Chapter 56: June 15th


The night before the campers arrived, the counselors had a bonfire in one of the smaller fire pits that was down the short path behind the main hall. It was somewhat of a tradition, Katniss realized. They'd done it the summer before – only a year ago she'd spent half her time worrying that stupid Wiress girl was flirting with Peeta and worse, that he liked it. Of course he hadn't – he admitted to her later that he hadn't, but she could still remember feeling slighted as she'd sat by Gale and watched the gorgeous girl talking to her crush. She could still practically taste the cheap mixture of grain alcohol and Kool-Aid she's been drinking as she'd frowned at them. But she didn't have to worry about that this year, she realized. She and Peeta were back together and everything was almost back to normal between them. Glimmer and Wiress hadn't even returned back to camp that summer. Things were finally falling back into place.

It had been an interesting few days after their night together on the soccer field. Peeta swore up and down he'd forgiven her and just wanted to move on already and all of their friends didn't seem to question anything when they'd suddenly started speaking to each other again. Delly didn't even bat an eye or ask annoying questions last night when Peeta walked her back to their cabin after dinner at the mess hall and grabbed her face and planted a lingering kiss on her mouth. Katniss had been a bit dazed and surprised when he did it. Neither Delly nor Johanna had said a word to Peeta before he'd started laughing and walking back to his own cabin. No, people seemed absolutely fine with the idea of the two of them together again.

Katniss felt silly, really, when she thought of all the time they'd wasted the summer before pretending that they weren't dating. And for what? So Glimmer wouldn't have something to gossip and snicker about? It was ridiculous when she thought about it. Why had she cared so much about what people thought? She'd been a fool to want to hide what she had with Peeta. She'd been an even bigger fool to break up with him. He'd insisted she forget all about it the way he wanted to, but that was letting herself off the hook too easily for it. Just because he'd forgiven her didn't mean she was finished feeling senseless about it.

She chewed her nail and watched from her stump as the guys came tromping out of the woods with the arms full of brush and small twigs to help light the fire. Delly was mixing up a large cooler full of cheap Kool-Aid on a nearby picnic table and Haymitch was pretending not to notice Thom hanging around with a vodka bottle shaped bulge in the pocket of his cargo pants. The air smelled of pine, citronella, and lighter fluid as the boys and Johanna started the fire. Her friend caught her eye across the fire and practically jaunted over to her.

"How's it hangin', Brainless?" she asked, bumping her butt against Katniss' to make room on the log.

Katniss snorted, eyeing the dark haired girl. She moved over so that she could join her. "Fine, I guess. Nothing new."

"Didn't look like nothing the other night. I've been busy, tell me what's new with you. Tell me why lover boy dropped you at our cabin and practically tried to swallow your face the other night. Thought you two were 'on a break'," she trilled in a girlish voice while making air quotes.

Katniss rolled her eyes and snorted. It was clear that whatever unspoken grace period Johanna had been giving her to not drill her for information was over. "It was….nothing. The other night we just…just….met up and talked."

"Uh huh…looked like you'd done a bit of talking. Were those grass stains on your jean shorts, or….?"

"Shut the fuck up," Katniss laughed. "We talked. Worked out…some issues."

"More like banged them out, huh?"

"Do you want to know what happened, or do you just want to keep filling in the blanks with anything lewd that pops into your head?"

Johanna chuckled, elbowing her in the side. "Hmm, let's see if I remember…his crazy mother, the 'will you, won't you' of transferring schools, etcetera etcetera. So you made nice though?"

"Yes."

Johanna waved a bug away from her leg and sighed. "I hated seeing you fight. It's like watching Romeo and Juliet have a squabble. Just doesn't sit right," Johanna sighed, swatting away another mosquito. The nightly crickets were beginning to sing as the daylight continued to fade around the trees and the bugs were starting to bite. The air began to smell of bug spray as someone passed around a can of repellent. Katniss stared at her flip-flops.

"Uh, pretty sure they died in the play, did you ever finish reading that?"

"You know what I mean. I hated seeing you and lover boy fight."

"Peeta."

"Right, right. Well I hated it. You two belong together."

Katniss glanced up over the fire, watching as Peeta carried a large log over to the pit. His arm mucles flexed against the fabric of his shirtsleeve, the tan muscles twisting as he unloaded it onto the fire. His eyes glanced up and met hers, flashing with something that made her stomach twist with excitement. She briefly wondered if him looking at her ever wouldn't cause a reaction like that. Unable to help herself, she grinned. She didn't think so.

