Oh my dear sweet goodness golly gee whiz Moses! 20 Chapters! I am beyond happy that everyone is even still reading at this point. It is a dream come true to know that just as much as I enjoy writing, you all enjoy reading this story. I don't know when it will end, as I have not mapped that far ahead, but I know there are at least five or so chapters left. Please comment and let me know your thoughts/ concerns/ favorite parts of the story! (It's long, but I hope you enjoy it!)
Chapter 20- Ah, Wouldn't It Be Loverly?
Peeta found himself looking in the mirror, in awe at the way this day had gone. It was a Tuesday, he should have taken a math quiz or something, yet here they were, waiting until this was settled. He wanted tonight to go well, because he couldn't imagine letting such a stupid boy come between him and this amazing girl. He realized that there was a lot that he did not know, but what he was honestly shocked about was just how okay he really was with her having things that she kept to herself. He had meant everything that he had told Katniss today. So many times today, he had had to remind himself that as strong as she was, she was not invulnerable and especially given the current circumstances, he would need to be very considerate of the things that Katniss wanted to happen this evening.
He was getting ready, taking a shower, and getting dressed, beyond excited about the evening. Though he knew that they might need to remain on guard, he wanted her to feel as if that dufus had never existed. Tonight, it would be only him and her.
Gale had told him that Madge wanted Peeta to be ready by five thirty, which gave him a little over an hour, but yet, here he was in the last fifteen minutes, anxious to steal Katniss away, to spend some time alone with her. He knew that in the light of today, she might be a little more reserved than she would have been before. Wondering what dress she would decide to wear, he went to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
Katniss had been told that Peeta was ready and waiting on her. She has not even looked in the mirror, because she was too nervous. They had doubtlessly changed her into some kind of masterpiece.
Prim looked at Katniss and smiled. "Sis, relax. You look amazing. He is over the moon about you. Just go have fun."
Madge nodded, saying, "Don't psych yourself out, Katniss; you deserve this."
Katniss took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat, when she opened the door and saw Peeta across the room, his back turned to her. He was throwing away a water bottle. He looked amazing, with a dark blue polo over a pair of black jeans. Her heart started racing again when he turned around. She blushed bright red, when Peeta began to walk toward her, with that same look of awe on his face. She wished now that she had looked in the mirror.
No one else had come out of the separate rooms to show them off, so she guessed that they had left her and Peeta to have this moment alone. Thank goodness. The last thing she needed was to have Gale make her blush even more deeply by making fun of her. She could not remember the last time that she had dressed up so fancily.
Peeta finished the water bottle and threw it away. He wondered if he had picked the right clothes, although he was pretty sure that Gale would have at least warned him to change.
He turned, head down, and heard a door shut. Hearing the noise, he looked up and thought that he might have died. He was shocked, excited, and luckiest guy in the world within a matter of seconds. Before him, standing in a dark blue dress, with swirling black designs, was Katniss, looking as beautiful as he had ever seen her. She was wearing makeup and her hair had been done so intricately. He immediately felt underdressed, wondering if he should have worn the suit that he had brought. Well, it was too late now.
Without noticing it, he had been walking forward, and Katniss had the most radiant and stunning blush on her cheeks. Wow.
"Katniss, you look.." He honestly did not have good enough words to describe how good she looked. If he didn't know better, he would have tried to convince her that she should just let him sit and look at her all evening.
"I look terrible, don't I?" Katniss hung her head a little, saying, "I knew I should have checked befor-"
He couldn't help but interrupt her. "NO! Katniss, you look stunning." He walked closer, so that he was only half a foot away from her, and pecked her on the cheek.
He straightened up, held out his arm to her, and said, "Shall we, my lady?" In the dumb British accent that Gale had used earlier. Katniss giggled, took his arm, and they began to walk out, as they heard Prim yell, "And you better have her back here by 10:30, Peeta!"
Peeta opened the door and then closed it once Katniss was on the other side. They walked toward the elevator and he said, "I am glad that we got to do this."
"So, Mr. Mellark," Katniss drawled, "We are finally alone." Peeta felt the heat rise in his cheeks, and wondered if she could read his mind. At that exact moment, he had been imagining what it would have felt like to kiss her again.
