Over the next month more kisses are shared and we've boosted up the number of entries to three a day; once we put down everyone we could think of, we got Haymitch involved. He'd offered up tributes of the past, and I was surprised at how well he remembered them. Soon enough, our book was complete, with dried Primroses between the sheets.

It is now Sunday, the day before the opening of the bakery, and I've never seen Peeta more excited. Over the past week, people have been coming up to the bakery to inquire on the exact date, so we already know there'll be a pretty large crowd there – not to mention the newcomers to District 12, who will do anything to catch a glimpse of their Star-Crossed lovers. I'm sure we'll probably end up with at least one interview throughout the day.

Right now we're in the kitchen, Peeta baking non-stop. He's fluttering around nervously, as though none of his creations will turn out – I spend my time sitting on one of the counters he's not working on and reassure him that everything will be amazing.

"Here, try this Katniss. It just…doesn't look right to me. I don't know." He hands me a slice of cinnamon bread, and honestly I see no difference than any of the other times he's made it. It still tastes as delicious, too.

I take another bite, making a show of how much I'm enjoying it, licking my lips when I swallow. "It's delicious, Peeta. Stop worrying." I want to laugh, but I'm afraid that'll just cause him to become more anxious, if it's possible.

He nods at me and then moves to ready some white bread that has been rising for the past hour and a half. "I figure I'll get all of the bread out of the way tonight – at least as much as I can – and then once it starts getting early I'll start on the quicker things."

I want to roll my eyes. Of course, he's staying up all night; I'm just glad that he finished all the cakes yesterday and stuck them in the fridge at the bakery. I watch as he works like a maniac and sigh. "Well, if you're staying up all night I guess I'll stay up too. For support."

He looks at me with concern and hesitation. "You don't have to do that, Katniss. You'll end up really tired, and I don't want all the fiasco tomorrow to take a toll on you-"

"Any more than it'll take on you?"

He pauses, blinks, looks around, then turns back to me. "Fine." And then he's back to work.

I watch as he starts to knead dough for another loaf, and see a small bowl of nuts and fruit next to it; it looked uncannily familiar. My eyes widen. "Are you making…?"

He looks up at me, then follows my eyes to the bowl. A small smile adorns his lips when he looks back up with a nod. "Yeah. Brings back memories, huh?"

I nod, not sure how I feel. It's a bittersweet memory, even more so after the war. Instead of mulling over it, I jump off of the counter top and walk over to him, hugging him from behind and laying a soft kiss on his neck. "Thank you, Peeta."

He turns in my arms with a raised eyebrow. "That was years ago, Katniss; and you've already thanked me for it."

I simply shake my head. "The first gift is always the hardest to repay."

An adoring smile comes out as he wraps his arms around me, still covered in flour, and leans down to kiss me. "Trust me Katniss, you've repaid me plenty of times over." We spend a few moments in silence, and then he gently pushes me away and back toward my counter. "Now go sit and look pretty. I need to finish baking." He winks and turns back to the dough.

I laugh and roll my eyes, jumping back up to watch him once again.

It isn't until around three in the morning that I get off to make us some coffee – we're both used to sleepless nights, though they've gone down drastically since we've been sharing a bed. I make him take a ten minute break to drink with me, but he's antsy the whole time, saying he's wasting precious time. When I ask him if he thinks I'm a waste of time, he immediately stops. I know all the right buttons to push.

Finally, around eight o'clock in the morning, he's finished. We wrap all of the loaves and put them in giant cloth totes to carry to the bakery, and then a cart to put the cakes on. After everything is packed we run upstairs to get ready, seeing as we probably won't be back until after the opening, which is at eleven.

I want to look nice for him, since he's so excited, so I out on a soft orange – his favorite color – cotton spaghetti strap dress and a simple pair of flip flops. The dress is surprisingly comfortable, and something I should be able to wear all day no problem. I walk back down the stairs to see Peeta already down there; he's moved his things into my house the week before. He had on a nice soft orange button up – cuffed to his elbows – and some chinos.

When he saw me, he smiled. "We match."

I smile back and nod. "Just like old times." Normally this would sober me, but I won't allow it today. After everything Peeta does for me, he deserves at least one day without worrying about me.

He walks up to me and gives me a lingering kiss that leaves me wanting more. "You're beautiful."

I look down at my feet, still bashful to his compliments. "Thanks." I take a deep breath and then look up at him, grabbing a bag. "Now, let's go. Don't want to be late!" I head out the door, hearing Peeta chuckle behind me as he follows with the cart.

We walk in silence, and when I look over at Peeta I can see him in deep thought; probably still worrying about the bakery. When the bakery comes into view, he seems to lose nerve again. I glance over at him and smile. "Peeta, everything will be great. I promise."

He nods, though only half-listening, and then unlocks the back door for us to bring everything through.

It takes us about two hours to set everything up, including putting tables out front, which we will put a third of what Peeta baked out on once he opens the doors to the customers for the first time.

I can already see people starting to make their way over as Peeta turns on the soft music, closely related to 'smooth jazz' from the time of America. I turn from the window and toward him. "Peeta, people are starting to come."

The delighted surprise on his face is comical, almost as if he didn't think anyone would come. Knowing him, he probably didn't. "Oh! Good!" He rushes to my side and looks out the window, a large smile starting to spread on his lips as he sees his new customers awaiting a half hour early.

