Coffee and Classics
I do not own The Hunger Games.
CHAPTER TWO:
A stocky, 6' tall form stands in front of me, leaning against the counter by the cash register. His hair is blonde and floppy and sporadically curled, his lips are red and full, his nose slightly crooked and perfectly sized. And oh god, his eyes. They penetrate my soul. So big and full of truth; mesmerizingly blue—both sapphire and baby blue at the same time.
He is simply the most beautiful man I've ever seen.
Finnick can't even compare.
I'm pretty sure I've been staring at him for five minutes when Sae clears her throat. "Yes, Katniss, this is the new guy, Peeta Mellark. He's from Florida."
I finally tear my eyes away from his, and look at my converse, feeling the blush creep up on my cheeks. What the fuck? When have I ever blushed, like ever?
"Katniss?" Peeta asks, intrigued. I lift my head up, practically giving myself whip lash. Sae mentioned me? "She's even more beautiful in person, Sae."
Now I roll my eyes. Wow, he is a smooth talker. Obviously, by his easy voice and unbelievably gorgeous face and physique, he must get tons of lays. Well screw you Peeta, I'm not another notch on your bedpost.
"Sae, I'm gonna read in the corner now that you have help. But call me if you need any help," I say, ignoring Peeta's statement. I grab my book bag that I had set down earlier, and walk to the back of the store, finding my favorite brown chair and curling up on it. I open my bag and pull out Harry Potter, starting up again where I left off before I fell asleep last night. But I'm distracted. It's the eyes. Dammit, I chastise myself, why do I have to have a weakness for blue eyes?
I find myself just looking at the page, and thinking about his blue eyes, when my thoughts are interrupted by a whispered conversation.
"…Katniss is just like that. She's lived a hard life," Sae says in a hushed tone.
"I understand. We all have scars…" a deep voice responds. It's unbelievably sexy, and slightly pained. I realize that it's Peeta. Now I really have to whip out my hunting ears.
"But honestly, I think you could really be good for her. And she could be good for you."
"Sae, you don't need to convince me of anything. As soon as I saw those grey eyes in that picture on your computer background, I was a goner." What picture is he talking about? Then I remember, Sae took a picture last Christmas of Finnick, Prim and I lounging on one of the couches, drinking hot chocolate and laughing obnoxiously. Finnick had just made a disturbingly graphic joke about sex and old ladies, and it was both hilarious and disgusting. A little smile takes over my face, just recalling it.
"Well, just get to know her, and show her who you are. I told you when you first commented on the picture that she was going to be a tough nut to crack," Sae said with fierce determination.
"I understand. I just need to get to know her. I can't explain it." He sounded frustrated, and I pictured him pulling on his hair. Oh God, I'd love to do that, I thought. Where the fuck did that come from?
"Well, don't scare her off. She's…" Sae trailed off as the door chimed, signaling the first customer of the day, other than me.
Friendly chitchat began to fill the store as the minutes and soon the hours passed, the bookstore becoming busier as people stopped in to get their morning coffee and pastry to go. I sat in my chair, replaying their conversation. Apparently, Prim divulged more than just my sleeping patterns to Sae. Apparently I'm easily scared off, have magical grey eyes and am a "tough nut". Well, that sounds about right.
How can seeing one picture make someone so resolute to meet someone else? Well, I might have felt that way if I saw a picture of Peeta, I think with a smile on my face. And of course, while I'm grinning like an idiot, Peeta has to pop up out of nowhere.
"Hello, Katniss," he says with an unbelievably sexy smile on his face—his teeth perfectly straight. "I brought you your Mexican hot chocolate."
I look right into his amazingly blue eyes and reply, trying my best to rid my voice of its usual hostility, "Thanks, Peeta. That's pretty thoughtful."
His answering grin was even bigger than his first one. "You're welcome. I live to serve you, Katniss," he says with a chuckle. I take the mug from his hands, trying not to touch him, however, he seems to have the opposite idea than me, and grazes my fingers with his. Electricity flows from where he touched me, and startled, I drop the mug, shattering it, the content splashing all over the floor and all over us.
