On Monday she didn't really need to stop by the coffee shop-in fact, doing so was going to make her tight on time-but she couldn't resist the idea of having one of those incredible chai tea lattes. Surely it was just what she needed to combat the grumpiness she felt on such a gloomy, rainy day. She was surprised at the twinge of regret she felt when she realized Peeta wasn't working, but shook it off, reasoning that she what she really wanted was the tea, and it didn't really matter who made it.

When it came time to order she realized she didn't really know exactly how to order the drink, because the other times Peeta had simply made it for her. "I'd like chai tea, but a latte?" she said to the perky blond barista behind the counter. "Do you want it hot or iced?" the blond, whose name tag read "Glimmer" asked. "Hot," Katniss said decisively. That much she knew. "And um, can you make it with non-fat milk?"

She was a block away when she took her first sip and right away she noticed something was off. It wasn't that it tasted bad, necessarily, it just didn't taste exactly right. It was too sweet, she decided, with less of the spicy edge she had grown to love. After drinking about three quarters of it, she finally tossed it in a trash can, disappointed.

The next day, Tuesday, her face lit up when she saw Peeta behind the counter, even though she was expecting him to be there. "Oh good, you're here," she said, before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

His good natured laughter rang out and he responded, "I was just about to say the same thing to you." She bit her lip and looked down at that. She wasn't quite sure why she felt so uncomfortable all of the sudden. Looking back up she saw that he was rubbing the back of his neck, almost as if he was somehow nervous. His blue eyes were darker than normal, she thought, and one side of his generous lips quirked up in a half smile.

"I just meant, um, that I wanted you to make my chai tea. I, uh, like the way you make it," she stammered.

"Of course," he said in his friendly way, "Just let me take the next person's order and then I'll switch with Liz and make your drink. He looked over to the other barista, Liz, and she nodded in agreement.

Katniss paid for her drink and then stepped to the side, flushing slightly at the notion that Peeta was willing to go to so much trouble just for her. She found her eyes focused on the blond hairs covering his forearms as he punched numbers into the cash register, then roving up to his muscled biceps and strong, broad shoulders under the navy blue coffee house t-shirt he wore. Only when her eyes had made their way past his strong, chiseled jaw and had settled on his pink, curved lips did she notice the friendly banter he was exchanging with the next girl in line. Suddenly, she realized that she was being ridiculous to think that he was being nice to her for any special reason. He was nice to everyone; it was just his nature.

Sighing, she twisted her braid while he worked on making her drink. "I'm sorry we don't have any cheese buns made up tonight," Peeta said, and she only barely looked up to acknowledge him. "Are you going to sit down and stay for a little while?" he asked, and she nodded, still refusing to look directly at him. When she finally did, in order to take her drink from his hand, she realized he was staring at her.

"What?" she asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear nervously and wondering if there was something on her face.

"I have a break coming up, and I just wondered if you would mind if I sit with you for a minute," he said, his cheeks turning pink as he spoke.

"Oh!" she responded, confusion evident in her voice. "Sure, if you want."

"Great!" he said, smiling widely and wiping his hands on the front of this apron before reaching back to untie it. "I'll just be a minute."

She turned around wordlessly and made her way to her favorite table, wondering why on earth he would possibly want to waste his break talking to her.

He brought a cup of plain black coffee with him, nodding at her and giving a small smile as he sat down across from her at the table. "So how is your week going?" he asked straight away and she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding before she answered. "It's going great. What about you?"

"Excellent," he said, his smile radiating like sunshine across the tabletop, leaving her feeling lighter than she had in days. He gestured to her laptop and backpack, where they sat on the floor near her feet. "So what are you in school for?" he asked.

"Environmental Science," she answered. "I'm getting my doctorate, so I'm working as a TA in a few classes this semester and then next semester I'll finish up my dissertation and hopefully start applying for positions."

It was the most she had ever said in a row to him and he nodded enthusiastically, his lips turned up in a permanent smile that would seem forced on anyone else, but was easy and natural on him. "That's great," he responded. "Interesting. Have you always been a big outdoors person, then?"

"Yeah," she found herself smiling back at him, relaxing into the conversation. This was her favorite subject and one she would never tire of talking about. "I grew up near a wooded area and I spent a lot of time out there. It's where I learned to shoot my bow," she shrugged her shoulders.

"You're an archer?" he asked, his eyebrow raising in interest.

"Yeah, my Dad actually taught me...he's a really great hunter..." she trailed off, her voice getting smaller.

"Do you still like to hunt with him?" Peeta asked innocently.

She felt her smile fall away and she shook her head, looking down at the table and turning her paper cup in circles. "He, um, he died when I was eleven," she said quietly.

"Oh, Katniss, I'm so sorry," Peeta said, and when she looked up she saw that the tops of his ears had turned red and his smile had finally fallen away as well.

"No, no. It's okay," she reassured him, forcing herself to look him in the eye as she spoke. "It's been a long time and I like to remember him like that; he was so happy in the woods. My best memories of him are the times we spent together there."

Peetas smile returned, although softer than before. "It sounds like a pretty magical place," he said, reaching out to gently pat her forearm where it rested on the table between them.

"It was," she said simply.

Peeta glanced to the counter then, and Katniss thought with dread that she was probably boring him. "My break is over," he said, "but thanks for letting me sit with you." He stood up and pushed in the chair.

"Sure," she said, lifting her shoulders slightly, feigning indifference.

"I'll see you Thursday?" he asked, and she nodded before he turned and walked away. She tried but failed to drag her eyes away from his perfectly rounded backside and he suddenly turned back to glance at her once more. Almost immediately he broke out into an enormous grin. Yeah, he totally caught her.