Chapter 3: The Chords of Kissing

I have always been more cultured than most Seam ladies in that I have a deep appreciation for music. My father had a lovely singing voice in his time, one that I have inherited, although I haven't had much cause to sing ever since he died in a mine collapse when I was eleven.

Madge has never minded, nor has she pushed me to open up as to why I am so solemn on the time. The companionable friendship we have created organically is one that we take solace in. It only helps that our musical talents are well complemented also.

Being the daughter of a politician, Madge has often confided in me how she is expected to be a cultured district lady – hosting and entertaining politicians from the Capitol on her father's behalf, as the de facto First Lady of District 12. This means she is to be schooled in the arts, specifically the piano. For some time now, I have found myself stopping by the mayoral residence just to sit and listen to Madge's long and creamy fingers glide over the keys. She really is quite skilled. The ditty she is playing right now brings me great comfort, as the tune is vaguely familiar. I know I heard Daddy sing it once, long ago, and I surprise even myself when I begin to sing along, accompanying the musical notes with accurate, if not quite sensible lyrics:

"If you say 'come with me off to Massachusetts,' then to Massachusetts we will go. We will buy dishes there, maybe even two sets, buy the finest china then we'll dine awhile on crepe suzettes…" I have absolutely no idea where Massachusetts might be (or more likely, may have been), and I definitely don't know what a crepe suzette is. Though I do have a suspicion that Peeta Mellark might know, in the case of the latter – a crepe suzette sounds like it could be a kind of pastry.

"Well? Go on!" Madge encourages me with a smile that makes my stomach flop oddly.

I have to think for a moment to recall the next stanza: "We will build model boats off in Massachusetts, there in Massachusetts by the bay. Put them together and wait until the glue…. sets…."

"What's the matter now?" Madge asks when I trail off.

I shrug helplessly, sheepishly. "I don't remember the rest, Madge."

"While we wait, we'll polka for the folk along the parapets!" Madge fills in. She strikes the next chord, and I smile, in spite of myself, as we proceed singing together.

"Off…"

"…. To Massachusetts."

"Yes, we're off…."

"…. To where the shops are sweet…"

"We will play minuets off in Massachusetts – Boston, Massachusetts, Beacon Street. If you say 'come with me off to Massachusetts,' then to Massachusetts we will go. We will buy dishes there, maybe even two sets, buy the finest china then we'll dine awhile on crepe suzettes…" Madge and I smile at each other as we now play what she calls a downward scale together before finishing strong: "Off to Massachusetts, yes, we're off to where the shops are sweet. We will have no regrets off in Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts we - Boston, Massachusetts we – Boston, Massachusetts, we repeat!"

We girls both collapse into peals of giggles, gazing at each other, breathless.

Then suddenly my arms are around me. Madge doesn't shy away, bringing her face quite exhilarating close to me. All at once, our lips meet in a soft, then passionate kiss.

Madge's POV

Here we are again. Here I am again, sitting in front of the grand piano playing another one of the classical songs I had learned at the mere age of eight. Here she is – Katniss Everdeen – sitting within arm's reach of me, listening to me play with the slightest of smiles on her face as she watches my fingers do all the work. I close my eyes and let the music take me; let my fingers hit the keys and play without thinking about it.

I feel something move next to me, the fabric of my new dress rubbing gently against my skin and I open my eyes, turning to see that Katniss has joined me on the piano bench. She looks at me with such sincerity that my breath hitches and I forget the chords to the next song. I stop playing and lower my gaze, feeling my cheeks become warm as a light blush spreads across them. My fingers rest on the keys as I try to remember the next part of the song but can't because here is Katniss, sitting so extremely close to me that I can feel that our breathing is in sync – in perfect harmony.

Looking up from the keys, I catch her gaze and she smiles at me. I can't help but smile back. What is going on here, I'm sure, but what I do know is that it is something I had been waiting for my entire life. I keep my eyes locked on hers, neither of us saying a word but inching closer by every passing second. Her arm reaches around me and she rests her hand on the piano bench on my other side and I scoot closer, leaving positively no room between our bodies but only between our lips which are dangerously close to touching but not quite just yet.

