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Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to claim Peeta as mine, he belongs to Suzanne Collins.

I hang up my phone and stare at the pool, watching how the sunlight reflects on the surface.

That should take care of any foreseeable problems. Effie said she'd drop by early tomorrow morning with everything. Katniss still looks a bit out of sorts, though… I wonder what could be bothering her. But that hug at the airport… wow. I was not expecting that. And I couldn't reciprocate because she'd wrapped her arms surprisingly tightly around me. But this last one… I definitely savored it. She feels so warm and fragile, despite her strong personality. I wish I could have stroked her hair but I might have scared her off. Maybe next time. She obviously loves Prim. I can see why, she's a lovable girl. Though to be honest, I was expecting a mini Katniss with pigtails. I wonder who looks like their mother and father. They would be very proud to see that their girls are such good people. Especially Katniss. She wants to come off as unfriendly and aloof but I can see past that. Oh, Katniss… I hope you let me into your life.

I look up at my ceiling and wonder what she's doing. I can hear Prim singing and laughing in the distance, which makes me smile. Katniss on the other hand is too quiet. I force myself to stay seated instead of jumping up and seeking her out but I don't want to bother or annoy her.

I'm about to call for help for dinner but I stop myself.

I wouldn't want them to think I'm some rich starlet who can't even cook for himself. I mean, I can't. At least not well. And it's not like I don't have plenty of ingredients in my fridge. But I wouldn't want them to eat my horrible food either. No, no. This is going to serve as lesson to me, to learn how to cook. After all, the way to Katniss' heart is through her stomach, at least according to Prim. She did love my cheese buns after all. I must find something to cook that has cheese in it… but what?

I think for a while, watching the ripples of water in my pool.

Maybe I should go to Prim and ask for Katniss' favorite meal, but that might be too suspicious. I wish I could talk to Prim alone for a bit, that way I can know a bit more about Katniss. Which reminds me, why did her face go pale when Prim mentioned Gale? Gale Hawthorne, I'm assuming. Is he possibly… could he be her boyfriend? I didn't even think to ask Katniss. But I assumed she was single. She works so much that it seems unlikely that she has a boyfriend. Could she possibly like him? Love him? I couldn't ask her, of course… she'd definitely be wary of me. Or maybe she wouldn't even answer me. Now, Prim… I could get her to spill the beans.

I hear a light knock on the doorframe and I'm about to turn around when I hear her voice.

"Peeta?"

I smile like an idiot, loving the way she says my name. I shake my head, frowning at myself and turn around, my grin replaced by a small smile.

"Hey Katniss. This is my office," I say, cringing inside.

Of course this is my office, Mellark. Anybody who has common sense knows it.

She smiles mysteriously and looks around.

"Nice."

"Like you said earlier, it's thanks to all my hard work," I joke.

She turns to me and laughs softly, taking a seat across from me.

"No kidding, looks like a smaller version of your living room in here," she observes, turning to look at the couches and television.

"It's because I spend more time in here, aside than my bedroom. So I need it to be comfortable. There is a bathroom at the back, you know," I tell her.

She rolls her eyes and looks at me again.

"Figures. You rich people," she jokes.

"Hey now, I wasn't always rich you know. Oh, wait… you wouldn't," I tease her.

She turns red but somehow manages to glare at me, her expression defensive.

"I'm just kidding. I really don't hold it against you for not knowing anything about me. I lived well enough, but never to his level of opulence," I tell her seriously.

"Do you miss them?" she asks me softly.

I pause for a moment before I answer.

"Sometimes I do. Though to be honest, I'm not a very good son. I don't think of them often, usually because I'm so busy shooting a movie, reading roles or working out. As if that wasn't enough, Haymitch suggested that I start modeling and doing commercials."

Her mouth drops slightly and her dark eyebrows shoot up.

"Modeling? Like… what?" she asks, perplexed.

"Like… being the face of a certain product. I'm not sure of what since there aren't as many products for men as there is for women in the fashion world," I snicker, suddenly picturing myself holding a pair of heels.

She snickers too and stares at me, unnerving me slightly.

"Well, you've certainly got the looks for it," she tells me offhandedly.

I feel my stomach do a flip and hear my heartbeat pound in my ears but somehow manage to downplay her praise.

"Yeah, well… I'm not too sure Finn would appreciate it," I tell her, my cheeks pink.

"Finn?" she questions.

