep in the pockets of her navy coat. "So has he. Every time I ask about what happened, Peeta starts stuttering. It's like I asked him how babies are made."
She smiled, amused at Prim's words. "Have you ever asked him about how babies are made?"
"No," Prim replied with a grin. "But, I did ask once about the girly magazines under his bed."
"Well, most boys have those kinds of magazines under their beds," Katniss told her. She looked over at Prim, suddenly interested. "How long ago was that?"
"Maybe a year ago." Prim met her eyes. "Do you think Rory has those magazines?" She quickly looked down after asking. "I mean, it's not a big deal—"
"All boys are curious," Katniss said to her. "I find, however, that when they find the right person, those magazines tend to be thrown out." She put an arm around her young friend. "I think Rory doesn't—unless Gale or Vick gave them to him."
"I guess so," the young girl said unsurely.
The two stepped onto Katniss' porch and she reached into her pocket for her keys.
"Peeta threw his magazines out," Prim suddenly said. "Right around the time that you moved back."
Prim was in the kitchen looking through the fridge when the doorbell rang.
Quickly, Katniss went to the door and was greeted with Peeta's nervous smile. "Hey."
"Hey back," she replied. Stepping onto the porch, Katniss closed the door behind her. "Can we talk?"
Peeta nodded easily. "I've been waiting for this," he said and took her hand leading her to the porch seat. Sitting down, their eyes meet. "I'm sorry about last weekend."
"You are?" Katniss was surprised by the sound of hurt wrapped in her voice.
"No!" He shook his head. "I just meant that I'm sorry that I made it awkward between us." Peeta turned to look out at the street, a sigh escaping his lips. "The actual act…let's just say that it wasn't unpleasant." His eyes pleaded with hers. "Just don't stop talking to me, please."
"Of course not. Just, here's the thing, Peeta. The reason that I've been acting like this was because—" Katniss let a breath out, almost hesitating at her next words. "—I liked it. I'm not supposed to. I'm supposed to be focusing on fixing up my house and my work. Not the way that you feel against me, as good as it was."
She could feel her cheeks heating up in remembrance.
"We both have things to focus on," he replied. "I have Prim. You have work. But, I can't keep ignoring this, ignoring you." His hand reached for hers once more. "Because, you're special to me and you're special to Prim."
"So, what now?" Katniss asked.
"We both think about what we want out of one another," Peeta said, his voice tight.
Katniss looked down at their joined hands. She thought about how right it felt—like they had been doing this forever. "What do you want?"
Peeta pressed his forehead to hers. "I want you."
The front door opened and Prim stepped out giving them a grin as they separated slowly. She met her brother's eyes. "Did you ask her?"
Katniss looked over at Prim and then to Peeta. "Ask me what?"
"If you wanted to come over for dinner," Prim replied with a smile. "He wanted to make up for being so weird around you."
Peeta turned to her, a bashful grin on his lips. "Well, now that Prim has strong-armed you into it—did you want to come over tomorrow night for dinner?"
Katniss nodded. "Of course."
Standing up, he went to Prim, putting an arm around her. "I guess we better get home and start planning on what we're going to make."
"Better make it a good dinner," Prim told her brother, a smirk on her face. "I told Katniss about the magazines that you used to have under your bed."
"I can't believe you," Madge said to her, a grin on her face. "Right on your kitchen counter!"
Katniss pushed the cart along the aisle of the small grocery store. She grabbed a box of cookies from nearby shelf and opened them quickly.
"Yes," she replied as she reached into the box and pulled out a cookie. "What kind of person does that?"
"Simple." Madge reached into the box and took a cookie. "A horny one." She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "Or, maybe you like him. Maybe you see an actual relationship happening with Peeta."
"Am I in the best spot to be starting something?" Katniss asked her.
"You tell me," Madge replied. "You like a man who you can speak freely to, are attracted to, and who you have a wonderful friendship with. You also love his sister." She took another cookie from the box. "Not to mention, you totally dry-humped him on your counter."
