May-December
By: Michelle Rose Landau
Summary: Modern AU Fifty five year old widower Peeta Mellark finds a second chance at love and happiness when he romances twenty seven year old divorcee Katniss Everdeen. His two grown children, her sister, and her ex-husband disapprove.
Pairing: Peeta Mellark/Katniss Everdeen, Gale Hawthorne/Johanna Mason, Romulus Thread/Terra Everdeen, Ansson Everdeen/Octavia, Primrose Everdeen/Rory Hawthorne
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series, nor any of its characters. They are the sole creative property of Suzanne Collins.
A/N: This one was inspired by a 1959 film called Middle of the Night, written by Paddy Chayefsky, and directed by Delbert Mann. It's an amazing film, a slice-of-life, and Fredic March and Kim Novak are brilliant in their performances. I've been wanting to write a May-December romance between Peeta and Katniss for a long time now, and have actually gotten underway. Plus, I desperately need an escape from this pandemic craziness. Please read and review, let me know what you think so far. As always, be respectful, be kind, practice social distancing, and write on!
one: look
Peeta noticed when he began noticing other women again. One day he suddenly found his eyes appreciating the shapely figure of Cressida Jones, an associate from another firm. She was about forty years old, from London, sexy accent, single, blonde. She was intelligent, and she went to the mat for her client. She was dressed in a smart black suit that hugged her hips, and she had silky legs. Peeta found her attractive, and contemplated how to go about complimenting her. After their meeting, he caught up with her in the hallway outside of the conference room.
"Ms. Jones…"
"Yes?" She answered.
He offered his hand, and she gladly shook it.
"It was a pleasure negotiating with you," he said. "I can see why you're on track to
making partner at your firm."
"Well, we'll see about that," she smiled, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
"You're very talented," he said.
"Thank you," she said. "Between you and me, it would be nice to make partner, but I'm going through some big changes in my life, what with the divorce, and now the baby…"
"Oh," Peeta said. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes," Cressida said. "I'm about ten weeks gone."
"That explains the glow," Peeta smiled. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," she said. "Anyway, I've been working for ten years toward partner, and Heavensbee has shown interest in me, but with this baby coming, I'm...reevaluating. They say that women can have it all these days, but not without sacrifice."
"True," he agreed. "But you're an intelligent, beautiful, and ambitious woman. If anyone can do the job, it's you."
Cressida grinned. "Thank you, I appreciate that, Mr. Mellark."
Complimenting her came easier and more natural than he thought, and he was encouraged by that. He didn't feel guilt or shame, which was a good sign that he was at least open to the idea of dating again. His son and daughter would be pleased.
Confident and encouraged, Peeta has since been allowing himself to appreciate the female form that wasn't his wife's.
It's been five years since Delilah's death. He called her Delly for short, but only in private. Professionally, he called her Delilah, or Ms. Cartwright. They founded Mellark, Cartwright, & Associates together, and they built their firm from the ground up. They worked well together at first, strictly separating the personal from the professional. Delly was brilliant, the brains behind the operation; she analyzed the data and ran numbers like it was nobody's business, and Peeta handled the clientele. They sacrificed for the firm that Mellark, Cartwright, & Associates was today: time with each other, time with their children, vacations not taken, memories not made, and those sacrifices were driven home when Delly revealed to him that she found a lump in her breast. Biopsies and scans followed, only to reveal that it was stage three metastatic breast cancer.
Delly didn't take the diagnosis lying down, though. She continued to work while getting treatment, which she didn't respond well to. She was determined to fight, and she did, but it took its toll. Peeta was supportive, attentive, hopeful, and encouraging through her illness, and when it began to exhaust her, they both took a leave of absence to be at home with each other. Their children, Anna and Christopher, tended to them and came over more than usual to help around the house.
Peeta watched as his wife deteriorated. The treatments weren't working, and he felt utterly helpless.
Delly died at home, at the age of forty-eight, in his arms, and Peeta was devastated.
His children helped with the funeral arrangements, and it was a beautiful service. Their associates and other staff from the firm showed up, and they arranged for a special memorial to Delly at the office.
