A/N.
Hey guys! This story is getting such a good response, and a lot of you are wondering when Peeta's going to come in to the story. I'm going to do his point of view in a few chapters, but there's some stuff I have to do first before I can work him in. Oh, and in case I don't update before then, I hope you all have a great Christmas!
Chapter 4 - July Part II.
This is a bad idea. A very, very, bad idea. What if he does what Cato did? I wouldn't be able to handle it. I hate going on dates.
Katniss' first date with Cato had been a disaster.
It started off just like a regular date. Cato had showed up to her apartment at seven sharp, just like he had promised. When Katniss opened the door, he was leaning against the door frame dressed in dark blue jeans and a red and white checked shirt.
"You look beautiful Katniss," he stuttered nervously, his smoky blue eyes drinking her in. She wasn't wearing anything special, just black skinny jeans and a green t-shirt, her hair braided down over her left shoulder.
They drove to the small local cinema, which was only a five minute drive away. They maintained a steady conversation the whole way there, Cato doing most of the talking. When they walked in, Cato let her chose the movie. She was just about to suggest a movie called 'The Hunger Games', which looked pretty cool, when a girl with long glossy black hair and a cocky smile approached them. The had on way too much make-up, and the skirt she was wearing was so short that it could have passed as a belt. Her shirt was extremely low cut, and her cleavage was practically bursting out of it.
"Well hello there Cato. Who's your friend?" she asked him, shooting Katniss daggers. Her eyes raked over her plain clothes and make-up-less face, clearly judging her.
"Uh, h-hey C-Clove. This is.. Katniss," he stuttered out, stiffening beside her.
"Well, well, well, finally getting back in the game, are we Cato?" she asked, giving him a smug smile.
"Uh y-yeah, I guess so." Katniss looked at him, and noticed that he was looking everywhere except for into Clove's eyes.
"Hey Cato? I think the movie's about to start, so we should go. It was nice meeting you, Clove." Katniss grabbed Cato's hand and dragged him away, and Cato was looking at her, open mouthed and shocked.
"Thank you for that. Clove's my ex-girlfriend, she was a complete bitch. Sadistic almost. Took, like, pleasure or something in seeing me suffer." he explained.
"No problem. You looked really uncomfortable." Cato relaxed after that, and paid for their tickets and food.
The movie was great. A little violent, but that kind of stuff has never effected Katniss. Prim was always the one who hated it, constantly bringing home wounded animals that she would find, or covering her eyes when a gory scene came on tv.
They walked out of the cinema, and were surprised to see that it had started snowing. It was a beautiful scene, with Christmas lights lining the street and a huge Christmas tree lit up with twinkling lights as the end of the street. Katniss smiled, and took Cato's hand. Just like her first date with Peeta, it was only a few days until Christmas Eve.
"Wanna go get some hot chocolate?" Cato asked, smiling at her.
"Yeah, sure!" She replied, and they began walking hand-in-hand down the street. What must have been less than a minute later, Clove marched up to them with a determined look on her face, once again shooting daggers at Katniss. Without a word, she grabbed the front of Cato's shirt in her fist and kissed him hard on the mouth. His eyes rounded and stayed open, unlike Clove's which were lightly closed.
Suddenly, Cato pushed her away, staring at her in shock.
"What the fuck was that Clove?" he shouted, his face red with anger.
She shrugged. "I want you back. Is that so bad?" she tried to look sweet and fluttered her eyelashes at him, but underneath it she still look like a bitch.
"Well you cheated on me, you don't get me back. Simple as that. Goodbye, Clove."
He grabbed Katniss' hand again and pulled her away, pulling her out of her state of shock.
"Katniss, I am so, so sorry!" he began to apologise, looking genuinely upset.
"Hey! It's ok Cato, it's not like you kissed her back. I understand." Cato breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, because I really like you." he have her a bright smile, and they walked the rest of the way to his car and drove home in a comfortable silence.
When they got to Katniss' building, Cato offered to walk her to the door. When Katniss was about to go in, she said goodnight, and Cato leaned in to kiss her. Katniss thought it was too soon, so she turned her head to the side. His lips landed on her cheek instead of her lips, and Cato look a bit shocked. Katniss said a hurried goodnight and entered her apartment, leaning against the door when she closed it. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it was over.
Her first date with Peeta had been the complete opposite of that.