Katniss let out a laugh. "My God, Madge! You're just as bad as my friend, Johanna. How does Gale live with you?"
"Why do you think we have so many children?" she retorted easily. "I suspect that one of my children was conceived on our kitchen counter." Her eyes went back to Katniss. "There isn't really any doubt that you like Peeta. It's more of—what are you going to do about it?"
"That seems to be the question of the day." Katniss sighed. "Now, help me pick something to bring over for dessert tonight!"
Passing a refrigerated shelf, Madge grabbed a canister of whip cream and handed it to Katniss.
Katniss glared at her friend, who waggled her perfectly-shaped brows.
"Very funny, Madge."
"So, what did you think?" Peeta asked Katniss.
He sat across the table from her while Prim sat at the head.
"It was delicious," she replied. "It's been awhile since I had macaroni and cheese." Her lips rose in a grin. "Actually, the last time was during your Mom's farewell dinner for me."
"I suggested it," Prim said smugly. She looked between the two. "It seemed like the one thing that you shared when you were younger. I mean—I can't remember if I liked it or not."
"No, you were more into chucking Cheerios at me," Katniss told her fondly. "I would dance with you in my arms to entertain you. You had the biggest bunch of curls and chubby cheeks."
Prim forked some macaroni with an impish grin. "I've come a long way from that."
"Speaking of coming a long way," Peeta suddenly said. "Your birthday is coming up. I was thinking that we should have a party. " He gave his sister a hopeful smile. "Nothing big, just a few kids from the class—"
Prim placed her fork down and met her brother's eyes. "No."
"Why not?" he asked. "I promise I won't be too in your face. It would be nice, Prim."
"No," she said again, her voice wavering.
"You only turn thirteen once," Katniss told her encouragingly. She met Peeta's eyes briefly. "I'll be here—"
Prim stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly on the hardwood of the dining room floor.
"I said no." She was shaking furiously, her usually pale cheeks turning bright red. Prim looked from her brother to Katniss. "You wouldn't understand."
"What wouldn't we understand?" Katniss asked gently, her eyes meeting Prim's.
"I'm not going to have a party—because no one is going to show up," Prim told them, the tears spilling forth unabashed against her porcelain face. "NO ONE LIKES ME!" She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "THE ONLY PERSON WHO TALKS TO ME IN CLASS IS RORY! SO NO! I'M NOT HAVING A STUPID PARTY!"
With that, Prim turned and rushed out of the dining room. They listened silently as she stomped angrily up the stairs and winced when they heard the slam of the door.
Katniss looked across to see Peeta throwing his napkin on his plate. She could understand his frustration and realized that this was probably one of the first times that Prim had ever resisted his suggestion.
"I'll clean up," he told her as he stood up and picked up his plate before taking Prim's. Katniss watched him disappear through the opposite door to the kitchen.
Toying with her food for a moment, she found that her appetite had disappeared, instead replaced with a heavy ball in the pit of her stomach.
Finally, Katniss stood up and took her plate into the kitchen.
Entering the room, she found Peeta at the sink; his shoulders slumped dejectedly as he washed the dishes. Putting her own plate on the island, she approached him and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist. Peeta started to tense, but Katniss pressed her cheek to his back and she felt him relax after a moment.
She wanted to comfort him—to make the hurt go away. Was this how it felt to really care for someone? Katniss wasn't so sure. All she was sure about was that she wanted both Peeta and Prim to be happy.
After Peeta finished washing dishes, his hands covered hers.
"Thank you," he said quietly. Peeta turned to face her and she could see the hurt in his eyes. "I pushed too hard, didn't I?"
"You want her to be happy because you love her," Katniss told him simply. "Maybe it wasn't the best idea. Right now, Prim isn't exactly bonding with anyone in her class."
Peeta let out a gruff laugh. "You're right. What the fuck was I thinking?"
