A/N: I'm back! Glad ya'll seemed to enjoy the last chapter. I super-duper, really appreciate the adds and reviews. Thank you especially to TheGirlOnFire12 for your kind words and insight. Us humble writers really need the encouragement. This site needs more readers/writers like you!

Moving on… I have the majority of the last two chapters written. They've been on my mind for a while, so I finally decided to just write them out before I forget. But now I gotta get back on track with the current chapter and not leave you hanging.

This chapter's pretty heavy with the dialogue. What can I say? I *heart* banter.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or its characters. This fiction is for entertainment purposes only. The original quote that is used in this chapter also belongs to the amazing Suzanne Collins.


Chapter 11: The Date in Question

"Surprise!"

I rubbed my eyes and gradually opened them, weaning them into the light of the morning. I found my mother and Prim sitting at the foot of my bed holding a tray of food for me.

"Breakfast in bed? What's this for?" I ask, slowly pushing myself up into a sitting position.

"I ran into Haymitch Abernathy on my way back from my nightshift this morning. He told me what you did for Peeta yesterday," she explained. "I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I am. Could we have another nurse or doctor in the making?"

I lifted the cover off the plate and sniffed the strawberry and banana crepes. A small vase with yellow tulips adorned the fancy setting. Room service went all out, apparently.

"Maybe, Mom, but it's not me. It's Prim you should be pressuring."

"I do want to be a doctor one day, but Katniss is already a hero," Prim beamed.

I blushed. I was no hero. Tragic hero, maybe, but not the kind that deserves praise or breakfast in bed. The only people I was saving were the ones I, myself, put in danger.

"Please," I deflected, rolling my eyes at my sister. "Can you both stop making a big fuss over it?"

My mom patted my leg and got up to leave.

"Okay, sweetie. I should probably shower and change. I still reek of antiseptic. You enjoy your breakfast and day off, Katniss. Just wake me up if you need anything," she said before she retreated to her room for her nocturnal bedtime ritual.

I turned back to Prim whose face was lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. She had her knees pulled up to her chest in anticipation of something. What? I didn't know.

"Do you want some?" I asked her, gesturing towards the tray of food. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head decisively. "Well, you want something. Spit it out, Little Duck."

Her eyes darted back to the tray as she gave a sly smile. "Well? Aren't you going to read it?" she asked excitedly.

"Read what?" I followed her gaze to the small tent card tucked into the stems of the tulips. "Did you read it?"

"Nooo!" Prim retorted with mock resentment. "But I bet I know who it's from."

I removed the card from its nest and lifted the flap to reveal the carefully handwritten note.

To my knight in dripping swimsuit,

Since we've both got the day off today, how about a movie? My treat?

- Peeta

I folded the card back up and slid it underneath the plate before grabbing a fork and digging into the crepes. I could feel Prim's eyes boring into me without even looking back at her.

"So?" she finally asked.

"So?" I tried a say nonchalantly.

"What did Peeta say?"

I shrugged. "Who said it was from Peeta?"

"The goofy grin you can't wipe off your face says it was from Peeta!" she teased. "Besides, who else would send you flowers?"

She grabbed hold of the forkful of food that was still in my hand and intercepted my bite. I, in turn, snatched it back and stuck my tongue out at her.

"He just asked to hang out. No big deal," I finally admitted indifferently.

"On a date?"

"No, not a date. Just hanging out," I reinforced.

"Is he paying?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Yeah, so?" I was losing my ground on this one. I could feel it.

"Then it's a date!" Prim determined.

I scowled at her.

"You're twelve. What do you know about dates?" I asked indignantly.

"I know that if a guy gives you flowers and asks you to go 'hang out' with him and offers to pay, then it's a date!"

It was quiet for a moment and, judging by the smirk on Prim's face, my sister was quite satisfied with herself.

"You know," I finally announced after a long lull. "I think I'd rather hang out with my little sis today. I've been so busy working and training, I feel like I've hardly seen you."

Prim was already perusing the closet for a change of clothes. "Sorry. No can do. I'm going over to Rue's house today. She's taking me out to their private vineyard and we're going to harvest some grapes!"

