A/N: If you haven't read the prequel to this then you totally should, it's on my profile.
To those of you who have been reading since 'The Summer on Fire' thank you and I'M SORRY it has taken so long but my parents have decided on getting a divorce and it's insane here at the moment!
Chapter three: A midnight rendezvous.
I didn't see Peeta after that until dinner. When I walked in with Prim, Peeta and Evan stood up from their chairs and Rye quickly followed. I blushed and Mr Mellark showed us to our chairs. I was opposite Peeta. Of course.
"How was bowling, Katniss?" Mr Mellark asked me as he ripped a chunk of bread from a loaf in front of him and started chewing on it.
"It was good, thank you sir." I said politely and Mr Mellark laughed.
"You make me sound like an old man, dear. Call me Ben." He smiled at me and I smiled back. "I was thinking we could all go out on a walk tomorrow if it stops snowing quite so heavily." Ben mused and Prim nodded eagerly.
"Oh, I love the snow." Prim gushed and I bit my lip, waiting for it. "Katniss and Gale took me to a field once, and we made a huge snowman. It was taller than Gale!" There it was. Gale. I stared at my plate. "Gale put me on his shoulders and we had a snowball fight with Katniss. She won because she pulled Gale's bottoms down so he couldn't move!" Prim and Ben laughed but I was finding it hard to even breathe right now. "Do you remember, Katniss?" Prim asked me and I managed to nod.
"He sounds like he loved you both a lot." Ben said and I gripped the arms of my chair tightly. I was about to lose it and go crazy when I felt something rub against my leg. Peeta was slowly running his foot along my calf and it was soothing. It was wrong, I felt like I was risking Prim's safety but, I needed this. I needed some comfort and I needed said comfort from Peeta.
"What's for dinner, Dad?" Evan asked, he seemed to have picked up on my discomfort talking about Gale. He smiled assuringly at me and I smiled back slightly.
"Gammon with green beans, roast potatoes and of course, bread rolls!" Ben informed us all and everyone smiled and nodded. Melissa came in and put all of our plates down in front of us and then brought in her own plate and took a seat next to Prim. "Dig in, guys!" Ben almost shouted and I popped a potato in my mouth and then glanced across at Prim. She hadn't eaten anything and I put down my knife and squeezed her arm. She looked at me, her eyes scared.
"It's yours, Prim. They aren't going to take it from you." I whisper, she bites her lip.
"Last time you said that, that boy followed you into the shower." She whispered back and I swallowed. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me again." Prim whispers and I notice that everyone else at the table is talking too loudly for them to not be listening.
"I'm not hurt. I'm fine." I tell her and she glares at me but with a sad look in her eyes.
"Katniss, you think you're hiding it really well but you can't hide those bruises." Prim says and I chew on my lip.
"Don't you like it, Primrose?" Ben asks and Prim blushes.
"Oh, no its lovely." Prim says quickly and I look over at Peeta. He's studying me and I blush slightly, Peeta's eyes flick between me and Prim and they settle just below my left eye. I'd got a bit of a black eye but it was pretty faded now.
"Prim," Peeta spoke and Prim turned to him. "No one is going to take anything from you, Prim. Not while you're here." Peeta seemed almost angry and I wanted to ask him about it. Prim started eating after that and we all joined in.
"So, Katniss, what's your favourite subject in school?" Evan asks and I swallow my mouthful and look across at him.
"I like english. I enjoy reading." I tell him and he nods.
"Me too! I'll show you my library after dessert! Do you write yourself?" He asks and then drinks some wine from his glass.
"Ummmm, sort of." I reply vaguely and everyone turns to me, Prim has a little smile on her face. "I like to make stories from photographs." I reply and Evan raises his eyebrows.
"What camera do you use?" He asks stretching his back and I blush.
"I, uhhhh, I don't own a camera myself. Not any more." I asnwered and Prim nodded.
"She sold it so I could go on a school trip." Prim explained and I swallowed. I didn't want their pity.