"Are you nervous?" he asked, unsure of her answer. He wanted her to know that she was safe with him. That even though he was beyond attracted to her, that he would rather die than force her to do anything.
Finnick looked across the room at his fiancee, Annie, and felt a happiness and peace that he wished everyone could have. On days like today, he knew that he was truly blessed to have fallen in love, to have her love him back, to have great friends, and to have the power to help those who not only deserve a second chance, but who simply have gone through as much as Katniss had. Though he was admittedly closer to Gale than he had been to Katniss, he knew that she had changed when her father had died, that her world had shattered again when the maniac had come into her life, had done something so unspeakable. If any man had done that to Annie, Finnick would not have been so gracious as Gale had been. He would have cared for Annie, but he would not have rested until he had killed the man that dared to lay a finger on the woman that he loved.
He knew that Gale and Katniss were closer to siblings than lovers, but nevertheless, he knew that while Gale would have hurt that maniac, he would never have lost control, he never would have killed such a terrible waste of human life. Finnick knew that and admired Gale for it. He knew that Katniss was strong, but he was also ecstatic to help them in such a simple task as throwing a party or arranging simple reservations and movie tickets. Finnick had moved to this area a few years ago, for the sake of Annie's health. That's when he met Gale. And though he was here for Annie, he also had pretty substantial resources, as his father happened to be the magnate of a large and extraordinarily profitable shipping corporation.
It was next to nothing to spend money on some movie tickets and a decent meal at a decent restaurant. He hoped that this guy would treat Katniss right, because if he didn't, Gale would not let another guy go after all the havoc that the first one is wreaking.
He looked at Annie, a true gratefulness surging through him. "Annie, babe, we've been decorating for a few hours now. Do you want to rest for a little while? We don't need to put up any of the final stuff, like the banners and tables for food until Friday."
She looked up, smiled wearily, and nodded. Yawning, she said, "Yeah. I am a little tired after the day we have had today. Though," she said, sweet and sincere, "I love that Gale thought to ask us for help. It's been too long since we have thrown a party."
Finnick smiled. "My perfect hostess," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek, then on the neck. "I am so glad to have you all to myself. I am beyond happy that you are going to be my wife."
"My dear, I think I got the better end of the deal this time," Annie said, her eyes glistening. She sat down, looking as if she were nearly about to collapse from exhaustion.
"Annie!" Finnick cried, running over and kneeling in front of her, "Why didn't you say something earlier? You know you aren't supposed to push yourself too much."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Annie sighed, leaned back, and was asleep within seconds. Finnick gathered her up in his arms, imagining what would have happened to him if she had not recovered.
It was nearly two months ago now that she had gotten out of the hospital after a nearly fatal car accident. She had broken several ribs, a femur, a collarbone, and had crushed some of the bones in her left foot. It had taken nearly half a year before she was able to leave the hospital and even think about starting physical therapy. He had rushed to the hospital that night, having gotten the call mere minutes before eating dinner. He had rushed out, leaving food out on the table and a casserole in the oven. He hadn't even thought about what all he had left behind in his apartment until nearly twelve hours later, when the doctors had told him that it would be a while before he could see her, and that he needed to eat something. So he did.
Looking back now, he can't believe that they found their way past it all, past such tragedy to their life together.
Peeta and Katniss walked up the hallway, to the car waiting outside. Katniss reached for the door handle, then dropped her hand and waited. He beamed, grabbing her hand for a moment, softly gripping it for a second, and then opened the car door. She got in and Peeta walked around to the other side of the car. When he got in, he noticed that Katniss was looking down at her hands. Peeta gave the driver directions and then turned to Katniss.
"If this date costs a thousand dollars, I am sorry, but it is not like I made the reservations." He smiled and she looked up. There were tears brimming in her eyes and suddenly, he was running through everything that he had said, wondering where he had gone wrong.
"Katniss.. did I say something?" He looked at her closely, he brain racing to fix the issue.
"No, Peeta." He slid a little toward the middle of the seat, so she did the same. He held out his hand, and she took it, resting her head on his shoulder.