Sometimes I envied my sister and her ability to make friends and enjoy life. I didn't have that luxury at her age and I'm so conditioned to think that fun and friends are luxuries I can't afford that I end up shutting out the rest of the world. But Prim opens herself up without filters and people just gravitate towards her. That's what I loved most about my sister, but she and I are polar opposites.

The only people I had allowed into my world - aside from Gale, of course - were Delly, Madge, and Peeta, and even those three were not exempt from the guarded version of Katniss. As far back into the summer as I could see, I don't remember doing anything for fun. The single party I had been dragged out too, I spent half-drunk and avoiding people. The gala I was forced to attend was an epic fail. And even all the time I'd been spending with Peeta was more business than pleasure. As I washed up in the bathroom, I resolved to go out and do something fun, even if it could possibly mean going on a sort-of-date.

"Katniss?" Prim knocked on the bathroom door. "Peeta's at the door for you."

I spat out the toothpaste foam from my mouth and rinsed before joining them in the living room.

"G'morning!" Peeta was already looking much better than he did yesterday. He was casually dressed in dark jeans and a green button-up shirt that was not branded with the name of the club. His sun-kissed complexion had fully returned and the bright smile on his face showed no signs of lethargy.

I, on the other hand, was still dressed in my sleeping shorts and Peeta's sweatshirt, my matted hair knotted unsystematically on top of my head.

"Morning. What brings you here?" I asked, pulling his sweater down in a futile effort to cover my exposed legs.

Peeta chuckled. "I'm not gonna get that back, am I?"

I looked down at the article in question, my cheeks reddening.

"Sorry. I'll change." I turned to head back towards my bedroom.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Keep it as long as you want," he offered. "I don't look nearly as hot in it, anyway."

Peeta and I just gawked at each other in mutual shock.

"Ahem." We both turned our attention to Prim who we'd forgotten was still in the room with us, witnessing the whole awkward exchange. Great. As if she didn't already have enough delusions of affection. "Well, I'm going to go call Ms. Atala to see what time she's picking me up. If you two will excuse me."

I invited Peeta to sit down on the couch as I seated myself on the armchair across him, pulling my legs up under me. He settled back into the plush cushions, crossing an ankle over the opposite leg and propping his arm on the back of the couch. When his attempt to appear cool and casual failed, he readjusted himself so that he was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"So, umm… did you get the flowers I sent you?"

"Yes, I did." I smiled with amusement watching him continue to fidget.

"I hope you like tulips. I thought roses might be too much and I've never really been a fan of the smell of lilies. The on campus gift shop only had so many choi –"

"They were beautiful, Peeta. Thank you," I interrupted his rambling to put him out of him obvious misery. "But I'm a simple girl. Dandelions would've suited me fine."

"The weed?"

"The promise," I clarified. "That life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again."

"Why, Katniss Everdeen," Peeta said perceptively. "You're not such a cynic after all."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation and threw a pillow in his direction. "Shut up, Peeta. What are you doing here anyway?"

"And, she's back," he said with a wink. "Alright, all kidding aside, I'm here to follow up on my little note. So… you got plans?"

My reflexes were shouting for me to make up an excuse to turn him down, but I recalled the resolution I had made to myself earlier, so I steeled myself for my affirmative answer.

"Yes."

Peeta's face contorted in confusion. "Yes, you have plans?"

"No. I meant 'yes' – I mean, no, I don't have plans. Yes, I'll go watch a movie." He turned his eyes upward, mouthing quietly to himself as if retracing the meaning of my answer. "Okay, while you mull that one over, I'm gonna go get dressed."

I found Prim in our room already laying out an outfit for me on my bed. The blouse was one my grandmother had picked out but I hadn't had the occasion –or courage – to wear. It was girly and lacy and a little too low cut for my taste even though it was probably still modest by society's standards. Prim had paired it with skinny jeans.

"You want me to wear that?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes. You should look pretty for your date," she replied matter-of-factly. "You're going to have to do something about that hair though."

"It's not a date, Prim." I leaned out the door and called out down the hall. "Peeta, would you please tell my annoying little sister that this is not a date?"

