Katniss was quieter than usual, and a little withdrawn. Peeta thought she was tired, and certainly she was. But he sensed it was more than that. She was pulling away from him, subtly, not the way she'd run in the early days of their relationship. But there was a distance. A chill.
They hadn't spent the night together since Boxing Day.
He tried not to pressure her, but he missed her, and the more he reached for her it felt like the less she responded.
She worked through New Years, and Peeta knew, rationally he knew, that it was because she had no seniority at the hospital. But sitting by himself at Finnick's place, surrounded by other couples, watching the clock count down to midnight alone with a lukewarm beer hurt like hell.
So when she mentioned two days later having a day off, and was amenable to spending it together, Peeta rang Dels right away and she agreed to open the bakery for him.
He'd drop everything, to spend time with Katniss.
He decided to take her surfing, a lighthearted, fun adventure, the kind of outing she seemed to like, the kind of outing where she sometimes let down her guard.
Her beautiful smile when he suggested it made him rethink his worries. Tired, he decided. Overworked. Not bored of him. Not yet.
He took Katniss down the coast to Jervis Bay, where the ocean was gentle enough for a beginner. It was still early in the season, but the waves were decent and the sun was bright. Katniss dropped her big tote on the sand and shook out a blanket while he ran for the surf to show off a little.
As soon as he was up on the board, he turned to look at Katniss… then promptly wiped out. She was standing in the shallows, wearing a bright orange rashie that was so clingy it concealed nothing, overtop of tiny green bikini bottoms.
How could a man be expected to concentrate on the waves in the presence of perfection?
Her laughter soothed his bruised ego. Making Katniss laugh, he decided, was his life's goal.
It hit him then, how much he was thinking about a future with Katniss. And it stung. Because she wasn't thinking that way, clearly. He was arranging his life around her, and it felt like she was keeping him at arms' length.
But she was looking at him with simmering heat and an affectionate smile and he decided he was overthinking things. She'd shared her sister with him, and her dad, however reluctantly. She would let him in, he was sure of it. She just needed the right opportunity. He'd give her that, show her he was interested in all of her and give her the support she needed to open up.
"Your turn on the board, love," he said with a smile.
She snorted. "I don't think so, Hotshot. I value my life."
Peeta laughed, and it felt so good after a few tense days. "These are baby waves," he said. "Even the ankle biters are out there." He gestured towards the azure bay, where a bunch of grommets no bigger than Charlie were hanging ten. "Being dunked in the surf and losing part of your cossie is a true baptism."
"Yeah well, when your baseline is Australia, you need a lot of excitement to actually get some excitement. My baseline is Canadian lakes, not ten metre waves and killer sharks."
Peeta sidled up to Katniss, inhaled the sweet scent of her sunscreen. His hands slipped under the hem of her rashie to caress the hot, smooth skin of her waist. "Don't worry, love," he teased. "I'll take real good care of you."
He couldn't see her eyes under her sunglasses, but her smile was enough. She lifted up onto her toes and kissed him, softly. A tease of things to come.
They frolicked like children in the summer sunshine, laughing. Katniss, it turned out, was an excellent swimmer, but it didn't stop him from pretending to help. Any excuse to put his hands on her, to carry her through the surf, to kiss the salt from her lips.
She did manage to get up on the board, and he shouted triumphantly. The sight of her wet bikini bottoms clinging to her arse as she wobbled precariously was nearly Peeta's undoing. Only the crowd of families on school holiday prevented him from tossing her on the blanket and having his way with her.
He did kiss her on that blanket, over and over as they enjoyed the lunch he'd packed for them. Then they laid in the shade of a beach umbrella Peeta had stuck in the sand, enjoying the cleaner air by the ocean.
Katniss was watching a little girl build a sandcastle with her parents a ways up the beach, dark plaits sticking out from under a red sun hat. Peeta couldn't see Katniss's eyes behind her sunglasses, but there was something sad and mournful about her expression. Peeta suspected the little girl resembled Katniss's late sister. He'd seen her looking at his nieces the same way. "Did you go to the beach with your sister when you were little like that, back home?" he asked, nodding towards the child. He knew she lived far from the ocean in Canada, but she had mentioned a lake, and she was definitely comfortable in the water. And the way she was staring at that child, like she'd seen a ghost, it had to be more than just a superficial physical resemblance.
Katniss glanced at him, startled, and maybe a little shaken. As if he'd read her mind. But she pulled herself together quickly. "Uh," she said. "No. Not really."
He cocked an eyebrow. She was a terrible liar. Katniss grimaced slightly, but shrugged. "I mean, maybe a couple of times. I don't really remember."
Another lie, Peeta noted. He was confused. But he let her keep her secrets, this time.