PEETA

I keep my arm around Katniss until we get outside. Then I slip my hand into hers. Our house for the night is a few houses down and a very short drive away. It requires us to walk back to my car and drive out to it. Thankfully it's stopped raining.

We get to the car before either of us says anything.

"Sorry, I had no choice," I squeeze her hand then let it go and focus on looking for the house

"It's ok Peeta. Whoever waved us this way just assumed."

I try not to look at her and instead focus on the house. Once I park, I secure my arm around her waist again and guide her inside.

You can let go of me, you know," Katniss says, once when I shut the door and lock it behind her.

"We're inside now."

Another clap of thunder rattles the little house and I feel the muscles in Katniss's back tense up.

She pulls away and goes to the bathroom. I explore the rest of the house. So far, I find the bathroom, the bedroom, a little reading nook, and when I walk out of the small office I hear Katniss in the living room. She's started the fireplace

I sit next to her, stretching my arms across the back of the couch. We sit in silence for a while before I break it. "Are you okay? You know with all of this."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. You probably think I'm insane. Scared of thunderstorms." Katniss stares into the fireplace.

"No. Well, it's a little strange, but I'm not judging you." I notice her shivering from getting wet in the rain. "Hey. Um, I have an extra sweatshirt in my car. You can wear it to warm you up. There's also a dryer by the bedroom and extra robes."

KATNISS

"I'll take the sweatshirt if you don't mind, running back out in the rain to get it."

"Of course," he says and grabs his car keys off the counter. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he leaves, I immediately text Madge.

Me: I'm stuck with him in a townhouse with one bed! What am I going to do?!

Madge: Ok honey, you are going to have to call me and explain. Who is him exactly?

Me: Peeta!

Madge: Ohhh bakery boy? Details.

Me: I'll call you when he's not around. Gotta go.

Peeta comes back incense on the other end of the couch. "Here you go." He tosses me his sweatshirt.

I take it from him and purposely let my hand linger on his just for a moment. "Thanks." I pull it over my head.

"What did you do? Keep this in a warmer?" I asked.

It's soft and warm and smell amazing. Does he smell like this all the time?

He chuckles. "No. I drove to the restaurant up the road and just set it on the heated seat."

I looked over my shoulder and two containers sat on the counter. "You didn't have to do that."

Peeta relaxes and put his arm on the back of the couch, inches away from me. "Well the restaurant owner stopped me on my way to my car. He said and I quote, "would you and your girlfriend like some dinner? It's free."

"Free is good. And I'm sorry I dragged you I to this. It's mainly my fault." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"How is any of this your fault?" He gestures around us.

"If I didn't have car trouble, we wouldn't be here."

"Come on, let's eat." Peeta holds out his hand for me. I take it for some reason. We move to the kitchen and sit beside each other at the kitchen island.

We eat dinner in silence. But I can tell Peeta is deep in thought. "Will you just say what's on your mind. I see you looking at me."

Peeta pushes his plate away from him and turns to me. He covers my hand with his. "Why are you scared of thunderstorms so much?"

I immediately feel tears forming. Ugh this is not like me. I try to whet up but Peeta stops me.

"It's okay. You can tell me." He says in the most comforting way.

He takes my hand and leads us to the couch. I sit close enough to get an extra hint of cinnamon and vanilla.

I take a deep breath. "That's how my parents died. A thunderstorm came out of nowhere and they couldn't find proper shelter." I sniffle loudly.

"Oh Katniss. I'm sorry. I can see why you froze up earlier." Peeta rubs his thumb along the back of my hand.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I wipe a tear away. "Pretending to be my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry Katniss, that was my fault. I could have said you were my friend. But I couldn't do that," Peeta says. He stops rubbing my hand and instead takes hold of it.

I look down and swallow the lump in my throat. Man my hormones are all over the place. "Why not?"

"Because. I like you Katniss. I have for a long time." He stares into my eyes with his sparkling blue eyes.

"I…..I need to go lie down." I leave him sitting on the couch and curl up on the queen size bed. What the hell just happened?

What has Peeta done? What will Katniss do next?

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