"You were thinking that you might be able to help," she replied and took his hand. "Because you're always trying. It's one of your more redeemable qualities, Peeta. You just have to realize that not everyone is as easy to approach as you are. I know I'm not—and right now, maybe Prim isn't."
"Then, what do you suggest?" he asked her. Katniss peered at him suspiciously and he gave her a reassuring smile. "No, really. I am open to your ideas."
She thought for a moment. What would a thirteen-year-old like?
Not just any thirteen-year-old, but Prim.
Prim, who was bold, sassy, and sweet. Prim, who seemed so much wiser than a lot of the people around her—
"What would you think about taking her to New York?" she suddenly asked. "For the weekend?"
"You think that she'd go for it?" Peeta looked unsure. "I can't afford a trip like that. I do think I have enough to send Prim—"
"Of course, you're coming, too," she found herself telling him. "You both can stay at my penthouse. And, Effie actually owns a small plane." Katniss met his eyes. "I think if we can convince a certain principal to come with us, she would be more than happy to send it over—with her in tow, of course."
Peeta smiled at her in agreement. "I think it could work."
His hands went to her shoulders and she shivered at the contact; his eyes suddenly dark with want. He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. She closed her eyes, almost hoping that he would move his lips closer to hers.
Instead, Katniss felt his warm breath at her ear. "Thank you."
She swallowed shallowly as she opened her eyes. "Why don't you go upstairs and talk to Prim about it? Tell her it was your idea and that I agreed if she felt up to it."
"You sure? I don't think that she'd believe that I came up with this," Peeta said to her.
"You won't know till you ask," Katniss responded with a grin. "Go on. I'll finish up."
Peeta nodded before disappearing into the hallway towards the stairs.
Two days in Manhattan—with Prim and Peeta.
She was in for some trouble.
It didn't take much convincing on Katniss' part to get Effie to lend her the small plane.
"Will you be coming along with the plane?" She asked Effie as they spoke on the phone. "I was thinking that you could get Haymitch to come with us. Seeing as your date went so well and all... "
Effie giggled offhandedly. "I don't think you need me to convince him, but if you insist!"
That is how she found herself several thousand feet in their air, a few days later.
Effie and Haymitch were ensconced in the back seats of the plane. Prim sat across from Katniss, peering out her window excitedly. Peeta sat behind her and Katniss could tell by his soft, shaky humming that he was nervous.
Unbuckling her seat, she walked to the back to where Effie and Haymitch sat. The back of the plane had a small couch area, so the couple sat side by side.
She gave them a smile. "Effie, is your bar stocked?"
The woman nodded. "Of course, my dear."
"Getting a little nervous on the plane?" Haymitch asked, his arm around Effie.
Katniss shook her head. "No, I'm used to this." She nodded her head towards Peeta. "But, he isn't."
"Get him a double," the man replied. "It's the first time that he's ever been out of Panem since college."
Nodding, Katniss walked behind them to the small bar area. Grabbing a bottle of scotch, she poured some into a glass and quickly replaced the cap.
She passed Haymitch and Effie once more on her way back down the aisle. "Have fun, you two." She looked over at Prim, still peering out the window. "Not too much—Prim sees everything."
The couple nodded, amused at her warning words.
Continuing her walk down the small aisle of the plane, she stopped where Peeta's seat was and knelt down next to it.
Giving him a smile, Katniss held out the glass. "For your flight fright."
"Is it that obvious?" He took the glass gratefully. "It's all the rumbling." Peeta sipped quickly from the glass. "Planes never seem this loud in movies."
"Katniss, how much longer?" Prim asked from her seat.
She looked at her watch. "We've been in the air for about an hour and a half, so about five to ten minutes?"
"I think I might need another one of these," Peeta said, his eyes anxious as the plane shook slightly.
Sighing in mock-exasperation, she sat in the seat across from him and held out her hand.