"You must love your sister a lot." Rye said and I looked across at him. I hadn't really heard him speak until now. "I'm a photographer by the way. I don't imagine anyone really told you." His voice had a continuously bored tone to it and it was quite hard to listen without rolling your eyes. "I have a lot of cameras. Different cameras for different specs, you know? Lots of people come to me nowadays." I couldn't tell if he was just trying to make chat or if he was being ignorant and showing off so I just smiled. "I'm trying to say you can use them, Katniss. If you wanted. To do your story thing." He was being nice.
"Thank you, Rye. I might take you up on that." I smiled at him and he nodded.
"I think it is time for dessert?" Ben spoke up and I can't deny how excited I was about this. "Prim helped me make it!" Prim grinned from ear to ear and I took a minute to take in her smile. I hadn't seen that smile in a very long time. When I stopped gazing at my little sister I realised all the plates were gone and in the place were empty bowls.
"Wow, this looks delicious!" Peeta gushed and Prim looked at him confused. He pretended to eat what was in the bowl, though nothing was there. "How did you get it to be so light and airy, Prim?" Peeta asked and Prim burst out laughing. A real shocking laugh that made everyone in the room smile.
"Oh, a natural touch Peeta!" Prim roared with laughter again and I tried not to be jealous that I don't think I've made her laugh like that for over a year. The lights went out suddenly and I jumped up, panicked. Then Melissa came in the room holding a huge cake with candles in. I blushed immediately and then to make it worse Prim and Ben started singing happy birthday to me. Evan joined in and then Rye. As I looked up, Peeta was looking at me, he was mouthing the words but I think he was a bit hurt that I hadn't told him it was my birthday. It wasn't personal, I just didn't like celebrating something that wasn't really a big deal.
The cake was put in front of my and I studied it, there were two tiers and on top was a cupcake. The butter icing was green, not a solid colour but different shades through out and it made me think of the trees.
"You have to blow out the candles!" Prim yelled and I laughed. "And make a wish!" She added. As I blew out the candles I couldn't help but let my eyes flick to Peeta, he was smiling but it wasn't reaching his eyes. The room went dark before Melissa flicked on the lights. "What did you wish for?" Prim asked and I smiled.
"It doesn't count if she tells you!" Evan told her and she pouted at him but he just threw his screwed up napkin in her face she laughed and threw it back at him. "Oi! Come here!" He yelled, laughing. Then jumped from his chair, Prim screamed but with a huge grin on her face and rane round the table away from Evan. "I'm gonna getcha!" Prim ran out the door and her laughter and screams echoed through the house as he chased her.
"She's going to be sick!" I shouted as Evan carried her into the room upside down.
"She's having fun, Katniss!" Peeta argued and I glared at him.
"Well it's going to be just dandy when she pukes in your house!" I shouted and everyone went quiet. "I'm sorry." I quickly said and looked at Peeta's father.
"I think you need to go and have a few minutes in your room, Katniss." Ben said quietly and I bowed my head. Evan put Prim back on her feet and she rushed to me. "Stay here, Primrose." Ben said and Prim stamped her foot.
"I want to go wi..."
"I told you to stay here and sit down so do as I say please. I do not want to shout." His quiet tone made Prim do as he said. "Go now please, Katniss. Come down when you are calm or do not come down at all."
"Yes sir." I muttered and stalked out of the room.
I decided not to come down at all. I was bored of sitting on my bed and looked at the clock on the wall it was half eleven. I grabbed a towel and pushed the door next to Peeta's open and locked it behind me.
The bathroom was huge. There was a shower and a bath and I nearly shuddered at the thought of soaking my bruises in a bath with a locked bathroom door. I quickly ran the water and noticed only male shower wash and bath wash and shampoo so I glugged some of it in anyway and then stripped and sunk in.
After about fifteen minutes I heard talking so I slipped out the bath and pulled the plug before wrapping a towel around myslef. I shoved my clothes in the hamper and opened the bathroom door and stepped out only to crash into Peeta.
"Shit! Sorry, sh!" I tried not to giggle at him. He was wearing his leather jacket and had various bags in his hands. "Good bath?" He asked quietly and I nodded. His eyes roamed over my shoulders and I knew it was too late to hide the purple bruise on my collar bone. "You smell like me." Peeta said, catching me off guard. He pushed the bags so they were in one hand and ran his finger over my bruise. Then he looked at his watch and smiled. "Still got ten minutes." He said then pushed my bedroom door open and stepped in. "Come on!" He said in a hushed voice and I follow Peeta in before he closed the door.
