I know. It's been like 5 years. I've had a lot of issues going on. Like having brain surgery this year. Anywho, I am hoping to reprise this story. Reviews and comments. Did you like it? Do ya hate it?
We decide to get matched the next week. Getting matched isn't anything special in the way weddings used to be. I went to the special occasions area of the bunker, a tiny 8x8 room with cement walls like the rest of the bunkers, and picked out a dress. These dresses weren't anything to write home about. There was no originality, in fact, all of the dresses had been worn to many match ceremonies. I just had to pick out the best of what was there and hopefully it would fit me. Peeta had it easy, he just had to put on his nicest uniform.
While we were waiting to get matched, the rest of our lives went about as normal. We went to work. We ate. We hung out after work. We got assigned our new bunker, which would be ours the day we matched. It was a weird feeling knowing that we were going to end up living together when all of this was said and done. I knew getting matched would spur on our lives in terms of having kids, and I was nervous as hell for it. I didn't know the first thing about sex. Hell, I had never even kissed a boy. Those were the thoughts that had kept me up most nights that week, until finally I had to tell Peeta.
We are in the workroom, as usual, talking about the different things that would change soon.
"We will be living together soon," Peeta says excitedly. I am excited for this part, but I couldn't get past the nerves.
"I know. Won't it be a little weird?" I asked. For me, it would be very weird. I haven't lived with anyone since my parents had died.
"Weird how? We already spend most of our time together after work. We will just end up in the same bed every night," he says with a wink. Of course this won't bother him. Of course he can make a joke about it. Nothing phased Peeta. Ever.
"That's what I'm talking about, Peeta! We have to sleep together."
"In more ways than one!" he exclaims, loving to rile me up whenever he had the chance.
"Aren't you nervous? We have to… ya know," I said.
"Ya know, what?"
"WE HAVE TO HAVE SEX!" I accidently yell. Thankfully, everyone else is gone from the book room as we have just finished our shift.
"And? We are going to be matched. That's exactly what they expect us to do." Peeta looks at me then. His eyes are calm, his face serene. He is not understanding my worries.
"Peeta, I have never even kissed a boy. I don't… I guess I am nervous. I don't want to let you down." I am panicking inside. I could feel it. What if he didn't like what happened? What if I didn't? What if we were stuck together in a nervous state of mess and couldn't even look at each other afterwards?
"Kat, calm down," he whispers, coming to stand by me. "It will be fine. I am in love with you. It will be great, okay? We don't have to do anything you aren't ready for. I would be fine just knowing I get to sleep beside you," he finishes, kissing me on the temple.
"You aren't afraid we are going to be miserable, and awkward, and awful," I ask, a bit calmer.
"No. We will be together. Through all of it. Through anything. As long as I have you, nothing could bother me."
"Okay, you are right. I love you," I whisper, trying out the words. I've felt it for a while, but I've never actually said it. It feels right. It feels amazing.
"I love you too, Kat." He is looking at me again, with those mysterious, soulful eyes. He moves toward me, for what I think is going to be my first kiss. Our first kiss. He pauses just a breath away from my lips, his eyes asking me a question. I nod my head, just barely, and his lips are on mine. At first I am nervous, rigid. I don't know what to do. I finally unfreeze, tangling my hands in his hair. I am breathless against him, not wanting to stop. We finally run out of air, and I put my hands on his chest.
"Wow," he says softly, smiling down at me.
"Yes. Wow. In all the times I have imagined being kissed for the first time, I never imagined that… electricity." I am still breathless.
"If our kisses are like that, what do you think the rest is going to be like?"
I couldn't even begin to imagine.
On the day of our matching ceremony, Grace helps me get ready. She is a godsend. I don't have a lot of options in the way of our ceremony, especially not anything that hasn't been done before hundreds of times. But, I want to look nice. Grace artfully braids my hair to the side, the way my mother used to. I put the dress on, trying to get it to stay straight and wrinkle-free. I glance in the mirror of my room, checking my reflection. I see a woman who is getting matched. I see excited eyes. A nervous mouth with lips I can't stop biting. I see my room for the last time. After looking around one more time, I am ready. I am ready to begin my new life.
I head towards the Ceremonies room where all matches and other events take place. I spot Peeta, looking dashing as usual, heading to the same spot I am.
He leans in close once we are a step apart. "Nervous?" he asks. I have to pause and think. Am I nervous? Not really. I am excited to begin our lives together. I am excited to be with Peeta.
"No. I am ready." He kisses my cheek and takes my hand to lead me toward the room where our matching will be officiated.
As we are walking, the drill alarms go off. Peeta swears. Even if you are doing something big, if the sirens go off in the bunkers, you are to stop whatever you are doing and proceed to your spot.
"Didn't we have our monthly drill already?" I ask. I know we did. Just a few days ago. It is highly irregular to have two monthly drills. Its highly irregular to have any drills go off except the monthly ones.
"That's weird…," Peeta trails off, looking at the chaos of people heading to their spots. It is crazy. People are panicked because this can't be a monthly drill. This has to be something else. We hurry along trying to get to our spots before they close the bunker down. Just as we get to our spot, the alarms stop and an announcement is made.
"Citizens of Bunker Two, please listen to an important announcement from The Team."