Chapter 5
"Cato, what are you doing here?" I ask.
It doesn't feel right. Panem and Cato are two completely different parts of my life. They were never meant to combine. My whole body tenses as I grow nervous about having him here.
"You didn't sound right on the phone. I was worried about you. Plus it is about time I visited your hometown," he replies.
I shake my head at him as I try to wrap my head around the fact he is here. In Panem. With Peeta.
"You didn't need to come. I can handle this on my own," I say.
Cato huffs and folds his arms across his chest. Mom and Dad look between each other but don't say anything. They can sense my tension and are scared to intervene in case they make matters worse.
"I know I didn't need to come but I wanted to see the place my fiancée grew up," he replies a little annoyed.
Guilt washes over me as he puts emphasis on the word fiancée. I can see that he is hurt about me shutting him out over this. He cares about me. Just wants to understand where I came from.
I haven't been a very good fiancée these last few days. I have refused him entry into my hometown, barely spoken to him and spent way too much time thinking about a rather frustrating and hurt ex. This town has a way of screwing with my head. Makes me forget my priorities. I should be focusing more on my fiancé and not ghosts from my past.
I relax my shoulders, soften my expression and give Cato a small smile as I take a step towards him.
"I'm sorry. I guess I am just shocked to see you here. I didn't expect you to turn up," I say as I walk towards him.
Cato's gaze softens and he drops his arms to his side as I stand in front of him.
"I just want to see what you are like here. It feels like there is this huge part of you that I don't know about," he says.
He has no idea just how much there is he doesn't know about me. Parts I never want him to find out. Things I can't expect him to understand.
"I'm not the same girl I was when I left here," I reply.
Cato shrugs his shoulders and reaches forward to tug me towards him.
"Maybe not. But I want to know where you came from," he replies tugging me closer. "Will you let me stay?"
His eyes look down at me with hope. It is clearly important to him that he sees Panem. And I think about how it would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. I would be hurt if I felt he was trying to hide something from me.
I give him a sweet smile as I wrap my arms around his waist.
"You can stay," I say. "But just to warn you, Mom will make sure we sleep in different beds."
Cato's grin widens as he realises that I am letting him stay. He dips down to gently rub his nose against mine.
"I'm sure I can work around that," he whispers with a cheeky smile.
His eyes sparkle with mischief and I lightly push him on the shoulder as I am aware my parents are still listening. Cato just grins wider and then closes the remaining distance to place a soft kiss on my lips. He has a huge smile on his face as he pulls back and tucks me into his side. He turns now to face my parents with a triumphant look in his eyes.
Mom, who was clearly trying to contain herself as she watched our conversation, suddenly lets it all out and squeals as she claps her hands together.
"It is so good to have y'all in Panem, Cato!" Mom exclaims. "I can finally show you some good honest southern food!"
Cato smiles politely back at her.
"I can't wait to try it," he replies.
Mom lets out an excited squeal before she rushes over to Cato and begins telling him about the best way to fry chicken.
Dad watches me carefully. He clearly sensed my anxiety over Cato's arrival and isn't quite sure what to make of it. I know he will watch me closely for the remainder of Cato's stay to try and figure out what has got me so anxious. I will have to be careful. Dad has always been able to read me so well.
I really try that evening to forget about Peeta and the divorce and try to concentrate on Cato. But it is hard as I keep thinking about what will happen if the two of them run into each other while Cato is in town. The town isn't very big and I think it unlikely that they will not see each other while Cato is here. All the different scenarios of what Peeta might say or do in front of Cato run through my mind, each one getting worse as I go on. I don't want them to meet.
It would have been awkward enough between them as it is but with a very hurt and angry Peeta on the loose I can't really predict what exactly will happen. I can only hope that Peeta has the good sense to stay away.
Mom smothers Cato at dinner time, making him way too much food, bombarding him with all the people he just has to meet while he is here and filling him in on all the town gossip. Cato takes it all in his stride but I can tell he is exhausted by the end of the evening.
Cato lets out a tired sigh as we say goodnight to each other in the hallway. Even though Mom knows we live together she still deems it improper for an unmarried couple to share a bed. I know she likes to think I saved myself for marriage but I lost count of the amount of times I had to hide Peeta in my closet because she had come home early. I swear the main reason people get married so young in Panem is to stop having to hide their sexual liaisons from their parents.