"Finnick. Finnick Odair?" I ask.

She shakes her head, her expression guilty.

"Okay, maybe you don't know him by name. But he's really popular. And handsome, might as well admit it. He's tall, bronze hair, sea green eyes… drives the women wild," I say, rolling my eyes.

She stays quiet for a moment but then her expression suddenly brightens.

"Ah yes! I've seen him in ads. You know him?"

"He's my best friend," I tell her honestly.

"Figures," she says again, mumbling.

I frown but laugh anyway.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You movie stars like sticking with one another," she explains. "Is he going to drop by? It would probably kill Prim. She's a huge fan of his. I think she'd probably faint at the sight of him. No offense."

I laugh again and scowl playfully at her.

"Why would that offend me? I don't mind that I'm not her only favorite actor. In fact, it would almost certainly amuse Finn. Especially if she likes him more than me."

"I don't know. She might. To be honest, I don't really talk too much to her. I leave home early and get home late. We only really have time to converse at dinner. Even then we're both tired so it's not the same," she tells me, playing with the end of her braid.

"Well, looks like you'll have time now," I smile at her.

She peers up at me from under her lashes and smiles shyly, causing my heartbeat to speed up.

"Thanks to you."

"Please stop thanking me, Katniss. It's nothing to me. I just like making you happy," I tell her honestly.

Oops, maybe I shouldn't have phrased it like that.

But her expression doesn't change and instead looks up fully and peers behind me.

"I have a beautiful view of your pool too. Do you use it often?"

"I don't," I tell her, feeling bashful.

She frowns at me, tilting her head slightly.

"I… don't know how to swim," I confess, my face turning red.

"You… don't know how to swim? Yet you have a pool? Unfathomable."

"It's for when I have people over. And besides, sometimes I just like to lay on the chairs to soak up some sun. Plus, it's nice to have that view," I tell her defensively.

"Calm down, I was just saying. How would you like me to teach you? I'm a pretty good swimmer. My father taught me," she tells me proudly.

I eye her cautiously.

"You won't let me drown?"

She laughs.

"I'm pretty sure I'd go to jail for drowning Panem's sweetheart," she tells me sarcastically.

Even I can't help but laugh, it does sound pretty ridiculous.

"Well… maybe," I tell her, still unsure.

"Come on, Peeta! It'll be fun," she tells me, her eyes bright. "But I don't have anything to wear in the water…"

That resolves my answer.

"Don't worry about that. But okay, you can teach me how to swim," I tell her, nodding my head.

She smiles brightly at me and claps her hands, genuinely excited.

"Does Prim know how to swim?" I ask.

She nods her head.

"I taught her. It seems like I taught her everything she knows," she muses.

"You'd be a good mother someday," I tell her.

"No way. I'm never getting married, let alone having children," she scoffs.

I frown at her, leaning forward in my chair.

"And why not?"

"Don't have time for it," she replies simply.

"I should have known. But what about the day when you stop caring from Prim? Surely you'll slow down then."

She seems to think about this.

"Well, what about you? Could you ever slow down after working hard for so many years?" she asks knowingly.

"I see your point. But life is lonely as it is. Why not have someone who loves you by your side?" I ask.

She opens her mouth to respond but then closes it.

"I've… never had time for love. The only love I knew was my father's. Now it's Prim's. I don't think I could ever be in a relationship with someone else. It would be too strange for me."

"What about Gale?"

"What about Gale?" she asks slowly, her eyes apprehensive.

Uh-oh… too soon to mention him. Backtrack, backtrack!

"He's your… friend?"

She nods slowly, the suspicion not yet gone from her eyes.

"How long have you known him?"

"Practically all of my life. He's had my back and I've had his. We've both lost and it's something that leaves a person marked," she tells me solemnly.

"You've both lost your parents?" I gasp.

"No. His father left their mother when she was weeks from giving birth to Posy, his younger sister. Of course, he resents him now and wants nothing to do with him. As for Prim and me…" she trails off, fidgeting slightly.

I raise my eyebrows at her, beckoning for her to go on.

"I lied to you about my parents. Sort of. But I didn't want to bring it up then… I didn't want it to ruin our dinner. My father indeed died years ago but our mother… she walked out on us. She grew into depression after his death. I really thought she wasn't going to make it out of that dark hole. She stopped eating, responding. I was scared for her, but I was more scared for Prim. A little girl shouldn't have to see that."