"What are you doing, it's nearly midnight!" I exclaimed quietly and he deposited all the bags on my bed.
"Which means it is nearly the end of you birthday!" Peeta said as if it were obvious. "Do you want to get dressed?" He asked quietly with a look of aumsement.
"I'm good." I said, not wanting him to think he had the upper hand.
"I think you should get dressed." He said and I locked eyes with him.
"I'm fine." I said, finding it amusing how he shifted uncomfortably. "Unless you want me to get some clothes on?" I asked, smirking at him.
"No, I don't want you to put some clothes on, Katniss." Peeta murmured and I swallowed. "But you're making it awfully hard not to kiss you right now." My heart stopped.
"Why?" I managed to choke out and Peeta pulled his jacket off.
"You're wearing a towel, that is showing some of your clevage, you used my soap to wash with and I just have very bad self control." He told me and I quickly lifted the lid of my suitcase.
"Cover your eyes." I say quietly. I wouldn't care if he saw me naked. I just don't want to see me covered in bruises. Especially not the ones on my breasts and the ones on the insides of my thighs made my that boy from the fosterhome holding me down. I slipped into some pyjamas and hooked the towel over the desk chair. "Okay."
"Okay! Get opening!" He said, grinning.
"Huh?" I asked confused as he slipped off his vans and leaned his back against the head board.
"The presents, open up." Peeta said and my eyebrows shot up. "Quick, they have to be open before midnight so you have," he looks at his watch. "Just under five minutes. Quick!" He grinned and I peered inside one of the bags. I pulled out a box that had a picture of the new iPhone on and I gasped. "Quit dawdling! Open the rest then look at them!" Peeta urged so I moved to the next bag. This one contained a helium balloon, so as soon as I opened the bag, the balloon popped out, tethered to a weight inside the bag. I hid my laughter and batted the balloon at Peeta's face. The next bag contained a canon camera and I was about to read the box when Peeta hit the balloon in my face. "Two minutes!" He grinned and I opened the next bag. I pulled out a box with the big letters of converse star and sighed. The next bag contained a bottle of tequila. I looked at Peeta and he shrugged. "I figured we could toast to your birthday." The final bag had a small box that I couldn't resist opening. Inside was a beautiful golden locket that I picked up carefully.
"How do you open it?" I asked quietly and Peeta stood up, taking it from my hands.
"You have to turn this little bit at the back," I stepped closed to look. "Then press these two buttons together." He pressed them and it popped open. I took it carefully from his fingers and looked inside. On the right hand side was a picture of Prim and me and on the left, a picture of Gale and me. My breath caught and I looked up at Peeta.
"How did you get these pictures?" I ask quietly and Peeta smiled.
"Believe me, it was hard." He grinned at me and I blinked rapidly. "Did I over step the mark?" Peeta asked concerned as I wiped my tears away. He crouched down to be at my level and his eyes flicked between mine.
"Why are you being so nice?" I ask through my sobs. Peeta wipes a tear away with his thumb and smiles sadly.
"I tried ignoring you and then my dad fostered you. I tried being mad at you and then you smiled." I snapped the locket shut in my fingers carefully. "I tried being nice and you cried so now I'm stuck for what to do to make you happy!" He laughed and I managed a small laugh as well. I laugh died out as we locked eyes. He stepped closer and I licked my lips slightly, Peeta stooped a little and pressed his forehead to mine, this brushed his nose across mine before planting a tender kiss on my lips. I think I moaned because Peeta pulled back to look at me.
"We can't." I whispered and he shut his eyes for a few seconds.
"If that's what you want." Peeta mumbled bent to pick up his discarded shoes.
"It is." Was it? Did I want him to leave now? It was too late anyway, my door closed behind him and I curled into my bed next to the presents.
I was still on fosterhome hours, so I woke up at five o'clock. I watched the helium balloon bob about for a bit before I sat up and studied the camera. It was heavy and I took it out of its box. I pressed the power button and the camera came to life, it was fully charge and I made sure it had a memory card in before I pulled a jumper over my pyjama top and slipped my feet into by pink converse and crept out of my room with the camera.