Cato wraps his arms around me as he leans his forehead against mine.
"I am surprised that your Mom can still breathe. I don't think she stopped for a breath once this evening," he says wearily.
I smile up at him as I gently caress the side of his face.
"This evening is nothing. Tomorrow she is going to want to introduce you to the whole town. And Mom isn't the worst of them. Be prepared for a barrel load of questions," I say.
Cato gives me a tired smile before shaking his head.
"Surely it can't be much worse," he replies,
I give him another smile before reaching up to kiss him goodnight. He has no idea what is about to hit him.
As I predicted, the rest of the town only reacts more enthusiastically over Cato's arrival than Mom. It is so rare to have a new person come through this town that they all fight for his attention.
We manage to avoid most of the town in the morning as they all attend the Sunday morning church service. Mom was disappointed that we didn't come with her and Dad but Cato has never been religious and I stopped going once I left town. I don't think I could put Cato through dull sermons and the whole town all at once.
We did have to agree to meet Mom and Dad in the diner after though. She seems to have encouraged all the town to come and have lunch in the diner too and Cato's eyes widen when he sees the amount of people coming up to us.
"You forgot to tell us how handsome he is, Katniss. You better watch out or I might just steal him off y'all," Sae says to us with a wink.
I let out a forced laugh as I examine the menu and point out to Cato what is safe to eat here. As we choose our lunch Darius come up to us and eyes Cato up and down.
"You know I keep a close eye on outsiders here. And Katniss has a special place in my heart. I won't have y'all hurting her," Darius says.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Cato says as he puts an arm around my shoulder.
Darius stares at us for a moment before giving Cato a satisfied nod and going off to order a pot of coffee. He is barely out of sight before the next well-wisher makes her way over to our table.
"You must be the lovely Cato. I am Mary-Anne Undersee. My daughter, Madge, was best friends with Katniss all throughout school. I have heard all about you!" Mrs Undersee exclaims.
Cato turns to me with a slightly scared look. He never imagined it to be like this. Madge's mom is already rattling off a bunch of questions about New York and our recent trip to Italy. I give Cato an apologetic smile before he turns back round to engage Mrs Undersee in conversation.
After that it is just a revolving door of nosy townspeople desperate to get their congratulations heard.
It is so unusual for anyone new to be in this town that Cato is like a shiny new toy. He gets asked an array of questions, everything from his job in New York to his favourite flavour of ice cream. I do the best that I can to deflect the questions but there is no stopping this town once they get started.
Mom beams with pride at being the center of attention and laps up all the nauseatingly nice comments about Cato. On more than one occasion she declares rather loudly how our wedding is most likely to be abroad and that Cato's dad has insisted that no expense will be spared. All the other middle aged women look at her with a mixture of awe and jealously. She will be living off this piece of gossip for months. Maybe for the rest of her life.
I can see the weariness setting in in Cato's eyes as Sae tries to feed him another slice of peach cobbler.
"Honestly, I can't eat another bite," Cato says shaking his head and rubbing his full stomach.
Force feeding guests seems to be some sort of tradition in the south.
Sae goes to protest, shoving the plate further in front of Cato but I stop her with a look.
"Actually, Sae, I think it is about time we got moving. I promised Cato I would give him a tour of the town," I say already pulling my purse out to pay.
I don't really want to give Cato a tour. There really isn't much to see but he insisted so I have relented and it gives us a good excuse to leave this diner.
Cato throws me a grateful look and I give him a smile in return. Sae is a bit startled at first, clearly she has a range of other dishes she wants Cato to try, but soon composes herself.
"Well of course you should take him on a tour. Make sure y'all take him to the Cartwrights' farm. It really has the best views at this time of year," she says.
I smile sweetly back at her.
"I will be sure to take him there," I say as I stand up.
Cato stands up to as he lays down a generous tip.
"I'm looking forward to seeing all that Panem has to offer," Cato says with a smile.
I have to try and hide my snort at the ridiculousness of his comment. Aside from fields and tractors there is not much else to see. But his comment pleases Sae and she smiles at him warmly.
"Be sure to come back. I still do the best fried chicken in the whole of Alabama," she says.
"I don't doubt it," Cato replies as he takes my hand.
We say a small farewell to my parents before we finally manage to leave the crowded diner. I know everyone will still be talking about us after we have left.
