A beautiful orange sun sets over the water and I dig my toes into the warm sand. Seagulls swoop over our heads and the waves crash onto the shore, turning the night sounds into a lullaby.
"We're going to have to go back." Peeta whispers to me.
"I know." But at the moment I have no intention of going back. I don't want to move away from Peeta and this beautiful place where I can lean against him forever, feeling him gently stroke my shoulders. It's too perfect here.
"I love you, Katniss. It's been busy these past few days, but I don't want you to ever forget that I love you."
"I love you too. And you know I'll never forget."
Peeta stretches his arms and gets up off of the sand. "Let's go back now." He holds out a hand for me and I take it. He doesn't let go as we head back toward the town. Even from the shore we can still hear the music and laughter.
"I'm glad Finnick is back." Peeta says, as we weave our way through the grass that grows up to my hips. "I wasn't sure about him at first, but I think he really helped you."
"He did." I say, finding my shoes where the road meets the sand, just where I left them. "Finnick had already been where I was. And he was there again. When the Capitol had you and Annie we were both wrecks. The morning before they rescued you we both completely lost it. They had to knock us out. And when you came back hijacked, it was all I could do to keep it together." I feel exposed talking about all of this. Even though Peeta is the only person I think I could ever talk to about those times, it still feels foreign.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't the one that was there for you." Peeta wraps an arm around me as we continue up the road.
"I wish I could have found you in the jungle before I blew out the force field. I never would have let the Capitol take you."
Peeta stops and turns me to face him. He's breathtaking in the twilight. The way his hair falls on his forehead and the way his eyes shine; I have to mentally shake myself. "Promise me something. Promise me we'll never let anyone keep us apart again."
"I promise."
When our lips meet it's as if an explosion has gone off in my chest. My heart flutters and then starts beating so fast I feel it might go out. I wrap my arms around Peeta's neck and stand on tip toe to reach him better. Unexpectedly, he lifts me off my feet and spins me around. I can't help but laugh, a real genuine laugh. He sets me back on my feet and we continue on to the city square.
Lanterns that have been strung between the buildings illuminate the happy faces. Finnick, Annie, and their son are seated at the head of a table, surrounded by people, but they seem to be too caught up in each other to notice.
"Hey ugly." Johanna's voice comes from behind me. I can tell she's teasing, but I have the feeling she still hasn't really gotten over the fact that I got put in a squad and she didn't.
"Hi." I don't really know if Johanna wants to be friends or if she just has no one else to talk to.
"So you finally figured it out." She says, nodding at Peeta. Her hair has grown in more and covered up most of the scars on her head.
"I think everyone else knew before she did." Peeta laughs.
I can feel the blush inching up my cheeks and drop my eyes to the ground. Even if I was the last to know that I was in love with Peeta I don't want people joking about it. I knew that I loved him; I just needed the time to figure out how.
"Isn't this a cozy little party?" Gale's boots appear and I slowly look up. I can feel the tension between Gale and Peeta as if it's tangible.
"I've been having a good time." Peeta says, shrugging his shoulders. I can't help but smile. He always knows what to say. Gale's eyes meet mine and I quickly look away. It hurts, but Gale and I can never have a future. Not even as friends.
"Well, I'm having a much better time now that you're here, handsome." Johanna bumps Gale's hip like she did so long ago in the hospital and shoots me a quick grin. I can't help but be thankful for her right now. I don't think an all-out brawl would be very appropriate at Finnick's party. "Why don't you dance with me?" She gets what looks like a rather painful grip on Gale's arm and leads him away.
"She's growing on me too." Peeta says.
"Johanna's hard to love, but she's not all bad."
The party goes on for several more hours, but when Finnick and Annie excuse themselves, Peeta and I decide we can slip off back to the train.
"Do you think they'll let us go home tomorrow?" I ask Peeta as we make our way through the dark train to my room.
"Effie never mentioned what the plan was after the party, but I hope we can. District Four is nice and all, but I'd rather be back in Twelve."
"Me too." I kick off my shoes and leave them by the door before throwing myself down on the bed. The soft covers puff around me and I feel like I'm lying on a cloud. Peeta wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer. I curl up inside of his arms and close my eyes and drift off into the kind of sleep that only feeling completely safe can bring.
Author's Notes: Thank you for reading chapter nine! I'm sorry it took me such a long time to update, but I've been crazy busy. I hope you all liked the way Peeta reacted to Gale. I was originally planning a big blow up, but when I got there it just didn't feel right. I'm hoping to have chapter ten out this week, so don't forget to check back!