Chapter 20: Week 9
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Her strange interaction with Peeta stayed with her for the rest of her shift. When it was time to close the gym for the night she hitched a ride home with Gale, who seemed to understand that she wasn't in a particularly chatty mood. She was grateful for his silence on the matter – he'd seen her leaving the yoga room with Peeta and must have seen the looks on their faces. Turning her head, she took in Gale's profile as he drove through the dark summer night. Maybe he wasn't as much of a dumbass as she thought.
Shuffling her feet up the uneven brick walk, she was a little more than surprised to see Effie on the unlit front porch….with Haymitch. His reliable igloo cooler full of Busch light was at his feet, and he and Effie were both lounging on lawn chairs with a citronella candle burning between them. The cold bottle of strawberry wine sitting next to it was dripping in the heat of the evening.
"Well hellooo Katniss dear," Effie called to her as she slowly traipsed up the steps. "How are you this evening?"
"I'm fine," she said slowly, her eyes darting between them. Haymitch gave her a shrug, then looked sheepishly out at the freshly cut lawn. Effie must have caught him after he'd mown the grass and cornered him on the front porch. The heat of the late June evening was stifling, but neither seemed to mind. Her upstairs neighbor had been boldly after Haymitch for months now, and she was glad to see her efforts were paying off. Effie grinned in the candlelight, offering her bottle to Katniss, who took a long swig of the sweet wine.
"Long day, Princess?" Haymitch asked, flicking a lightning bug from his arm.
"Just weird. Posy inside? I was supposed to watch her tonight."
"She's with Prim, yes. I believe they were doing manicures before bed! I had them all set up in the living room with the essentials!" Effie trilled gleefully, gesturing to the door. Katniss rolled her eyes at the jovial beautician and handed back the wine. She was glad that that her neighbor was finally settling down after her ex tried meddling with her work a few days prior.
"I'll um….leave you to it then," she replied awkwardly, pushing through the screen door.
What a strange day. She'd never seen Haymitch so much as tolerate Effie, and now here they were on the front porch huddled around a candle having drinks in the dark? Nothing made sense anymore. She found Prim on the couch with the TV muted, watching a reality show as Gale's younger sister dozed in the recliner in the corner. Their middle-floor apartment wasn't much – cheap furniture found mostly at garage sales and second hand stores, decorated simply with things from their childhood home, but it was comforting. Sometimes the pale peach walls in the living room made her a little nuts (who painted a wall peach?) but they brought warmth to the space. Prim lovingly referred to their current style as 'garage sale-boho chic', whatever that meant.
Katniss slumped down to the floor in front of the coffee table, leaning against the couch.
"Long day?" Prim asked, folding her legs up beneath her.
"Just…a weird day."
"Wanna talk about it?"
Katniss was silent for a few moments, pondering discussing her love live with her little sister. Prim was a good listener; thoughtful, honest, and introspective. And she was in college now, after all. She was no longer a baby, so what could it hurt?
"I….am just disappointed, I guess."
Prim shifted on the couch and held one of the throw pillows to her chest. "About what?"
"I…" she started, unsure of how to begin. How did she tell a story about something that hadn't happened? How could she explain to Prim that she felt completely rejected from something that hadn't even happened?
"I thought…something was going to happen and it just…didn't."
The sound of crickets chirping through the screens almost covered up the trill giggle from Effie on the front porch. Her eyes flicked towards the door, then back to the coffee table. Prim waited patiently for her to continue.
"You're going to have to elaborate, Katniss. What happened, errrm, didn't happen?"
"There's someone….that I met. At work. And he's….really nice."
"That's a start," Prim gently prodded in her sweet way. "Is he a coworker or?"
"Worse," Katniss laughed sourly, "A client."
"The Peeta guy? The one you're working with one on one?"
She nodded, glancing over her shoulder. Prim looked utterly captivated.
"So? What happened?"
"I thought he was going to invite me to…this sound stupid, but I thought he was going to invite me to be his date. He was in a wedding last weekend and we'd talked about him losing weight and trying on tuxes. I didn't know when it was, just that he was in it. He came in today and told me about it and I just…I think I embarrassed myself."