"Come round later then, okay?" I heard Peeta's voice in the kitchen and debated whether to carry on listening. I decided to just walk in loudly, Peeta smiled quickly at me and continued kneading a lump of dough. "Sure, bring your football yeh? See you later then." He ended the call and focused on the dough. I couldn't help lifting the camera and taking a quick photo. "Did you take a photo of me?" He asks, looking over at me as I filled a glass with water.
"Maybe. Why are you up so early?" I ask and he turns to the clock on the wall.
"I get up and make bread or whatever and go for a run then shower and by that time everyone else is up." He shrugged like it was a usual thing. "Why are you up so early?" He asked me as I put my empty glass in the sink.
"I don't sleep well." I mutter and he nodded. "I'm going to get some pictures of the sun rising." Peeta smiles at me and I feel myself wanting to carry on talking to him. "I want to get a photo where the sun is rising but it's partially blocked by a tree covered in snow."
"Sounds pretty." Peeta said and put the dough in a bowl. "Be careful, the snows pretty deep in the garden, I nearly lost Max in it when I let him out." Peeta smirked and I opened the kitchen door and stepped out.
I sat in the living room on the sofa, my feet tucked up beneath me while I flicked through the photos on my new camera. Prim was laying on the floor with Max and I wasn't sure where the Mellark's were.
A small smile spread across my face when I flicked through the photos of Peeta. Admittedly, it was a little weird that I had photos of him running but I felt like he was his own story. At that moment I heard his voice from somewhere upstairs.
"He isn't that bad!" Peeta said loudly and I heard a drawer slam closed.
"He's an arrogant, self serving, dick head!" Rye shouted at Peeta.
"Don't swear! Prim will hear you!" Peeta said a little less loudly and I looked at Prim who was muttering to Max as he watched her intently. "We won't get in your way!"
"Gerry's always in everyone's damn way!" Rye yelled and there was a banging noise followed by a smash.
"Idiot! Don't throw things at me just because you don't like my friends!" Peeta yelled, angrily. I looked at the clock on the wall and stood up.
"I'm going to see if my bottoms are dried, Prim." I told her and she nodded. I walked through the house, listening to Peeta and Rye.
"You made me bleed!" Peeta shouted and a door slammed shut. "Grow up, Rye!" There were stomping footsteps down the stairs as I bent to take my pyjamas out of the tumble drier. "Son of a bitch." Peeta muttered and I turned quickly.
He stepped into the laundry room with his t shirt half off his head and then tugged it off.
"Oh, hey. Sorry about that." Peeta says and I try very hard not to look at his body. "Rye doesn't like Gerry. Says he's a jack-ass." Peeta says as he rummages through a pile of t shirts.
"Is he?" I ask as casually as possible. His back is to me so I let my eyes roam, his back is smooth looking with a small scar on his shoulder blade. But that's not what my eyes are stuck on. My eyes are stuck on his low hanging jeans, a black belt holding them in place.
"God yeah. He's a complete jack-ass." Peeta says and turn suddenly so I'm now looking at the zipper on his jeans, I try to look up at him quickly but my eyes demand I look at his body. His body is a lot more chiselled than last time I saw him topless. His stomach bearing an eight pack rather than a six pack. When my eyes finally get to his face he is just looking at me easily. "You could probably say that his motto is 'rules are made to be broken'." Peeta said, his voice low and I knew he was talking about us.
"Breaking rules hurts people." I defend myself as Peeta slowly pulls a midnight blue t shirt over his head.
"Only if people find out." He said and I swallowed.
"They always find out." I say quietly and we break our eye contact when the door bell rings through the house.
"That will be Gerry." Peeta mutters as he smooths the back of his hair. He locks eyes with me again just before he leaves the room. "The ball's in your court, Katniss. I'm just hoping you're going to serve it." Peeta said then left.
Peeta's P.O.V
I walked out of the laundry room and mentally kicked myself. That was the most stupid thing I have ever said! Damn it! I tugged open the door an accepted Gerry's 'bro hug'.