I am nervous, but I can't turn away. This is now or never and I have waited too long for the now to turn it into a never. I wet my lips with my tongue before closing the remaining space between us, caressing Katniss' lips softly with my own for at least a whole minute before pulling away. It surprises me that she doesn't try to stop me; that she continues the kiss and adds more passion to it than I had initially. I can feel the speed of my heart grow quicker with every moment gone by, and I try catching my breath. My cheeks become flushed again and I look down at my lap, reverting back to my shy schoolgirl self. Katniss places her hand beneath my chin and pushes it up, demanding that I look at her in just one single touch and I can't help but feel a shiver run down my spine.

"Madge," she whispers softly and smiles. "I want you," her voice is slightly raspy, desperate to have me but still sincere. Before I have a moment to react, Katniss' lips are plunging into mine again, leaving me no time to respond to her previous statement. I move my hands to grip onto the front of Katniss' bodice, deepening the kiss and running my tongue across her bottom lip and she parts her lips slightly with a gasp, allowing my tongue access to her mouth. I pull away breathlessly after a few moments, smiling at Katniss with the most devious smile I think I've ever able to produce in my life before standing up, pulling her to her feet as well by the frock of her blue dress in which I gripped once again. "I want you too," I whisper against her lips, turning her around so her back is to the piano and pushing her into it, causing the keys to play a messy tune of nothing but pure passion.

Katniss smirks at me, wrapping her arms around my waist to pull me closer to her and the piano keys make yet another crash, this one louder than the last. I laugh softly, knowing my mother is just upstairs and surely trying to sleep. "Shh," I say, putting my index finger over her lips, causing a small laugh to escape her mouth. I love that smile of hers. I lean in, kissing her softly and sweetly because I'm not sure if this is just a one time deal and I want her to know I care for her, that I'm not just doing this for the pleasure of it all.

Suddenly I freeze up, all of my nerves bundling in my stomach at once and I lower my head, trying to keep my breath at a steady pace. "What's wrong?" she asks me, genuinely concerned and I look up into her eyes, terrified, because it all just hits me. I love Katniss. I had always loved her and if she is just doing this for the thrill I 'm not sure I can handle it. While it is all quite rushed and I am both happy and excited it is happening, I'm not sure I could bear the heartache that it might cause me in the end. I shake my head, and look down again but she gently takes my face in her hands and leads my gaze to hers, kissing me gently once I am looking at her. "You can tell me."

All the heat of the room has dissolved in an instant when she looks into my eyes with such softness that I could melt right then and there. "It's just that I -" I pause, swallowing hard and trying to spit out the words I have so desperately wanted to say to her for the past four years. "It's just that I love you." She replies with another kiss. A soft, gentle, heartwarming kiss and I know that she feels the same. That this isn't just for fun and games, or experimentation.

I place my hands on her bony hips, determined now to pick up where we had left off before my confession and kiss her lips hard and with passion, tracing a line of kisses down her jawline and making my way down to her neck. Katniss's scent is sweet, and I wonder if she had freshened up before coming here purposely because she has her heart set on getting me in certain accommodating positions, perhaps even against the piano as we are now. I smirk against her skin before I begin kissing her neck, and I feel her hands trail to the hem of my dress and lift it up, and I move my hands to echo her, bunching under her blue skirts and pulling away so I can push and bunch it over her hips, revealing her soft skin that lay beneath it. She reaches around and unzips my dress, causing it to fall in a puddle of ruffles around my ankles and I kick it away.

My heart begins to beat faster but in a good way and I put my hands on Katniss' now bare hips, tilting my head down to lead a trail of kisses across her collarbone and down to her breast where I lingered for a moment before kissing down her stomach.

The fact that my father could walk through the door at any given moment is what thrills me the most; not only am I participating in what my father may deem as forbidden love, but I am also delving into something I know is risky. I rarely ever takes risks, so this is exciting for me. I stand back up to Katniss's level and slide a hand behind her neck, leaning in to kiss her lips with passion once more and sliding my tongue back into her mouth as I feel her reach for the elastic band of my underwear, pulling it away so she can dip her hands past the fabric and into my flesh. I moan into her mouth, unable to control my reaction and a smirk spreads across her face.

She removes her hand from my underwear and backs me up until I fall over and onto the piano bench where she then forcefully removes the remainder of my clothing, leaving me completely naked on the bench. She looks down at me with fire in her eyes and I can't help but smirk back at her, my eyes filled with lust as I watch her undress and then move to straddle my lap. I lick my lips and look into her eyes as she leans down to take my breast into her mouth while moving her hand down my side and back to where it had been only moments before. I feel as if I should be giving her the same pleasure but in this position there is only so much I could do.