Peeta had texted her that morning to tell her that he was taking her somewhere cold, so she had to wrap up warm. She showered, and decided to leave her hair down when it was dry. It fell in glossy brown waves past her shoulders. She put on blue skinny jeans, a thick knitted blue and white jumper, a scarf and a hat. She called Prim in to her room, asking for her opinion on the outfit. Prim nodded, but then had an idea.
"Sit down for a second," she asked.
Katniss sat on the brown wooden stool in front of her dresser, and Prim ran into her bedroom, coming out a minute later with a purple make-up bag. Katniss had never worn make-up before in her life, as she never really had an excuse to get dressed up and go out. Her grey eyes were piercing enough without it, and her skin, which once had mild acne, was relatively blemish free now.
"Prim. I am not wearing that!" she whined, giving her sister a glare.
"Yes, you are. Just this once, please? For me?" she batted her eyelashes at Katniss and gave her her most pleading look. Katniss cursed silently, wishing she had even just a little will power when it came to her sister.
"Fine. But hurry up, Peeta will be here soon!" Prim's face lit up with a giddy smile, and she got to work.
It didn't take long for her make-up to be applied, and as soon as she was finished the doorbell rang. Prim practically sprinted down the stairs and flung open the door.
"Hey Peeta!" Prim smiled at him, practically jumping up and down.
"Hi Prim! How are you?" He asked her, giving her a sweet smile.
"Good! Doesn't Katniss look beautiful?" Katniss blushed at this, and Peeta looked at her for the first time. His jaw went a little slack, and his shining blue eyes got even brighter, something Katniss thought impossible.
He gulped, "Y-yes, she looks g-gorgeous, Prim," Katniss ducked her head and mumbled a thank you.
At that moment, Katniss' friend Madge appeared behind Peeta. Katniss had called her to babysit Prim, as they got along like a house on fire.
"We should go. Bye Prim, love you." Katniss rushed, giving Prim a quick kiss on the top of her head. She grabbed her bag from the small table in the hallway and joined Peeta in the doorway.
When the door was closed behind them, Katniss turned to face Peeta.
"So, where are we going?" she asked, smiling at him.
"It's a surprise" he replied, giving her a sly smile.
Katniss pouted, but Peeta just chuckled and started walking, motioning for him to follow her. It was chilly out, and Katniss was glad that she was well wrapped up. There was snow on the ground, and the Christmas lights set the most romantic scene she had ever witnessed.
They fell into a relaxed conversation, and their hands brushed together occasionally. Eventually, Peeta plucked up the courage to hold her hand. Katniss got butterflies in her stomach, just like the ones that had appeared when Peeta had first asked her on a date. He smiled at her bashfully, blushing.
When they arrived, Katniss gasped. Peeta had taken her to the ice-skating rink on the outside of the town. They rented their skates and wobbled on to the ice, unsteady on the thin blades.
Peeta took her hand in his again and they set off around the ice. Katniss took to ice-skating after a few minutes, but Peeta was still very unsteady. Suddenly, there was a little boy speeding towards them, and Katniss pulled Peeta out of the way. They both lost their balance and fell, with Peeta on his back and Katniss on her stomach on top of him. They were silent, and very slowly Katniss leaned in and kissed him.
And it felt like fireworks.
Peeta opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, but then suddenly realised where they were and pulled away.
He gave her a 1000 watt smile and Katniss blushed, pushing herself off of him. They stood up and brushed off their clothes, both of them grinning like idiots.
They skated for a while longer, and then both decided they should head back, as it was getting late.
They walked home holding hands, in a comfortable silence, still smiling about the kiss. They got to Katniss' house, and stopped at the door.
"Thank you so much Peeta, that was amazing." Peeta looked delighted.
"No problem, I really enjoyed it too."
They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then both began to lean in.
When their lips met, it felt just as good as it did the first time, if not better. Peeta wrapped his arms around her waist, and she threw her arms around his neck. Katniss opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, and they stayed kissing like this for a few minutes, only pulling away briefly to take a breath. Suddenly, the front door flew open and they sprang apart.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought I heard someone out here so I just came out to check," Madge stuttered, and re-entered the house.
"I should go. Goodnight," Peeta said, leaning over to give her one last kiss.
Katniss felt a pang of longing in her chest, missing Peeta. She made a sudden decision to look for the address that Peeta had left her, as soon as she got back from her date with Gale. She was going to write him a letter, and she didn't even care if Peeta's feelings for her were gone. She just had to try to make contact with him, even if it had been years.
She was going to do this and talk to him, come hell or high water.
A/N.
Hoped you like the flashbacks, they took ages to write! Please please please keep reviewing, I love it!
Have a good Christmas everyone!