A week later
Peeta stepped back and took in the room he had spent the last two hours decorating. Now, he finally felt home, surrounded by the few things he owned that really mattered to him. Above his bed, right on the center of the wall, was his collection of jerseys. On the left was his Canadiens jersey - rooting for the Canadiens was kind of a tradition in his family, his mother's side of the family being from Québec and all. That was his last birthday's gift from his uncle Haymitch. On the middle of the wall was his Giants jersey, the one he often wore when practising football with his friends, that was downright ratty by now but that he loved so much. On the right, there was his brand new New York City FC jersey, that his father had given to him as a 'parting gift', as he dramatically called it. Thinking of his father made Peeta smile, as he's always had a special relationship with his father - which was truly encouraged by his mother's disdain.
Now that he thought about it, it felt like everything he ever did was because he needed to feel good about something, and prove to his mother that he wasn't the actual failure she thought he was. On the bright side, it was a big part of the reason why Peeta was who he was - good at sports, sensitive, smart, open-minded, and a kind boy. At school, he had always been the cool kid, and the girls practically threw themselves at him. Sometimes, he showed some interest in them. Most of the time, he didn't.
But he took pride in the fact that besides his kind nature, he was also tough. He knew what hard work was and 'had a good head on his shoulders', as his uncle said - usually followed by a coughing fit that could last a while. Peeta's uncle, Haymitch - his mom's resented little brother - was born and bred in Canada and moved to Paris about 5 years ago. He used to work for the UN but decided to quit, feeling a sense of strong unfairness and powerlessness despite working for the biggest international organization. When he got the job, he dreamt of changing the world but as time passed he realized he was just a helpless idealistic and that some things just never changed. So he left everything behind and went to France's capital city and opened a bar. Haymitch always joked that at least, he could sell happiness for a night as 'a well drink was pretty much the closest thing to bliss'. Or maybe he wasn't joking, Peeta didn't really know - or maybe he did.
The young man took in the rest of the room, with the old desk his uncle gave him because 'he would need it more than him'. Right above the desk, he had posted all his favorite pictures. Most of them were of him smiling with his brothers, covered in mud, bruises and cheap beer as the years passed. There were also pictures of him working at the bakery with his dad - this time covered in flour - and the pictures his friends took for their graduation party a few months earlier. Peeta already felt like it all happened a lifetime ago.
He had also converted a small space of his room into a drawing space, with canvases and paint and brushes he had just bought. Although he hadn't actually drawn or even sketched anything since he arrived, he was thankful for his big room and the possibility of having even just a small space to draw in peace, not having to share his room with one of his brothers anymore.
Feeling in a particularly good mood, the young man decided to go out and meet Haymitch at the bar. His uncle had offered him a few times already to come by and say hi, and Peeta could tell that it mattered to him. He figured now was as good a time as any. Grabbing his jacket, he locked the door and walked the 5 min-walk that separated the apartment from the bar. The young man came to a stop in front of a pretty-decent looking bar named Le Geai Moqueur, and as he walked in, he was overwhelmed by a strong scent of tobacco, wood, and fries. The bar was actually crowded, even for a Sunday evening, and at only 7 pm, Peeta could already hear the laughters of tipsy - or clearly drunk- people coming from every corner. Rock'n'roll music was playing in the background, and all the 5 pool tables were occupied. Peeta smiled with pride at his blatant uncle's success.
"Peeta !" He looked up to where the powerful voice came from and saw his uncle at the far right of the bar, putting some money in the cash register. "You finally decided to show up ! What do you wanna drink ? It's on the house," Haymitch said as he winked at his nephew.
"Uh, I don't know, surprise me !" Peeta laughed. It was fun to think that while his friends on the other side of the Atlantic had to wait until they turned 21 to legally drink, he on the other hand could drink pretty much everything he wanted at only 18, without having to get a fake ID.
"Hey Finn, get your pretty ass over here !" shouted Haymitch, in the direction of the pool tables. Peeta saw a guy, likely the Finn in question, curse at Haymitch and walking over. He was an athletic guy, with copper hair and gleaming green eyes.
"What do you want old drunk ? I was totally gonna get this girl's number, so I hope it's fucking important." The guy smirked and waved at the girl he was hitting on.
"Ha ! So I guess I did my good deed of the day !" the older man guffawed. "Aight look, this is my nephew Peeta," he said as he clapped him on the shoulder. "I told you about him moving here and all, so I expect you to show him all the good places and stuff like that," he mumbled as he poured himself a shot of tequila or whatever the nearest bottle's content was. "Now get the fuck out of my sight and have some fun, kids. I have a business to run."
Finn laughed and Peeta rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless.
"Finnick," said the young man, introducing himself properly.
"Peeta. So, how come you speak English ? You're not from here, are you ? You don't really have a French accent" Peeta asked as they made their way to the pool tables.
"I'll take that as a compliment, mate," grinned Finnick. "Nah, I'm Scottish, but I moved here with my parents 3 years ago, when I was 16." Finnick thought for a second before adding "Although my parents moved back to Aberdeen a few weeks ago, but they left me the apartment they had bought so.. finally free !" he half-shouted, his hands in the air.
"So do you study in Paris ?" Peeta asked, curious.
"Yeah, I study oceanography. I'm about to get my licence. But as soon as I have spare time, I spend it here. Haymitch often offers drinks when he's wasted and doesn't give a shit, and he even lets us smoke in here - which is kinda illegal in France," Finnick laughed.
"Wow that's kinda cool. The oceanography thing, I mean," Peeta mumbled.
Finnick threw his head back and gave a deep laugh. He then clapped Peeta on the shoulder and said "Aight come on, lemme introduce you to my friends. So here's my best friend..."
"Joanna," interrupted a brunette wearing a leather jacket and a pretty fierce look on her face. Peeta could detect a slight Spanish accent. "Eyo, handsome," she turned to Finnick, "well you've got yourself a real hot wingman, Odair." Then she took a sip of her drink, grabbed a pool cue from the hands of some guy and leaned forward, ready to hit the ball. In spite of his will, Peeta looked at the dark tribal tattoo Joaanna had on her lower back. She suddenly turned back to look at him, and knowing she had caught him basically staring at her ass, she winked at him and said "I think we're gonna get along just fine, pretty boy."
Finnick laughed and started ranting about 'women' and how men were really the victims. But then, Peeta lost the thread as the door opened and the most beautiful girl he had ever seen walked into the bar. Peeta tried not to stare too much at her, but he observed her from the corner of his eye making her way behind the bar with self-confidence and obviously getting to work. She was truly beautiful, with sparkling and alert grey eyes, an intricate braid hanging loosely behind her shoulder, and no hint of makeup. She acted in a very professional way, nodding curtly to patrons yet without seeming rude. Even from the corner of the room, Peeta could see she was a no-nonsense kind of girl. But then, he caught her smiling to Haymitch, and an actual shiver ran throught him as he thought she was radiant.
And Finnick, seeing right through him, whispered playfully in his ear "And this, my friend, is Katniss Everdeen - just in case you're wondering."