"What can I do Katniss?" What did she need? He would give her anything, anything to help soothe the pain he saw in her eyes.
"I am just a little scared," Kat whispered.
"Scared of what?" He whispered back.
"That you are just being nice, that I am not good enough, that what happened to me is going to ruin everything, that you will get tired of me and all of my insecurities."
Katniss, he thought, you are so, so valuable. Peeta thought he could physically strangle the life out of the idiot who had made her feel this way.
"Katniss, can I tell you a story?"
She nodded.
"One year ago, my family decided to make me transfer schools. I had gotten to know Delly pretty well through friends of my parents, but.. I was so furious that they had just made me change schools out of the middle of nowhere. I walked on campus, angry at the world, and then, in all your glory, you came around the corner, with Gale," he shuddered, but she laughed shakily, so he continued. "I figured that you were beyond pretty. Easily the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And then, we had classes together. I didn't fall for you at first sight," he said, lowering his voice a little. "What really won me over, what snagged me, was your art."
She was breathing deeply, and murmured, "My art?" He smiled. She wanted to hear this.
"You were so good at every assignment that we did. I was so, so impressed." When he closed his eyes, he could see every piece see had worked on in his mind's eye. "I wanted to know the girl that could do such amazing artwork, and miracle of miracles, here I am."
"Miracle of miracles?" She scoffed and he could almost feel her rolling her eyes.
"Katniss, I know you have doubts. I am not a perfect guy, but at the very least I am sure that I want to date you. I know that you are smart, beautiful, witty, and so talented. I know that I am beyond lucky to get to spend this night alone with you. Most importantly, although I hope I am nice, you speaking your mind is not an inconvenience. I might get frustrated from time to time, but only because I want you to see all of the good there is in you. Anything you want to say to me, however many times you want to say it, I want to hear it all. I want to know you, not some girl out of Cosmo magazine. You are stunning and gorgeous, but your soul is just as stunning, just as breathtaking."
He sighed. "I just became the cheesiest guy in the world, didn't I? I swear I meant every word, even if it sounds so completely unoriginal."
Katniss chuckled a little and said, "Yeah, maybe. But for tonight at the very least, you are my cheesy guy. So.. I guess I will let this one pass."
She stayed against his shoulder until they got to the restaurant, and he pointed out his favorite places that he had to take her to as they drove past. She pointed out some things, showed interests in others, and Peeta, ever the diligent student, took great mental notes. He got out of the car at the restaurant and held the door open for her. The driver said that he would wait for them in the parking lot, giving Peeta a card to call for when they were ready to go to the movie theatre later.
Nàgè Shù, one of Peeta's favorite Chinese restaurants, had their table ready and Peeta pulled out Katniss's chair for her, then sat down himself.
Katniss, for one, could not believe that Peeta seemed so relaxed. For another thing, he looked... dashing. Man, his cheese was starting to rub off on her, but he was handsome tonight. The hostess looked at her a little snidely, then smiled widely at Peeta, who Katniss was pleased to note seemed not to notice the attention.
Then, of course, once they were seated, Peeta asked her if she had ever come here before. While Nàgè Shù was not a thousand dollar restaurant, she had come only once or twice before. She knew this to be the aftermath of a family who hated Chinese food, but also noticed once again that everything seemed more expensive with Peeta paying for it.
"What can I get for you to drink?" the overly nice woman asked Peeta.
"May I have a Coca-Cola please?" he asked, still looking at the menu.
"Of course." She begrudgingly turned to Katniss. "What would you like?" At her abrupt tone, Peeta looked up, then to the waitress, back to her, and then rolled his eyes. So he did notice.
"May I have a root-beer please?" The lady nodded and then left the table.
"What's her problem?" Peeta asked once she was safely away from the table. "Wasn't she being a little rude to you?"
"Well, maybe she thinks that I'm-" She couldn't even finish what she was saying before Peeta said, "Eh. Who cares what she thinks? I didn't say anything this time, because you could chop her in half if you wanted, I am sure, but.." He trailed off, and Katniss wasn't sure, but she thought she might see a little anger in his eyes.