"Why?"
She snorted. "I just feel so…transparent."
Prim nodded in understanding. "You think he knew you wanted to go with him?"
Katniss thought back to talking to Peeta in the yoga studio. The smell of lavender hung in the air as he told her about going to the wedding alone and then about his eating spiral afterwards. He'd seemed too wrapped up his own issues to focus on her, but she couldn't help but think of how Peeta seemed to see right through her at times. He was a good listener and she felt like he could almost tell what she was thinking sometimes. The way his kind eyes would follow her and seem to absorb every word she said…she felt a shiver rush down her spine. Peeta was astute – she made no mistake about recognizing that about him.
"No. Maybe? I don't know. He admitted that he felt a lot better in his tux than he thought he would. I felt stupid for saying it, but I thought….maybe he might ask me to go? Is that dumb?"
"I don't think so, no."
"Well….it took a lot for me to admit it, but after talking about this tux I wanted to see him in it."
Prim grinned, hugging the pillow. "Nothing better than a hot guy in tux. Has he lost a lot of weight so far?"
"Twenty five pounds. He wasn't bad looking before, but now he…definitely looks good. That sounds bad, I…I could care less what he looks like, he's just my client. But the more I got to know him and we talked I just…saw something else in him."
Prim was quiet again, waiting for her to speak. When Katniss seemed to drift off into thought, she prodded gently.
"Who did he go with? To the wedding?"
"That's the thing," she said slowly, "…he went alone. And it made him feel really terrible, too. He told me he got really depressed and out of control after coming home alone and that's what started this sort of food bender he went on."
"Oh," Prim nodded, "So, do you think he was just…afraid to ask you?"
"I'm not even sure I'm on his radar, to be honest," Katniss sighed glumly. "At first I thought maybe, then…then this happened and I feel like he maybe doesn't see me that way. I tried to talk to him about what happened and he just sorta clammed up about it. I could tell he didn't want to discuss it really, but I weirdly couldn't….couldn't help it. I don't know what possessed me to be so nosy."
Prim reclined further on the couch, careful not to disturb Gale's sleeping sister. "Well…so he clearly isn't dating someone else, right? Or he would have taken her to the wedding?"
"I think you're right…" she replied slowly. She wrinkled her nose as she remembered one of her first conversations with Peeta from weeks ago.
"Well, the whole reason he started coming to the gym was to impress a girl who shot him down. He asked her out and she was really mean about it. Crap, I forgot about that. What if he's still hung up on her, and that's why?"
"What did she say to him?"
"Basically that she didn't date overweight guys."
"I think you just answered your own question. Does he still bring her up?"
"No, never. But what if he is?"
Prim sighed. "I'm worried you'll have to ask him, but that'll be awkward. Unfortunately I think you're going to have to make the first move before you can be sure."
"I think you're right again."
"But I doubt he's still worried about her," Prim tried to reassure her. "He didn't even know you then."
"Maybe…I mean, he doesn't look at anyone at the gym, but it's like…like he's afraid to. Like he's a kicked puppy who doesn't want to annoy someone. But I've never seen him checking anyone out, no. And he never gets like calls or texts from anyone when he's there. His phone is out all the time, I've seen it."
Prim thought a moment, her clear eyes clouded with thoughts as she chewed her bottom lip.
"Is he…really heavy?"
Katniss frowned. "No, I mean… I really think it's more in his head than anything. He's really shy and I think he hates to be the center of attention."
"Do you ever think maybe he isn't that experienced with girls and isn't even sure how to approach it? Like…like maybe he's just so shy and inexperienced he doesn't even know where to begin?"
Katniss leaned back against the couch, pondering her wiser-than-her-years sister's words. Peeta's round, blushing face instantly came to mind. The way he looked at her sometimes…like he was surprised she was even talking to him. Did Prim finally crack the code of Peeta Mellark?
"I mean….you said he was overweight. Do you think he's been that way his entire life?"
"He told me he has been, pretty much. He's athletic, he's just…there's nothing wrong with him!" she sighed, exasperated.