Over the next thirty minutes a large group has formed, and I can't help but notice some foreign faces, and how a few of them are carrying cameras. I shake my head and decide to put it aside for now.

"Here goes nothing." I turn to Peeta as he goes to the newly places double doors, and begins to open them.

I smile when I hear cheers.

Peeta is propping the doors open with an award-winning smile as he keeps the customers at bay until he fills up the tables near the doors. I know this is my key, no matter how much I want to stay away from the crowd, and take the bag I brought with me and begin to fill the tables with different types of breads and pastries.

"Look at this, Katniss. This is amazing."

I can't help but shiver at the feel of Peeta's breath on my neck as he whispers to me. "I knew it would be." I stand straight again and step aside with a smile to give Peeta his time. I watch as he allows people inside, some going straight to what they want – they most likely were figuring out their orders while waiting – and striking up conversations amongst themselves. I smile when I hear words of praise directed toward Peeta and the bakery.

It's not long until I feel claustrophobic, so I try and break through the crowd to outside, where I see Peeta chatting with Thom, one of the ex-miners and an old friend of Gale's. Since I'm familiar with this face, it's not too difficult for me to join.

When Thom sees me, he smiles and gives me a half hug. "Katniss! You look well."

I smile and nod once. "Thanks. You do, too." I try not to blush when Peeta puts an arm around my waist.

He brings me in closer as he continues his conversation, while I observe. I find it odd that no one was at the pay counter yet, but then see every hurried customer from before chatting and laughing with old friends, making the bakery seem much more homely than before the war. My smile drops when I see a few cameras pointing in our direction, though instead of just a snap and then drop, they keep them trained on us.

I untangle myself from Peeta's grasp, keeping one eye on the cameras, as I head back inside to go behind the counter in case some people want to get the payments out of the way before continuing on.

I stay here for a good twenty minutes, ringing up orders with forced pleasantries – it's amazing how my mood can turn so quickly at the sight of a camera – when Peeta comes up behind me with a kiss on the cheek. I turn to him and glare, hoping no one saw.

He's simply in too good a mood to care, though, so I sigh and turn back toward the customers, ready to ring more up as I keep myself from pulling out of his arms again. This feat becomes extremely difficult when the cameras make it inside. "Peeta."

"Hm?"

"People have cameras." I glance up at him, and then back at the customers. I feel him shrug and give me another kiss on the cheek before taking my place in front of the cash register. I watch how easily he interacts with the customers, laughing like they're all old friends, and despite the chaos around us I can't help but feel proud.

FGTHG

"Today was a big hit." I'm lying against Peeta on the couch in front of the television. The bakery thrived well into the late afternoon, and both of us are exhausted. I close my eyes and bury down into his chest.

"I know! Tiring, but we definitely came in with a bang." His grip tightens around me.

I'm about to say something when I hear a mention of Peeta on the TV. We both look up in confusion and I feel my stomach drop as I see Peeta and me in the bakery, his arm around me and smiles on our faces. Obviously one of those 'customers' with the cameras decided to profit off of the Star-Cross Lovers.

"This is footage from today in District 12, showing our Star-Cross Lovers alive and very well. Sources have said they were kissing and cuddling the whole time during the opening of the Mellark Bakery." The woman reporter smiles brightly as our image turns small and into the corner as she continues on with the news.

I pull away from Peeta and put my head in my hands. What are we supposed to do? It's no secret that now that they've gotten a glance at us in present time, they'll want more. I hear Peeta sigh and place a hand on my shoulder, which I push away.

"Katniss-"

"What are we supposed to do now?" I cut him off, looking at him in exasperation. "You do realize they're going to take this opportunity to dive back into the lives of their Star-Crossed Lovers." I say the last part sarcastically, then let out a breath and collapse against the couch.

Peeta puts a hand on my shoulder again, but I no longer have the energy to push it off. "We'll figure it out. Maybe nothing will happen; they've gotten a little sneak peek, saw us happy, put some senseless gossip about our future 'real' wedding and how many children they predict we'll have, and then it'll be over. For now." He looks down bashfully, and I wonder what he was thinking. For now?

I groan and look up toward the ceiling. "Whatever. It's not going to happen that way and you know it. Besides, who says we're getting married?" My stomach flips at the idea, and I can't tell if that's good or bad. I decide to go safe for now, but I'm not sure how long that'll last by the look of pain that crosses his face; I can tell how hard he's trying to mask it, though.

"Nothing. No one. It just came out, sorry." We sit in silence for a bit, both deep in thought, when he turns off the television and stands up. "I'm pretty tired. Good night."

I watch his retreating back in surprise. Usually he would coax me to go up with him, a warm smile on his face. Right now…nothing. I hear the bedroom door close, and I flinch. I mean, it's not like I said we couldn't ever get married. Maybe. Just, not now.

So many mixed feelings are shooting through me, and I really need to get some rest. I don't necessarily think Peeta wants me up with him right now, so I take a blanket off of the back of the couch and snuggle up, falling asleep quickly.

When I open my eyes, I am in my room with Peeta asleep next to me, turned in the opposite direction. I move closer to him and place a hand on his arm, before letting sleep overcome me once again.

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