Hello everyone! Happy Friday to ya'll. :)
Again, thanks for the reviews and favorites/follows, you guys are the best... a cookie for everybody!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I walk around the edge of the pool nervously, if excitedly. I have a towel draped around my shoulders to cover up a bit so as to not look so naked. I'm about to take a seat on one of the lounging chairs when I hear the sliding door being opened, no doubt it being Katniss.
At once, I feel my heart start to beat faster so I turn to face her. She's standing very close to me, a soft grey robe enveloping her body and I feel my face burn as I try not to stare at her.
"Hey," I tell her.
"Hi," she smiles. "So… ready to learn how to swim?"
I let out a soft groan and peer at the water with respect.
"Is it too late to back out?" I half joke.
She gives me a fierce look, her eyes dark and forceful.
"Do you really think I'd let you drown, Peeta Mellark? Do you not trust me?"
I feel my heart do a little dance when she uses my full name and try not to grin stupidly at her.
"It has very little to do with you, Katniss. I know you'll be a great teacher," I tell her instead, comforting her. "But… I don't know how to explain it. It's not that I'm afraid, I guess just because it's unknown?"
She nods thoughtfully.
"Well, I'm just going to start you out with floating. If you do well enough, I'll teach you the next step. If not, there's always another day," she informs me.
She slowly reaches for the knot holding her robe close and I turn around, wanting to give her a bit of privacy. Not that it'll be much help since I'll be seeing her in a swim suit all throughout our lesson.
I wonder… did she pick a two piece? No… I think she's definitely a one piece girl. More modest yet still sexy.
I shake my head and take the towel off my shoulders, thinking that I should have probably brought out some sunblock lotion.
Might as well, I'm too pale.
I hear a splash, feeling the cool water droplets splash on my legs and I know that Katniss jumped in so I grin and turn to face her. She's gliding like a fish in the water and I stare at her, transfixed by the smooth movements. She finally comes to a stop near my feet and looks up at me, shielding her eyes from the brilliant sun.
"That is going to be you in a few weeks. Now, come on in!" she orders, extending her slim hand out to me.
I seriously doubt that… but I best not say anything lest I offend her.
I crouch down and eye her hand warily.
"You're not going to pull me in and dunk me, are you?"
She drops her hand and I feel a stab of regret at passing a chance to hold her hand. She splashes some water up at me and I laugh, rocking back on my heels.
"Enough dilly-dallying, get in!" she orders again, motioning for me to join her.
I sigh and look over to the side, where the steps of the pool lead down into the water itself. Preferring to stay on the safe side, I take those and pad towards Katniss, enjoying how the cool water feels. She rolls her eyes at me but says nothing.
"We're going to stay here, on the shallow side. Baby steps, right?" she tells me, trying to sound reassuring. "Okay, first thing. I'm going to need for you to lie on your back. Don't worry, I'll have my arms around you."
I blush at the thought of Katniss holding me and so I nod quietly, watching how the droplets of water roll down her arms and collarbone. Turns out, Katniss indeed choose a one piece swimsuit. It's deep blue, which makes her skin look seamless and perfectly tan. In fact, the blue makes her eyes look a bit blue themselves. I try not to stare at how the fabric hugs her curves and make myself focus on what she's telling me.
"The water's going to go in your ears and will dull any sound, so don't freak out, alright?" she tells me, standing behind me and extending her arms out as I start to lean back into them.
Sure enough, as soon as the water goes into my ears I fidget a little but Katniss just squeezes my arm encouragingly. I focus on her bright eyes and at the way the sun shimmers on her dark hair; I can almost pick out the copper tones in it.
"Okay now, slowly bring one leg up and then the other. Shouldn't too difficult for you, Mr. Work out," she smirks at me.
I narrow my eyes at her but choose not to respond and instead follow her instructions.
"Good, good… now. I'm going to let go of you," she tells me.
"What?!" I exclaim, turning up to look at her so fast I lose my balance and crash down to the pool floor.
"Peeta!" I hear her yell, quickly grabbing me under the arms and fishing me out.
I sputter and cough, wiping my eyes frantically with the back of my hands.
"Peeta, are you okay?" she asks me concernedly.
"Fine, I'm fine… just got a little worried about you letting go of me," I explain sheepishly.
She sighs but I can feel her staring at me… and I suddenly feel very self-conscious of myself.
Mellark, you dummy, she's not staring at you because she finds you attractive. She's staring at you with disbelief. Get your head out of the clouds.
"It was going to happen sometime. Besides, how else will you progress if I keep holding on to you?" she asks, trying to sound patient.
"I know, I know. Okay, fine. Just tell me what to do," I answer back in the same tone.