Cato lets out a weary sigh as we begin walking leisurely down the street. A few people throw us some polite hellos as we walk past but thankfully no one else stops us for a chat.
"I don't think I have been put under such intense scrutiny since I was interviewed for my place on the board," Cato says.
I smile at him apologetically.
"Now do you see why I didn't want to bring you here?" I reply.
Cato turns to me with a tired smile and squeezes my hand.
"I guess I am used to all the evil glares you get in New York if you so much as look in someone's direction," he says.
I laugh a little before we carry on walking in companionable silence.
"You know I really should take you on the tour now. Mom will be expecting all your thoughts about the town when we get back," I say.
Cato laughs.
"Lead the way!" he says gesturing his hand forward. "Show me all of Panem's hidden gems!"
I roll my eyes at the slightly over the top enthusiasm for the tour before I tug on his hand and pull him down the street.
I point out a few shops of note as we walk by but the only place he really wants to see is my parents' pharmacy. When my Mom was not bombarding Cato with questions about the wedding, Cato did manage to slip in a few of his own about the pharmacy and my dad's role there.
I tense slightly though as we approach the green plus sign. This may be the only place I want to show Cato but it is next to the one place I desperately want him to avoid. The bakery.
I know it will be closed on a Sunday but I really don't want to run into any of the Mellarks and you are never quite sure if one of them will have popped in to sort something out.
Thankfully none of them came to the diner after church so I have been saved from any awkward questions so far. I just hope it stays that way for the remainder of Cato's stay here.
We come to a stop outside my family's pharmacy and look through the windows. All the lights are off so you can't really see anything but Cato takes it all in carefully.
"So here it is. This is where I spent my summers slaving away as my dad used me for cheap labour," I say gesturing to the slightly run down building.
Cato turns to look at me with a smile.
"So this is where you developed your interest for science and medicine," he says.
I nod my head. Making up the prescriptions and handling the new medicine was what got me interested in chemistry and biology. As I grew up I became interested in the processes required to develop and create new medicines. Most of my research since I left grad school has been looking at the different medicinal uses of plants and herbs.
"It was about the only good thing I learned from here," I say.
I take a brief pause as I look at the peeling paint of the façade. This pharmacy was a huge part of my childhood and helped shape me into the person I am today.
"It almost makes me sad that I won't be taking it over once Dad retires," I add.
Cato gives me a small smile. He knows all too well the pressures of taking over a family's business. His dad has been grooming him to take over his publishing empire since he was five years old.
"We can't live our lives by our parents' expectations," he says.
I raise my eyebrows at him and he laughs. Cato was never going to do anything other than walk in his father's footsteps.
"I guess I am a bad example. But you have to do what makes you happy," he says,
I smile gratefully at him but as Cato turns he gets distracted by the display in the next window.
"Holy Shit! These cakes are impressive!" he declares.
I grimace as I force myself to look in the Mellarks' bakery window. I don't want to linger here.
The cakes in the window are indeed impressive. The bakery has always been about the only thing in Panem that doesn't scream small town. Peeta has always had a creative flair and delicate hands. The dainty frosted flowers and intricate swirls look out of place in this small town. It is clear that Peeta is talented when it comes to cake decorating and it always frustrated me that he never had a desire to take his talents elsewhere.
I try to move away from the window quickly but Cato seems fascinated with the cakes, probably because they are the only thing in Panem resembling anything that might be foundin New York, and stays staring into the window. As he begins salivating over the scrumptious looking cakes the door to the bakery suddenly opens. Cato steps back and knocks into the figure exiting the bakery as he bends down to take a closer look at the cakes.
Cato sticks his hands out to steady himself before straightening up and turning towards the figure with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, man. Too busy admiring the cakes in the window," he says.
I freeze when I catch Peeta's slightly confused look as he stares at Cato. All the lights were off in the bakery. Nobody was supposed to be inside.
Peeta continues to look bewildered as he continues to stare at Cato. He is surprised to run into someone in the town that he doesn't recognise. But then his gaze flickers over to me and the realisation dawns on him. There is a flicker of something, maybe pain, that flashes across his face as he turns to me but it is so fleeting I don't get time to analyse it.
My heart begins to beat loudly in my chest. I seem to have lost all ability to speak. I don't know what to do. Peeta and I end up stuck in a silent staring contest as we both struggle to find any words to say. Peeta must know that Cato is in town but I guess he wasn't expecting to quite literally bump into him. I can only guess what is going through his head and can't predict what he might say.