Peeta wandered into the hallway, amusement plastered on his face.

"It's not?" he asked, giving Prim a conspiratorial look, sending her into fits of giggles.

"I reasoned that if you give a girl flowers, ask to go out and pay for her, it's a date, right?" Prim recapped.

"That seems completely reasonable to me," Peeta concurred.

I leaned against the doorway, crossing my arms and pouting my lips. I certainly was not fond of this new alliance that was forming between my sister and my… whatever Peeta was.

"You gave her flowers, did you not?" my sister continued.

"That I did," Peeta nodded.

"You asked her out?"

"To the movies, more specifically."

My eyes volleyed back and forth between the cohorts. I was on the verge of suggesting they both go on this date without me.

"And you're paying?" Prim asked, knowing the answer.

"Absolutely."

"Well, if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, then it must be…"

"My nosy little sister!" I concluded for her just before slamming the bedroom door shut on both of them.

I could hear them busting up with laughter out in the hall until another door opened and my mother's groggy voice could be heard questioning them. Peeta and Prim apologized profusely before her door closed once again and my doorknob slowly turned. I expected my sister to be making her case to placate me, but instead, a different blue-eyed blonde let himself in.

"Are you mad?" he asked. When I didn't reply, he began again. "We were just playing around with you. I'm sorry I got a little wrapped up in teaming up with your sister. It's been a while since I've had siblings around."

I shrugged to show my indifference. Truth be told, it really wasn't a big deal. I don't even know why I got so worked up over it. Peeta just had this way of unnerving me and taking me out of my comfort zone. I didn't really like how easy Prim's chemistry was with him. Then again, Prim was that way with everyone.

"It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be," he persisted.

I looked at him quizzically. "What exactly did you intend for it to be?"

"Honestly?" Peeta released a long, slow breath. "I just wanted to spend time with you. I offered to pay because…"

"Please don't say you owe me for yesterday," I interjected.

"…because I didn't want you to say 'no.' Simple as that. No date, no debt."

Peeta left me to finish getting ready and I quickly worked on plaiting my hair and slipping into the outfit Prim chose for me. After another quick check in the mirror, I decided on a light dusting of blush and coat of lip gloss before coming out to meet Peeta who was now sitting at the kitchen counter doodling on a Post-it note while Prim dejectedly hung up from her phone call.

"What's the matter, Prim?" I asked, stuffing my wallet, lip gloss, and half-eaten packet of Skittles into my purse.

"Oh, that was Rue's mom. Rue hasn't been feeling too well and she's had a fever all morning. Guess I won't be going to her house today," she sighed.

"Hey, then why don't you come with us to the movies?" Peeta suggested without hesitation.

Prim looked back and forth between Peeta and me and replied, "No, it's okay. I don't want to ruin your date."

Peeta and I both replied in unison, "It's not a date!"


If there was one thing about shopping I knew, it was that, if they didn't show the prices, then it was probably too expensive. Prim and I stood in front of the theater concession stand, our eyes glazed over at the menu options – nachos, churros, soft pretzels, hot dogs, pizza, chicken strips, and curly fries.

"I think the last time we went to a theater to watch a movie, the only food choices were popcorn and Junior Mints," I murmured to my sister.

"You ladies see anything you like?" Peeta returned from the restroom and joined us at the counter.

"I want nachos!" Prim declared, unabashed.

I nudged her for her brazenness and turned back to Peeta apologetically. "I'll pay for her. Sorry."

"No, don't worry about it. It'll be my pleasure," Peeta reassured me. "Anything else? Don't be shy."

"I don't know. Popcorn, I guess." I knew many people who were being treated would easily take advantage of the chance to indulge, but I've just never been one to take hand-outs easily. I didn't want to offend Peeta by turning down every offer, but I figured, the most minimal of gifts should probably sit alright in my conscience.

"Why don't you and Prim go on ahead and save some seats. I'll come bring the food," Peeta instructed and Prim and I complied.

We found three open seats in the center of the theater and waited for Peeta to arrive.

"I like him," Prim whispered in my ear. "Peeta. He's really nice."