"Shit!" I yell, leaping off the couch, both from the heat of the drink and the desire to clean up him and the floor. I grab the towel from the front of his apron, crouch down and begin to roughly wipe his pants. "I'm so sorry Peeta. I'm not normally this clumsy."
Peeta stops my hands, crouches down to my location on the floor, and begins to peel my fingers away from the cloth I have clutched in my grasp. "Katniss, seriously, you're absolutely fine. Let me clean this up and get you a new mug. I mean, it is my job." He smirks, and then his face turns serious. Slowly, he lifts the towel to my face. I freeze, startled by the closeness, and watch his eyes as he gently wipes my cheekbone. He looks into my eyes, and his clear blue become slightly cloudy. What is he thinking? I wonder. All too soon, he brings the cloth down from my face.
"Sorry. You just had some hot chocolate on your face," he whispers, then turns his eyes down to the floor and begins to clean the spilled drink off the wood.
The intimacy of the movement has me in shock. I've known his guy for two seconds and he's already touching me. And I let him! That's never happened before. Suddenly, fear takes over my body.
"I need to go. I will see you later," I say, as I rush to stand up and grab my book bag. I throw on the rain jacket I had draped over the arm of the chair, shove my book into the main pocket of my bag and violently throw it over my shoulder. I sprint out of the store, never looking back.
Prim is awake when I get home, sitting at the kitchen island, lazily shoving cheerios into her mouth. Her hair is ratty and tangled from sleep—frankly, she looks like ass. I scoff and chuckle as I take off my jacket and place it back on the coat rack.
"Hey Kat, where were you?" Prim asks after swallowing a huge spoonful of cereal.
"I went to Coffee and Classics. I forgot to leave a note. Sorry," I reply, rubbing her head. Wow, that's the second time I've said sorry in ten minutes. What's going on with me?
"Oh nice! Hey, Gale called when you were out. He wants you to call him back. And seriously Katniss, are you ever going to tap that?"
My eyes practically bulge out of my head. "PRIM! You cannot say shit like that to me. You're only fifteen!"
Prim giggles, and walks around to rinse her bowl in the sink, then carefully places it in the dishwasher. "I'm kidding Kat. But seriously, you need to let loose. Gale was calling to invite you out to the bar tonight, he said he got you a fake ID, and I think you should go. Get your mind off all the stress you put on yourself." She saunters off into her room and closes the door behind her, leaving me to my thoughts.
Wow, Prim sure knows how to flip a switch. One second she sounds like a seventeen year old boy, and the next she sounds like a thirty year old woman. But she might have a small point. Maybe I should let loose. It's not exactly in my character to do it, but I need a distraction; from my nightmares, from Peeta, from stress, from fucking everything.
Reluctantly, but determinately, I pick up the phone and punch in Gale's number. Gale and I have been friends since we first moved to uncle Haymitch's house. He lived next door, was two years older, and seemed to possess the same moody and sullen qualities that I had. Our relationship was never more than platonic, to the point that I even refused to kiss him in a game of Truth or Dare we played at a party in 8th grade. I just never thought of him in that way, and by the dozens of ladies he's banged and descriptively told me about, I believe he feels the same way about me.
Gale picks up on the second ring. "What up, Catnip?" his voice is deep and rough, and instantly reminds me of Peeta, who I was trying to forget. Though Peeta sounds sexier.
"Nothing much. Prim said you called?" I asked, hoping to get this conversation over with.
"Yeah. I made you a fake ID, and you and I are getting crunk tonight, Catnip! I won't take no for an answer. And I swear, I won't even hit on any ladies, I will spend every second with you."
"Fine," I reply, halfhearted. He will just bitch if I don't answer yes, so I might is well save my ears from that.
"SCORE!" he yells into the phone, causing me to pull the phone away from my ear. "I will pick you up at 8! Get pumped Katniss, and wear something sexy. I'm sure Prim will help you, since you are incapable of picking out anything fashionable." Gale chuckles and hangs up before I can reply.
I hang up the phone, and walk over to Prim's door. I knock gently and wait for a reply.
"Yeah?" Prim asks, opening the door enough for her to peek out her head.
"Gale wants you to help me pick out something sexy to wear to the bar tonight," I say solemnly.
Her squeal of delight pierces my ears and echoes throughout our apartment.
Fuck. It's gonna be a long night.