I feel a weight on my arm and wake up, confused.
Katniss is laying in my bed, asleep, nuzzled into my side.
Okay, I know that her, Johanna and Annie slept over because we're leaving at six in the morning, but this is more than I bargained for.
Annie said that her parents and family died in 9/11. Katniss and Johanna's family treat her as if Mrs. Everdeen and Mr. Everdeen are Annie's parents. They know everything about Finnick. Katniss didn't let anyone tell anyone that we're coming with them. They want to be surprised, apparently.
I distinctly remember moving to my bed last night after Katniss fell asleep on my shoulder on the couch. I remember covering her with a fluffy white throw blanket. I remember her smiling a little in her sleep, I remember plugging her phone and her iPad in to charge.
What I do not remember, is her joining me in my bed. We got back from the bar around eleven, and at eleventh thirty, Annie, Johanna and Katniss got here. We watched a movie that ended at one and then went to bed. Katniss fell asleep halfway through the movie. Did she move in here during the night or was I so tired that I forgot that she got up and followed me to bed? I'm going to stick with the first one.
My eyes flit to the clock and see it's only three.
I've only been in bed for about two hours. We've still got another hour before we have to get up.
I watch her peaceful face as she sleeps. Her tongue occasionally darts out to lick her lips, and after a couple moments, I see her lips start to bleed. She's got chapped lips. I reach into my nightstand, careful not to wake her and grab that stupid Chap Stick my mother sneaks in my drawer each time she comes over for the holidays. She even writes in sharpie 'you can thank me later!' on it.
I carefully coat Katniss's lips in the Chap Stick and put it away before she can wake. She sighs in her sleep and I smile, drifting off soon after her.
….s….
Of course I'm the only one that set the alarm! I always get irritated when my alarm goes off. I pick it up and hurl it at the wall, running my hands over my face. Katniss is awake, sitting up, staring at me.
"I fucking hate that shit ass alarm!" I shout. I hear Finnick's tired laughter from his bedroom and then he walks into my bedroom, not shocked that Katniss is in my bed. Annie is right behind him, Blight and Johanna. It's still beeping. I throw it out the open window and watch it shatter. I always sleep with my window open. Even in blizzards. Blight is Johanna's boyfriend.
"How many is that now? Let me check the tally!" Finnick jogs to the kitchen. "That's eighteen now, bro! I think you need to get a life supply of those damn things." Finnick says.
"Remind me never to wake you up." Katniss lays back down and pulls the covers over her head.
I start ripping apart drawers and get jeans and another tee shirt for a shower, and some boxers before walking off to the bathroom and shutting the door.
I turn on the water and lock the door, stripping naked and getting under the hot spray. I wash my hair and body and get out, drying myself off and getting dressed. I shake my head to get some water off, and dry my hair with a towel, and then toss it on the floor and walk out.
"I'm going to take a shower." Katniss announces. Everyone is still in my bedroom and I'm the only one that's actually gotten ready. She moves towards the bathroom and then turns back to face me. "What the hell is this? You slob! This is disgusting Peeta! If your mother saw this she'd make you into a pie! Clean this shit up!"
"It's hardly anything." I sigh.
"Underwear and shirts and jeans and towels all over the floor! Oh my god, spend a week with Effie." She shakes her head in disgust. "You can come get me when this…this thing you call a bathroom is clean." She walks away. Finn looks like he's trying not to laugh, and so does Blight. Annie just walks away. Johanna snorts and walks off after rolling her eyes.
Well I don't want Katniss to be mad at me…
I go in there and pick up clothes.
"Hey Finnick! I found your pet mouse!" I exclaim.
"You found Mike?" Finnick demands. "Whoa, that's not Mike bro, that thing is black. Mike was white." Finn backs up. I grab the mouse by the tail and walk into the kitchen where the girls are.
"Oh my god Peeta! That's disgusting!" Katniss exclaims.
"I'll go throw it out the window." She rolls her eyes and I think she thinks I'm kidding. I walk to my bedroom and toss the mouse out.
"Peeta! You hurt him!" Annie whines. She rushes out of the house and sees that the mouse is gone. Katniss goes into my bathroom and sprays a ton of disinfectants before getting a clean towel from the laundry room and slamming the bathroom door behind her.
I head off and make breakfast, setting the table and moving back to my bedroom. I start to pack last minute things, having packed my suitcase in the thirty minutes before the girls got here last night. The water shuts off. After I hear Katniss sigh three times, she walks out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. She avoids my eye as she walks off to the living room. She comes back with jeans, underwear, a bra and a tee shirt. She goes back into the bathroom and leaves the door open a crack on accident. I can see in the mirror, but I'm not like that. When he drops her towel, I see her back and look away. I don't want to see any part of her until she wants me to. I was raised better than that.
