Coffee and Classics
Hey guys! Thanks again for all the support and particularly, all the reviews that last chapter got. I know you guys weren't really expecting that. Two more chapters until the end, after this one! It's a little sad! Sorry it took me so long to update, but here it is! The chapter you've been waiting for! Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
"Holy shit, is that real?!"
Prim screeches when she finds me sitting on the couch, staring at the ring. I turn around and face her, my mouth open in shock.
"Prim! Don't curse!"
She shakes her head, her eyes still transfixed on the ring. She stares at it, her eyes glowing for quite some time before she speaks again. She turns around and looks at Peeta in the kitchen, as he makes us some pancakes. "I can't believe you fucking proposed!" She squeals, jumping up and down in her bare feet.
"What did I just say?!" I yell at her. She looks back at me, a guilty expression on her face. "Now go get dressed for school." She hangs her head and goes back to her room.
"Huckleberry jam?" Peeta calls from the kitchen.
"Yes. Thank you." I turn back to the ring. It's beautiful. It's the ring. It's everything I would have wanted in a ring, if I was a more girly girl that thought about that stuff regularly. It has one large diamond with two small diamonds on the side, and the band isn't silver like I thought, but platinum. I take it out of the box and slip it on my calloused finger; it fits perfectly.
But it must have been expensive, and I have no idea where Peeta got the money. I mean, I know he has a job, but he's starting school again next semester, and he needs to pay for that as well as rent and other bills. He really shouldn't have spent so much money on me. But it looks pretty amazing on my finger and I can't help the butterflies that take over my stomach at the thought of being with Peeta for the rest of my life.
"HOLY FUCK! WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR FINGER!?"
My eyes fly up to Gale as he stands at the edge of the couch; his mouth is open and his eyes are wide and full of disbelief. Peeta runs over to us. "You put it on?" His blue eyes are bright and hopeful.
"Just to try it on! I'm still thinking." He nods at me, trying to mask the happiness on his face, but he fails. He looks like a kid on Christmas. He leaves Gale and me and goes back to the kitchen.
"Are you insane?! Catnip, you're twenty years old! And you barely know Peeta. He could be a child molester for all you know!"
"Hey!" Peeta shouts.
"Don't get married! Don't say yes. Move out and get the hell away from all this shit."
I stand up off the couch. "I don't know what crawled up your ass this morning, but I'm not leaving him. I love him more than I ever thought possible. So why don't you just butt out and deal with your own drama. You're having a kid—so don't you dare judge me."
His eyes flash with anger. "This is a mistake. You may not see that now, but in five years, when you're divorced with two kids you have to raise on your own, you'll see."
I shove him as hard as I can. "Get out of my apartment. You're my best friend, and you've seen what Peeta has done for me—you're just being a dick about his because your life in a mess right now! Now don't come back until you'd stopped being an asshole!"
He lifts up his hands in surrender. "Fine. Whatever." He stomps out of my apartment, slamming the door behind him.
I exhale loudly, and make my way over to the kitchen. Peeta's still making pancakes, and I wrap my arms around his stomach as he stands in front of the griddle, pressing my front against his back.
"I'm sorry Gale is being such a dick, baby." He moves his left hand so it's resting over both of mine. "But he's trying to protect you. He's afraid you're making a mistake and he's trying to prevent you from making it."
"It wouldn't be a mistake."
He turns away from the griddle, turning around in my arms. He looks down at me, his blue eyes bright and loving. "No. It wouldn't be. Not with us." He leans down and captures my lips, sweet and deep. I twine my fingers with his soft hair and hold him as close to me as humanly possible. I love him. Would it be so bad to marry him? He cradles my head with his left hand and weaves the fingers of his other hand with my left one. "You're still wearing the ring," he mumbles against my lips.
I pull away and move my right hand up his chest. "Just testing it."
"I think you should test it the rest of your life." He lifts my left hand up to his face and kisses the finger wearing the ring. "It looks like it belongs here."
"Well that is where wedding rings belong," I joke. He gives me a half-hearted smile. "But I know what you mean. It's the perfect ring, Peeta, and I love it. I love you. I just need time."
"I know. I never expected you to answer right away." He pulls me closer, his eyes suddenly dark as night. "Maybe I'll just have to sex it out of you."
My body instantly flushes. "I think that's a great idea, Mellark."
A ding rings out behind us, and Peeta reluctantly pulls away and removes the pancakes from the griddle.
"After breakfast," he groans, and passes me a plate.
"Peeta!"
I call out his name as I climax, my nails digging into his shoulders. Peeta pumps a few more times, then stills, finishing inside me.
His relaxes his body on top of mine as we lay on the couch. Thank god Prim left for school.
"How was that? Did I persuade you?" Peeta pulls his head out of my neck, and looks down on me, his flushed face etched in humor.
"It was mind-blowing like always," I say, combing my fingers through his curls.
"Well that's an example of what will happen every day for the rest of our lives." He gives me a small kiss. "If you say yes."
"Well, I didn't realize that was an example," I say, nibbling my bottom lip. "I think I may need another test drive."
Peeta's eyes darken and he kisses me again, hungrily—up for round two. Literally. He pulls away from my lips and begins to kiss down my stomach, making his way to my center.
"HOLY SHIT!"
I let out a surprised shriek at the intruder and Peeta throws a blanket from the floor over us. I squeeze my eyes shut and I cover my chest with my arms. What the hell is going on?!