"Peet, you look like you just got shot down." Gerry says straight away and I groan.
"Something like that." I mutter and close the door. "Xbox? Did you bring the game?" I ask and Gerry pulls it out of his bag. "Nice." I say and we go up the stairs two at a time.
"So, come on, what happened?" Gerry asked as we slumped back into the gamer chairs. "Did you bang her yet?" Gerry asks and I kick his knee.
"1. I'd never 'bang' her, Gerry. So don't be so crude. 2. No, I haven't for a while. 3. I shouldn't have said that." I added the last point when Gerry snapped his head towards me.
"Wait, what? Not for a while? Peeta!" He turned his body to me and I rolled my eyes. "I thought you met like, yesterday?" Gerry asks confused and I sigh.
"This is entirely confidential, Gerry. You can't tell people about this." I say and we pinky promise. "Remember last year I went to that summer camp thing?" He nodded at me as we waited for the disc to be read. "Katniss was there too. We started off as a bit of summer fun, then it got serious but," I wasn't going to rat Finnick out. "She had hooked up with someone at the start of our just for fun thing and it got hard to deal with." I clicked a few buttons. "Then she lost someone close to her and the camp ended, I went down to see her, we'd you know..." I trailed off, weirdly embarrassed.
"I don't know, tell me!" Gerry exclaimed and I sighed.
"We'd do it." I said and Gerry nodded. "It was a break for both of us, you know." We turned to the game and started shooting the zombies.
"So what happened? Why aren't you sneaking into each other's rooms and fucking? Can I say fucking?" Gerry asked.
"Because to me it was serious, ugh, I felt like I was making god damn love to her." I blushed and Gerry awwww'd. "But to her it was just fucking."
"Ouch, sounds rough Peet. Is that the end of the story?" Gerry asked, staring at the plasma screen in my games room.
"I stopped going down to see her." I said simply, wishing I hadn't started this.
"And she stopped asking for you to go down?" Gerry asked and I squirmed.
"Not exactly..." Gerry paused the game and turned to me.
"So she still wanted you and you ignored her calls?" Gerry asked, shocked.
"Remember when I got a new number because I said someone kept prank calling me." I asked and Gerry nodded. "There wasn't a prank caller. I disconnected my number and got a new one so she couldn't call me."
"Fucking hell Peeta!" Gerry nearly shouted and unpaused the game. We were quiet for a while, focusing on the game.
"I kissed her last night." I said quietly.
"How was it?" Gerry asked.
"Wet." I said and Gerry looked across at me.
"Where were you kissing her Peeta?" He asked and I laughed.
"She was crying." I explained.
"How was it, besides the wetness?" Gerry asked, trying not to laugh.
"Hot." I replied and Gerry laughed.
"Hot?" He queried.
"We weren't supposed to do it, so it made it more... Intense." I said finding the right word.
"Tongues?" Gerry asked.
"Nope." I replied and he seemed shocked.
"How long was it?" He asked and I smirked.
"A few seconds. You wouldn't get it, if a girl doesn't tongue you on your first kiss you dump her." I said and Gerry shrugged.
"I haven't found a girl that gets me going with just a kiss. Try ignoring her, like just be polite. Don't start conversations, only smile at her if she smiles first, when you're in conversation with her keep looking at your watch."
"Why would I do that? That's rude?" I asked and he laughed and stood up, dropping his controller on the chair.
"If she wants you, she'll show you somehow. Football?" Gerry pulled his football out of his bag and I followed him downstairs.
"How will she show me?" I ask as we pull our shoes on.
"She'll make more of an effort first, then probably ignore you, then be angry and no doubt argue with you. Don't argue back, just take it like you aren't bothered, shrug a lot and repeatedly look around you. Then, she'll need you." We stepped out into the snow.
"How do you know that?" I ask and Gerry smiles.
"I know the ladies." Gerry says like the arse he is and tosses the football to me.
"Did you read your Lucy's diary again?" I ask and jog away and throw the football at him.
"Totally. Who'd have thought your twin sister could help you pick up girls!" Gerry said and I laughed.
A/N: Let me know if you like it! REVIEW! They really cheer me up a whole load!