He looked over at her, his own lips twitching in amusement. "You going to hold my hand for the rest of the trip?"
Katniss beamed, seeing the color return to his face. "Do you want me to?"
Peeta took her hand. "Yes."
She squeezed his hand in agreement. "Okay."
"Now, I'm getting excited about this trip." The plane shook slightly from turbulence and Peeta winced. "Actually, not quite yet."
"LITTLE DOLL!" Cinna quickly swooped Prim into his arms. "How are you?"
Next to him, Johanna stood in a finely cut blazer and tailored pants, both coal colored. The stilettos on her feet were sharply heeled. "Katniss!"
Peeta let go of her hand and she was rushing towards her best friend. The two women embraced elatedly.
"Holding hands, huh?" Johanna whispered in her ear. "That's practically necking in Panem, isn't it?"
"Who the hell says that?" Katniss replied. "Did you get my text?"
Johanna nodded before looking behind her at Peeta. Her eyes went back to Katniss'. "Behind those sweet baby blues, who would've known?"
"Tell me about it." Katniss turned to her friend. "Any news?"
Her friend nodded and handed her a pair of sunglasses. "Besides the fact that I was excited to see you, there is another reason why I came with Cinna to pick you up. There have been some developments." Putting an arm around Katniss, she nodded once. "Brace yourself."
"What—"
They walked out of the automatic doors of baggage claim and immediately she was assaulted by camera flashes.
Now, she understood the need for the sunglasses.
Worriedly, she turned to see Peeta and Prim being moved away by Cinna to the limo in front of them. Haymitch and Effie followed closely behind. Her eyes briefly met Peeta's and she nodded to let him know that she was okay.
"GET IN!" Johanna yelled into her ear. Katniss jumped into the tinted-window Sedan and Johanna followed quickly, yanking the door closed. Cameramen tapped at the window, and she could her name being called. "GO! NOW!"
The car lurched quickly from its parked spot and Johanna smoothed down her hair.
"That was close," Johanna said breathlessly before turning to her. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out her tablet and handed it to Katniss. "Cato took some rather unsavory pictures in the Bahamas and everyone is dying to hear your comments on them."
Quickly, she turned on the tablet and found the pictures in full display in front of her—Cato on a yacht, his finely chiseled body on display with Glimmer laid out next to him. Her bathing suit left very little to the imagination. Most of the pictures were of them smiling at one another.
The last one had Glimmer straddling her ex-husband. Her mind flashed back to her and the old photographs—the ones in her bedroom—and she felt something inside her tense.
Goddamn triggers.
Katniss' throat suddenly closed.
"Katniss!" She looked over at Johanna. "You've gone white." Her friend handed her a bottled water. "Drink." Johanna's cellphone rang and she picked it up swiftly. "Cinna…yeah, she saw them. Okay…okay… we'll meet you there." She quickly closed her phone and turned to Katniss. "We're meeting them at the store."
"How long has this been going on?" Katniss asked after a moment. She leaned back against the cool leather seat.
"Pictures were released yesterday morning," Johanna informed her.
"Clove knows how to do her job," she replied with a sigh. "I'm only here for two days. Prim and Peeta can't be involved in any of this."
"We've planned this as well as we could," Johanna continued. "If anyone asks, Haymitch is your Uncle. Peeta and Prim are family friends. All of you are here for a quick trip for Haymitch's birthday—we can't give them more fodder as to why you've brought someone not related to you. The press gets one picture of you, out on the town, to quench their appetites. Cinna will deal with the PR."
The car stopped abruptly in front of her store and she looked up at it from behind the tinted window.
As she stepped out, Katniss removed her sunglasses staring up at the gleaming white building that was her flagship store.
After Helena, building this store had been the only thing that had kept her going.
"Wow." She looked to see Peeta on her left and Prim on her right. Their identical blue eyes shining as they looked up at her store. Peeta met her eyes. "Cinna had a talk with us on the way here. I'm sorry about the pictures."