Prim held up her hands. "Having a few extra pounds isn't a character flaw, I'm not saying that," she replied gently. "But he's overweight, yes?"
"Yes," Katniss relented softly.
"So if he's been maybe…heavier his entire life, wouldn't it be safe to assume his confidence level around the opposite sex might not be that high?"
"You could be right."
"So it might not even occur to him that you're interested. Have you flirted with him? Or given him any hints that you're open to anything more than a work relationship?"
Katniss thought back to their friendly albeit slightly awkward encounters. While she wasn't entirely obtuse as to how to talk to the opposite sex, she wasn't exactly what one would call lucky in love. Her particular form of flirtation was usually issued in the forms of sarcastic remarks, challenges, and snappy retorts that only the most persistent of men usually took her up on. But what had that gotten her? A night with an idiot like Cato? Her old approach didn't seem to work and as the months went by, she'd given up hope of meeting someone. She'd been more inclined to focus on not getting fired while trying to get Prim through nursing school. It would appear that dating and flirting didn't come any easier to her than it did Peeta.
"Not….really," she admitted slowly. "I mean, I've been trying too hard to get to know him and be professional and not get fired that it sorta…slipped my mind to flirt with him. Everything I do makes him blush!" she chuckled to herself, thinking of the way Peeta's cheeks would redden at times.
"That's not bad that you've been getting to know him. Sometimes the best relationships happen when you're friends first and build something on more than just sexual attraction and lust," Prim pointed out.
Katniss turned to look over her shoulder and grin up at her little sister. "Since when did you get so smart about relationships?"
Rolling her eyes, Prim picked up the remote of the muted television. "I watch a lot of TLC and Bravo. It's like a guide of what not to do."
A strange day turned into an uncomfortably stuffy, hot night where she tossed and turned with strange dreams of chasing someone down long hallways and up stair cases. She didn't know who she was chasing or why, but every time she got close enough they would vanish into thin air or disappear around a corner. She woke feeling more tired than she did when she woke up.
Shuffling to the front porch the next morning, she glared down at her phone as she balanced her coffee mug in her hands. The morning was damp and already humid, but the sun was shining through the old oak trees lining her street. Somehow the sunlight helped her fight through the fog in her mind that was left over from her strange dreams.
Biting back her pride, she found the contact she was looking for and dialed. It rang three times before Gale picked up.
"This better be good," he grumbled into the phone.
"Oh, sorry, were you still sleeping?" she muttered, feeling instantly guilty. She'd forgotten about Gale's little sleepover with Jo the night before.
"I'm worn out, yes. What do you want?"
"I need you to do me a favor."
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Peeta stood on the back porch of his childhood home, gripping his water bottle in his hands. He hated, hated coming over for Sunday supper, but he'd ditched too many times recently to get away with it for another week. He'd had a good workout with Katniss that morning, although it had been slightly awkward talking about Thresh's wedding with her. He kept replaying the expression than flickered across her features as he told her about his night. Something in him told him that she was strangely interested in his evening. Common sense told him no, but there was something about all of her questions that kept him wondering. Then of course, the 'I would have danced with you' thing…yeah, that one would keep him up all night. Would she have really asked him to dance if she'd been there? Or if she'd been his date?
He shook his head at his own silly musings as the back door opened and his father came out onto the porch, bringing the smell of some sort of delicious meat concoction out with him. Brown sugar with hints of vinegar and honey, Peeta realized. Crap, this would be difficult to eat here while on a diet. He was back on the wagon for good, he decided. He'd brought his own canteen of cold water to drink so that he wouldn't be tempted with the icy beers or sweet tea his mother made. Dinner would be a butter covered, carb laden nightmare to navigate, but he'd survive somehow. Nothing was worse than waking up swollen and bloated after a night full of failure and backtracking.
"Bout ready to eat?" his dad asked, shaking him from his self-deprecating thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Peeta nodded.
His father frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, just…thinking."
"What's on your mind?"
Peeta glanced over his shoulder, waiting for the tell-tale clanking of plates from inside that guaranteed his mother was busy in the kitchen and they wouldn't be disturbed.
"Do you um….think its nuts if I buy a house?"
