Chapter Five
Communication is Key.
Over the next week, Katniss and Peeta kept a careful distance from each other. They shared breakfast and dinner-the meals that Posy was present for as a buffer. When Posy was at school, Katniss spent as much time as she could outside.
The weather was turning cooler as September faded into October. Katniss was hunting more-providing deer, pheasant and wild turkey to the butcher. She gathered eggs for the grocer and she and Haymitch harvested the last of their garden for the farmers market. She'd intended to start canning the vegetables she'd saved for their use but she was afraid to be around Peeta for long.
Then she went into the pantry and realized he'd already done it.
She didn't know what Peeta kept himself up to when she wasn't around other than canning and the daily baking he did. Her house was always clean, so she figured he did that.
And laundry. She was grateful, because she hated laundry. Like, really hated laundry. However, when she'd put her last load away, she'd realized a pair of her good underwear was in there. Her face had turned crimson when she thought that he'd have to touch the scrap of lace to fold it. For some reason, that seemed more intimate than his folding her more functional underwear. She'd only worn those damn panties because she'd avoided doing any laundry for over two weeks and didn't have any others clean.
Katniss had been too freaked out to bring it up to him. Peeta must have been equally embarrassed, because after that load, he'd stuck to doing Posy's, his own and Haymitch's and left Katniss' basket in the bathroom to overflow.
She heard him prowling around at night, after she escaped to bed once Posy was down for the night. Katniss felt that as early as she was going to bed lately, she should be well rested. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn't turn off enough for her to get any good sleep. More than once she'd found herself reaching between her legs to ease the persistent ache that had plagued her since Peeta moved in.
She knew he went outside before he turned in himself. She wouldn't ask why, so she could only guess his reasoning. Maybe he went out to talk to Haymitch. Katniss wouldn't ask him either.
While Peeta seemed fine withthe silent treatment Katniss had imposed on them, he was very good with Posy. He was teaching her how to draw when she was sitting with him in the kitchen. He had taken over all the cooking as well. Katniss supposed she should be annoyed, but he was a better cook than she was.
He even helped Posy with her homework if Katniss was later getting back from delivering her wares in town. And Posy absolutely adored him. She'd felt her heart constrict more than once when she'd happen on them talking about Gale. Peeta was telling Posy stories that Katniss wouldn't know about. Things only between the boys. Regaling her with their antics in the locker room (G rated of course), how they'd hunted together and how they'd both thought about joining the army. That had surprised Katniss, as Gale had never mentioned it to her.
It was nice, even standing in the hall, eaves dropping as she was, to listen to him talk. His voice was smooth and rich, like her favorite ice cream. And it made the same shiver run down her spine as that sweet treat. She'd listen to them laugh and it made her sad that Gale was missing this. No matter what would have happened between them, he would have been an excellent father. She was grateful for Peeta in those moments, for bringing the little bit of him that she couldn't to her daughter.
Other than the silence between them, having Peeta around was actually comforting. Even when they habitually caught each other staring at the other.
By the end of his second week staying with them, Peeta waited until after Posy had scampered off to get her things for school to approach Katniss. She could feel the tension practically floating in the air around him after he'd said her name.
She paused in her stride from the room, her brows raised in surprise. She should have figured he'd be the first to break the silence. Peeta was a talker. One of the many things she and Gale had in common was their penchant for not using any unnecessary words. Even when they argued it was concise and too the point. Sometimes a very sharp point.
"Yes?"
"I need to go to the bakery tomorrow to give Rye a hand. He has a big wedding cake order. They apparently asked for me to do it." He gave her a sheepish smile, which she almost returned. It didn't surprise her that his work had been requested. While Rye's decorating skills were adequate, more than, for the cakes. There was something about Peeta's hands that turned them into masterpieces.
She tried not to let the thought of Peeta's hands distract her as she answered. "Ok. You don't need to ask my permission. You don't work for me." She reminded him.
"I know. I was just thinking I could take Posy so she could play with Regina."
Katniss frowned a little. She was torn. Usually that was hers and Posy's day to spend together. But on the other hand, Posy didn't really have any friends outside of school. That had been fine for Katniss, but her daughter was a much more social child that her mother.
"All right. If she wants to." Katniss relented. They'd still have all of Sunday to spend together. Maybe they would go see Hazelle.
"Katniss. Why don't you take a day off?"
"What?" She turned fully back to him now, a flash of annoyance making her frown deepen to a scowl.
"Get out of the house for awhile. Go see Prim or one of your friends or something." Peeta said with a wave of his hand.
"I can't be away from the farm that long."
"You go to town everyday," He reminded her with an arched brow. "I'd rather you not be here in case something happens." By yourself, she could practically hear him say although he actually didn't. To tell the truth, she wouldn't want that either. And she did miss Prim. Maybe she would give her sister a call and see about getting together if she didn't have to work.
"You work too hard, Katniss. It's ok to have time for yourself."
Her eyes narrowed and she was about to snap that she had to work hard. Being a single mother with a farm to run wasn't anything but hard work. The look of concern in Peeta's blue eyes gave her pause.
"Maybe." Was all she said before she left the kitchen to collect Posy for school without looking back?
Peeta watched her leave with a sense of disappointment weighing heavily on him. He signed and threw the dishtowel he was holding onto the counter.
They'd been dancing around each other for two damn weeks with no end in sight. He wanted-needed-for her to be comfortable around him, but so far she could barely look in his direction.
He wasn't even sure what she'd expected out of him around the house. She never asked for help, so he fell into a Mr. Mom roll. Which, if he wasn't so confident in his masculinity might annoy him. He cleaned the house, cooked and found himself doing laundry because he knew of Katniss' aversion of it.