"I'll live," Katniss replied. She turned to Prim. "What do you think?"
"It's gorgeous." Her young friend took a breath. "I can believe that this is all yours."
Katniss took Prim's hand and then took Peeta's hand.
"Katniss, the cameras—"
She looked over at him, her chin trembling. "You weren't the only one who was afraid of this trip."
"So, what did you think of the store?" Katniss asked Prim as she sliced the carrots for the stir-fry that she was preparing.
She had not been able to bake a cake, but she could make a decent stir-fry for Prim's birthday.
"It was beautiful!" Prim gushed from where she sat on the counter. "I love the wall of cubbies displaying the purses." She was grinning from ear to ear and it warmed Katniss' insides to see how happy her friend was.
Prim had dealt with much more than she should have in her young life.
"Did you pick out your birthday present?"
"Yes," Prim replied excitedly. "Cinna said that he would throw in a pair of shoes from him. Do you think that Peeta will let me get heels?"
The doorbell rang and she looked to Prim. "Why don't you ask him right now?"
Katniss had sent Peeta on an errand while she was preparing dinner. She had commissioned a cake from a nearby bakery for Prim, all yellow, since they were unable to make one on such short notice.
Peeta was picking it up and she had given him a cardkey so he could let himself into her private elevator. However, she wouldn't be surprised if he had a hard time with it.
Prim jumped down from the counter and ran to the door. She could hear the girl's excited steps and laugh to herself. There were times when Prim acted like she was a little adult and then there were times when she had enough excitement for ten children.
"Prim! Can you tell Peeta to—" She turned to find Prim entering the kitchen with Cor following close behind her. "COR!" Katniss wiped her hands quickly and rushed over to the man. He engulfed her in a tight hug. "I've missed you! What are you doing all the way uptown?"
"I was just finishing up some work with an associate nearby, who mentioned that you had returned shortly for a visit," he told her with a kind smile. "I'm sorry if I've bothered you—"
"No, of course not!" Katniss said. She looked over at Prim, who was hiding shyly by the doorway. "First, let me introduce my friend, Primrose Mellark. Today is her birthday and I was preparing dinner for her."
Cor turned to Prim, his tired eyes shining on her. "You, my dear, are quite the beauty. Happy Birthday."
"Thank you, sir," Prim replied timidly.
"Please don't call me, sir," Cor said, good-naturedly. "It makes me feel old, when I feel far from it."
"What should I call you?" the young girl asked.
"You can call me Cor, like Katniss does," the man suggested. "Unless you have any other suggestions."
"Can I call you, Pop?" Prim suddenly asked. "Once a really long time ago, our grandfather came from the Netherlands and that's what I called him. You look like him. He's gone now; but, it's kind of nice in some way to have someone like him back in my life."
"Pop it is then," Cor replied, his voice sad.
Katniss watched him gaze at Prim. She wondered if he was thinking of Helena.
She would've been old enough to be forming words by now.
Quickly, she took in a breath to stop the tears from starting.
"Katniss? Prim?" She heard Peeta call out from the entryway. He entered the kitchen, boxed cake in his hands, and gave everyone a smile. His eyes went to Cor and he gave the man a friendly smile. "I didn't know you had company, Katniss—"
"I am Coriolanus Snow." Her father-in-law stepped forward and held out his hand.
Katniss went to take the cake from Peeta so the two men could shake hands.
"Peeta Mellark." He shook hands with the older man. "Katniss talks about you all the time. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Please, call me Cor," the man said. "I was just passing through to say hello to Katniss—"
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Peeta asked. "It's Prim's birthday and we have a lot of food—"
"I don't want to intrude," Cor told them.
Katniss could see that he was on the verge of relenting. She could see how lonely he must have been; they talked sporadically on the phone and through texts, but the man was running his empire alone now.
"Come on, Pop," Prim urged. "There's cake and everything!" She took his arm, her eyes pleading. "Please say yes."
