Hello to my dear readers!

I'm back after a long, long time. I'm really sorry that I haven't posted on such a long time, but so much has been happening in my life in the last months. First I was in the hospital for 3 weeks and then on June 27th my beautiful baby girl Adele was born. Since then I didn't have much time for writing. Still I was able to write the last chapter for this story in the last days and so I'm posting it now. I hope you're not too angry with me. Have a great day and enjoy the ending of my story!


Chapter 12: Summer Sunsets

Summer has slowly began and our school year is coming to an end. All the exams and tests are over and our classes are more fun as the last days of school come. But for me the best part of the days are after the school. Sometimes I go to the bakery to help Peeta when he has a shift, sometimes I go out with Prim and then on the evenings, we spent time by the lake with Peeta.

He was right. Almost nothing changed. We still sit on our secret place, I usually reading, he drawing his beautiful masterpieces. It's a little strange, how many of his drawings contain me. It always makes me blush because you can literally see the love he's feeling for me flowing out of the drawings. And I still didn't said those words back to him. I don't know exactly why. It's just hard for me. But the longer we date, the more I feel the urge to say them. And I also see how disappointed he is when he says "I love you" and I still don't say it back.

When we're tired of reading and drawing and the sunset is coming, I usually get up and curl up to him to watch the sunset. Every single day, we watch the beautiful orange sun slowly disappearing behind the lake.

Today is no exception. His arms are hugging my body tightly and I can feel his face against my hair. I can also feel how he always breathes in with his nose slowly, inhaling the scent of my hair. I can't imagine how he can like the smell of my hair. I close my eyes for a while and enjoy the beautiful feeling. It's quite different than dating Gale. With Gale, it was only fun and exciting moments with all the kisses and touching. With Peeta, it's more like safe and sound. As he promised, our relationship is progressing slowly. He's not forcing me into anything and I like that. His lips are often traveling around different parts of my body, but nothing more really happened between us. I like it how it is. I like the safe and sound feeling I have when he's with me. I'm absolutely sure, that he would never harm me and he would never let anything happen to me.

"Katniss?" his voice gets me out of my thoughts. "Are you listening?"

"Sorry, I was zoned out." I admit. "What did you say?"

"That I don't want any big birthday party for my birthday." he says "I would like to spent all my day like this." his birthday is tomorrow and it's too late for this wish of his.

"I'm sorry, but I already ordered the clown and the band." I say lazily with a crooked smile. "And we already planned the cake with your Dad." I add.

"Ohh you know that I hate clowns, you would not do that to me." he says with a pretended desperate voice.

"You'll see." I say.

"So you really planned something already?" he asks.

"Well do you expect your birthday party is not planned already? It's tomorrow Peeta, of course everything is planned." I say. "To be honest, the reason why your dad let us go out earlier is, that he is working on the cake right now." I say with a satisfied smile.

"No he's not." Peeta says surely.

"Yes he iiis" I sing out with a smile.

"What does it look like?" Peeta asks.

"I won't say a word" I say.

"Come oooon." he whines "At least a little hint!" he pleads.

"No." I say.

"You'll get a sweet kiss if you tell me." he tempts me. I turn my head a little to look at him.

"I'm sure I'll get that even without telling you." I smirk.

"No you won't." he says firmly.

"Yes I will." I smile and look him in the eyes. "Because I know your weakness."

"Which is?" he asks doubtfully.

"Well... Me." I smile and turn around so we're sitting face to face.

"I can resist you." he says surely with a proud face.

"No you caaan't." I sing out and move my face as close to his as I can, looking at him with a teasing smile. "You know that you can't. You're too fond of me. Too fond of my silky dark hair" I say seductively "too fond of my sparkling silver eyes." I say and wink once "Too fond of the taste of my lips." I whisper while my lips hover in front of his, touching them lightly as I speak." It seems that for once he lost his speech. I'm not usually so forward. Well almost never. But now I really start to like my power over him.

"What's wrong?" I ask with a smirk "Lost your famous speaking skills Mellark?" I ask teasingly.

"Damn you Everdeen." he swears. In the next second, his arms encircle me and pull me closer to him while his lips kiss mine firmly. My smile still remains on my lips as they brush against his. I really like the power I have over him.

When his sweet lips abandon mine, he gives me a cute smile. But then without even saying anything, he jumps up and runs. And in that second I know where is he running and I start to run after him. There's no way I could stop him, but I'm sure that I'm able to catch up with him. And I do just when he's coming to the bakery door. He sees me coming and laughs. And I do the only thing that comes to my mind I jump on his back and start to scream.

"Watch out! Peeta's coming!" I shout at the top of my lungs.

Mr. Mellark comes out from the kitchen door just in the moment when Peeta reaches them with me on desperately holding on his back.

"Hey kids!" Mr. Mellark smiles. "What are you doing? I thought you're out."

"Is it true that you're making me a cake?" Peeta asks.

"Maybe it is." he smiles. "But it's too late my boy, it's finished and well hidden." he smirks.

"Guess there's no point in looking for it right?" Peeta asks.