"I think so too."

Johanna eyed her sideways and sighed. "Just don't fuck it up again, Brainless."


After the year she'd had, being back at Camp Panem was uplifting. Sure it was hot and buggy and the work was never ending, but there was something she found she loved in the smell of bug spray and freshly cut grass. She inhaled the fresh mountain air and watched as her friends stood around the campfire telling stories of their last year of college. A lot had changed – people were older, their relationships had changed, and an entire year had passed, but…much remained the same. Rue was still delightfully shy but smiley, Finnick was flirtatious as ever, and even Cato still had a gleam in his eye like he was looking for a challenge. Things were the same but they weren't, she decided. But it felt so good to be back. All year she'd pined for summer to be here and suddenly she was in the midst of it. The past few days almost didn't feel real.

Peeta slipped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her lightly and bringing her back to the present. She melted into his side, clutching her cup to her chest and watching the flames dance in front of her. For once, she'd taken Thom up on his offer and let him slip something extra from his water bottle into the cup of lemonade she was sipping. Wincing slightly, she coughed. Whatever was in that water bottle of his really didn't belong in the same category as water.

"I missed this place."

"I did too," he sighed.

She glanced up at him in the firelight, watching as the flames gave his face a warm glow. The light seemed to catch the slight smattering of stubble on his jaw, making the golden hairs shine. "I missed you."

He turned to look at her, his eyes lighting up in the dim glow of the fire. His lips twitched before he clenched his jaw for a moment, flexing the jawline she so adored. "I think I knew that, but…it's nice to hear you say it," he replied, his voice suddenly quiet and almost bashful. How he managed to look so utterly fuckable one moment and so sweet like a little puppy the next was beyond her.

"I always miss you when you're not around," she sighed, frowning. Missing Peeta reminded her of school, and that reminded her of her grades. She hadn't heard from her mother all week and she wasn't sure if that was a bad sign or not. The urge to check her grades right after school got out had never been a top priority before, and she couldn't remember when they'd been posted last summer. This time last year she'd just escaped to Camp Panem and her life had changed forever after meeting Peeta. Grades had been the last thing on her mind last summer, yet they were the first thing that came to mind now. They seemed to consume her every thought. She didn't want it to be that way anymore. It was do or die. Fly or fall. She wanted to know either way. Biting her lip, she told herself she'd call her mother that weekend and demand to know the news. It was better than waiting in limbo, after all.

Peeta hadn't brought it up since they'd gotten back together – not once. Was it killing him, too, she wondered?

"Are you glad to be back?"

He inhaled deeply, glancing around the campfire as he scanned the familiar faces of their friends. "I am. I mean I wasn't sure how this summer would play out, what with what was going on with us and everything, but now that…you know, things are fine…" he trailed off. Peeta shifted his gaze back to her. "Are you thinking about school?"

She nodded, shrugging nonchalantly. Talk about school would only complicate things and make them both worry and dance around a much heavier conversation. She wasn't ready to do that just yet.

"I guess. But there isn't anything I can do until I know for sure."

"I agree. No use worrying until there's something to worry about, right?"

"Right. Hey, listen…" she replied coyly, licking her lips. "You want to pretend its last summer and go make out in secret behind my cabin?"

Peeta scanned the group of counselors around them, his blue eyes suddenly bright with a challenge. Cato was loudly telling a story of a drunken, end of the year frat party and Finnick and Thom were loudly interjecting with comments and playful jabs at him as everyone laughed and listened. "Think we can sneak away?"

"We have to," she shrugged, sliding away from his grasp. "After all, we're a secret," she tried to say with a straight face. Even though they were no longer a secret amongst the others it was still fun to joke about it.

Peeta seemed to play along. "A secret, eh?"

"Yes. Very. Top secret. Can't have the news of our naughty little romance getting out."

He grinned, shaking his head at her in the dim glow of the campfire. "Fuck," he laughed. "You're so…"

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," he chuckled. He gripped her arms playfully and shook her several times. "You drive me nuts sometimes you know that, right?"

"Counting on it," she grinned.

Peeta's tongue slipped out, lightly licking his lower lip. "Want me to go first?"

She nodded, hiding her laughter behind her cup. Maybe it was the spiked lemonade, maybe it was Peeta, or maybe it was the fact that it was finally summer – either way, she felt like finally enjoying herself.