"I think that you're going to have to agree, Cor," Katniss told the man with a grin. "It's hard to say no to the Mellarks."
Cor looked to her once more and she nodded to let him know that he wasn't a bother. He looked grateful to not be alone for the night.
He clapped his hands and then put an arm around Prim. "Well, alright then." He smiled softly at the young girl. "Why don't you tell me about yourself, Primrose?" The two left the kitchen as Prim launched into a quick summary of her life.
Katniss looked over at Peeta. "Are you scared off yet?"
Peeta went to her and kissed her cheek; her eyes closed briefly at his touch.
"Not in the slightest."
"I brought you a little digestif," Katniss told Cor as she joined him out on the balcony.
The balcony was the one thing that Katniss missed while in Panem. She had a great view of the city with Central Park laid out before her.
"What did you bring me?" he asked with a smile.
"Brandy. Your favorite." She handed him the glass and Cor took it gratefully.
Standing next to him, Katniss looked out. The breeze was mild and the street surprisingly quiet.
It was peaceful and she once again felt wrapped in the company of the city. She was never really alone in New York.
"Prim is very charming," Cor said to her. "She looks a lot like Cato's mother—her coloring, I mean. Helena had very icy looks like your young charge. However, their personalities do not reflect it at all."
"I'm glad that you like her," Katniss replied and she took in a breath. "She has become a big part of my life."
"I like Peeta, too," Cor continued. "A good man—he has a very old soul. I can see it in his eyes. Circumstance, I suppose." The older man turned to look at her, a small smile on his face. "He's in love with you, you know."
She turned to him, shocked. "Peeta isn't—he's just grateful that I've been there for Prim—"
"Don't lie to yourself, Katniss." He looked at her with serious eyes. "The way he looks at you is enough to confirm it. And, if I'm correct—you are well on your way to falling for him, too. If you haven't already—you always had a very good poker face."
Her eyes went back to the park in front of her. "I can't afford to fall for anyone."
"Why?" Cor asked. "Because my son broke your heart? I assure you, Katniss. Your heart was too strong for him to break."
"I know. I never knew heartbreak until I lost her." She could feel her lips quivering, and the tears threatening to fall. "But, I think if I let him—Peeta could very well break my heart, too."
"La Douleur Exquise—the exquisite pain of not having something that you know you want," he responded. "Stop fighting your heart, Katniss. You're only causing yourself unnecessary hurt and you don't need any more of that."
"And, if I were to bring this man into my life? What would you think?" she asked him.
"I want you to happy, Katniss," Cor stated firmly. "It did not happen with my son. I will never forget that—and the one time that you were happy as his wife—that chance was taken from you. Peeta might be the one that can make you smile again." He lifted her chin gently to meet her watery eyes. "I saw it tonight, my dear. That old you—that happy you. That's all I can ask for."
His eyes went serious once more.
"It will not be easy for you both. I think, however, that you and Peeta see that the possibility of being together is worth it."
"What do you think?"
Prim bounced out of the dressing room to where Katniss and Peeta sat in the small lounge area.
She did a little twirl for them in her new dress. The top was light silver, almost white, and shimmered as she moved, while the skirt was a white-layered tulle. Prim looked like she was floating as she moved, her steps light and graceful.
"You look like a princess," her brother said in a hushed voice.
Katniss stood up and led her to the round platform in front of the three-way mirror.
"You are beautiful," she said to Prim, her hands went to her shoulders. "I have something for you." Reaching into her pocket, Katniss pulled out the small silver wreath necklace. "My mother gave this to me when I was your age and I wore it to all my special occasions—dances, fancy parties…"
The one exception had been her wedding.
"Now I want you to have it. Every girl should have a nice piece of jewelry." She clasped the necklace around Prim's long neck and then kissed her cheek. "Happy Birthday."
Prim touched the necklace carefully as she stared at herself in the mirror and quickly turned to wrap her arms around Katniss.