They ordered their food, thankfully from a different staffer. Peeta laughed at all of her jokes and once again, she could simply not deny that she felt safe, here with him. Katniss knew that she was just as lucky to be with him, but from the compliments to giving her everything she needed before she could even ask, including calling over waitresses, Katniss felt... almost spoiled. How strange.
"So, Peeta, if you were invisible for one day, what would you do?" Katniss asked, having fun asking him whatever she wanted.
"Hmm. I mean, there is so much that you could do. I think I would just read for a day. I would go to the park, watch the people around me, sit under a shade tree, and just relax. I never feel like I have time to do that, you know? Just go somewhere peaceful and have a day with no agendas."
She laughed, "You are such a nerd."
"Hey!" he said, in a tone of mock-offense. "I represent that statement." He smiled so easily, that she felt herself nearly stop breathing. Dang, he was cute. "My turn!" he exclaimed, taking the upper hand.
"If you could meet anyone, in all the universes, who would you pick?" He leaned in eagerly, waiting for her answer.
She pondered silently on who she should pick. There were so many people that she could choose and love to talk to for an hour.
"Real or alternate reality?" she asked, trying to get a little more time.
"Real," he said, chuckling.
"I am stuck between Frieda Kahlo and Joan of Arc. Both visionaries, both unique."
"Want to flip a coin?" Peeta asked, the smile reaching his eyes.
"Sure, heads- I win, Tails- You lose."
They both laughed, when the greeter from earlier walked up.
"Here is the check, sir." She said, setting it in front of Peeta. Peeta said a quick thanks and shoved the card in the folder, trying to continue the conversation with Katniss.
"How about tails you win, heads, you lose. That seems a little more fair, don't you think?"
"Fine, but what do I get for winning?" Katniss asked, laughing a little. At that moment, the waiter nearby tripped a little, and before she knew it Peeta was standing in front of her, completely drenched. The waiter, completely freaked, but Peeta, of course, super nice guy, didn't seem to care at all. He turned to Katniss. "You okay?"
She nodded, speechless. He wiped his face and hands on a napkin or two that was handed to him by a nearby customer, then turned to Katniss saying, "You might not want to lean on me for a while," he winked, continuing, "I am a little drenched." He laughed and she tilted her head, in awe of just how nice he was.
The greeter came back and walked right up to Peeta, trying to dab his shirt with a towel or something. Peeta stepped away quickly, saying, "No, thanks. I'm fine."
The greeter insisted. "I am just trying to help."
Peeta seemed to shudder a little. "I am fine, truly." The greeter laid down the bill. Peeta signed, they left, and Katniss wondered why Peeta had been so sensitive.
As they left, Peeta called the driver to come to the door.
"Peeta, are you okay?" she asked, grabbing a napkin or two on the way out. She grabbed his hand, and slowly, began to dab a little at his neck, his arms, and where his shirt was the most wet. He seemed fine.
"Sorry. I overreacted in there. I don't like.. people touching me." Immediately, she dropped her hands and quickly, Peeta said, "You can touch me, Katniss. I love that. I know you, I like you. When you touch me, I feel this warmth in your actions. But earlier, when she was rude, or when she touched me without asking," Peeta said more softly, "it reminds me of my mother.
Suddenly, Katniss realized that his mother had hit him. She did not know when or how often, and she knew that his mother had done just as much damage with her words, but Katniss couldn't help but reach out, place her hand on his face, and stroke his cheek with her thumb. "I am so sorry, Peeta."
"See, Katniss?" He smiled a little weakly, "I know what it is like to hurt and have memories that feel like they haunt every day of your life." He chuckled, "I would hug you, but-" and then he gestured to his shirt. "I admire your strength, Katniss. You make me a better person."
The driver pulled up and Peeta opened the door for Katniss. Katniss began to see so much more of Peeta than she had before, saw his flaws, his doubts. Now, to her, he became so much more real and relatable. His flaws and her flaws didn't lower or raise them up on any scale. Rather, the closer they became, the more Katniss began to see that if the whole of Peeta was beautiful, perhaps the whole of Katniss was as well.