Coming Home

Chapter 7: An unexpected revelation

"Hi Peeta."

She had always called me by my given name, never used a pet name or a nickname —Peet— like people at school and my family.

I stood there, my eyes taking her in. She was even more beautiful than I remembered. Her gray eyes with soft specks of brown, her long silky black hair worn down, which was always my undoing. I had to use all my will not to run my fingers through it, as I used to do.

"Hi," was all I was able to say as my brain refused to cooperate in forming a coherent sentence.

She tried to smile at me, but her eyes reflected some sort of mix between panic and shame.

"H...how have you been?" she enquired with her melodic and soft voice. I had always loved to listen to her, and found myself wondering if her laughter still sounded like the heavenly choir as it had more than five years ago. But hearing her voice also pulled me out of my stupor. So I put all my defenses up.

"What do you want?"

At that moment, the shock of seeing her had reduced my ability to speak properly or think clearly to a minimum.

"I'm came back home just a few hours ago and I, I wanted to see you, talk to you. I...I missed you."

I chuckled sarcastically.

"You missed me? Really. Forgive me for finding that hard to believe."

"Peeta, please. I'm" —she hesitated— "I just wanted to see you, to see how you were..."

"Well you saw me, and I'm fine thank you." —I replied— "I appreciate your concern but I was just on my way out."

I could see how her beautiful face contracting in an almost imperceptible grimace of sadness. Anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't have noticed, she tried to hide it with her usual mask of indifference —I smiled to myself seeing that there were things that had not changed in her, and my treacherous heart took a leap of joy.

"Oh! Yeah...I'm sorry. I heard you were dating Delly Cartwright. Apparently your hot romance is the talk of the moment in town. You have a date with your girlfriend then?"

Now I was pissed off. Really pissed off because the stupid false rumors were going out of control. But I tried to hide it. Because of her annoyed tone, it seemed that she was upset by my supposed romance with Delly.

"Good, now she knows how it feels." But I changed the subject.

"Are you visiting your uncle?"

She avoided my gaze. "Actually, I'm back for good. I...moved back with my...family."

I felt the knots in my stomach tightening —"My family"— so she probably moved back with a husband and her child.

"I heard you have a kid...I...congratulations. I know it's maybe a little late but, I hadn't had the chance." —she nodded, still avoiding my eyes— "Listen I...I really need to go Katniss. It was nice of you to stop by. I'm glad to see you again, maybe I'll see you around. You look very good. Motherhood suits you well."

"Peeta. Please." —She said blocking the door so I couldn't close it— "I know what I did was wrong but it wasn't how it looked. You always avoided me after we broke up and I never had the chance to..."

I interrupted her at this point.

"We didn't break up. You dumped me to pursue another relationship. And you avoided me. I just put a finish to the awkwardness. There was no point in remaining friends on social media just for the sake of appearances. It was clear to me that you moved on, and I was right, you did. It was time for me to do the same and stop clinging to hope."

I could see in her eyes that she realized at that moment how much I was still hurting. I saw sadness. I saw pity. I also saw something else. But I couldn't identify it.

"Please let me in." she pleaded.

"Why? Why did you come? To torment me? To rub in my face how you masterfully got over me while I was the idiot who still mooned for you? Well you're wrong. And excuse me, but I don't have time for you. I have a date with my girlfriend now. I don't see a reason to waste my time with you."

That hurt her. I could see that. I also saw the tears that formed in her eyes but I lied to myself that I didn't care. I had to protect myself and I wasn't going to show her how much I still loved her.

"I suppose I deserve that. What I did back then was wrong and I did it for the wrong reasons. I should have talked to you no matter how that would have ended. But I was only 17 years old, and I didn't know how to react."

She pulled something out of her handbag and held it out towards me. It was an envelope with my name on it.

"Please read it. You know I'm no good with words. So I wrote you this. I tried to explain everything. Please, don't judge me until you know the truth."

I looked at the envelope and took it mumbling an, "Ok, I'll take it."

I started to pull the envelope out of her fingers but she held onto to it until I looked up and into her eyes.

"Peeta, I'm really sorry for everything I did."

"You want me to take it or not?"

Somewhat reluctantly she let go of the envelope.

"Take care Katniss, bye." I closed the door in her face but still heard her parting sentence,

"I never stopped loving you."

With trembling fingers, I locked the door and turned around to lean against it. I was severely shaken by the confrontation and felt that I was close to crying. I took a couple of deep breaths, waiting for my body to adjust to the sudden change in adrenaline before I left the small entrance hall and entered the kitchen to sit down at the table.

"Moron!" —I said to myself— "Why didn't you just ask her what you need to know and end all of this once and for all? You're a masochistic and cowardly imbecile who doesn't want to hear the truth and accept that she's no longer yours, and she will never be again. She has moved on, and has a life and a family of her own. Instead, you behave like an immature asshole."

The doorbell rang again.

"She came back!" I thought. I could not lose this opportunity. So I took a deep breath, got up from the chair stretching my neck and shoulders and opened the door.

"Listen Kat ..." —but it was not Katniss waiting on the other side. Wearing a sleeveless pink 50's dress —polka dots included— white flat shoes, perfect hair and makeup and armed with a large white bag that hung from her shoulder and a glass casserole covered with foil, was a smiling Delly.

"Hey Peet!"

"Seriously this girl doesn't give up!" I was already scared. This was quickly approaching harassment level.

"Delly what are you doing here? I told you this morning I wasn't going to your apartment." I said sternly.

She just giggled and passed by my side, uninvited.

"Yes silly. You said that you weren't coming to my house, but didn't say anything about me coming to yours. You have to eat anyway, so I brought dinner to you." she said walking to the kitchen, as it was the most logical thing in the world.

