Part Two
Chapter Ten
I lean down and kiss Peeta. "I'd forgotten what you look like from here."
"Mmm. This might just be my favorite way to start the day, you know." His hands rub his face and then move to span my waist. "We could throw the alarm clock out and just let nature run its course."
I'm relieved that neither one of us has to work today, letting us enjoy yesterday's revelations and just spend some time together without distractions. We're finally tackling 'us'; we're finally reading the same chapter. Maybe we're even on the same page.
I feel disjointed in the most amazing way possible.
My palms gently press onto Peeta's chest and I ask, "How do you feel?"
"What, you can't tell?" I roll my eyes and Peeta continues, reaching out to pull me to him. "I feel alive." He kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear, "Awake. I feel like I have everything I've always wanted. I feel lighter. Lucky. Every corny word you can imagine, I probably feel it."
"It feels amazing, doesn't it?" I kiss his shoulder and sigh.
"What, exactly?"
"Not having to hide from each other anymore."
He pulls the blanket over us, shutting everything else out.
…
For someone who's spent the better part of the past day in bed, Peeta's completely dead to the world and I can't bear to wake him up from the much-needed nap. It's weird how your body just knows when it needs to shut down; emotions can be ridiculously exhausting.
I kiss his temple and reposition the blankets before tugging on some sweats and quietly head downstairs. I'm starving.
Rummaging through the pantry I find some Ramen and set a pot of water on the stove to boil. My phone rings and I smile when I see who is calling so I hop up to sit on the counter and answer.
"Prim! Hi!"
"Guess who has two thumbs and got into the 'U'9? This girl!" Prim's excitement is coming through in the form of a scream, but I hold the phone away from my ear and laugh anyway.
"My sister, the Golden Rodent10."
"Golden Gopher, Katniss. Don't start."
"Prim, you've officially signed up for four-plus years of constant ribbing. Minnesota's our biggest rival and you know it."
She laughs and continues, "I know, I know. But I'm so excited! And Rory got in, too!"
"Ah, le boyfriend." I raise my eyebrows and add the brick of noodles to the water, stirring. "How is the lovesick fool?"
"Head over heels for yours truly." She quiets down just a bit and I hold the phone between my ear and shoulder. "Nah. He's really good. I like him a lot, Katniss. Like, a lot a lot."
"Prim, that's great to hear. Really." My sister is graduating. She's enrolling in college. She's dating. She's—. I blurt out, "Are you being safe? Condoms and stuff?"
"I'm going to pour bleach in my ears and pretend that you never said that, thank you very much."
"Prim, come on! This is important!"
"Ugh! Yes, okay? Yes we are being, you know. Blech." I swear I can hear her cringe. "Change of subject, right now. Rory, Annie and I were thinking of coming out and visiting you guys. What do you think?"
"Yeah! We'd love to have you come out here! When?"
"We were thinking late March or early April. That leaves enough time before finals and graduation in June. Is that okay with you and Peeta? How is he by the way?"
I look up and see Peeta sleepily walking into the kitchen. I smile and say, "He's right here. Why don't you ask him yourself?"
I hand the phone to him and he mouths "who is it?" before I whisper, "Prim."
Peeta and Prim continue chatting while I assemble the Ramen and hop back up on the counter, grabbing the whole pot and cushioning it with a potholder. Peeta keeps talking and walks forward.
"Absolutely. We'll plan on showing you around. Maybe we can take a day trip to Boston, too." He smirks at me with that last suggestion, knowing I recommended doing just that quite recently. B.D. Before Delly. He "mmmm-hmmm's" a few more times and wraps it up. "Sounds good. Katniss says goodbye, by the way. She's stuffing her face with Ramen noodles. Yeah, I know. She still can't kick the cheap college kid habit." I kick his shin and he laughs. "Bye, Prim."
He stands in front of me, palms on my knees and looks into the pot. "I'm starving. Feel like sharing?"
I twirl an obscene amount of noodles onto my fork and hold it out; Peeta's lips wrap around the whole forkful. What a guy.