Now, there is a portrait of Delly inside a grotto with a pleasant sounding water feature, giving her honor as one of the founding members of the firm. Peeta greatly appreciated the memorial, but it was painful to pass by it on the way to the executive offices for quite some time.
Peeta worked through his grief, not wanting to take more time off from work. He had to keep going, because he knew Delly would have wanted that. But his home life was dark. He would go home and he would break down, and let his depression take hold. He was functional, but only for about six months, and he had to take time off again to properly grieve his wife and business partner. Anna helped him go through Delly's things, and eventually, he was able to let them go, and Peter, a graphic designer, put together a slideshow that showcased their best years together, which also helped ease the ache.
When he returned to work, he was able to look at the memorial without coming to tears. He found it easier to take on her workload that she left behind, and he was able to clean out her office without feeling pain in his heart.
Day by day, it just got easier, which led him to this point.
When Delly was alive, he noticed attractive women, but that was it. Delly would laugh at him, because he would take great pains to assure her that she was beautiful above all. He was faithful to her, and she to him. First of all, they were far too busy to put their time and energy into other people, and second, they loved and respected each other far too much to become cliches.
Now that he's gotten past his grief, it's like his eyes have been opened.
Cressida Jones was a good start, but he wasn't interested in dating her. He just wanted to see if he could do it, compliment her and even flirt a little.
He felt good after his encounter with her, and he felt that it gave him permission of some sort.
"This is good, my friend," his best friend, Finnick Odair, says as they lunch. "This is just what you need. I think this is a good time for you to start thinking about dating."
Peeta sighs. "I've been entertaining the idea. I swear, Finn, it's like I stepped into an app, or something. I've been looking at women that aren't my wife, and feeling...an attraction."
"That's good," Finnick encourages. "You need to put yourself out there. Go on some dates, have some fun. In fact, Annie has been wanting to set you up for quite some time."
"Is it Lavinia Harper?"
"How the hell did you know?"
"I know because Lavinia is your wife's best friend, and the most determined flirt there ever was," Peeta laughed. "I've heard things about her, so no thank you. Besides, she's a redhead, which means she's temperamental, and I'm not in the mood for that."
"Dammit," Finnick huffed. "Annie's going to be pissed because she has the whole thing planned."
"I'm sorry," Peeta said half heartedly. "I think I want to get back out there, just not with Lavinia Harper."
"We need to go hard at Snow Manufacturing," Peeta says. "We've already got Maysilee Donner as a witness, and she's willing to testify in open court. She's Snow's personal secretary, so we need to protect her from the press. She's shielded by whistleblower laws. Where are we on the employees?"
"We're talking to them," Cinna Sanderson, the team's supervisor begins. "Katniss is the lead paralegal investigator on this. Katniss, what'd you find out?"
Peeta turns his attention to Katniss.
"So far, the only employee that I've gotten through to is Cecilia Ramirez," Katniss says. "I was able to convince her to testify to the company's infractions. As far as the malfeasance, I was able to get records going back ten years, and Johanna and I analyzed the numbers, and found significant discrepancies in their bookkeeping. I know a guy in Blue Collar crimes with the FBI, and he says that they've been investigating Snow for years, but he's teflon."
"I see," Peeta nods. "We need to get ahead of him if this class-action lawsuit is going to go forward. Cinna, please make sure that you get Cecilia Ramirez in here to sign the paperwork. Have your investigative team dig deeper into the upper echelons of Snow Manufacturing, see if we can't turn someone from the top."
"Yes sir," Cinna says.
Everyone begins to get up.
Katniss gathers up her files, and she and her fellow paralegal, Johanna Mason-Hawthorne, walk back to their offices together.
"Are you still going out to dinner with us tonight?" Johanna asks.
"Yeah," Katniss confirms. "Who is this guy that I'm meeting?"
"His name is Darius Hamilton, he works for a hedge-fund company, and he's recently gotten out of a long term relationship," Johanna explains, and Katniss looks at her. "Oh c'mon, Katniss…"
"Just got out of a long term relationship?" Katniss says. "That's code for 'I have trust and commitment issues.' I have trust and commitment issues, and two people with those same issues spell disaster...c'mon, Jo…"
"Sometimes, you can be so brainless," Johanna says. "He's thirty two, and he says he's done with the bullshit. He's ready to get serious. If you give the poor guy a chance, you'd probably hit it off. You said you were ready to get back out there, well, here's your chance."