"Thanks, Katniss," Prim said against her. "You're the best."
She closed her eyes and kissed the top of Prim's head.
When Katniss opened them, she found Peeta's eyes on her from the reflection of the mirror.
Cinna, who had been in the upstairs offices, joined them.
"Let's go pick out some shoes for you, Prim," he told the young girl. Meeting Katniss' eyes, Cinna looked at her almost apologetically. "Don't be mad, okay?"
She put her hands on her hips. "What?"
"GORGEOUS!"
Katniss turned to find Marvel, one of the models of her line, rushing towards her. The man had often flirted with her, but kept it at bay, since she was married.
Now, she was trapped.
Marvel quickly lifted her in his arms. "I didn't know that you were here until I saw it in the papers." Placing her down, he kissed her cheek, his eyes roving over her. "Out of Manhattan life has done wonders for you."
"Thanks, Marvel," she told him weakly. Turning, Katniss quickly pulled Prim to her side and then waved Peeta over. "This is Primrose Mellark, and her brother, Peeta."
Marvel lifted Prim's hand to her lips and kissed her knuckles. "Mademoiselle." Her young friend blushed; Marvel could be charming when he wanted to. He straightened up and held his hand out to Peeta. "Nice to meet you, Peeta. Will you be joining us for dinner?"
"What?" Katniss asked.
"Cinna and Effie are having a big dinner and they invited me," he informed her with a jaunty grin. "You'll be sitting next to me, of course."
Of course—it was the PR photo that was planned for her. The one that Johanna told her would have to happen to keep the press away from her for the weekend.
From a PR standpoint, it was the perfect situation to put her in—sitting next to a model, who looked almost identical to her husband. Marvel was taller and leaner than Cato, but they shared a similar charming smirk.
She looked over at Peeta, who looked almost crestfallen. "Please say you're coming."
He shook his head. "I have to make sure that Prim goes to bed early since we have an early flight out tomorrow," Peeta said to her. He gave her an encouraging smile. "But, you should go—we'll be fine."
Marvel threw an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Then, it's settled. You're mine tonight."
"You look beautiful," Marvel whispered in her ear. He placed his hand on her shoulder, his hand moving over the intricate beading of the back of her gown.
Cinna had chosen the sleeveless raven gown with the deep-v neckline for her. He had also curled her long ebony hair and combed it out into waves à la Veronica Lake.
It was all lovely; but, wasted on someone like Marvel.
Katniss turned and gave him a weak smile. They had been at this dinner for two hours and she felt like she needed to take several showers just because of Marvel's leering.
Outside, cameras flashed on the dinner that included Cinna and Portia along with several of her colleagues at Everdeen Design. Johanna sat on her opposite side talking to Octavia.
On the other end of the table sat Effie and Haymitch who were the "it" couple of the night. They cut an impressive figure—Effie in her long canary gown and Haymitch in his nicely fitted black tux.
Katniss felt separated—alone in the crowd and her mind went to the look in Peeta's eyes when Marvel declared that she was his. He was hurt and she understood in a way. She had felt this way seeing the way that Delly looked at him sometimes—like Peeta belonged to her, just because of their one-time tryst.
"Try to look a little happier, Katniss," Johanna said quietly to her. Her eyes met Katniss'. "You're not even here, are you?" She shook her head. "Then, where are you?"
"With Peeta." The words fell from her mouth. "Sitting on my front porch, just listening to nothing."
Katniss realized that she didn't belong in this world. It had stopped being the most important part of her life.
It wasn't what she wanted anymore.
"Get out of here," Johanna suddenly urged.
She kissed her best friend on the cheek. "Thanks."
Standing up, Katniss gathered her wrap and Marvel put his hand on her arm to stop her.
"Where you heading off to?" he asked, his blue eyes bright and his cheeks flushed from alcohol.
"Restroom," she told him quickly.
