Sorry it's so late but I had an awful dose of writer's block which is probably the lamest excuse ever but hey, it's here isn't it.

Chapter 12 (Katniss POV)

I was lounged on the carpeted floor in my room with Eddie splayed across my lap. I gently stroked his fur as I reflected on my time here. I had less than two weeks before I had to go back to Montana with my mom.

Having dinner with Peeta's family made me realise how much I would miss this place when I leave. I would miss Prim who brought me to Peeta and was like a little sister to me, I would miss Finnick and Annie who had become really good friends. I would even miss loud mouth Johanna.

"I'm really gonna miss this place." I murmured to Eddie.

He gave me a small woof in response.

I sat there, drowning in my thoughts, when my phone suddenly rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Annie. That's odd, I thought, Annie never calls so late.

"Hey Katniss." She said as soon as I picked up.

"Hey. Is something wrong? Did something happen to Peeta or Finnick?" I asked her worriedly.

"No nothing happened. I was just calling to see if you would want to do something with the girls before the double date later."

Her question made me realise that it wasn't only Peeta that would be losing me when I left. All the friends I made here would be losing me too and it wasn't fair that I was giving all my time to Peeta. I suddenly felt like the worst friend in the world.

"Oh my God, I'm a horrible friend. I haven't been spending as much time with you guys. You guys are going to lose me too and I've been spending all my time with Peeta."

"Katniss, I get how you feel. If it was Finnick and I, I would want to spend as much time possible with him. Don't feel sorry for wanting to spend time with your boyfriend. "

"Thanks Annie and yeah, I'll definitely spend the day with you and the girls."

With that we said goodnight and I fell asleep with a smile on my face. I truly believed I could make the most out of the time I had left here.

*Insert line here*

"All I'm saying is if I wanted to date an asshole I would have gone on a date with Cato instead." Delly said while licking a bit of her mint chocolate chip ice cream.

The girls (Annie, Delly, Johanna) and I were browsing around the outdoor mall when we saw an ice cream vendor and decided to take a break. Delly was currently talking about what a jerk her date last night was. We all rolled our eyes as she continued to rant.

"I know a guy who is head over heels with you and would love to go on a date with you." Annie said. "Thom is always tripping over his feet when you're around. The poor guy is love stuck and you won't even give him the time of day."

Delly's cheeks turned a deep red as she started shaking her head frantically. "You guys don't know what you're talking about. If he liked me he would have asked me out to the dance instead of taking Meagan."

"In his defence," Johanna stated, "You said yes to Elliot when he asked you before Thom had a chance to ask you."

I grinned as the conversation escalated. These guys were an odd bunch but they were amazing none the less. Other than Madge, they were the only girl friends I had and that I'd actually wanted to hang out with.

"What's with the smile?" Annie whispered to me, "Excited about the double date tonight?"

I laughed nervously. "No offense Annie, but I'm far from excited. Any dinner with Finnick is bound to be a disaster."

"I can agree with you there." Annie replied.

"So what are you two non-single girls talking about?" Johanna asked, clearly stating she was done with the conversation she and Delly were having.

"The double date tonight." Annie told her.

Johanna groaned. "Oh my God, a double date? Can you guys be any more nauseating?" She directed to me.

"Don't be bitter Johanna." Delly said, "Just because Thresh won't take you out on a date doesn't mean you should be the Relationship Grinch."

"I'm not the Relationship Grinch," She defended, "and besides Thresh and I aren't a thing anymore."

She got our full attention. Even though Johanna and Thresh didn't seem like they had the most serious relationship, they were one of the best couple's that could be. They balanced each other out; Thresh had a calm nature that kept some of Johanna's storm at bay. It was so unimaginable that I was almost expecting Johanna to burst out laughing and say it was all a joke.

She didn't.

I was the first one to speak. "Why?"

Johanna shrugged like it was no big deal. "We were getting boring. Thresh is awesome but he just isn't exciting anymore. I think I'm starting to dig Rye now."

How she was able to not be heartbroken about the guy she had been going out with for months was beyond me. I would be heartbroken if Peeta broke up with me because he thought I was getting boring.

"How did Thresh feel about this?" Delly asked.

"We were kind of on solid ground with it. He agreed that if I wasn't feeling it anymore, we should probably end it."

Annie clapped her hand and said loudly. "How about we finish our ice cream before all of it turns to milk and continue shopping. No more talk about Johanna and Thresh."

We all happily agreed and finished up our ice cream. I couldn't help but smile at how great this day turned out to be. I couldn't help but be excited for Peeta and I's double date with Annie and Finnick. It didn't matter that the chances of something catastrophic would happen was immensely high; I just knew that our night would be perfect no matter what.

*insert line here*

I don't know how many times since I came here that I've been in this exact spot. Sitting on the brown leather sofa, waiting for Peeta to knock on the door and take me to do whatever romantic thing he had planned for us. All I knew was it was a whole lot more than back in Montana.

Haymitch, sitting at the couch across from me, had his fingers knit together as he studied me. To say it was unnerving was an understatement but I held my ground and gave him an equally analyzing stare.

