First of all, I am SO sorry for how long it's been. Like, really. I have absolutely no excuse.

On that note, I have a proposition. I am part of a Hunger Games RP and we need more people! I have a link on my page for the forum.

You can also PM me first, if you want. Either way works!

All right, enjoy the chapter!

"Why do we even need flowers? Honestly, this whole party thing is ridiculous." I lay my head down on the table where Effie has placed at least twenty different books of flowers.

The Capitol is throwing us a wedding. Against our wills, they are throwing it, but at least Effie is the one here to help us out; a wedding planner of sorts, I guess. At first, Peeta and I tried to keep the engagement as low-key as possible; we only told Haymitch and my mother. Things always go down the line, though. My mother lives in a completely different district, so things can probably end up heard that weren't supposed to, and I'm sure Haymitch told Effie. In the end, the Capitol found out, of course. Plutarch bugged us to no end, even coming out to Twelve until we agreed. The agreement consists of a SMALL wedding party and our newlywed life being left completely alone, and we were able to pick our own wedding date, which we had already decided on; we're getting married on June 23rd, two months from now.

"Katniss, we must pick out the flowers! We still need to do cake testing – Peeta has made up plenty of choices – and figure out the wedding colors. Oh dear, we barely have time." She looks down at her small electronic device and pulls out a pen for the pad, then begins to move things around. "If we put this here…and here…perfect!"

I roll my eyes. "We'll get everything done, Effie. It won't take that long. It's not that big of a deal."

I swear I have never seen her eyes get so wide. "Katniss, how dare you say that about your own wedding! Oh, I just don't know what to do with you, dear." She looks back down at her device and slides the pen across it. While still looking down, she says, "The bridesmaids are coming in tomorrow to pick out the dresses, and we must figure out when we shall prepare your wedding shower. Perhaps three weeks from now? Yes. Three weeks."

I sigh and lift my head back up, propping it with my hand, and my elbow on the table. "Let's just get these flowers done." I flip through the pages of the one I was looking at, barely skimming it. Earlier in the day I heard Effie talking with Haymitch.

"Stay away from the roses Effie. Take 'em out."

"Perhaps just the white ones? They are just so beautiful Haymitch!"

"None. That's the end of it."

I've never been more thankful of him in my life. Despite his crude remarks, I know he is truly happy for Peeta and me.

I've been flipping through while in thought, so when I snap the book shut, I have no idea what I went through. "Can't we just wait for Peeta? We can do it after the cake and he can pick it out."

Effie's eyes widen, probably for the hundredth time today. "Katniss, this is the bride's choice. It is your big day! Well, of course his as well, but every girl dreams of the perfect wedding!"

Huh, that's funny. My dreams were always to feed my now dead little sister and MIA mother. I huff and grab the next book. "Fine, let's just finish going through these." I think I know a good method. I'll close my eyes and flip through the pages, then stop at one. That will be my flower. "Hmm…this one. I want this one." I open my eyes to see a mixture of yellow and white.

When I look up at Effie, her hands are clasped and her eyes sparkle. "Oh Katniss, a mixture of Sunflowers and Daisies! Oh, that is absolutely perfect for a summer wedding. Especially outdoor." She pats my cheek as she marks the page. "You have better taste than you realize, dear."

I smile at her. "Thanks Effie. I trust you'll get this all set up, so how about we head to the bakery?" I'll let her think that I picked them on purpose. I don't want to beg, but I really don't want to see anymore books of arrangements for the rest of my life.

"Oh, yes. I am sure he already has all of the testers set up for us," she says as she has me stand up and shuffles me to the door.

"I need to at least get my shoes on!" I shrug off her hold on my shoulders and throw on some easy slip-on shoes, because I know Effie won't give me time to throw on my boots. And then she'd yell at me for wearing my boots out in public. I walk in front of her and open the door. "Now we can go."

Effie has calmed down her appearance a bit by not wearing as much makeup, but she's still Capitol enough to make some people double-take on our walk. Besides the few that stayed here for a bit – though they all pretty much left, including my 'best friend', because they couldn't deal with the conditions, Mockingjay or not – we're not used to it. The entire walk there Effie is still chirping on about the wedding, picking apart every little thing.

When she questions the flowers, I cut in. "No no no, those flowers are perfect. Really. We don't need to look at anymore."

"Oh, but there are so many summer flowers and I just feel-"

"I want those." I can tell that my look shows that I'm not backing down, because she huffs and continues on. It only takes a moment before she's chirping on again. I tune out the rest of the conversation. As much as I like Effie, sometimes it's just too much.

Once we reach the bakery, the first thing I see is that he had closed the bakery for the day. I run to the glass door and pull it open to go inside, and then keep my hand on it for Effie. Peeta's putting some pastries in the display shelf under the counter before looking up at us with a smile. "Effie, Katniss, right on time!"