Katniss sighs. "Fine…"
"Atta girl," Johanna smirks, then she frowns.
"What?"
"Ugh, I've got heartburn again," she says, rubbing her six month pregnant belly. "Gross. Let me go chew my millionth antacid. So, me and Gale will see you at Divine's at seven?"
"Yes ma'am," Katniss says, rubbing Johanna's belly, feeling the baby kick. "Hope you feel better."
"Thanks."
Katniss heads back to her office, and when she arrives, she sees someone sitting in the chair across from her desk. She recognizes him immediately, and she smiles as she walks in.
"Hello Dad," she says, and he stands up and hugs her.
"How's my favorite little PI?" He grins.
"Just fine," she says, pulling away. "What're you doing here?"
Ansson Everdeen put his hands in his pockets. "Just wanted to surprise you at work, see how you're doing."
"I'm doing well," she says as she takes in the concern on his face. "Now, tell me what's going on."
Ansson sighs. "It's Prim. Have you talked to her today yet?"
"No, what's going on?"
He sighs. "She called me, hysterical," he begins. "Apparently, she and Rory had a fight,
and she says it was the worst yet, and that he packed up some of his things, and left. She says he's not answering her phone calls. She tried Hazelle, and she told her that he's not home. She's scared."
Katniss sighs. "Those two…"
"I tried to help her out, but then we got into it," Ansson says. "She accused me of being on Rory's side then she hung up on me."
"I'll talk to her," she promises. "I'm sure it was over something stupid."
"I don't know, it sounded like it was pretty serious this time," Ansson says. "I'm sorry to ruin your day with this…"
"Then tell me something good," she says.
"Alright," he says. "Uh, the ranges are doing great, and we just broke ground on a new one."
"That's great, Dad," she says.
Ansson owned a chain of gun stores and ranges that offered lessons. Ever since Katniss could remember, she'd been around guns. Katniss was an expert markswoman, she knew her way around a gun. She was proud of her father's business, and a proponent of the Second Amendment. Their family were proud members of the NRA, and for responsible gun ownership.
"How's Octavia?" Katniss asks.
Octavia Williams-Everdeen, her step mother, is the typical second wife: living off the benefits of the struggle of the first.
"She's good, you know," Ansson shrugs. "She wants to adopt a baby."
"Really?" Katniss asks. "What brought that on?"
"She regrets not having a child of her own when she was younger," he says. "She thought about a surrogate, but that ain't natural. I'd rather her adopt."
"You'd be starting all over," Katniss warns. "You ready for that?"
"I don't know, maybe," he admits. "Since I don't have grandchildren to speak of yet…"
Katniss grins. "Don't worry, you'll be a grandpa someday."
"Just...don't wait too long, Kat," he says. "Octavia spent three years in therapy over not having a baby of her own. I know you and Prim are all about your careers right now, but make room. Kids are a blessing."
"Yes, they are," she says. "I wanna have kids with the right person, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," he says. "Anyway, I gotta run. Just thought I'd stop by. Please call your sister."
"I will," Katniss says. "Love you, Dad."
"Love you too, Kat," he says, then he heads out.
Katniss takes out her cell phone, which had been on silent during her meeting, and checks her messages. Prim called and left several voicemails. Katniss made sure to take deep breaths, take a moment to prepare herself for Prim's drama.
Rory and Prim's marriage was complicated, at times volatile. Katniss often wondered how Rory turned out to be such a prick in the same household as his older brother, and her best friend, Gale. Tarver and Hazelle Hawthorne raised their kids up right, and for the most part, all were successful, functioning adults. Rory, however, was the black sheep and raging liberal of the family, but let him tell it, he'll say the family doesn't understand him. And perhaps that was true, because he went from job to job, hated authority, and he was immature. He just never grew up, but he and Prim always had a thing for each other.