Turning, Katniss rushed to the back of the restaurant towards the restrooms and went into the small corridor, searching for the back exit. As she passed the restroom doors, Katniss saw the green exit sign and turned to follow it.
She stopped when she saw that the door was blocked.
Haymitch and Effie were in each other's arms, her friend resting her head on Haymitch's shoulder.
How safe, how loved, and how happy they both looked just being with one another. She found herself realizing how much she wanted the same.
And, it was all within her grasp—if they would just get out of her way.
Effie spotted her and the two pulled away. "What are you doing, Katniss? You're supposed to be socializing."
"Please let me leave," Katniss pleaded with her. "I don't want to be here—and if Marvel looks at me again like he's ready to have me for dinner, I will throw up. This isn't where I belong."
Haymitch approached her and lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "Where do you belong, sweetheart?"
She met his eyes boldly. "With Peeta."
Nodding, Haymitch went to the door and pushed it open for her. "Take our car."
Rushing to the open door, she quickly kissed them both on the cheek. "Thank you!"
"Good luck, Katniss." Haymitch smiled at her. "Not that you'll need it."
"I'll wait, I'll wait
I love you like you've never felt the pain,
I'll wait…
I promise you don't have to be afraid,
I'll wait…
The love is here and here to stay
So lay your head on me…"
Katniss quietly entered the music-filled penthouse. She had forgotten that she had installed a surround sound system for the home. It had been used regularly when Cato threw parties.
Now it was rarely used, except for tonight.
She picked up the tail of her skirt so that she wouldn't bother Prim, who was probably sleeping. The beading was impressive, but it could be a little noisy.
Looking around, Katniss found the living room empty and so she continued to walk through the room in search of Peeta.
It didn't take very long; the doors to the balcony were open.
There Peeta stood, looking out on the city.
Walking over, Katniss stepped onto the balcony to join him and he turned to look at her, surprised to see her in front of him in her full regalia.
She looked to him. "Hello."
Peeta stared in awe. "You look beautiful."
"You were avoiding me before I left, so I didn't get to show you the dress," she replied quietly.
"Aren't you supposed to be out on the town with Marvel?" he asked in a hurt voice.
Katniss shook her head, a small smile crossing her lips.
"Oh, Peeta. How could I possibly even look at that man? I have a perfectly good one right in front of me." Carefully, she approached him, her hand reaching to cup his cheek. "You said we needed to find out what we wanted out of each other—and you're right. There's a catch, however."
She was faintly aware of his arm wrapping around her waist to pull her closer.
His thumb caressed her chin, briefly teasing her lips. "What's the catch?"
"We are." Katniss pressed into him. "We've been dancing this line, not really being able to cross it. Because we're scared of what will happen after."
"And, now?" His forehead pressed to hers.
"I say that we make the leap," she told him. "There's something about you, Peeta. You just never seem to leave me. At that restaurant, I wasn't even there. I was here—with you. Where I belong."
"Marvel said that you were his tonight," Peeta said, his voice quiet. "He was wrong. You're supposed to be with me." She could feel their rapid heartbeats as they pressed closer into each other. "No one else but me, okay?"
Katniss shook her head and smiled. "No one else but you."
Peeta lifted her chin and she followed his movement, held captive by the look in his eyes.
"You going to let me kiss you now, Katniss Everdeen?" he whispered against her slightly open mouth.
She nodded and her eyes slowly closed as their lips met.
How badly do you want to hurt me now?
I know, I know. There is a kiss though—so yay for that!
I've already started the next chapter, which starts directly during the kiss.
Good news—I got a job!
Bad news—I'm not too sure how this will mess with my writing, though I'm sure that I'll stick to once a week for chapters.
Drabbles will probably be put on hold.
"Little Do You Know" is sung by Alex and Sierra—it's pretty much what I've been listening to on repeat.
As always, hellos, comments, and review are welcomed on Tumblr, FF, and AO3.
Next: Chapter Ten, Peeta: The continuation of the kiss