December 22nd

Peeta woke to a vibration under his pillow. He groggily pulled it from beneath his head and winced when the light from the screen blinded his dilated eyes. It was midnight. He had to be up in three and a half hours. Who would be texting him at this hour? Finn, he thought, probably out with friends and wanting him to join them.

Peeta adjusted the brightness and swiped his finger to open the messages folder. He bolted upright when he saw the name he had saved to his contacts just two days before. Katniss. She replied to his message and in his anticipation, every cell in his body awakened at that very moment. He could wait no longer to know her thoughts.

K - Thank you for the apology. I do forgive you.

Well, it was short. Peeta had been wanting something much more detailed, but hoping for anything at all, so this was better than the previous silent treatment he thought he was receiving. What to say back? His mind crisscrossed with all the different pathways of what he could convey to her. It was a jumbled mess of words and sentences, all meshing together to form complete chaos inside his brain.

Peeta smacked his palm against his forehead in an attempt to clear it. He was usually good with words. There has never been a situation he couldn't talk himself out of, and most people were putty in his hands by the end of his perfectly chosen flattery. He was sure his honeyed vocabulary would get him nowhere with Katniss, which was why he was having such a hard time deciding which angle to use.

Peeta's mind rattled with Jo's words about being truthful with Katniss. Truth was an angle he was less familiar with, not that he lied all the time, but showering people with praise and adulation sometimes required a little acting and stretching of the facts.

Here goes something, he hoped.

P - Thank you for responding. I was nervous you wouldn't ever speak to me again.

It was truth, if only a small percentage of it. When he didn't get a reply back quickly, Peeta decided to send an innocent question, tossing the ball completely in her court.

P - How are you? This time he received a reply.

K - I'm okay. Why would you care if I speak to you or not?

Peeta flinched at the abruptness of her question, but at least he had gotten her involved in a conversation. It was the most exchange they'd had so far.

Peeta thought for a minute how to respond to this very direct inquiry. Truth, Peeta, simple truth.

P - I like you.

That was definitely simple. Peeta felt like a fourth grader, passing a note to the cute girl next to him in class.

K - You like me?

Does she not realize the effect she has on people? Peeta remembered again the way Gale had looked at her, jealousy beginning to stir on the inside of him. Did she really not see what he saw?

P - Yes… you sound surprised?

This is good, Peeta thought. He was pitching and she was swinging back. Progress, he grinned. His jovial mood fell slightly while the minutes ticked by, feeling like hours, and he hadn't heard back from her. He stared at the screen, hoping for the speech bubble to pop up, indicating she was typing a reply. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw one.

K - I'm not really a people person, so yeah, that kinda surprises me.

K - I don't get invitations for friendship very often.

Peeta thought of a few ways to share his next 'truth', that he was interested in more than friendship. He was terrified that if he didn't set the record straight now he might get stuck in the friend zone, and he didn't think he could ever be content in that section of her life. He would absolutely try if that was what she wanted. But it would be so much better to have her all to myself, he considered.

P - What if I said I was inviting you into more than friendship?

K - I'm not sure how to answer that…

P - Would you allow me to answer it for you?

K - How exactly would you answer it?

Peeta was surprised with her response. It seemed very unlike the Katniss he had encountered and the one Jo had spoken of. Is she flirting? He found that hard to believe, but allowed his mind to wonder about it and formed his next reply.

P - I would ask you to meet me for lunch tomorrow at the Mexican restaurant across from your work…

P - and you would say what time, and I would say eleven. Then you would say it's a date, and then I could fall asleep a happy man for tonight.

K - I don't get a lunch break until one.

P - Then I would say meet me at one.

K - Okay, then, I'll allow you to answer for me. Good night, Peeta.

He was flabbergasted with how this conversation had turned out in his favor. Peeta only thought he would be able to go to sleep a happy man. Instead he laid awake for the rest of his night, unable to get a wink of slumber. He popped out of bed at three, knowing that if he finally fell asleep he may not wake to his alarm. He was too excited anyway. He finally had a date with Katniss.

So they finally have a date! Lol to Tea4e, who was so sure Katniss would reply. And she does. :) There have been a few of you who have gotten into my head on this one… Everlark must be so transparent! *wink* I'll have to think of a way to throw everyone a curve ball on the next fic. I like to 'dare to be different'. I am only a day behind now. I would love to keep writing the next chapter, but I've got family coming in, like literally in an hour, so I may have to just burn some midnight oil finishing this. Not another update until at least late tonight/early morning. Please, please leave a review if you haven't already. Or another if you have… stroke my ego, people. It makes me write more. :)