When they began dating, everyone, including Katniss, tried to warn her about him. He sucked the life out of everything and everyone. She didn't listen though, she was in love, and the wedding happened.
They had trouble from the start, and now it's two years in, and their epic arguments are a way of life.
She calls Prim.
"Hey Katniss," Prim sniffles. "I tried calling you earlier…"
"I was in a meeting," Katniss says. "Dad told me you and Rory had a fight…"
"It was really bad this time," Prim cries. "Rory accused me of cheating on him. Me! All because I friended one of my doctor friends on FaceBook. Now he's got this whole affair cooked up in his head. He's so goddamn paranoid. I told him that me and Dr. Marvel are just good work friends. It's nothing! I told him that I love him. Then we got into it about him not having a steady job, and how he spent all his time either at home, or at his friend's house. He got offended and started yelling at me even more. Then he accused me of not getting pregnant on purpose because I'm ashamed of him. That's when he packed up some of his things and took off. Oh God, Katniss...I'm tired of fighting with him…"
"I'm sorry," Katniss says. "Has he answered your phone calls?"
"No, he won't pick up," Prim frets. "I'm just so sick of it, Katniss. I'm so fucking stressed out. I-I love Rory, but I can't bring a child into this. We're hot then cold...it's driving me crazy. I'm not ashamed of my husband."
"I know you aren't," Katniss says. "Rory just needs to grow up. You know your truth. You're a beautiful, successful, faithful woman. He takes you for granted."
"He really does," Prim agrees. "I'd love to have a child with him, but not when we're always fighting. God, it reminds me of Mom and Dad…"
"I know."
"He's not at Hazelle's house, and he's not with his friends...I don't know where the hell he is right now."
"Just let him cool off," Katniss says. "He'll think rationally, then regret it all, and he'll be home."
"Yeah," she says. "I don't want a divorce… I don't want to end up-Oh shit...I-I'm sorry, Katty...I didn't mean…"
"No, I get it," Katniss says. "Divorce is messy, expensive, and painful. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone if it can be helped, especially not my own sister."
"I just...I know we have what it takes," Prim says. "We'll get through this."
"Yes, you will," Katniss says. "Listen, I gotta get back to work. Keep me posted, okay?"
"Okay," Prim says. "Thanks, Katty. Love ya."
"Love you too. Bye."
Katniss hangs up.
She sits down at her desk and begins to go through Snow Manufacturing's financials.
She highlights specific points, and jots down some notes.
She bites the top of her pen as she pores over the spreadsheets and charts.
Before she knows it, it's time to go home, and she decides that she will take the information home to work on after her dinner date with Gale and Johanna. She places the files in her leather work bag, then she gathers up her purse, dumps her cell phone and charger into it, then she heads out.
She goes by Johanna's office, but finds that she missed her going out.
Katniss heads down the hallway toward the front lobby, which leads to the elevators.
She waits for the elevator to reach the twentieth floor, which is where Mellark, Cartwtight, & Associates is located. She thinks about what she should wear to dinner tonight. Maybe that new purple polka dot dress she bought, or the fuchsia one with her nude heels...she definitely planned on wearing her hair down with soft waves, and her make up was going to be simple, natural. Her stomach flipped at the thought of meeting Darius. She hasn't dated or had sex since her divorce almost two years ago.
Her marriage to Cato Sullivan had been rocky, loveless. They were both more like roommates than husband and wife, and they were both ambitious, competitive.
She didn't like to think about it, it was over, and she's past her divorce.
She's ready to meet new people, put herself back on the market, even though it makes her a little nervous.
The elevator stops at the twentieth floor, and just as she's getting on, she hears her name being called.
"Ms. Everdeen!"
She stops the doors from closing just in time, because it's Mr. Mellark.
"Mr. Mellark," she says.
He catches up to her and gets on the elevator with her.
"I'm glad I caught you," he says, a little breathless.
"What did you need, sir?"
"Do you have the data on the financials for Snow Manufacturing?" He asks.
"Yes," she says. "Um, I was planning on taking them home...do you need them?"