"I need for you to tense your muscles because it'll cause your body to be less buoyant. You'll also need to breathe shallowly because the air in your lungs will act as a flotation device for your chest," she tells me.*
I nod, trying to remember what she just told me. Taking a deep breath, I start to tense my muscles and lean back slowly into her awaiting arms. I try to keep my breathing shallow and I focus once more on her icy eyes.
"Now I'm going to let go on you. You're doing very well. Keep those muscles tensed and that breathing shallow. You'll be doing this on your stomach in no time!" she says cheerily.
I feel my concentration vanish and once again find myself flailing on the pool floor.
"Peeta!" she cries out.
I stand up, coughing out water and wipe at my eyes with one hand while the other pushes my hair off my face.
"What do you mean, doing this on my stomach?" I demand, feeling panicky.
"Well, you're not going to swim on your back, are you?" she asks, raising a brow.
I narrow my eyes at her but she glares back at me.
"Of course not! I just need to get comfortable with doing this on my back," I tell her uneasily.
"It's not like I'll be pushing you before you're ready," she says, sighing.
"Okay, okay… fine. Let's do this again," I mumble.
I continue trying to float with Katniss hovering near me. I find that I can't concentrate because even though she's not touching me, I can still feel her presence and it unnerves me. Her eyes are focused on me, never once straying from my face. I try not to let it get to my head because I tell myself she's only doing it for my safety. I'm undoubtedly boring the pants off of her.
Still, every now and then I take peeks at her. She's such a magnificent woman and she doesn't even know it.
The slope of her neck is so graceful and her smooth skin tan and unblemished. How have poets not written odes to this woman? Her body is slim but she's not stick straight, she has slight curves which hide in her everyday clothes. Which is, undeniably, the reason she wears them in the first place. But it might also have something to do with the fact that it might let her blend into the crowd. Her hair shines so beautifully in the sun. The mix of golden and reddish tones make it seem like the strands are glowing, like the dying embers in a fireplace. I wonder if they're as soft as they seem to be…
"Would you look at that? The one and only Peeta Mellark trying to float," a voice muses loudly.
While I can recognize that voice anywhere, it startles me to hear it. I move too quickly, which causes me to sink to the pool floor once more. I hear his laughter, muffled by the water and I hear Katniss call my name out worriedly. I push myself right up, staggering a bit as I turn to the sound of his voice, grinning.
"Don't you know it's dangerous to sneak up on a person like that?" I scold him playfully, wiping my eyes.
"You were in the shallow section, hardly any danger there," he scoffs.
I finally see him standing at the edge near the pool and smirk at him. But I see that his attention is focused on my companion.
Oh, great.
"Hello there," he says smoothly, smiling his aren't-I-smooth smile at her.
I frown at him and turn to her, wondering how she'll react to him. Surely enough, she looks half revolted and surprised. I try hard not to laugh out loud and instead look back at Finnick.
"My name is Finnick. Finnick Odair. Who might you be?" he asks suavely.
By the looks of it, Katniss has gone mute. I look at her and snicker, holding back the urge to poke her into life and instead cross my arms, watching her amusedly.
"Earth to Katniss! Is Katniss in there?" I tease her.
She finally snaps out of it and turns to scowl at me. She clears her throat and turns to look back at Finnick, who's still watching her.
"Hi. My name is Katniss Everdeen," she says, sounding almost shy.
I start to feel a little irritated and turn to look at Finnick, who casts a glance at me before focusing on her again.
"What a beautiful name, Ms. Everdeen," he purrs. "You must be the older sister of the magnificent creature who told me you were outside."
I roll my eyes and start to stomp out of the water.
I know it's silly but I can't help but be annoyed. Just when I have her attention all for myself, he arrives and distracts her. But it must be Prim to whom he's referring to. I wonder how she reacted to him, hopefully no fainting, though that would have delighted him.
Still, I can't help but chuckle inwardly and walk toward Finn, his eyes still focused on Katniss even though his body faces me. I reach him and pull him into a hug, one he starts to return until he realizes that I'm, in fact, extremely wet. He lets go of me with a groan, narrowing his eyes at me as he looks down at his sopping clothes. I laugh and run for my towel before he pushes me into the deep end. I see him walk to the steps of the pool and extend his hand out to Katniss, who immediately goes to him and takes it. I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I give my back to them, gently toweling my upper body off. I give one leg a shake and then the other and turn back around again, sighing in my head.
He's holding on to her hand as she raptly stares into those legendary sea green eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Katniss is blushing. She's still quiet and I suddenly wonder what is going on in her head.
"How do you do, Ms Everdeen? I see that you've been teaching Peeta how to float. A little useless at this point, don't you think?" he smiles brightly at her.
"Don't mind him, Katniss. He's all smarm," I joke.
Finn sticks his tongue out at me and Katniss breaks free of her trance, turning to look at me.
"What? It's true. But you're so handsome that people let it slide," I wink at him.