Outraged by her audacity, I followed her to the kitchen.

"I think you're missing the point. I meant I wasn't having dinner with you at all..."

"Who was that I just saw leaving?" she interrupted me getting a bottle of wine out of the bag and placing it in the fridge.

"Who was who?"

I was starting to get really irritated, as she moved around the kitchen grabbing plates and putting the casserole to heat in the microwave. She was acting like she owned the place.

"I don't think I need to give you explanations about who comes to my house." I said taking the plates from her hand and placing them back in the cabinet.

She looked at me sadly.

"Peeta, I know you're upset, and I'm really sorry. I know it was very wrong of my mom to start saying that there was something more than a simple friendship between us, but I swear she didn't do it with bad intentions. She came to conclusions when I told her that we were going to have dinner together, you have no idea how happy she was. Remember, she was always a great friend of your mother, and she told me recently that Maureen always liked the idea of you and I as a couple."

"So you had my mom's blessing? And where does that leave what I wanted."

"Peeta please, I'm not asking for anything in return. Let's just have dinner as friends."

"Delly, I..."

"I promise you that there is no second intention, and that I won't be trying to engage you in a relationship with me," she said taking my hands, "I'm not going to pressure you with that, and I'll respect your space. But please don't run away from me. I'd rather have you in my life as a friend, than not to have you at all" she begged, her eyes shining with tears.

I looked into her icy blue eyes intensely, looking for some hint of guilt or honesty in them. What I found was a manipulative look, capable of anything to achieve its objective. I let out a small sigh and shook my head.

"Delly, I'm sorry. You know what you say is not true. If we have dinner now, after all the rumors your mother has been spreading, tomorrow she will be handing out wedding invitations. I need you to leave my home now... "

She pounced on me, tangled her hands in my hair and crashed her lips over mine. I tried to push her off, but I lost balance falling backwards to the floor with her on top of me. She took the opportunity to straddle me while she tried to force her tongue into my mouth. It didn't last long, as I managed to get away from her grip quickly.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Delly! Have you completely lost your mind?" I stated angrily, quickly getting off the floor and behind the kitchen island. She got up slowly and looked at me with sadness, but with a hint of hope in her eyes.

"Did you feel the same as me when we kissed? Because I felt the butterflies in my stomach and my heart wants to explode."

"You're completely crazy! I didn't kiss you, Delly! You attacked me and filled my mouth with snot and saliva! If that was a kiss meant to make me feel something beyond disgust —because that's the the only feeling you have inspired in me— you have serious mental problems! Now get the hell out of my house or I'm calling the cops!"

Delly's facial expression changed in front of my eyes. Her eyes darkened and her face turned completely red. She looked like a woman possessed by a demon.

"What the hell happened to you, Peeta? I've always loved you, since we were kids! Our mothers always wanted us to be together! But you only had eyes for that flat chested, stupid prude Katniss Everdeen. I'm more beautiful, and have more class than her. And I know you have notice that. I've seen you looking at me. God, she doesn't even have table manners!"

If Delly had been a man, I would have hit her in the face at that very moment.

"You know why I looked at her and never at you? Because she, without making any effort, is able to make everyone turn to look at her. Because she is sincere, honest, and compassionate. Because when she believes in someone or something, she defends them passionately. Because she assumes the consequences of her decisions with dignity, and doesn't try to accommodate to the likes of others when she doesn't agree with something. Contrary to you, who in order to be friends with everyone, allowed things to happen that were wrong. Laughing with the bullies when they abused and tormented the defenseless, surrounding yourself with airhead girls who only lived to look in the mirror and make fun of others. Always trying so desperately to get everyone's attention. I would never notice someone as superficial as you, no matter how beautiful you think you are. Katniss always —listen to me, Delly— she was always going to be above you. And if I went back, even knowing what was going to happen, I would be with her again. You know why? Because I loved her with all my being, and I would try to love her even more so that she would never have left me. Because despite everything, I still love her, even though I know can never have her again. And I'm never ever going to love anyone that way, let alone someone like you. You are the kind of woman that a man like me looks to only for a moment of pleasure, never for a life together. So get the idea out of your head that at some point you'll make me fall in love with you, because that will never, ever happen."

I knew that I had been petty and cruel, but Delly had already managed to surpass my limits of patience. I wanted her a thousand light years away from me. However, her face denoted neither sadness nor anger. She had a mocking expression. She took three steps to the kitchen island and took the bag with a loud chuckle.

"Disgust? That's what you should feel for yourself. Do you know why she left you? Because your dear mother showed her the results of a hair DNA test that connected her to your father.Or maybe you never heard the rumors? She left the town embarrassed because she discovered that her mother was a harlot who had an illegitimate daughter with an engaged man and she blamed it on another fool. Katniss is the daughter of Graham Mellark. You slept with your own sister my dear. And she ran away because she was pregnant with the child of her own brother, and, like her mother, tried to blame it on another man. But Gale Hawthorne wasn't as foolish as her "father" Everdeen. If that's not disgusting in your book, you're the one who has problems. "

Delly walked out of the kitchen door laughing like a maniac, leaving me stupefied.

Hello everybody! First of all I want to give a special thanks to Nickermoodle for proofing this chapter and giving me a few good pointers. Feels really good to have someone helping you along the way.So...Katniss returned, with a family. He assumes that there is a husband involved since she has a kid...will he be assuming correctly?What about Delly showing off her true colors and the revelation that may change their lives? We have not see the last of her, because she is determined to get him.I'm starting to work on next chapter. As always, your thoughts always help.Love you all, see you tomorrow with another chapter for Out of Bounds, and next week with Chapter 8.XOXO Lizzyvb