Peeta gave her a discreet squeeze on her hip before whispering to her, "Meet you behind your cabin in ten." She watched him duck into the woods behind the woodpile that all the guys used as a bathroom when they were at the campfires. A thrill shot through her as she glanced around to make sure no one had noticed. They hadn't. She ambled over to Rue and Prim, making idle conversation as she waited for the minutes to pass. She asked Rue about her year at school, she asked Prim if she was ready for campers the next day, and she chewed on the edge of her cup until she was certain enough time had passed.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm uh…gonna go use a tree if you get what I mean," she said. Rue laughed and Prim just rolled her eyes as Katniss set down her cup and ambled towards the woods.

Gale appeared from behind a pine and took one look at her before he snorted and rolled his eyes. "Peeta went up towards the cabins, Catnip!" he said, making no effort to muffle his voice. "Keep it clean! PG rated and all that!" he called as she brushed past him and tromped into the woods with a huff. She heard a few catcalls aimed at her back as everyone surely heard Gale, but she just shook her head and laughed. Everyone knew where they had disappeared to, and no one cared – not even her.


Several minutes later, she'd hiked up through the woods via a shortcut to their sets of cabins. The boys' cabins were on the other side of the thicket of trees, further away from the rest of the camp than the girls'. Katniss broke quietly through the trees and onto the path in front of her cabin. The only light was coming from a yellow bulb on the front porch where moths were currently swarming. The crickets chirped happily as she made her way around towards the back.

"Peeta?"

She listened. Nothing but crickets.

"Peeta?" she called again. Just as she was about to turn around and head back towards the front of the cabins, a warm hand snaked around her forearm and yanked her back. She yelped in surprise before Peeta's hand covered her mouth and his soft chuckle filled her ears. He turned her, wrapping his body behind hers and pulling her against his chest. She gave a shaky exhale. His strong, solid, very warm chest, she realized. She felt a pang of need shoot through her as her body started to come alive. It was one thing to be near Peeta. It was quite another to have over half his body pressed suggestively against the back of hers. She tried not to let herself shudder with want as he held himself against her.

"Shhh…this won't be a secret make out place if you're screaming," he shushed her. She laughed against his cupped hand, relaxing into his hold. Peeta chuckled again before using his free hand to gently push her braid to the side. Katniss thought she would explode as his mouth slowly lowered to the curve of her neck. His kisses started out light and close mouthed, but soon turned lingering and hot. Several times his tongue darted out to taste her skin and she actually moaned out loud. Unable to stand it any longer, she turned in his arms and wasted no time latching her mouth shamelessly to his. Peeta chuckled against her lips, his strong hands grasping her sides as she teetered slightly.

"Easy there."

She laughed before kissing him again. The crickets chirped loudly around them, masking the sound of their joining and re-joining lips. His hands slid down her waist and his thumbs hooked their way up under her t-shirt. They began rubbing languid circles against her skin as his lips covered hers again and again. She barely noticed as he pushed her up against the back of the cabin. The ancient wood siding creaked under the weight as she leaned back against it and grinned at him.

Katniss glanced over her shoulders. "Any giant wolf spiders lurking here this year?" she asked, eying the wood with a speculative glance. She enjoyed nature and wasn't normally afraid of bugs, however, when they'd been using that spot to make out the summer before Peeta had almost pushed her up against a piece of wood decorated with one of the large but harmless spiders. She'd shrieked in surprise before he'd managed to calm her down and their cover had almost been blown right there.

He placed a hand behind her head and leaned closer with teasing eyes. "Just us, I'm afraid."

She smirked. "Good. Starting tomorrow we'll have all the company we need. Specifically around….oh, four hundred ankle biters running amuck through the camp."

"True, but we managed to avoid all that last year. We had to be sneaky," he replied, pressing his forehead to hers. He exhaled softly, rolling his skin against hers where their heads touched. "We can do it again. We just have to be careful and not let them catch us with our pants around our ankles."

Katniss narrowed her eyes at him. "Easy said than done Mellark. What if I want you with your pants around your ankles?"

She winked at him and he chuckled, clenching his jaw the way she liked. The hard lines were very easy to appreciate when he did that. She felt her insides tighten in response. She hoped their reunion on the soccer field a few nights ago was but a prequel to a summer of stolen, steamy moments like it had been the year before – only this year they wouldn't have to worry about hiding their relationship from the other counselors.

"I can do that," he replied, grinding his hips against hers in a suggestive, swirling motion. Katniss swallowed the ball that had formed in her throat and gave him a lazy smile before leaning in to kiss him again.

"I sure hope so."


I lied - one more chapter after this one. Then perhaps an epilogue? We shall see!