Chapter 7

"Popcorn?"

"No."

"No, thank you."

"No."

Haymitch shrugged. "More for me."

Only eight hours ago, Katniss had furiously stormed out of Haymitch's house, throwing her jacket and backpack into her old Ford, cursing everyone in the little township. Where was it written that she was looking for a boyfriend? Did she seem that desperate?

Well, she must, if even the village drunk wanted to hook her up with someone.

Later, still in a foul mood, she had found herself in the office of the Scout headquarters, checking invoices and delivery notes when Effie appeared in the doorway, dressed as if she was about to attend the Queen's garden party.

"Darling, here you are," she said. "Where have you been the last few days? Are you feeling well?"

"Yes," Katniss lied through her teeth, trying her best to imitate Effie's high-pitched voice.

"Wonderful, wonderful." Effie's smile widened. "Do you already know what are you wearing tonight?"

Surprised, the young woman looked up. "Tonight?" she repeated lamely.

"Yes, of course." Affected, Effie's hand wandered towards her heart. "Tonight is your date with Gale."

Katniss frowned. She had completely forgotten about the date, or more accurately, successfully repressed it. What should she do? To gain time, she looked at the old-fashioned paper calendar on the desk, tapping her pencil against it. "It's just that," Katniss swallowed hard, "I already have a date..."

"Excuse me?" The blood drained from Effie's flawless face as she dropped into the nearest wooden chair. "Who with?"

"Peeta Mel..." My God, Katniss thought, what was his name again?

Very dramatically, Effie closed her turquoise-painted eyelids and forced herself to stay calm, cursing her former lover right to hell and back again.

"Mellark," she breathed finally and Katniss nodded, keeping her eyes lowered, ready to face Effie's anger.

"I understand," Effie sniffled, looking for a handkerchief in her little purse. "Of course, we have no chance against Haymitch's nephew. But please don't forget, young lady, I've taken you in as a complete stranger, introduced you to everyone in our little town and given you an important position at work." Effie raised her head in a dramatic gesture and straightened her back, striving for dignity. "Without me, you would know no one; you would be only serving coffee in the next village."

Katniss looked up, noticeably contrite. She owed Effie something but she didn't want to end up as another notch on Gale's bed only for Effie's sake.

Finally, she drew a deep breath and made up her mind. "I'll go."

As a consequence, the date was very different from what Effie would ever have planned. In order not to disappoint anybody, Katniss accepted Gale's date at the cinema, but with Peeta in tow. And since Haymitch couldn't justify leaving Katniss alone with two young men full of testosterone, he decided to go with them. Or rather to escort them, since Effie had selected tickets for an old-fashioned, romantic drive-in cinema.

Noisily, Haymitch sipped on his Coke, enjoying the view of the big screen while he remembered how much fun he had once had on the back seat of his old pickup.

"Who picked the movie?" Peeta asked innocently.

"My aunt," Gale answered through clenched teeth while he silently cursed the two other men who were sitting in the car with him.

"This could be rough, kids," Haymitch smirked. "Embrace the probability of a soppy, sentimental love story."

As it turned out, he was completely wrong. The longer the movie went on, the lower Katniss sank down in her seat, sitting right next to Haymitch in the back, holding her two hands in front of her pale face, simply horrified.

How could Effie have chosen this film?

"What, what does the woman with the whip..." she stammered.

Gale rolled his eyes and looked at his smartphone for the hundredth time. This girl must have come from a nunnery, it shot through his head.

"No!" She clasped her hands in horror, but was unable to take her eyes off the screen. "That's, that's ..."

"What's the matter? She's got the whip, not him." Haymitch pointed out.

Peeta cleared his throat, trying his best to hide his embarrassment. "Could we please drive home?"

Totally satisfied with himself, Gale stepped on the gas: he'd thought they'd never ask.

...

Stopping in front of Abernathy's house, Gale waited just long enough for them all to climb out before driving away as fast as he could, hoping to see none of them ever again.

Still feeling awkward, Peeta cleared his dry throat, trying to salvage the situation as he said, "I think a cup of hot tea would be a good idea, wouldn't it?"

Haymitch nodded, eyeing the girl next to him who was staring at the curb, still unwilling to look at anybody, before giving his nephew the door-key and watching him walk up to the house, heading off into the darkness.

"Hey, Swee-"

"Stop it!" Katniss hissed, crossing her arms over her chest as she lowered her head, hiding herself behind a curtain of black hair.

"Come on, Katniss, I didn't choose the movie," Haymitch said in a reasonable voice, shrugging. "And Effie didn't either."

The young woman ignored his words, while Haymitch leaned casually against his garden fence, taking in the sight of her. Her lips were pressed together in a hard, thin line and her usual pale face showed a hint of pink. Finally, he let his eyes wander further, up to the magnificent, endless evening sky.

"I didn't expect anything else from Hawthorne," he said tonelessly.

Katniss just snorted, pulling her denim jacket closer around her slender body.

"What the hell was the moron thinking?"

"Well, maybe he wanted to get rid of you as fast as possible." Haymitch shrugged his broad shoulders. "Or he wanted you on his backseat, sweetheart; we'll never know."

The girl inhaled sharply, glaring at him while his eyes glittered with mirth.

"Fine," she answered grimly, swearing to herself that if she ever saw Gale again, she would shoot an arrow right into his arrogant head.

Finally, she pulled herself together and turned around, ready to walk home on her small kitten heels.

"Hey, Katniss, haven't you forgotten something?"

The young woman stopped, turning back to the man at the fence. "Forgotten what?" Small wrinkles appeared on her forehead.

"What about Peeta?" Haymitch asked, still in a calm tone, crossing one ankle over the other.

"What about him?" she asked, perplexed.

"I think he deserves a chance."

"Why?" Katniss asked, pulling a face.

"Because he's a good kid," Haymitch said mildly, not impressed by her petulant behavior.

The wrinkles on her forehead deepened, and a dark shadow fell over her face before she answered.

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend and I haven't asked anyone to interfere in my affairs!" she spat.

Slowly, he shook his head, smiling to himself. Such a beautiful face but stubborn as hell, he thought, as he pushed himself away from the wooden fence, walking towards her, never letting his piercing blue eyes move away from hers. Finally, Haymitch stopped in front of her, putting his hands out of his pockets, and reached out, taking a lock of her hair in his hand, brushing his fingers smoothly over the dark curl.

"When was the last time you were kissed?" he asked bluntly.

"What?" she asked perplexed, feeling his warm breath on her chilled skin.

"A real kiss, one that takes your breath away and sets your body on fire." His voice was soft, hypnotic in her ears and a strange sensation crept over her as she stared at him, totally baffled by his behavior.

"I guess," he whispered softly, leaning close, not letting his gaze leave hers. "You've been waiting for this kiss for a lifetime."

His words were gentle, persuasive, so she closed her eyes, tilting her head and parting her sensual lips, full of anticipation...

"The tea's ready," a clear voice called from the kitchen window, and Haymitch took a step back; his hand released her silky lock, and the magic of the moment was gone.

"See, sweetheart," he said with glittering eyes. "Peeta's a really good kid."

Feeling as if someone had thrown a glass of cold water right into her face, Katniss nodded, longing for Haymitch's touch again as she added Peeta to her to-shoot list, right behind Gale.