After what seems like an eternity but is merely a few seconds, Peeta finally flicks his gaze away from me and turns to Cato with a smile.
"Thank you. I try out quite a few designs before I put any out on display," Peeta says.
Cato's eyes widen in amazement and admiration.
"You make these cakes? Seriously they're good. They wouldn't look out of place back home in New York," Cato replies sincerely.
Peeta smiles at him in gratitude.
"Y'all from New York then? That must make you Katniss's fiancé," Peeta says.
Cato smiles before putting out his hand for Peeta to shake.
"That's right. Cato. And your name is? I should learn it in case I end up eating your cakes in New York!" my fiancé says.
"Peeta Mellark. I was at school with Katniss," he replies accepting Cato's hand.
I am stuck staring at their joined hands. It is strange seeing the two of them together. My past and my future.
Cato is taller than Peeta but Peeta has always been broad and matches Cato for strength. Both have blue eyes but while Cato's are more ice cold Peeta's are warm sapphires. Peeta's blond hair is a messy mop while Cato's is neatly styled. Peeta is in his church clothes, a rather grey looking shirt and tie and his threadbare clothes are emphasised by the crispness of Cato's own attire. I guess their differences show how far I have come since I left this small town.
I am wary though of Peeta's actions. Of all the scenarios I played through in my head not one of them involved Peeta being nice. His smile is too genuine and he doesn't look like the wounded man I left at the barn dance on Friday night. I hold my breath just waiting for him to expose my secret.
Cato has come to stand beside me again and looks at Peeta with a big smile.
"Ah, so you must know all of Katniss's antics while she was in high school. She tells me she was a good girl but I don't believe that for a second," Cato says.
An amused smile appears on Peeta's face and he raises his eyebrows at me.
"Katniss was always the one dragging me into trouble. I still have the scars to prove it," Peeta replies.
He then sticks out his arm to show a long jagged scar that runs up his forearm. He received it after I convinced him to go bare back horse riding with me. He didn't hold on tight enough though and cut his arm open as he fell off and landed on a thorn bush. He made me wait on him hand and foot for a week after because I felt so guilty about getting him hurt.
I scowl at Peeta and cross my arms across my chest.
"I can't believe you are still milking that story, Mellark," I reply.
Peeta laughs. A real genuine laugh. It seems not all our memories of each other are bad. I relax the tension I have been holding in my shoulders and become hopeful that maybe he will not expose me today.
Cato turns to me with surprised eyes.
"I didn't know that you could ride horses," he says.
I shrug my shoulders indifferently.
"I haven't ridden since I came to New York. Though I was actually just thinking yesterday that I should take you out and teach you," I reply.
Cato smiles at me affectionately as he learns this new piece of information about me. He puts his arm around my shoulder and places a kiss on the side of my head.
"See. Still all these things I don't know about you," he says.
I smile a little stiffly as I am acutely aware of Peeta's eyes on us. I may not be in love with him anymore but I don't want to flaunt my new relationship in front of him. He deserves some respect.
Peeta averts his eyes to look at the ground and when he looks back up he has a sad smile on his face.
"Well it was nice meeting y'all but I am already running late for lunch with my family. If I want to avoid another lecture from my mom about spending too many hours at the bakery I better get going," Peeta says.
Cato nods his head in understanding.
"Nice meeting you too. Maybe we'll see you around. I gather this is a rather small town," Cato replies.
Peeta lets out a slightly awkward laugh before tipping his head in our direction and saying goodbye. I let out a sigh of relief as we watch him walk away, thankful that he didn't say anything else.
Cato turns to me with a smile on his face.
"I knew not everyone in this town could be so nosy. He seemed like a good guy," he says.
I can't quite get over how surreal that was. Peeta and Cato actually got along. Cato actually praising Peeta's work. It feels like an alternate reality.
I turn back to face Cato with a smile.
"Yeah. He's not too bad," I reply.
Cato smiles at me again and we make a move to carry on walking. However as we do, I catch sight of a very familiar set of bouncing blond curls. I internally groan.
"Brace yourself. Here comes the whirlwind that is Delly Andrews," I say as Delly rushes over from across the street.
Her two sons are being rounded up by her husband, Thom, on the opposite side of the street and Delly crosses the road carrying her two year old daughter in her arms. Her eyes are bright with excitement and her smile spreads right across her face at the sight of us.
