Chapter 2
The first thing Katniss noticed when she began to stir was that she was lying on something very soft. Her eyes opened, and she wondered if she was dead and in heaven.
She was lying on fluffy white sheets in a beautiful bed. When she shifted to look around, she saw that she was in a room with a slanted ceiling. An armchair was by her bed on one side. On the other was a makeshift drug administration cart seen in doctor's offices – only this one looked primitive, made partially out of bent coat hangers. An IV ran into her right arm. A single bedside lamp completed the look.
This definitely was not the whorehouse. The amenities were never this nice. And she did not recognize the man before her. He was at the drug administration cart, checking the bag containing the fluids now being doled into her. He pulled a pistol out of his jacket before filling it with bullets and cocking it shut.
Katniss stared at the man, whose back was to her. Blond hair, muscular – she could tell by his rippling shoulder blades. And she could not help but admire that he had one nice arse…..
The man turned around and she jumped, afraid he had caught her staring. He had an even more handsome face. Eyebrows as spun-gold as his hair, and the deepest, most beautiful blue eyes. A kind smile as he now observed her.
"Good! You're awake! I was beginning to wonder if the medicine was doing the job!" The man circled the bed and sat in the armchair beside her. Katniss regarded him.
"Where….. where am I?" she asked slowly.
"Mellark's Bakery. This is the loft right here – one of the upstairs rooms where I live. The shop is down below. I found you sprawled on the sidewalk while coming back from a delivery." He held out his hand. "Peeta Mellark."
Katniss weakly took his hand and shook it. "I'm Katniss. Katniss Everdeen." She studied him. "So…. you're the baker? I know all the big Capitol functions buy your bread. I've…. seen the trucks go by."
Peeta smiled. "It's a fun profession, I must admit."
"Then…. how did you make all of this?" Katniss gestured at the makeshift drug cart.
For a moment, Peeta's blue eyes darkened. "Capitol Special Ops. I was with them for a few years in my early twenties before being honorably discharged. Learned a few useful tricks."
Katniss couldn't help but grin at that. "Well, Peeta, I must say – baking, arts and crafts. You're a man of many talents."
Peeta laughed. "And what are your talents, sweetheart?"
Katniss bristled at him calling her 'sweetheart' but tried not to let it show. Ashamed, she glanced away. Apparently silence spoke louder than words.
"I understand. Guessed as much, too, from how you looked. There's nothing to explain. And you are not to blame for anything." He rose and dared to push back the hair on Katniss's forehead. "Try to get some rest. You can stay here as long as you like."
Katniss felt her eyes fill with tears at this man's kindness. "Thank you," she got out in a whisper.
Peeta nodded and left, Katniss falling into a peaceful sleep soon after.