I finish packing last minute things when she comes out of the bathroom. She left the place spotless without even a drip of water on the floor.
Unbelievable.
….s….
While on the plane, Katniss plays Where's my Water 2 on her iPad while listening to music. She's stuck on a level. I slowly reach over and restart the level. She watches me as I beat the level for her. She pulls out one earbud and slides her iPad on my lap and then leans her head on my shoulder and watches me play.
When we land, we get in her white Ford F – series. She's so sexy driving her truck. I watch as forest pass by. I've never been to Kentucky and I've never seen a real forest before.
Katniss pulls in the driveway of a white two story house that looks homey and I can definitely see her parents living here.
She leaves her luggage in the trunk and gets out, not locking the car. She runs a hand through hair hair and walks up the porch.
KATNISS'S POV
I'm nervous to see my parent's reaction to Finnick and Peeta.
"Katniss," Prim jumps up and hugs me, pulling me in the house to greet my family. I haven't seen them in six months; since Christmas. Annie and Johanna start to greet everyone, my grandparents and everyone. There isn't a person in this room that won't recognize Peeta, except maybe Prim. She only knew him for six years, but I think it'll trigger some type of memory. I can hear Peeta and Finnick whispering to one another, arguing about who is going to go inside first.
They're like toddlers.
PEETA'S POV
Katniss sticks her head out the door and raises his eyebrows. We cut off our quiet bickering. "How about you both come in at the same time instead of fighting about it." She laughs and grabs both of our hands, pulling us into the house and shutting the door.
"You have a boyfriend Katniss, oh my goodness!" as girl I recognize as Prim claps her hands. "I set you up with Gale Hawthorne but…never mind." Prim then grows confused at everyone shocked expressions. I see her eyes flit to the wall, where a picture of a day I remember well; my tenth birthday party.
Would you two stop fidgeting, just sit in the meadow and smile like good children!" Mama shouts at us. We do as she says. Katniss and I stare into each other's eyes, the sun peeking through the background.
"This is going on my wall!" Mrs. Everdeen exclaims.
I can tell by the way that we're looking at one another, into each other's eyes, the sun blocking out our faces and making us look like shadows except for Katniss's white sundress, we were in love, even back then. The purple flowers are surrounding us, and Katniss is smiling. Katniss, the current Katniss, follows me gaze and smiles.
"Wait…your…your him! Your that boy in the picture!" Prim exclaims.
"Last time I saw you, you were six years old. You were this tall!" I hold my hand out to how tall Prim was. "Peeta! Oh my goodness! You're him! You're alive! We didn't know, but we thought you guys died! How is your family? Did they make it out okay?" Mrs. Everdeen hugs me.
"They're great. We moved to California…we didn't know if you guys were alive either." I say.
"Oh my, look at you! You're so tall, so grown!"
They all start to obsess over me, and Katniss mouths a 'sorry' to me. I just shrug.
Twenty minutes later, they're ordering me to call my mother.
"Peeta, how are you son?" mama asks.
"I'm good Mama," I say. "So you wanna hear a story?" I ask.
"Is it a real story?" Mama asks.
"Yes. Hey, can you gather up Rye and Graham and Dad? It's really important." I say.
"Sure honey." Five minutes later, I'm on speaker phone. I can hear Graham and is girlfriend and Rye and Mama and Dad talking.
"What is it son? Where are you? Are you at home?" Dad asks.
"Not exactly…I'm in Kentucky…with a girl." Katniss leans against the wall and watches me.
"A girl?" Rye asks. I can practically see him elbowing Graham.
"A real girl, one that breathes oxygen, a hot one, or your imaginary friend?" Graham asks. I sigh.
"A real female that breathes are and smiles and laughs and talks." I say, slightly irritated.
"And you're sure you're not dreaming?" Rye snickers.
"I'm positive." I snap.
"Okay Peeta, what is this girls name?" Mama asks.
"Well…her mother's name is Lillian, her father's name is Jacob…her sisters name is Prim, her cousin is Johanna and the girl herself is Katniss."
"Katniss? Katniss Everdeen?" I can hear excitement in my mother's voice.
"Yes. And I'm here with her family-"
"Give us her address and everything, please." Dad demands. Katniss tells me the address and I tell them, and I can't even say goodbye before the line goes dead.