His father's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Why would I think its nuts? I think that's a great idea son, what made you want to do that?"
Peeta shrugged, sighing heavily. "I just thought it's time, maybe. Like I want a real place and not just a temporary space. I want to do projects and make it my own, and not pay rent," he chuckled. "I'm ready to put down some real roots and have a place of my own that's…home."
His father glanced over his shoulder, making sure as Peeta had, that his wife was busy in the kitchen.
"We didn't do a great job of making this place feel very homey, did we?"
"Sometimes no, but most of the time yes," Peeta replied thoughtfully, glancing up at the house he'd called home for the first chunk of his life. "Sometimes things weren't always great with mom and all that, but…I know that's how things are sometimes."
"You're right, but…I think you buying a house is a fantastic idea son. And if you do it…I've got some funds set aside and I'd like you have them."
It was Peeta's turn to be surprised. "Dad, I….I'm not looking to buy anything flashy, just a modest place. I don't need your savings…"
"It's not! It's not, come on," his father thumped him on his back. "It's just a little money set aside for such an occasion. It's something I'd love to give you."
Peeta was so touched he'd felt no shame in letting his father see him tear up slightly before they'd been beckoned inside. Dinner had been difficult to navigate, but he'd managed to eat mostly meat and green beans. He'd gotten some looks from his family when he'd passed on the dinner rolls his father had made, but if his mother had a snide comment about it, she'd kept it to herself. Before he left for the evening, he'd gotten a pinch on the cheek from Delly and another reassuring smile from his father, assuring him he was doing the right thing in looking for a house.
His good mood continued over to the next day. While most men likely hated wedding preparations, Peeta had grown up looking at wedding season as a time when he could really show off his talent and skill with a frosting bag. He'd spent most of the afternoon planning out the cake he had due on Saturday, and he was also looking forward to his Monday workout with Katniss.
He arrived at the gym and saw she was still finishing up instructing a yoga class in one of the studio rooms that lined the main floor. Try as he did, he still caught himself gawking through the glass door at her as she bent her body into one alluring pose after another. There was something so…sensual about the slow, controlled movements of her body. Like she was completely comfortable with herself and in control of every limb. The way she stretched and moved made him want to pant. He was so wrapped up in watching Katniss through the glass as she bent and moved that Gale's friendly smack on his shoulder nearly made him yelp in surprise.
"Heyyy now, you pay for a membership but the gawking ain't free," Gale chuckled, shaking his head at him.
Peeta's jaw dropped open. "No, I wasn't…I…that's to say I…"
Gale snickered and moved past Peeta towards the free weights. Giving bendy-Katniss one last longing glance, he trailed after Gale to try to clear his name. What would Katniss think if Gale told her he'd been gawking at her from afar as she worked? She was just doing her job, after all. He felt like a complete cad for staring at her that way when she wasn't even trying to be…provocative. Guilt washed over him as he realized what he'd been doing. He'd been positively leering at her and her best friend had caught him.
"I was just…I was looking for Katniss, we have a session soon…"
Gale started meticulously arranging the weights, returning each on to its proper place, all while shooting Peeta knowing smirks.
"I really mean it, I wasn't…."
Straightening up, Gale let out another snort. "Would you relax? You wouldn't be the first guy to scope out a girl in some yoga pants, bro. It's not punishable by death."
Peeta swallowed roughly as he started to look back towards the yoga studio. He caught himself and gripped the straps on his backpack instead.
"Listen, Gale…I'm just waiting for Katniss. I didn't mean anything by standing there, just….staring."
Gale frowned. "Look at you, crushing on your instructor," he gave him a knowing wink. "Does Catnip know you have the hots for her?"
Oh, this was bad and getting worse. Peeta could feel his control slipping away with every second. This was not how he pictured Katniss finding out he had a crush on her. This was not the first move he wanted to make. Shit….
Of all the ways he'd pictured making a move on Katniss, this was not it. Of course, he'd failed to come up with anything else, but this was practically a nightmare.
"She…oh fuck, no," he gave up, his eyes glued to the gym floor. "She doesn't know."
"Soo…what's stopping you?"