Effie shuffles over to Peeta as he goes around the counter and pulls him into a hug. "Oh, Peeta! You look absolutely ravishing." She peeks around him and says, "I trust the cakes are done?"

Peeta pulls away and nods. "Of course." He ushers us behind the counter and leads us to the back.

I have never seen so many miniature cakes in one room. There has to be at least twenty of them, all with three tiny forks. They almost look like different colored tarts. I look at him with wide eyes. "You made all of these?" I can't see how it's even possible.

Peeta looks proud when I show my disbelief. "Well, since I only needed to make small ones, I didn't have to use as many ingredients for each recipe, so it's more like an assortment of different cupcakes. I also drew up some different designs we could put on the cake, too." He puts an arm around me and kisses the top of my head. "Go ahead and start on the cakes. Pick a few favorites and we'll go from there. I'll walk you through them as you taste."

I smile and nod, and go to the first cake. I nod for Effie to come over and take a fork so we can start. "All right, what's this?" I pick a little of the cake up on my fork; the frosting and cake are both white.

"This is a simple white cake with a buttercream frosting. It's pretty common, but delicious nonetheless," he says as we stick the forks in our mouths.

Anything he makes is delicious, and this does not disappoint. The cake melts in my mouth and I close my eyes in contentment. Making a choice is going to be really hard. We go through the rest of the cakes, and by the end I'm sure I know which one I want.

"The coffee cake. I like it. Which is weird, since I hate coffee." I scrunch my nose and Effie nods her head, probably considering the cake choice. The cake tastes nothing like the beverage, but perhaps I'd like actual coffee if I put sugar in it.

Peeta laughs. "Good choice, haven't done that one for a wedding before. Now do you like the frosting on it? Or did you want another? We can change anything you want on it." His expression is warm and curious. It almost makes me feel unworthy of his kindness.

I bite my lip and look over at him. "I mean, I like them all…you need to help! It's your wedding too!" I feel like I'm completely taking over and he's doing all of the hard work, not giving his opinion on anything so it won't taint mine. He smiles and opens his mouth, but I cut him off and say, "Peeta, I swear to god if you say it's my choice I will kill you." I glare at him. "You choose the goddamn frosting."

He raises his eyebrows and smirks. "Fine, fine. How about the buttercream? It's always been one of my favorites. The cake will be tiered, as well."

I furrow my brow. "Aren't tiered cakes really big?" I'm suddenly afraid that secret guests are going to be popping up. That will not be okay. Plutarch and I made a deal.

Peeta shrugs and looks down sheepishly. "They're usually at weddings. Like the one at Finnick and Annie's."

The sea cake. The perfect swirls of blues and greens, the first sign that Peeta had not lost himself completely through the hijacking. How everyone had gushed over it. I remember happiness and love. One day to forget all of the pain.

"I want one, too. Tiered, I mean." I smile at him and go give him a hug. "It'll be perfect." I lean in and kiss the side of his face before whispering, "I love you."

He squeezes me once and says it back, before letting go and looking at Effie. "Sound good?"

"Oh yes! It is absolutely delicious." She moves over to us and kisses both of his cheeks. "Now, remind me to call you for my next party! And-" Her phone cuts her off. She holds a finger up and excuses herself before walking to the front.

I sigh and lean back into him. "We're really doing this." His chest rumbles with his laugh.

"We are." He lifts my chin and kisses me softly. "How are you?"

I know he means if I'm still okay with all of this. I hate that he's always worrying that I'm going to walk away, but I understand why he feels that way. With our past, my past, marriage was never on my agenda. Things change, though, and I plan to convince him of that. "I'm good," I pull back and look at him, "I'll stay good, too."

He smiles. "Good, I-"

"They'll be here in the morning!"

We both jump at Effie's loud voice. She comes back into the backroom with a large smile, and if she still had on the usual Capitol makeup I'm sure she would look like a clown. "The bridesmaids will be here bright and early! Don't worry Katniss, I will be sure to wake you up so we can get the dresses!" She starts muttering about the multitude of dresses.

I roll my eyes and smile at Peeta, before moving away. "I'll see you later, so you can open the bakery back up."

He nods. "I'll be home to help with dinner." He looks past me and waves while saying, "Bye Effie!" I turn and realize she's already on her way to the front.

"Goodbye, dear!"

I walk back to her and we leave the bakery, but first I turn the 'closed' sign back to 'open'.

"Now, tablecloths!"

Shit.

Next chapter is bridesmaids dresses and bridal shower! It should be fun. Still figuring out if I'm going to have a Bachelorette party or not.

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