"I do," he says. "I'm gonna stay late tonight. My kids cancelled dinner on me, so…"
"Ah," she says as she takes out the files from her bag. "Here you go. There's notes and everything in there. I haven't gotten a chance to go through it all, but what I found was pretty damning."
"Right," he says as he takes the files. "Thank you, Ms. Everdeen."
"You're welcome," she says.
Peeta sighs as he leans up against the back wall of the elevator.
"You're going for a ride," she chuckles.
"Yeah, I am," he grins. She is in front of him, and he takes the opportunity to admire her figure. She was thin, but not too, and she had a curve in her hips that he liked. Her dark hair was up in a tight, conservative bun. He tries to recall features from her front; he recalls grey eyes, olive skin, and small, but pert breasts. He blushes a little at having noticed her bosom. It's the first time he's really taken her in.
He remembers when she first came on with the firm. She interviewed well, and knew her stuff, and she had a little bit of rogue in her. Perfect personality for a PI and paralegal. She was fearless, thorough, and willing to do the groundwork. He liked her right away, and Cinna wanted her for his team. He rarely got this close to her, though, and he finds that she's rather gorgeous, and that even after all day at work he could still smell her perfume.
He hopes to God that she doesn't feel his eyes on her, but just to be safe, he opens up the files and begins to scan over her notes. Can't be too careful, what with the advent of #MeToo and the costliness of sexual harassment suits.
The elevator hits the first floor, and Katniss turns to him slightly.
"Good night, Mr. Mellark," she says.
"Good night, Ms. Everdeen," he says back.
As Katniss walks off the elevator, she can't shake the feeling that her boss, Mr. Mellark, had been eyeing her from behind. She doesn't know how to feel about it because she knows how he is: conservative, faithful to his wife, all business. She doubts that he did it for kicks, he wasn't the lecherous type.
She'd be a fool to pretend that Mr. Mellark, even at his age, isn't attractive. He is fit; his expensive suits fit his body well, and give a hint of the muscles underneath. He is active, he has a habit of going to the gym during his lunch hour, and young at heart. He has a warm, dazzling smile, and benevolent and bright blue eyes and he cares about his employees. When she was going through her divorce, he personally called her into his office and gave her time off when he noticed her crying at her desk. He's attentive, and has his finger on the pulse of his firm.
He and his wife were good people, ethical, and conscious.
So why had he raked his eyes over her like that?
Perhaps he is just moving on from his wife's death. That's it.
Maybe he's going a little crazy noticing other women aside from his wife. That would explain it. Delilah Cartwright-Mellark has been dead for five years, and she supposes that Mr. Mellark realized that he's still very much alive.
Whatever the reason, knowing this leaves her confused and flattered.
The conversation at dinner is strained. Once Darius found out that Katniss is a licensed PI and paralegal, a Republican, and a gun girl, his interest stopped there.
Johanna and Gale sense the tension, and Johanna tries to quell it.
"Well, I think we all can agree to disagree on the legitimacy of Trump's presidency," she chuckles. "Darius, didn't you say that you have a younger sister too?"
"Uh, yeah," he says. "We're really close."
"Katniss is close to her sister, too," Gale chimes in between bites of his steak. "Her name's Prim, she's an RN."
"Ah," Darius says, pushing his steamed vegetables around on his plate.
Katniss is clearly uninterested in anything that Darius has to say since she learned of his politics, and how grossly misinformed he is.
Gale hails the waiter.
"Check please."
They walk out together, and Darius sighs with a fake smile.
"Well, I can't say it's been a pleasure," he says to Katniss as he shakes her hand.
"Likewise," Katniss says. "Better luck next time."
"Yeah," he says, then he heads down the street to the parking garage.
Johanna glares at her.
"What?"
"Yous a bitch," Johanna says. "He was a perfectly nice guy."
"He was an asshole," Katniss says. "He was intimidated."
"Okay maybe he was, but you didn't have to ignore him," Gale says.
"He ignored me!" Katniss says. "If he were a real man, he'd suck it up and show interest about how I feel, even if he didn't agree."
Johanna and Gale couldn't argue with that.
"Okay, okay, we'll do better next time," Johanna promises.