"Well, I'm glad you like him. He's your date, after all," I teased back at her. She scrunched her face in response. "What? He invited you out and paid for you, didn't he?"

Prim giggled as I poked her side. "Okay, okay. I got your point. But I don't see why you're so against going on a date with him. He's cute and he's sweet."

"Ssshh!" someone behind us hissed.

I turned to mouth the word 'sorry' when a large bucket of popcorn landed in my lap and a tray of nachos crossed over to Prim.

"What'd I miss?" Peeta asked.

I leaned towards him to whisper in his ear just as he turned to look at me.

"Ow!" we both yelped when our foreheads and noses bumped.

"SSSSH!" the other movie-goer demanded again.

"Nothing much. Just that," I gestured behind us as we rubbed our throbbing heads. Our faces, still just inches apart, lingered a moment heavy with tension.

After we'd finally torn apart our gazes and focused our attention back to the G-rated movie we chose for Prim's sake, I purposely avoided Peeta's direction for a good half hour. I nursed the growing lump on my forehead with an ice-laden cup of soda until the thick condensation warned me that my Coke would soon become watered down.

Brave turned out to be pretty entertaining once I allowed myself to pay attention it. I really admired strong, free-spirited characters like Merida who lived her life on her own terms. Plus, she was pretty kick ass with that bow and arrow. It almost made me want to take up archery someday. But that was impractical and Katniss Everdeen didn't allow herself to partake in frivolous activities. My reverie was interrupted when I felt the stroke of another hand against mine as I reached for a handful of popcorn. We both froze. I should've ripped my hand away out of politeness, but I couldn't. I was too curious, too captivated by the sensation of his skin against mine. After an unnatural length of time, Peeta was the first to pull his hand out of the popcorn bucket. I did the same, never looking at him to acknowledge the incident.

When the movie ended, Peeta treated us to a few games in the arcade. He whooped my sister and me in Skeeball, but Prim put him to shame during a few awkward, uncoordinated rounds of Dance Dance Revolution. I knew better than to even attempt what vaguely passed as "dancing", but the view from behind of Peeta tripping over his own feet while Prim moved in fluid, rhythmic motions was worth sitting it out. Afterwards, he felt the need to redeem himself with a game he was more familiar with, so he challenged me to a shootout in Duck Hunt. Peeta was quick to regret throwing down with me when I took down 95% of my targets right in the eye.

Before we headed back home, we stopped at greasy, hole-in-the-wall Mexican food joint, where Peeta pointed out that "if it's not at least a little run down, then it's not authentic." He introduced us to something call a California burrito which I thought was probably some gimmick to get unsuspecting tourists like me to order, but – Oh. My. Gosh. Who would've thought that stuffing French fries into a grilled steak burrito could be so divine? That was, hands down, the best local cuisine I'd had all summer, and I told Peeta as much. He promised to take me back at least once a week.

After we returned to the country club, Peeta walked with Prim and me all the way back to our bungalow, passing his own room on the way. When we had made it to our front door, Prim wrapped her arms around Peeta's waist without hesitation, taking both of us elders by surprise.

"Thanks for letting me come, Peeta. I had lots of fun," she told him before unlocking the door and leaving us out on the porch.

I turned to Peeta and gave him a shy smile. "You know, you're not doing a very good job of convincing that girl this wasn't supposed to be a date if you're walking us to the door," I said jokingly.

He held his hands up in the air and replied, "I'm just being a gentleman. No strings attached. I promise. Besides, it's only a date if there's a kiss at the door."

Continuing our banter, I raised my eyebrows and said, "Even a bad date?"

He looked up thoughtfully and smirked. "I don't know. I don't think I've ever gone on a very bad date. I have good taste."

We both laughed. "Well, thank you for the fun afternoon. Prim really enjoyed herself."

"And you?" he asked hopefully.

"I had a really great time, too," I added for his reassurance. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

And without further thought, I leaned forward and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek then slipped away through my front door


I'd love to hear more thoughts on the story. Please feel obligated - ahem, I mean, free - to leave a comment below! Haha Just kidding, but I'll love you more if you do! Thanks!