Katniss sat hunched in the chair, eyes on her hands which were grasped tightly. I felt my heart go out to her and agreed privately with her.

"How old were you and Prim when your father passed?" I asked softly.

"I was almost 11 and Prim was 5. She was so tiny and sweet, so defenseless. Every night she asked about him," Katniss spoke tightly. "But even that wasn't strong enough for my mom to pull out of her despair. It's like a black hole had sucked everything out of her. Her hopes, her will to live… she'd been a healer in our district and earned pretty good money. But all that stopped. Luckily for us, we had plenty of food in the house so that sustained us for a while. But then food became scarce and I had to hunt. Easy feat since we live near woods. Of course, there's a fence that I had to slip under carefully. My father had been very good with his hands and had crafted beautiful bows and arrows. He'd taught me a bit as a child and so I relied on that. I'd go back home with rabbits, squirrels and turkeys. My skills weren't very good but they quickly got better as time passed, naturally. I'd also discovered edible plants thanks to a book that belonged to my mother and in which my father had thoughtfully written in. Eventually, she started coming back and got a few customers. Things weren't so bad. She was talking to us again and Prim was so happy to get what was left of her mother back. I wasn't so happy, though. I didn't trust her and I was so scared that she would slip away again. So I kept on hunting. Everything seemed well for a while but then she started to drink…" Katniss trails off, grimacing.

I bite my lip and lean back into the chair, in complete disbelief at the abandonment this girl has been through.

"It got so bad that it would become the norm that she wouldn't come home for days. Finally, one day… she didn't come back at all. It was nothing to me, but to watch Prim suffer… it was unforgivable. If she were ever to come back there is no way I'd let her come near Prim. Not even if she begged on her knees," Katniss spit out, looking up at me.

My heart broke as I see her eyes shiny with tears. I want nothing more than to reach out to her and hug her tightly, tell her that should she wish it, I could take care of her and her sister. But of course, I have more sense than that at the moment. To my utter surprise, she takes the handkerchief I'd given her and presses it tightly against each eye. I feel something tugging at my heart and sigh softly, closing my eyes for a moment as well. She finally folds it carefully and then puts it away.

"Well, that makes two of us who've had bad mothers," I mutter, not quite thinking.

She looks up at me, curious.

"What do you mean?"

Damn. Well, she opened up to me… why shouldn't I pour a little bit of myself back into her? Know that she's not alone and that bad things happen to everyone.

"My mother… she… she hates me. Always wanted a girl but got stuck with boys. Resents me, her last son the most because she didn't get the precious daughter she was promised. So she beat me, screamed at me… wasn't very kind to me in general. I hated how she treated me but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. Or to tell her to stop as I grew older. So I left because I knew she would never change. And a person can only put up with so much…" I trail off, swallowing thickly. "I never wanted there to be a day when she would finally kill me. She was surprisingly strong for someone her size. And I most certainly never wanted the day to come that I would hit her back. I couldn't see myself doing it, but…"

"You never know," she finishes the sentence for me.

I nod and look up at her. Her expression shocks me for a moment, it's so strong and heartfelt but at the same time sympathetic and angry.

"I'm sorry, Peeta. No child ever deserves that," she tells me softly. "Especially not you. You're so thoughtful, kind… it's a wonder you didn't turn out bitter and angry."

"It was thanks to my father, really. He and I have very similar temperaments," I explain.

"So why didn't he stop your mother from being so wretched to you?" she demands, eyes blazing.

"I think part of him was scared of her. I know I was," I laugh shakily.

"Oh, Peeta…" she whispers, her eyebrows furrowing together in pain.

"Anyway… I think I better get started on dinner," I tell her, wanting to change the topic desperately.

Her expression changes quickly and she looks at me peculiarly.

"I thought you were going to get help?"

"I was… but figured I might as well learn how to cook properly. Wouldn't want to be useless all my life," I half joke.

She stares at me, her eyes undecipherable and fiery.

"I'll help you. I'm okay at it," she tells me.

"You don't have to… you're the guest," I frown at her.

"Guest I may be, but I want to help," she presses, puckering her lips.

I laugh and stand up.

"Fine! But don't be too disappointed at my lack of culinary skills," I warn her playfully.

She smiles and nudges me gently with her elbow, "Well, we all have to start somewhere."

I stare after her, the feeling in my gut telling me that I've started falling in love with Katniss Everdeen.

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