"Now who's stuffing their face?"
He smirks, chewing and I take another bite.
Today is the best kind of day.
…
Even working the morning shift is better. It's dark outside but it'll take more than 6 a.m. to dampen my good mood. Plus, Thresh and I are planning a few spring/summer trips and I'm excited to see where we might travel.
"Well it's about damned time." I look up and see Johanna with her hip resting against the counter and her arms crossed over her chest.
"About time for what?" I grab my coffee and walk over slowly. Esselon's not even open yet but we're here getting ready for the morning rush. I even grab Mr. Miller's usual—currant scone, clotted cream and Earl Grey to go—and place it out on the counter for the customer who is always (and I mean always) here the moment we unlock the door.
"You got lucky."
My head shoots up. "What?! No." I feel the heat rise to my face so I brush my hair away and mumble, "No."
"Yes, you're all blushing, too. Thank you Jesus it's about time." She walks to the front door and flips the sign to 'open' before fiddling with the lock. Mr. Miller walks in and hands me his debit card.
"Good morning, Katniss. How's everything with my favorite barista?"
Johanna runs over and interrupts with an injured tone. "What? I thought I was your favorite?!" He just smiles and shakes his head, taking his card and tucking it back into his wallet.
I hand him his bag and to-go cup. "Things are great, Mr. Miller. Thanks for asking."
"Oh, things are great for Katniss alright," Johanna emphasizes, "Stellar, in fact. I was just talking to her this morning about just how wonderful life can be—."
I clamp my hand over her mouth and smile my apology. Mr. Miller looks at us with an odd expression but moves toward the exit. I call, "Have a great day! See you tomorrow."
Looking into her eyes, my hand still covering her mouth, I shoot her my best scowl and hiss "I will end you if you say another word." I slowly lower my hand and she looks at me with a dead expression.
"Yeah, but was it good?"
She bolts to the back and I let my head hang back, huffing in frustration. The bell on the door chimes and I get to work.
…
"So ladies, what are you two up to this evening?" Finnick is washing dishes and Jo's putting chairs on the tops of the tables. I turn off the lights in the office and grab a broom to help out.
"I bet I know what Katniss here will be doing."
Johanna's been implying. All. Freaking. Day.
"Oh yeah?" Finnick asks. "What's on tap for tonight?"
Her snort lets me know that she's about to make another smartass remark using the word 'tapping' so I beat her to it and blurt out, "Actually, I'm going to the Moan and Dove11 with a few of Peeta's coworkers. There's a bluegrass band playing."
"Really?" He sounds surprised. It's pretty well-known that 'social' for me usually coincides with the word 'couch.' "Can it be that our Kitty Kat is stretching her wings and getting some fresh air?"
"Oh, she's getting some alright!"
I grab my coat and make my exit, not needing to hear the rest of this conversation.
…
The Moan and Dove has one of the most extensive lists of beer in the Pioneer Valley, which doesn't really matter since they have Lambic12 on tap. The bar is wooded and dark, but we find Peeta's friends right away. Or rather, they spot us.
"Hey! There he is!"
"Peeta!"
Peeta smiles and squeezes my hand as we walk toward the small group huddled in the corner. Rue is instantly recognizable but I have no idea who the other three people are. I urgently pray, "please don't be socially awkward" before smiling at the people in front of me.
One of the guys yells, "You made it!" and clasps Peeta on the shoulder before turning to me and offering his hand.
"I'm Cinna, I work at Henion with Peeta. And you must be Peeta's girlfriend?"
Peeta interrupts, "My fiancée. Everyone, this is Katniss. Katniss, this is Cinna, Portia, Beetee and you already know Rue."
I shake hands with everyone in turn, but Rue pulls me in for a hug. "Katniss, it's good to see you again! What would you like to drink?"
I order my pint of framboise and take a seat in the oversized booth next to Portia and across from Cinna. Peeta slides in next to me and puts his hand on my thigh, squeezing. The small gesture is comforting: I'm not great with meeting new people and he knows it. Peeta, on the other hand reminds me of my high school sweetheart: he's animated and happy, clearly comfortable in his element. I smile and take a sip of beer.
