Coffee and Classics
Hey all! Thanks again for all of your support. Only a few more chapters for this fic! I hope you guys are excited to see how it all ends! I think you will all like this chapter! Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
Peeta groans loudly.
"You did what now?" I ask, completely confused by this bimbo.
"Sex. Have you heard of it? I did it with them. They are exes of mine." She points at the boys again and looks at me like I'm an idiot. A small giggle escapes from her bright mouth.
"Hey, I wouldn't exactly say I'm your ex…" Gale trails off, crossing his arms over his chest. "We hooked up once."
"Yeah, you're right!" She pipes, her voice so happy. I still sit there—unable to do anything but be confused. I can understand why Gale kept this story hidden from me—she's crazy. She leans down, resting her elbows on the table so her cleavage is overflowing out of her top and looks at Peeta. "This one," she whispers, lifting her hand to trail her fake nail down his arm and licking her lips. "He's the one that got away."
Peeta jerks away from her and visibly cringes. "Uh, Effie, this is my girlfriend." Peeta moves as close to me as humanly possible without literally sitting on my lap and wraps his arm around my shoulder. Effie's smile falls and she begins to glare at me.
"You left me for her?!" She screams. Again, the entire restaurant looks at our table.
"Effie, we went on like five dates and slept together once."
"TWICE!" She yells again. Peeta's eyes widen.
"Okay, sorry, twice. And I met Katniss two weeks after I ended it with you."
"Well I hate her! You're better with me!" She squeals. Finally, I stand up. God, she's even crazier than I thought. And I've had enough of this bitch.
"Okay, psycho, or whatever your name is—we're in love. And we live together. So leave and go back to the mental hospital from which you came." I reach into my back pocket and pull out enough cash to cover dinner and throw it on the table. Peeta stands up and intertwines his fingers with mine. Gale stands up too, and leaps around Effie as she stands there looking at me in shock, and bolts out of the restaurant; he practically leaves fire in his tracks he runs off so fast. My shoulder rams into Effie as we march past her—out of Capitol.
"I will find you again, Peeta! And you will realize we were meant to be!" She screams behind us.
We speed walk to Peeta's truck, parked down the block, and find Gale spread out on the hood. He slides off when he sees us approaching. Johanna must have taken the car.
He reaches out and grabs Peeta's broad shoulder. "Dude, how the hell were you able to go on five dates with her?" He asks, and a shiver takes over his body.
Peeta walks to the driver's side and unlocks the doors for us. We all pile in, me in the middle. Peeta turns the key in the ignition then runs his left hand through his messy curls. "She was fine the first three dates. And then she started getting fucking crazy."
"And she wasn't even that good in bed! She was super vocal—and not in a hot way," Gale says. "I can't believe you could stand it twice."
Peeta shrugs, pulling out of the parking spot and back into traffic. "She was adequate. And I was horny."
I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly incredibly uncomfortable and pissed off. Why the fuck is talking about this with me right next to him?
"Yeah, I know how that is. I once fucked a chick who I'm pretty sure was homeless because I was so horny."
I feel the need to vomit.
"Ready to get some action, beautiful?" Peeta says when we walk into my room after throwing Gale a spare blanket. He'll probably be crashing here for some time. God his life is a mess. Peeta stands on the other side of the bed, across from me. I slip into a pair of sweats and look up at him, staring in disbelief.
"Are you fucking kidding?"
Peeta furrows his eyebrows. "If you're worried about Gale, you shouldn't be. These walls are extremely sound proof. That's one of the reasons we picked this place, remember? And plus, you're not very loud."
"I could give a shit about Gale being here. Do you seriously think I want to fuck you right now after seeing the kind of slut you've slept with before me?"
I see Peeta stiffen, his eyes hurt. I shake my head, refusing to get sucked into those blue orbs.
"Katniss, it doesn't matter who I've slept with before. I want to be with you now, you know that."
"Peeta, I can't believe your standards are so low." I'm not sure why this is bothering me so much, but it is. That chick was trash—and completely bonkers. "You know what? I'm gonna sleep on the couch. You can sleep with Gale."