Gripping the sides of the piano bench to keep myself steady I let out another moan, much louder than I would like. Katniss takes her mouth from my breast and moves up to my lips. "Shh," she whispers against them. "We don't want anyone finding us in this position, now, do we?" Her voice is seductive and I can't help but become even more turned on by just that, not to mention her fingers keep doing their work the entire time. I whimper and she removes her fingers from me, kissing down my stomach until it is her mouth that is doing the work rather than her fingers.

"Katniss," I breathe out, a soft moan, attempting not to be too loud. I can feel myself being worked up into euphoria, into a world where pleasure is the absolute only feeling left. I arch my back against the bench as Katniss slips her fingers back in, her tongue still working its magic. I suddenly feel myself let go, an entirely too loud of a moan escaping my mouth. I quickly let go of the side of the bench with one hand and slam it over my mouth, biting the skin of my fingers to keep from screaming. Katniss removes her fingers, looking up at me to make sure I am watching before she smirks at me and crawls over top of me to pull my hand from my mouth and kiss me tenderly. "Your turn," she says against my lips.

"My pleasure," I reply, standing up and biting her lip, pushing her against the piano like we had started, hoping that maybe the sounds of the keys will muffle Katniss' moans if she were to do so.

I prop her up so she is half sitting on the keys, half standing before I move my hands down to please her. At first they work slowly, being gentle with her but still pleasurable enough for me to feel that her breathing has gotten heavier. It isn't until she whispers "Faster" into my ear that I quicken the pace of my fingers, hearing her gasp in reaction and trying desperately to find something to grab onto but only hitting the keys instead, producing a crash of music. DONG, DONG, DONG!

"Hmmmm….. Mmmmm…. Uhhhh….. Huhh….." Katniss's moans are sexy, and thankfully, totally obscured by her shaking fingers slamming out random, discordant notes on the piano. I keep my pace steady but I can tell she wants more by the way she is thrusting her hips into my hand, causing my fingers to delve deeper inside of her. It is at this moment I am thankful for my long musician's fingers.

"Don't stop," she groans out, and I don't. Just her reaction at my touch is causing me to want more myself when even just a moment ago I felt as if I couldn't handle any more. I quicken my pace yet again, and look up to see Katniss biting her lip and doing everything to keep from being too loud. Curling my fingers up inside of her I can feel her knees go weak and I move her to the piano bench so she could lay down and continued my work from there. My fingers dive into her fast and hard the way I have quickly determined she likes and add my tongue into the mix. She is squirming under me, thrusting her warm heat into my lips, fucking my face, panting out small moans and trying to keep from letting go, but she soon does. I can feel her lower lips tighten around my upper ones as well as my fingers and she releases, immediately relaxing her body against the piano bench and trying to catch her breath.

I remove my fingers from her and stand up, and she smiles at me, getting to her feet. "I love you too," she finally says after all of this time, kissing me sweetly.

"We should get dressed," I murmur along the seam of her mouth. "My father could be home any minute." Katniss smirks at me. "Well who would have thought, Madge Undersee, the quiet reserved daughter of District 12's mayor has a wild side?" I laugh and blush slightly, back to my old self. I grab my dress and slip it over my head, having Katniss zip me back up and then watching her redress herself.

I can hear the sound of the door opening and quickly take my place at the piano bench, starting to play another one of the songs I had learned as a child. My father walks in the door and smiles over at me. "That sounds wonderful, Madge," he says, and I stop playing to smile up at him. "Thank you, Father."

He then turns to Katniss. "Katniss, dear. Still here? Why it's almost supper time, shouldn't you be getting home?"

Katniss nods in agreement. "Yes, sir. I guess I got a little too caught up with Madge," she tells him, standing up. "Those fingers of her, they work magic." I can't help but smile to myself, knowing what she really means by her comment. "I'll walk you out," I tell her and then reassure my father I'll be right back.

I open the door for her and step outside, closing it almost all the way. Before she has a chance to say anything, I grab one of her hands and lean in and kiss her lovingly, pulling away to smile at her once I am done. "Can I see you tomorrow?" I ask, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Of course. Meet me in the meadow at noon, I'll bring you a surprise." I smile and she gives me one last peck on the lips before walking away. I retreat back into my home, shutting the door behind me and still smiling.

These piano lessons just keep getting more interesting.