We continued this for two long minutes until, finally, he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

I smiled, thankful for Peeta's amazing timing. I loved Haymitch but it never ended well when he had something to say.

I opened the door to see a dashing Peeta standing on the porch holding a single lily.

"Hello beautiful." He said with his cute smirk.

"Hey handsome." He gave me the lily and I couldn't help but ask, "Why just one?" I hoped it didn't sound like I didn't appreciate the gift and I wanted more but thankfully he didn't take it that way.

Instead he laughed and said, "I didn't think your neighbor would appreciate me stealing a whole bouquet of lilies."

I hit his shoulder playfully as he opened the car door for me. "Peeta Mellark! Did you steel from Mrs. Anderson?"

He got into the driver's seat and grinned at me sheepishly. I couldn't help but pull him in for a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, pulling me for another kiss.

"So where exactly is this double date?" I asked as we took an exit on a dirt road. "Because I'm not exactly dressed for some fun in the mud."

He briefly looked at me before looking back at the road. "I hope you're not too attached to that outfit."

"Other than the fact my dad gave me this shirt before he died? No."

The car suddenly jerked to a stop. "We'll turn back. I don't want you to wreck it." He said frantically. I couldn't help but love him more for how much he cared about something as simple as a shirt that my father gave me.

I looked at him for about a minute before I burst out laughing. "I'm sorry." I said between gasps, "I'm not good at this. My dad didn't get me this shirt, it's one of the ones I got when I went shopping with Effie and I could honestly care less about it."

"You suck." He said starting to laugh with me. We collected ourselves but he didn't start the car. I gave him a confused look and he simply smiled and pulled me in for a kiss. I pulled away and rested my forehead on his. "You suck, but I love you." He whispered to me breathlessly.

"I love you too. So much and I'm going to say it as much as I can before I have to go back home."

"Let's not even think about it, okay?"

I nodded and he started the car again, making his way down the dirt road.

After five minutes on the road that seemed to go nowhere Peeta asked me to close my eyes. I closed my eyes, reluctantly, I might add but whatever to make him happy. Endless ideas of what we could possibly be doing went through my mind.

Finally the car stopped and Peeta told me to open my eyes. When I did I saw Finnick and Annie between two black two seater ATVs. I glanced at Peeta and he had a contagious grin on his face because before I knew it, I had the same grin on my face.

We made our way toward Finnick and Annie. When we got there Finnick playfully shoved Peeta. "You're late." He said.

"Sorry. We got a little side tracked." I couldn't help but groan. Of all things he could have said to Finnick.

"Save it until after the date, kids." Annie gave him a look and shook her head then walked over to give me a hug.

"It was a joke." He tried to defend.

I saw Peeta give him a pat on the back and shake his head.

After saying hi to each other we made our way back to the boys. Finnick quickly pulled Annie into a tight embrace from behind and Annie leaned into him. It seemed all was well with the couple at the moment.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Finnick said after a moment. "We're taking these puppies in that direction." He pointed towards what looked like a mud lake.

"Don't worry." I jumped in surprise as I felt Peeta's hot breath against my ear. "I promise there'll be a reward at the end." I nodded and followed him to our ATV. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist as we started moving.

I gasped when I felt the front of the ATV dip down into the mud. Peeta accelerated and I couldn't help but scream in delight as mud splattered against my face. I looked over to Finnick and Annie and saw Finnick going in small circles and Annie laughing her ass off. Mud was flying everywhere and I decided I wanted a go at it.

I tapped Peeta on the shoulder and he stopped and looked back at me. "Can I try riding it?"

"Yeah, of course." He suddenly jumped down, the mud reaching past his ankles, and allowed me to scoot to the front seat.

I started it as soon as he got back on but gave it too much power causing us to almost flip over. "Just think of it as riding a motorcycle." Peeta said softly. "You have ridden a motorcycle right?" I laughed and nodded, "Okay so just give it a bit of power. Yeah that's it. Awesome!"

I grinned as I started getting it and started moving faster. We passed Annie and Finnick but then I suddenly turned and did a circle around them. I didn't care that my outfit was covered in mud. This date couldn't be any better and if the price to pay was one outfit being ruined, I would ruin every piece of clothing in my closet.

"Time to head over?" I heard Peeta say to Finnick. I looked back to see Finnick nod and Peeta looked at me. "Switch again." This time instead of just getting down he carried me with him. "But before we do I think you deserve a dip in the mud."

I screamed and laughed, begging him to stop. He let my feet get in the mud but put be back on the ATV after. He got on himself and followed after Finnick. It took about a minute and a half to get to the end of the mud lake and what met us was a grassy hill.

We left the ATVs and climbed the hill and I couldn't be more thankful that I chose to wear flats. When we reached the top I looked at the other side. There was an actual lake; with water. But there was also a large blanket on the grass before that. It was set up like a classic picnic but there were small candles littered around the place.

"I'm really surprised Finnick." Annie said, "I mean I would expect something this romantic from Peeta but you?"

Finnick shrugged. "Well I mean he thought of the picnic and stuff but I thought we should use candles."