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Peeta yells at the person who interrupted us. I'm still too ashamed to open my eyes and find out who it was. It's like if I can't see them, they can't see me. "Learn how to knock! And how did you get in here?"
"The door was open. And I figured you guys weren't fucking—I mean, it's noon." I hear the deep, sarcastic tone and immediately know who it is. Finn. I open my eyes, and find him staring at me. "Kat, you have fantastic boobs, by the way."
Peeta picks up a pillow and throws it at him. "Don't you dare look at her! Turn around!" Finn shrugs his shoulders and turns away from us, and covers his eyes with his hands.
Peeta pulls us up off the couch, pressing my front against his chest and wrapping the blanket around our waists. We shimmy our way into our bedroom, quickly change into some clothes and walk back to Finn.
"What the hell, Finn? Why are you even here?" I ask, my anger erupting.
He looks at me, and picks up a leftover pancake and tears off a large bite, chewing it slowly like a lazy cow munches on grass. "I needed Peeta's help with Annie. I need to know everything he knows about her before we go on our date tonight. And, I wanted to see if you answered Peeta. Looks like you did!" His smirk turns into a goofy grin as he points to my left hand. "Congratulations guys!"
I shake my head. "I haven't made a decision yet."
His eyebrows furrow. "Then why are you wearing the ring?"
"I just—fuck off." I forgo explaining anything to this douche who just saw me naked and go to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Finn seems to turn his attention to Peeta.
"Peet, man, I need your help with Annie. She's totally out of my league. She's kind and sassy and I'm just a sarcastic, slutty douche." I turn back to the two of them and make my way over to Peeta, stuffing my hand in his back pocket as he stands near the couch.
Peeta shakes his head. "No, Finn, I'm not going to tell you anything about her. That's cheating. Just go on the date, treat her well, pay for her food and…take her to the Space needle. This is the only information I'm going to give you: she's never been, even though she's lived here her whole life. Plus, there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, and I'm pretty sure your best chance of seeing any of it will be up there."
Finnick grins and claps him on the shoulder. "You are the best!" Then he turns his eyes to me. "You'd be an idiot to say no to this guy. If he thinks of a romantic date like that on the spot, imagine what you wedding would be like—or your honeymoon." He wiggles his eyebrows. "I'm sure the location would be a whole lot sexier than the couch."
I punch him in the arm. "Just knock next time, for fuck's sake."
He grins. "Will do. Okay, I've gotta go. I have reservations to make!" Finn waves us a goodbye then skips out of our apartment. I walk over to the door and immediately lock it.
"We need less nosy friends."
I sit at a little grill a few blocks from my apartment and watch as Johanna finishes her third beer. The fingers of my right hand can't seem to stop fiddling with my left ring finger, even though I put the engagement ring back in its box hours ago. Johanna shoves her burger in her face, taking a huge bite of the "Meat Explosion"; it has three patties, mayo, ketchup, A-1 sauce and cheddar cheese—nothing else. It looks like a heart attack. Johanna always pigs out after a break-up, and considering that this relationship was about fifty times longer than her other ones, I have no idea when she will stop.
"What are you going to say?" She asks with her mouth full.
I shake my head. "I don't know. I mean, I love him, but I'm afraid it's way too soon." I nibble on my bottom him. "I could possibly see myself with him in the future, though."
She nods her head, agreeing. "You're both pretty young, but if it's right, it's right. And you and Peeta are right. That's what I think." Wow, she's actually being sincere, and not a sullen bitch. Maybe I should listen to her.
"I really wish he was virgin when we met though. I wanted to claw that Effie bitch's eyes out for ever touching him."
Her faces changes into a sad smile. "Imagine what it was like with Madge."
My eyes widen. God, I can't even think about what I'd do. Probably kill her. "Are you okay with everything?"
She nods her head slowly. "Yeah. It wasn't right. We're too similar and he's in love with someone else."
I shake my head. "I wish he would get over that bitch. Who wants to be with someone who lied to you like that?"
Her grins gets wider, the alcohol setting in. "That's another reason why I dumped him."
When I get back to the apartment after my dinner with Johanna, Prim skips over to me, her blonde hair bouncing off her shoulders.
"I bought these for you at Coffee & Classics."
Prim thrusts the pile of things she holds in her hands at me; it's a bunch of bridal magazines. I look up at her and see her grinning like a fool. I narrow my eyes. She rolls her eyes at me and pulls me to the couch, pushing me down on the soft cushions.
"Don't worry, I bought them from Finn, so Peeta wouldn't think you had made a decision yet." She picks up the one on top of the pile as she sits down next to me and flips it to a marked page in the middle of it; then she turns it to me. "I want this for my maid of honor dress."
I focus my eyes on the page and see a dark green pleaded dress with thin spaghetti straps that cuts off above the knee. It's pretty gorgeous.
"I haven't said yes, Prim," I point out.
She nods her head. "I know. But you will." She closes the magazine and sets her hand on mine. "He's perfect for you, Katniss. Don't let your fear of abandonment or anything like that, get in the way. He won't die and leave you alone like Mom and Dad."
Prim, as always, knows me too well. I can go on and on about being too young, but that's the real reason. I don't want to be left alone again. That's my hesitance.
"You don't know that," I mumble, casting my eyes down to the wedding magazines on my lap.
"No, I guess I don't. But he's what you want. So let yourself be happy."
She gives me a quick hug, then stands up and exits the living room, moving into hers.
I nod my head, agreeing with her words. I want to be happy.