Until he ran across a pair of Katniss' panties and decided that for his own sanity to stick to his, Posy's and Haymitch's. Although Haymitch's was just downright disgusting with the sweat and vomit stains. Still, there was no threat of an erection doing their laundry, so he continued to do that.
Being around her with all the tension was difficult. Katniss had always been bristly. That was just her. At least back then they had been able to talk.
Maybe if he hadn't touched her.
The brush of his hand on the smooth skin of her cheek, the feel of her hot breath bursting across his knuckles had sent an electric current up his arm and straight to his groin. He figured by the way she jumped up and left the room, he'd definitely made her uncomfortable. He should have known not to be so familiar with her. Even when they were younger, she wasn't at ease with him touching her.
Peeta had to sit for a while to settle down. He stared blindly at the TV until his mind cleared, then he made sure the house was locked up for the night. He looked in on Posy and paused outside of Katniss' room. He pressed his fingertips to her door and closed his eyes, images of Katniss on the other side, in her bed alone assaulting him causing his erection to return with a vengeance.
Then he remembered just why she was in that bed alone and he felt wretched. He sent up a silent apology to Gale and moved on to his room. Unfortunately, no amount of guilt could curb his body's reaction to her and he fisted his hand around his throbbing cock as soon as he stepped into the shower.
After that memory, maybe it was a good thing that she was avoiding him.
With a sigh, Peeta poured another cup of coffee. For the last several nights he'd been taking walks around the property, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. He did this twice a day. Then, he'd taken to fixing things around the farm. There was a hole in the chicken coop wire and a fence post that had come down. He mucked out the horse stalls when Katniss took them out to their pasture for the day. He chopped wood and canned the last of the summer vegetables.
He really had no idea what he was doing here.
When Hazelle had walked into the bakery two weeks ago and said Katniss needed him, he'd agreed without hesitation. He'd run before, leaving her without a word after the funeral and no contact aside from his not so secret monetary help. He owed Gale and Katniss for that.
He just hadn't been prepared for things to be so tense.
Peeta knew that after the funeral, he wouldn't have been able to stay in Panem indefinitely. He had a life back in the Capital. But he had been so afraid of his feelings and that ever present guilt for them, that he'd handled his leaving badly. Katniss would have understood his leaving, would have expected it, if he hadn't just…disappeared. And they wouldn't be in the perpetual bubble of silence and longing-on his part-they found themselves floating in now.
He'd always been so good with words, so good in any given situation. Learning how to dodge his mother over the years had given him that skill if nothing else. Never let the people on the outside of their house see how badly his home situation affected him. He'd used that skill to befriend Gale and finally Katniss. But it failed him after the funeral and it was failing him now.
"Peeta, Peeta, Peeta!" Posy shot out into the kitchen, her twin braids flying behind her. She reminded him so much of Katniss in that instant he felt his heart clench. It hadn't taken a lot for him to fall as hard for the daughter as he had for the mother all those years ago.
"What's up, sweetheart?"
"Mommy says I'm gonna see Regina on Saturday."
"You are," Peeta nodded affirmative as he glanced up at Katniss. He didn't miss the slight smile he saw lift her lips as she watched her daughter dance around the kitchen.
"I can't wait." She exclaimed, latching onto his waist in a hard, fast hug. He returned it with a laugh, his hand gently tugging one of her braids.
"It'll be tomorrow soon enough." He assured her as she let him go.
"Come on, Duck." Katniss grabbed Posy's backpack and her jacket then helped the girl into them. When they were ready she looked up at Peeta. "I'll be back."
Peeta nodded and watched them turn. "Hey, Katniss. I thought I might give my truck an oil change this weekend. If your truck needs one, I'll be happy to do it." He thought he must be desperate to talk to her if he was stopping her to offer that.
He saw her start to refuse, a reflex anytime anyone offered help she didn't ask for. Then, she seemed to pull back. "Sure. Maybe you could change the oil in the tractor too."
"Ok." He agreed easily, giving her a smile. There, they'd had a whole conversation. He felt ridiculously accomplished. Especially when she returned his smile, although hers was a great deal smaller. She hustled Posy out the door to the truck in question.
He hoped that Katniss would stop being so stiff around him; otherwise this arrangement was going to be miserable. He wasn't even sure what the hell he was doing here. Hazelle had been very vague. Gale had been cryptic that day in the woods and Katniss wasn't talking.
Maybe it was time to hunt down Haymitch and see if he was anymore forthcoming.
With a sigh, Peeta did a quick calculation. He'd wait until later to find the old man. It was too early to disturb him, since Haymitch barely functioned before he got at least half a bottle in him. He also didn't relish the thought of having to wake him up if he was still sleeping and having to dodge the knife the older man always slept with.
Peeta felt restless, annoyed, like there was a twitchy kind of energy just under his skin.
Looks like your chopping wood, Mellark.
He'd work on the woodpile for a while, and then come inside to make some cheese buns for dinner. They were Katniss' favorite and they would go with the vegetable beef soup he was making for dinner.
Damn, one of these days he'd have to find out where his balls disappeared too. After another sigh, this one disgusted, Peeta walked out to go play with a very manly ax.
a/n- Well, they are certainly going to have plenty of firewood aren't they? Couldn't resist Peeta doing manual work in the next chapter. Cause you know, once he gets hot, that shirts gonna come off, ;-D Work really kicked me in the butt this week, so I could really use some reviews to make me feel better. Was that shameless enough? Hope so. Enjoy! Also, you can come follow me at tumblr under my author name Jypzrose. Since I had trouble with posting last week to Ffnet, I'll post my updates there as well so you know where to go. Thanks! Jypz/Lisa