Annie and I shared a look. The fact that these guys would go through all this trouble for us was incredible. I was honestly just expecting dinner.

We made our way down the hill. "We thought you girls would like to take a dip in the lake to wash off before eating." Peeta said, "But if you don't want to that's fine." He added quickly.

Annie was already dragging Finnick towards the lake before Peeta could finish his sentence.

I shrugged and pulled Peeta too. A swim in the lake couldn't hurt. I ran into the lake and immediately made my way back out but Peeta caught me in his arms and spun me around. "It's so cold!" I screamed.

He laughed and took me deeper into the water then dropped me when he was sure we were in deep enough for me not to hit the bottom. "You agreed to it." He laughed.

"You didn't tell me it would be this cold." I said, splashing him in the face.

He grabbed my hands and pulled me in for a kiss. "I guess I'll have to try and warm you up."

"Hey!" Finnick yelled. We pulled away and looked at him. "I told you to save it until after the date."

Peeta tackled him and they both went under water. Just as I was starting to get worried, they both resurfaced, gasping for air.

"I think we should go back on dry land before Peeta tries to drown my boyfriend again." Annie said, jokingly.

"Sorry Annie." Peeta said as we waded through the water to get back to shore.

When we got back on dry land our Peeta and Finnick wrapped Annie and I in blankets to keep us warm then wrapped themselves with blankets. We wasted no time digging into the food they had provided for us.

Annie and Finnick sat together with Finnicks arm wrapped around Annie's shoulder. My head was rested on Peeta's shoulder as I bit into one of his cheese buns. I smiled knowing he made them just for me. I looked up at him silently asking him for a kiss and he happily obliged. Our lips connected but it only lasted a few seconds because Annie and Finnick were there.

We spent an hour there before deciding to pack up and head back home. We took the ATVs down the mud again and I knew Effie would kill me for tracking mud all over her expensive carpet but I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment.

I gave Finnick a hug, thanking him for the night then moved to Annie. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said as I hugged her.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I said back to her.

Peeta took my hand and we made our way back to his car. I suddenly stopped. "We're going to get mud all over your car."

He tugged on my hand. "Don't worry. We can put blankets on the seats."

We spread blankets on our seats and started towards my house. I looked out the window for most of the ride, letting myself fall into my thoughts. The car stopped and I realised we were in front of Peeta's house.

"I was thinking that you could take a shower here and get all the mud off of you. And don't worry about my family; My parents and Prim are with a family friend that just had a baby and Rye is off doing something somewhere."

"A shower would be great." I took my shoes off at his porch so I wouldn't get mud everywhere. He led me to his bathroom and gave me a towel and some of his clothes to use.

I took a quick shower and put on his clothes. It was a t-shirt of his, a pullover hoodie, and his boxers. I blushed at the thought of wearing it but put it on anyways.

I came out of his bathroom and said as I entered his room. "I think you accidentally gave me your boxers."

He stood up and stared at me before snapping out of it and rushing to his drawer. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I thought I picked sweatpants."

"Don't worry," I said immediately halting him, "I kinda like it."

He stood there just staring at me then suddenly moved in and kissed me. He licked the bottom of my lip asking for entrance and I let out a small sigh.

We never kissed like this. Sure we had a lot of passionate kisses but this was different. He lifted me up and gently laid me on his bed. I pulled away from him, "Before we do anything I want to tell you the third thing I did."

He sat there waiting patiently. "I got in a fight with my mom and I told her if dad saw the way she was acting now he would leave her in a second but then I said he actually wouldn't because he's too good of a person to do that. She told me I was grounded and I called her a bitch and told her to go screw herself like she screwed all those guys she was with after my dad died. She told me to pack my bags the next morning."

"Well I want you to know that I love you despite all the things you've done. Never forget that."

I nodded and pulled him in for another kiss. That night I gave him everything I had to give and I had no regrets.

*insert line here*

I woke up to see Peeta lying next to me and was reminded of last night. I kissed him lightly and watched as his eyes fluttered open. "Morning beautiful."

"Morning." Then I realised what we both just said and shot out of bed. "Oh my God Peeta it's morning! Effie is going to kill me and Haymitch is going to kill you."

I frantically pulled his clothes back on but then realised that I would be in his boxers. A pair of sweatpants went flying to me and I sent Peeta a grateful look as I slipped on his sweatpants.

We made our way to the car, ignoring the looks we got from Rye. Peeta suddenly turned to me, "You don't regret what happened last night, right?"

"No, you?"

"No regrets."

I smiled and gave him a light kiss.

I hesitantly opened the door with Peeta by my side. We were met with Effie pacing and Haymitch trying to calm someone down but his anger was also evident.

He looked back at the sound of the door opening and gave me a withering look. Meanwhile Effie crushed me in a hug and quickly moved to Peeta. As she left me I caught a glance at the person Haymitch was trying to calm and almost fainted.

"Mom?"

So, what did you guys think? The next chapter is when it's all going to go down. We'll see if Katniss has to leave or if she'll get to stay.

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Happy New Year and I'll see you guys in 2014!