"Oh, Katniss I am so glad that I caught you and your fiancé!" she exclaims a little breathlessly.
I give her a forced smile and lean in closer to Cato in an effort to shield him slightly from the bubbly woman in front of us. I feel Cato's body sag against mine in exhaustion. It is clear he has met his quota of small town people for the day.
"You must be Cato," Delly says balancing her daughter on one hip while she stretches out her other hand to greet Cato. "I'm Delly Andrews, one of Katniss's best friends from school!"
Cato raises an eyebrow at me in surprise. I have no friends like Delly back in New York. But he turns to face her with a polite smile. Delly beams back at him and Thom finally manages to shepherd his sons across the street and holds one either side of him as they both fidget and try to get free. He gives both Cato and I a quiet hello before introducing himself. Thom is one of those strong silent types which is a good thing when he is married to someone who talks as much as Delly.
"How long are y'all in town for? Y'all just have to stay for the summer carnival next weekend. We have fairground rides, line dancing and the Mr Panem competition!" Delly says all at a rapid pace.
Cato is overwhelmed by the sheer speed at which she talks and I can tell he is struggling to take it all in. But Delly doesn't let him answer anyway and she goes off again on her next tangent. She leans forward and puts a soft hand on Cato's forearm. Cato looks down at where her hand lies on his arm, a little shocked by this stranger invading his personal space.
"The whole town is so excited that y'all here. We all miss Katniss so much but are so proud of her living in New York. I was always in awe of her in high school. She always knew what she wanted and was so clever and independent," Delly says.
If I ever need someone to write me a personal ad I am going to call Delly. She makes me sound like this inspiring and exceptional person, which I definitely am not.
"…and we're all so happy that she's found happiness again. I mean the whole town was devastated when her marriage with Peeta fell apart but I always knew she would find someone special again!" Delly declares.
Cato's body tenses from beside me. My heart stops. It seems I have been so busy worrying about what Peeta might say to Cato that I forgot about the rest of the town. Cato looks down at me with a questioning frown.
"Wait, Peeta?" he asks. "From the bakery? You were married to him?"
I flinch when I hear the hurt and confusion in his voice. Delly's eyes widen and a hand flies to her mouth.
"Oh my goodness! Y'all didn't know. Oh my! I am such a motor mouth. Always sticking my foot in things!" Delly exclaims sounding genuinely distressed.
Thom sighs and looks at me apologetically. He lets go of his sons and puts an arm around Delly's shoulder to try and steer her away from the situation.
"Come on, Del. Let's take the kids home. They are getting restless," he says.
Their two sons immediately run off and begun shooting each other with pretend guns. Delly looks at me with big regretful blue eyes that make it difficult for me to be mad at her. It was a genuine mistake. She didn't mean to hurt anyone.
And really it is my fault. I'm the one that has been keeping a secret from Cato. If I had told him he wouldn't be feeling so blindsided and confused now. I could have stopped this all from happening by just being honest with him.
Cato is still looking at me with a mixture of shock, hurt and confusion but I have no idea how to begin explaining things to him.
Delly, trying to make up for her mistakes, carries rambling on.
"Cato, you have nothing to worry about. It all happened so long ago. There is absolutely nothing going on with Katniss and Peeta now and Peeta is seeing Leevy anyway and…" she says.
"That's enough, Delly," Thom says cutting her off. Her rambling is just making things worse. "Let's go home."
Delly turns to her husband and he nods his head to confirm that they are leaving. Delly's shoulders sag with regret and she turns back to look at me with apologetic eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Katniss. I really didn't know. Please don't hate me," she says.
I smile sadly at her.
"I know. I don't hate you. You weren't to know," I reply.
This was my mistake. Not hers. I let her hug me goodbye before she gives me one last apologetic smile and lets Thom drag her away. I can hear her berating herself for putting her foot in her mouth as they walk away.
Slowly I turn around to face Cato. His face is hard when I do so.
"We need to talk," he says before turning and heading back in the direction of my parents' house.
A/N: Sorry for leaving you hanging there! It was only a matter of time before Katniss's secrets came out. It seems she can't get anything right in her relationships with men. You'll just have to wait and see how Cato reacts in the next chapter.
I now have a Beta, LavenderVanilla, and we're helping each other out with our stories. If you want some more Everlark, check her out.