"So, um, you all work at Henion?"
It turns out that everyone but Portia works with Peeta. Cinna and Portia moved here from Quebec a few years ago and are married. They're very affectionate with one another and it's obvious that there's a great deal of respect for the other. Beetee's new at the bakery and somewhat quiet, but clearly very intelligent. He, Cinna, Rue and Peeta are talking about the proposed farm-to-school program13.
Portia turns to me and says, "I'm glad to have finally met you. Peeta is very special, yes? He talks about you often."
"Peeta is pretty wonderful, but I might be biased." I take another sip of my drink. "How long have you and Cinna been together?"
Portia's voice is soft and low. "Since we were children, really. We grew up together in Montreal and have been married seven years now."
"And what do you do for a living?"
"I am a seamstress, but work at the University to pay the bills. We're hoping to someday open a small boutique for my designs." She looks at Cinna and smiles. "Someday. We're expecting a baby this summer."
I look down at her belly and back to her drink. She laughs. "Oh no! It's water, Katniss."
Of course. "Congratulations! You must be so happy."
"We are, thank you." She motions to Peeta and says, "Have you two thought of when you'll be married? Do you want children?"
Peeta chimes in with, "We're enjoying us right now. No big plans outside of this just yet."
I smile and lean in to him as he kisses my temple.
"I love you," I whisper.
"I love you back."
The conversation is easy and I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying myself. By the time the cover band is ready to play, we've spent a couple of hours just getting to know one another. I've learned that Rue is not only like a worldly, older sister but is hysterically funny, and that Beetee is an engineer disguised as a baker. He was looking for a change of pace and found it in kneading dough. And the budding bromance between Cinna and Peeta is due to French pastry techniques. Go figure.
A banjo player introduces the band and we settle in for some bluegrass. Peeta and I both have an extensive love for music, specifically for the lyrics. The song14 is familiar to both of us and he turns to whisper the words in my ear. I intertwine our fingers and listen.
People keep asking and wondering why
There's always a tear in your eye
You've lived a hard life one I'd rather not lead
I ought to be glad it's not me
But when tears fill your eyes and clouds hide the sky
Your heart is so sad and you have a worried mind
You'll know my heart is with you and my love for you ain't blind
Your worries and troubles are mine
Now the nights are hard to get through as I wait restlessly
My letters are written in vain
Unsure of your feelings my tears fall endlessly
And my heart's beating rhythm with the rain
But when tears fill your eyes and clouds hide the sky
Your heart is so sad and you have a worried mind
You'll know my heart is with you and my love for you ain't blind
Your worries and troubles are mine
Chapter Ten Notes:
9. The U. Short for the University of Minnesota.
10. Golden Rodents – er – Gophers. Any self-respecting Badger refers to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers as the Golden Rodents and/or the ground squirrels.
11. Moan and Dove. Bar in Amherst. That's all.
12. Lambic. Lambic is a specific kind of beer from Belgium, and while it comes in many different types that range from sour to sweet, I'm specifically referring to the fruit lambics. Some are sweetened so much that they are almost like a beer fruit punch, but the best are made with real fruit and are a treat to drink. If you don't like beer, try this. If you do like beer, try this.
13. Farm-To-School. There are many cities and states that are trying to get farm-to-school to work. The program matches up local farms with local schools in order to make healthy meals an option for kids.
14. "Your Worries and Troubles Are Mine." Song by Ralph Stanley. I love, love, love bluegrass music and this song (specifically the line about letters being written in vain) seemed to fit the story very well. You can be outraged that I didn't choose "My Heart Will Go On" or something, but really, this is better. Listen to the song here: sunfishdunes (period) tumblr (period) com (slash) post/39433908112/grizzy-peak-your-worries-and-troubles-are-mine
Author's Note: to "Sara"…thank you for the reviews! I can't reply since you don't have an account, but I appreciate you sticking with the story and letting me know how much you enjoy the fic! emarina, you're the best. You know the drill.