"No, no more set ups, guys," Katniss chuckles. "I know you mean well, but, I'm fine, honestly."
"We just want you to be happy," Gale says.
"Honestly, I'm good," Katniss assures. She switches gears. "Have either of you heard from Rory?"
"No," Gale says. "He's being a shithead, as usual. How's Prim?"
"She's upset," Katniss says. "At her wits' end."
"I love my brother, but he's an asshole," Gale says. "I have a pretty good idea of where he is. I'm going out tonight to find his ass, and once I do, I'm going to kick it."
"Good," Katniss says, then she leans in and kisses Johanna's cheek, then Gales. "Love you guys. Good night."
"Night," Gale and Johanna say in unison.
On her way home to her apartment, she thought about Mr. Mellark, for some reason. She began to analyze her exact feelings about his once over. She knows she feels flattered, feels attractive, feels heat throughout her body as she's thinking about his gaze, and she clears her throat and shifts in the seat. No. She should not be feeling things like heat that have to do with her boss. Yes, she's willing to admit that he is attractive, but there are boundaries. Did he cross them? Maybe so, but she isn't uncomfortable. Flustered, yes, in a good way, but not uncomfortable. It doesn't rise to the level of sexual harassment, she didn't think. And he wasn't looking at her in a sexual way. Appraising, was more like it.
She shakes her head.
"Stop it," she whispers to herself. "He's your goddamn boss. It's not a big deal...don't go down that road, Katniss."
When she arrives home, she kicks off her heels at the door, and she picks up her mail and looks through it before tossing it on the end table.
She fishes out her phone from her purse and checks it. Prim has called again, left a voicemail.
"Hey Katty...I hope you had a good evening out. I'm sure you already know, but Gale is out looking for Rory. I still haven't heard from him, and I've eaten my weight in Ben & Jerry's...you know I've always been a nervous eater. Anyways, I'll keep you posted. Love you, bye."
Too tired to call Prim back, she takes out her charger as she heads to her bedroom. She plugged her phone in, then she goes into her walk-in closet and begins to undress. She takes out her pajamas and pulls them on, then she goes and gets into bed.
As she closes her eyes, she sees a mental image of Mr. Mellark. His eyes are intense, dark blue with an emotion she dares not name. She opens her eyes.
"Goddammit," she whispers into the darkness of her bedroom.
"Dammit," Peeta curses as he wakes up to the spreadsheets he got from Ms. Everdeen spread out all over the floor.
He'd dozed off, and the files slipped off his lap as he was sleeping.
He gets up and gathers up the spreadsheets first, then he begins to sort them.
He is glad he woke up because he'd been dreaming-fantasizing?-about Ms. Everdeen. It's inappropriate, and crude. She is a valued employee of his, she's brilliant, and deserves better of him. He shouldn't have looked at her the way he did in such close quarters because he knew that she knew he was looking. She had to know, women had a certain intuition about things like that. He likely made her uncomfortable, and she more than likely didn't appreciate it from him as her boss.
He sighs.
There is something...magnetic about her. She's got a fire in her that comes out when she's at the height of using her investigative skills. He can see it in her notes.
God, why can't he stop thinking about Ms. Everdeen? And all based on a look? Her grey eyes were interesting, and he can see an underlying sadness in them. Likely from her divorce, which was what? Two, almost three years ago? She had a rough time with it, for her to come into work just to break down. He remembers that day clearly. He walked by her office and saw her face buried in her hands, sobbing. He asked her to come to his office, and she did. She tearfully revealed that she was going through a divorce from her husband, who was asking for quite a substantial amount for a settlement, plus their pre-war apartment. She expressed her anger and guilt, and her bitterness toward Cato-that was his name-and how she never thought she'd end up in that position.
Peeta felt for her, and he sent her home that day, telling her to take whatever time she needed. She thanked him profusely, and apologized for the venting, and he told her that it was nothing, that she needed to get through that phase of her life.
When she returned to work, she was on point, picking up right where she left off with her work. She came to him and thanked him for allowing her the time, and he told her that if she needed anything, she could come to him.
He finishes sorting the spreadsheets, then he places the files on the coffee table in front of the couch in his office.