I move towards the door, but Peeta intercepts me before I reach the handle. "No, you're not. Katniss, I can understand why you might be upset by seeing someone I've dated, but I don't understand why you're this upset." He tries to grab my chin to look at him, but I shake him off.
"Peeta. You're the only person I've ever been with. I don't…" I trail off. Fuck, I shouldn't have said anything.
"You don't what?"
"I don't want you to throw me away like you did her." His eyes widen, and I know he's about to respond, so I continue. "Because I know I'll end up just like her; throwing myself at you, desperate for you to take me back. I'll be a train wreck. Broken forever."
"Katniss, I—"
"No. Don't say anything. I just—give me some space. I'm gonna sleep on the couch, like I said. I'll push Gale in here." He tries to grab my arm again, but I shake him off. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."
I exit our room, and plow into the living room. Gale looks up at me with confused eyes when I reach the couch.
"You're sleeping with Peeta tonight. I want the couch."
He furrows his eyebrows as he sits up. "Catnip, I can't take your place if you're not in the mood. I don't swing that way. Just tell him to wank off or something," he jokes.
I glare at him. "Just get the fuck off my couch and sleep in my room. I want to be away from you two dickheads for one fucking night."
Gale jumps up off the couch. He holds his hands up in surrender. "Shit, okay, I get it." He walks past me, giving me a clap on my shoulder, then walks into my room and shuts the door.
I fling myself on the couch and pull up the blanket I gave Gale earlier. I feel empty sleeping without him, but I need a break. He has me in his grip, and I can't imagine not being with him. I snuggle into the cushions, turning on my side, and force myself to fall asleep.
"I love you. I'll always love you. You're it for me."
Peeta's soft words wake me up the next morning. I blink my eyes open and find him sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning over me. He places his hand on my chin and leans until our noses are pressed together, his shirtless chest pressed against me.
"I can't throw you away, Katniss. You're the love of my life. I'd rather die than throw you away."
I exhale loudly, and wrap my arms around his neck and hold him close to me. "I love you. Don't leave me." I hear the desperation in my voice; and it makes me feel pathetic. But I can't help it. He moves on top of me, crushing me with his weight, and kisses my neck.
"Never. I can't. I won't. Never."
We lay like that, squeezing each other, for what feels like hours. Eventually, he pulls away and kneels down on the floor next to me. I sit up and lean down to kiss his soft lips.
When I pull away, he scoots back a few inches. "Can you sit back on the couch for a second?" I furrow my eyebrows and then nod and do what he asks. He leans back on his heels. He takes a deep breath, and a smile lights up his face.
"When I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing on this planet. But you had pain in your eyes. And I instantly had the urge to take it away. I wanted you to feel happiness, only happiness, and I couldn't explain to myself why I felt so strongly about someone I barely knew."
"That first night, when I took you home when you were drunk, I stayed there half the night, and just watched you sleep. You looked so content, and innocent, and beautiful and I couldn't help myself. And then the next night, when we actually slept in the same bed, I had never felt so at home than I did with you curled up next to me. From that moment on, I knew I was addicted to you."
His blue eyes are shining at me, and I sit in silence, waiting for him to continue—my heart beating against my chest.
"Every touch, every kiss, every word we've shared since then has changed me. I'm different because of you—better. Because I've finally found where I belong; I belong with you, next to you, for the rest of my life. I love you, Katniss. No one in the world compares to you. You're kind, fun, loving, hilarious, mean, snarky, beautiful, amazing—and so many other things. You're perfect to me. And I love you. Even more than I can fathom."
He reaches into the pocket of his sweats, and pulls out a tiny black box. He opens it, his eyes bright and burning into mine. Resting in the black velvet, is a ring. Three square diamonds and a band of silver.
"I want to live with you, and die with you. And I know that we've barely been dating, and that it's crazy to be thinking this, but I can't help it. You are the one for me, and I don't believe in delaying gratification. Katniss Everdeen, I will cherish you every second of my life, and every second of the afterlife. Will you marry me?"
The room spins. Every single wisp of air is gone from my lungs. He continues to smile at me.
"You don't have to say anything right now. Take a few days to think about it. But I love you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."
He stands up off the floor, hands me the velvet box and leans down to kiss my forehead.
"Pancakes?"