There was no way he could tell this tall, Adonis of a man the real reason he wasn't able to make a move on his friend. She's too beautiful and amazing for me, and so far out of my league I should be ashamed.
"I don't want to get her in trouble."
Gale stared at him, his blue eyes holding Peeta's gaze for an uncomfortable silence. "Is that really why?"
"Mostly," Peeta mumbled.
"You won't get her in trouble," Gale answered, his demeanor sobering from the playful jibes. "You could be discrete and be fine. This place sucks, but it doesn't run our lives. Crane doesn't control what she does when she's not here, man."
Peeta was speechless. His eyebrows shot up as he met Gale's gaze. Instead of laughing him off and telling him to get real about his crush, it sounded like Gale was almost…encouraging it. His mouth felt dry.
"I….I….I don't think I could," he glanced back at the yoga studio before catching himself. Katniss was wiping her brow with a towel as she stood, holding the glass door open for her students.
"Why not?" Gale asked. "You do like chicks, right?"
Peeta sputtered, "Yes!"
Another shrug. "Well then what's the problem? She's single."
His mouth felt like the Sahara at that point. "She wouldn't…I mean, I couldn't ask her out. She'd turn me down in a second, and I…." he trailed off before he went any further. The sheer panic and adrenaline from the past few moments had caused him to divulge way too much and he knew he had to stop.
"Can you just…I know you're friends, can you maybe not mention this to her?"
"Peeta…relax. I'm just giving you a hard time. I'm not going to tell Katniss you were checking her out."
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"He was totally checking you out. Drooling and everything," Gale snickered. He stopped wiping the windows long enough to give Katniss his best doe-eyed Peeta impersonation.
She paused her wiping, giving him the side eye.
"How do I know you're not making this up?"
"Catnip, I asked if he liked chicks, he said yes, I told him you were single and then told him I wouldn't tell you about it."
She frowned, nodding slowly. "That does sound like your typical bone-headed candor and insensitivity."
Gale nodded in agreement before he processed her words. "Yeah! Wait…"
She resumed cleaning the glass windows in the lobby. It was their last task of the day before clocking out after a long day. She'd had four yoga classes, Peeta's one on one, and then she'd been put on cleaning duty with Gale for an hour before close.
Working fast, she twisted her towel and snapped it at Gale's heels. "You sound like a jackass. I hope he knew you were just messing with him, Gale. Not everyone just says everything that pops into their head. I mean, could you have had less tact?"
"Hey," he yelped, jumping out of her reach. "You asked me to find out! So I asked. Simple."
Katniss rolled her eyes at her simpleton of a best friend. While she had tasked him with finding out more information on Peeta, she should have foreseen Gale's tactless approach. Well, tactless or not, she'd gotten her answer.
"He felt horrible for gawking at you. Or maybe just getting caught, but, whatever. But I don't think you should hold your breath on that kid makin' a move, Catnip."
"I sorta guessed," she muttered to herself, spraying another set of windows. She watched the blueish liquid slide down the pane and it reminded her of the way the little droplets of sweat would slide down Peeta's shapely jaw and down his neck. Even sweaty he smelled like cinnamon and sugar. She licked her lips at the thought. He'd worked so hard for her that day, pushing himself and never complaining. He was down another two pounds and had blushed pink when she'd congratulated him. He'd barely been able to look at her and well, now she knew why.
"So, what now?" Gale prodded.
She glanced at her friend and shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted quietly.
Gale offered her a helpless shrug before turning his attention back to his cleaning.
As embarrassing as Gale's talk with him had been, there had been good news and bad news.
The good news? Peeta was interested.
The bad news? He wouldn't do anything about it.
Her heart clenched in her chest as the answer finally came to her.
She was going to have to make the first move.
Hmm, any guesses as to what her move will be?
I hope this update finds you well during this strange time. So many of you commented and sent me words of encouragement last time that it really drove me to write and work on this a little every day, so thank you!
If you are home and bored, I hope this entertains you. If you are an essential worker, I hope you enjoy this when you finally find the time and can have some well-earned relaxation.
Thank you for reading everyone! Stay Safe!