He looks at his watch. It is past midnight, and he decides to call it a night.
Peeta stretches, then he grabs his coat and heads out.
When he makes it home, he immediately goes upstairs and to his bedroom. He undresses down to his boxer briefs, not even bothering with pajamas, and he gets into bed.
He dreams of inquisitive grey eyes, and soft olive skin.
Prim calls early that morning as Katniss is getting dressed for work.
"Gale found Rory," Prim says.
"Thank God," Katniss says. "Where was he?"
"He was camped out in the park," Prim says. "Rory was wide awake when Gale found him. He still hasn't come home, he's at Gale and Johanna's, but he did call and tell me that he's alright."
"Good," Katniss says. "I'm glad he's safe."
"Thanks," Prim says. "Hey, how'd it go with that guy last night?"
"Oh, he was an asshole," Katniss says. "We barely spoke after I told him that I was in to guns. He then proceeded to tell me some bullshit about how the Second Amendment doesn't mean that you have the right to own whatever guns and ammo you want, and that it should be limited. Give me a fucking break, dude. Then when I presented actual facts to him about the Second Amendment, he shut up. Didn't talk directly to me for the rest of the night."
"Prick," Prim says. "Please tell me he at least paid for your meal…"
"Nope, we went Dutch."
"What an asshole," Prim says. "Well, you're just getting back out there into the dating game. You'll come across someone good."
"Yeah, I guess," Katniss shrugs as she puts on her makeup. "Honestly, I kind of like being single, to tell you the truth, and I do eventually want to find someone, but I'm good."
"I miss being single sometimes," Prim groans. "Now I'll never be alone again."
Katniss laughs. "True. Anyway, Mom and Romulus still want us to come to their fundraiser at the country club this Saturday night. So you and Rory better get your shit together."
"Ugh, I've always hated formal stuff," Prim says. "Ever since I was a kid. I have no idea what I'm going to wear."
"You have tons of cute dresses, I'm sure you'll find something," Katniss assures.
"Yeah," Prim sighs. "Anyway, I'll let you finish getting ready for work. Have a good day."
"Thanks, you too, love you," Katniss says.
"Love you too, bye."
Katniss checks her appearance in the mirror, making sure that her makeup is flawless, then she grabs her purse, work bag, and keys and heads out.
When she arrives at work, Johanna greets her.
"Morning," she says, all chipper. "Mr. Mellark is in your office."
"What?" She asks, suddenly panicked. "Why?"
"Probably for the case," Johanna says. "Why are you looking so freaked?"
Katniss blinks a few times, shaking her head. "Nothing, it's nothing. I just...I haven't finished going through the financials from Snow Manufacturing yet."
"So?" Johanna says. "He knows you're good for it. I'm sure it's something else."
"Yeah," Katniss says.
Johanna continues to look at her with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Katniss says, then she walks into her office.
"Mr. Mellark," she begins.
He turns around from the window.
"Ms. Everdeen," he greets her. "Good morning…"
"Morning," she says back.
There is a pause between them, then he clears his throat and holds up the files he took.
"I was just returning your files," he says, putting them on her desk. "Excellent job on the notes. You're very thorough. I appreciate that."
"Thank you," she says.
They are silent once again.
"Mr. Mellark, was there something else you needed?"
"Uh, right," he says. "Um...I just wanted to apologize."
"For what?"
"For uh...I did something...inappropriate on the elevator last night," he says. "And I just want to apologize for making you feel uncomfortable…"
"I wasn't uncomfortable," Katniss says.
So she did know after all.
Peeta was tripping up. He expected her to be offended, but she isn't. Even though there is a tension between them, it's not entirely unpleasant.
"Either way," he continues. "I'm your superior, and there are boundaries. I crossed a boundary. We're both professionals, and what I did was unprofessional. Again, I apologize."
"Apology accepted," she says.
"Thank you, Ms. Everdeen," he says formally.
"Mr. Mellark-"
"I have some phone calls to make," he says as he walks out of her office.
There's the first chapter, folks. Hope you enjoyed. Please review, I'd like to know what you think. Thank you so much, and please, stay safe and healthy.