I see that Katniss finally snatches her hand out of Finnick's but he doesn't notice because he starts laughing. I chuckle and run my fingers through my hair, shivering as I feel the water trickle down my back. Katniss walks toward me and I notice that she didn't bring a towel, only her robe. The same thought seems to be crossing her mind because she frowns and hesitantly reaches for the robe. Fluffy it may be, but it won't be of much help.
"I can lend you mine, if you want. I only used one side," I offer, extending it out to her.
Her eyes snap up at me and I see them roam up to my hair and to my neck until she finally grabs the towel. My towel.
"Thanks," she murmurs, dabbing at her neck and arms.
I just smile at her and watch her for a moment before feeling the pull of Finnick's eyes on me. I turn to him and see him smirk, raising a brow up dubiously.
"Come on… let's go inside," I tell them.
I wipe my feet on the soft mat and turn to Finnick.
"I gotta take a quick shower but you're welcome to come up to talk to me while I do."
He pretends to blush and bats his eyes at me.
"Peeta! I didn't know you felt that way… I don't know what to say, really. It's like a dream come true," he sighs dreamily.
I smirk and nudge him. I feel Katniss bump into me from the back, no doubt wiping her feet down as well. I turn to her, feeling my face heat up as I realize just how close we are.
"You can, um, just throw the towel into your hamper. Dirty clothes hamper, I mean," stammering.
She looks up at me, slightly wide-eyed and scurries away, not quite looking at Finnick either. He watches her leave and turns to look at me. Not wanting to look back at him, I watch Katniss ascend the stairs with Prim at her heels, giggly as ever. Putting it off no longer, I turn to him and nod for him to follow me and he does so, quietly.
"I'm not sure how you want me to talk to you while you shower with that transparent door of yours," he jokes.
"So just wait for me out here, then," I roll my eyes at him as we enter my room.
He closes the door behind him and jumps onto my bed, stretching out luxuriously as he places his hands behind his head.
"Don't forget to wash behind your ears," he advices warmly.
"Thanks, Dad. I'll be right out."
…
I stride into my closet, towel wrapped firmly around my waist and quickly slide on some underwear. I settle on khaki cargo shorts and a simple white tee and walk out to my room, toweling my hair off.
"So… I know you're dying to tell me. What did you think of her?"
"She's… very beautiful. But quiet. Is she always that quiet?"
I nod as I put my towel aside and turn to fix my hair in the mirror.
"Thought so. But she also seems to have quite a temper. Am I right?"
I laugh and nod again, finger combing my hair.
"Complete opposite of her sister. How old is she?" he asks, trying not to sound too interested.
"Seventeen or eighteen. Not too sure. But I know what you're thinking and you better not even go there, Finnick. I really like this girl and I don't want you making things harder than what they already are," I tell him seriously.
"Damn. She does look rather youthful. But don't worry, teen girls aren't my thing. All they do is giggle and fawn around me. Though Prim does make that look rather cute."
I nod vaguely and see Finnick sit up and look at me knowingly.
"You said you really like Katniss. Just how much do you like her, Peet?"
I feel my face burn and I whip around to look at him, trying to look nonchalant.
"Oh, you know…"
"Peeta," he says sternly.
I blush and sigh dejectedly.
"I really like her, Finn. She's so lovely and she doesn't even know it. But what's sad is that I don't even think she particularly likes me," I finish with a forlorn sigh.
"I don't know, you two looked pretty cozy sharing a towel…"
I glare at him.
"Don't get my hopes up like that, it's cruel."
"I'm not being cruel, Peet. I'm just saying what I saw," he shrugs.
I let out a frustrated sigh and put a pair of socks on, soon slipping my feet into my favorite pair of sneakers.
"She was watching you rather intently. Before I arrived, I mean," he clarifies, no doubt trying to make me feel better.
"Yeah, making sure I wouldn't drown," I mutter.
He shakes his head, furrowing his brows a bit.
"No… that's not quite it."
"But then you arrived and completely took her attention off of me," I pout, half joking. "How did you know I was here, anyway?"
"Haymitch. Said you 'might have some company.' I was curious and so I came. Hope you don't mind," he smiles brightly at me.
"It's fine," I shrug. "Stay for dinner?"
"That was the plan. But don't worry about it, I brought us service. Besides, it'll give me a chance to gather even more insight on the enigmatic Katniss Everdeen."
I groan softly and look at him pleadingly.
"She doesn't seem to be aware of my feelings toward her… let's keep it that way, shall we?" I plead.
"Fret not, young Peeta. Your love is safe with me," he winks. "I might need to have a chat with her, though."
I groan again, closing my eyes.
"That's what I was really afraid of."
He laughs, nudging my side and clapping his hand on my shoulder.
*I had to search what swimming/floating is like because I don't know how to swim. So a huge thanks to ehow because otherwise I would have been lost to describe what it would be like. XD
Have a great weekend and see you next week. :)