"No there isn't. Firstly because I have hidden it well and secondly because you would spoil our happiness of giving you the cake and seeing your surprise." he says.

"All right." Peeta smiles. "I can wait till tomorrow."

"Good boy." Mr. Mellar says and pats his shoulder with a smile.

"You can climb down Katniss." Peeta smirks at me. I chuckle and jump down from his back. "Good move, by the way. To jump on my back and scream that I'm coming!" he laughs.

"I didn't have any other option. You're to strong to be stopped by me, so at least I could slow you down." I smile.

On Saturday afternoon, there's a birthday party for Peeta at Mellark's house. There are just our two families. It's a lot of fun. Our parents get on well together and me and Prim are having a lot of fun with Peeta and his brothers. We play games and listen to good music. We sing crazily and dance. Peeta finally gets his cake, which he really likes. The cake was shaped like a painting palette with a brush. Looked really cool and tasted heavenly like everything else in Mellark's bakery.

"Thanks for everything." Peeta tells me with a smile when we are standing alone by the window.

"It was fun to prepare everything." I smile. "So you really don't have to thank me."

"I love you." he smiles widely.

"I-i" I hesitate a little. "I know." I smile nervously. I can see something change in his eyes and his smile gets down a little.

"I need to use the bathroom." he says smiles a little and goes away.

I look after him with a wrong feeling. I know I should have told him. I know I should have said it back. But I'm so afraid... It will seal our relationship. It's a commitment. I've said these words to Gale and then I regretted it really much. But my heart tells me that Peeta is different. He is good to me. He's not like Gale. He'll appreciate these words. He deserves them after such a long time. I'm an idiot...

I see him secretly slipping out of the house and heading in a familiar direction of the park and lake. I sight and secretly head out too. I have to do it now. No postponing it any more. When I get to our place, he's sitting against his tree and watching the lake moving lazily. I sit down next to him without saying anything. To my surprise he doesn't move even though I'm sure he sees me. Usually he would at least put his arm around me.

"Peeta?" I ask quietly. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" he asks and finally looks at me. I see a really sad look in his eyes. And I don't like it. "Katniss I think, there's no point in continuing dating." he says sadly and looks at the lake again.

"What?! Why?" I ask.

"Because..." he hesitates "... if I haven't changed your feelings until now, I doubt it will ever change." he says. I'm shocked. Peeta Mellark lost his hope.

"Why do you think so?" I ask scared that I could lost him.

"Because, Katniss, you don't like me the same way I do you. You don't love me. Because if you would, you would say it already." he says. I stay quiet considering what should I say.

"See?" he looks at me. "If you would love me, you would object now. But you are not." he says sadly. "And silence usually means that you revealed the truth." I can't look at him sad like that. I know what I feel in my heart, I was just too scared to reveal it... It's time to be brave and fight my fear for my best friend.

"But I do." I peep quietly, my heart pounding crazily.

"You do what?" he asks sadly, still looking away from me. My throat tightens anxiously as I gulp and take a deep breath to say those words.

"Love you." I peep again. For a split of second he doesn't realize what I said. But then it sinks into his brain.

"What did you say?!" he asks and looks at me with wide eyes.

"I said..." I say nervously "that I love you." he doesn't say anything. He just looks at me with wide eyes and open mouth.

"I don't believe it. You're just saying it so I would not be sad." he says doubtfully.

"I'm not!" I say andgrily.

"How do I know?" he asks.

"Peeta!" I scream "I just did one of the hardest things! I said those words even though it scared me so much! I fought my fear for my best friend just as I promised! And you ask me how should you know that I mean it?!" I ask angrily. He seems surprised by my sudden change of mood. He's watching me closely. Then he takes my hands, steps closer and looks right into my eyes.

"Do you really mean it?" he asks seriously.

"I do." I smile a little.

"And you're not doing it just to make me happy?" he asks.

"No" I say calmly now.

"You're saying it because you really feel like that?"

"Yes I do." I say again looking into his deep blue eyes to show him that I mean it.

"I really mean it Peeta. I love you." I say and now I see his eyes lightening up with happiness.

"I love you too." he says softly and hugs me so tightly that I can hardly breathe. "I love you to the moon and back Katniss and I'm never letting you go." he kisses me deeply and I can feel something wet on my cheek. And I find out that it's his tear. When he pulls away from me, he leans his forehead against mine and looks into my eyes. I can see the wetness in his.

"I love you Katniss." he whispers with a happy smile.

"I love you too." I say and my smile widens.

"I'm never gonna get tired of listening to these words." he whispers and hugs me again.

Since then, we are happy and together almost every day. Our lives are better and happier. We spent days at school, bakery or by the lake and we're happy like that. I would never exchange him for any other man. He's the best. I hope that one day our love will lead us to marriage and maybe one day we'll have our children. But that's too far in out future...


I'll be really happy if you'll leave me a review and tell me how you liked this story... I don't plan a sequel for this story so this is really an end. But now I plan to slowly write a sequel for my story Stay With Me. It'll be mostly about Katniss and Peeta having their first child. If you haven't read Stay With Me, I'd be happy if you'll read it and leave me some reviews :) See you in my next story!