Part Three

Chapter Two

It's late by the time people offer to help clean up and start to leave. Rory and Beetee are still quietly talking science in the living room and Prim has drifted off on the couch. She seemed to have a good time talking with Rue and Portia, who are probably some of the only women she's ever met who care about fashion as much as she does.

I say goodbye to everyone and walk back to the kitchen, only to see Finnick and Annie still there, washing dishes in silence. I observe them for a moment before walking to the living room and arranging air mattresses, finally putting a blanket over Prim. Rory collapses on his makeshift bed and I hear Peeta quietly call out to me, "Katniss, let's go upstairs."

I nod but cock my head toward the kitchen where I know Annie and Finnick still are. He gently shakes his head and smiles before taking my hand to lead me to our bedroom.

"But Finnick is still here. Shouldn't we—."

Peeta cuts me off with a soft finger to my lips. He leans in and kisses me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. I hum and hold him to me, smiling between breaks. He whispers, "They can handle it. And call me crazy, but I think they may want to chat a little bit more without a fully conscious audience."

"You noticed that, too?" He nods and leans in to kiss my neck. "They weren't even saying all that much."

"Maybe not. But there were small touches." Peeta sweeps the hair over my shoulder. "And smiles." He looks at me and grins. "And just the right amount of shyness." I look down but he touches my chin and looks me in the eyes before kissing me again and leading me toward our bed.

…

We wake up early and head downstairs quietly, knowing full well that our guests are probably still sleeping. At the bottom of the stairs Peeta stops short and I peek around his side to see Finnick on the floor next to Annie's mattress. Everyone is fully clothed (thank god) and fast asleep.

"So I guess I'll make breakfast for six then," Peeta chuckles while I bury my head in his back. We slip into the kitchen and make coffee, chatting about last night.

"I had fun last night. Did you?"

I nod and sit on Peeta's lap. "Yeah. It was nice seeing everyone at once, and I think people had a good time. Prim is obsessed with Portia. I think I overheard them talking about tunics. What the hell is a tunic?"

Peeta puts his mug down before taking mine and doing the same. He hugs me close and I return the squeeze. "I don't know what a tunic is, but I saw how happy you were last night. You were beautiful."

"Thanks." All of a sudden I laugh and say, "Giving the finger is incredibly liberating. We should do it more often."

Prim pads into the room. "Coffee," she mumbles. I point to the pot and she rubs her eyes, adding, "Who are you giving the finger to?"

I tickle Peeta's side and answer, "No one. Sleep well?"

She nods and leans against the doorway with her mug held tight. "I see that what's-his-face is still here. Is he coming with us today?"

Peeta shrugs his shoulders. "Feel like French toast? We can eat and then get on the road."

I volunteer to take my shower first while Peeta gets things moving in the kitchen. By the time I'm finished, I note that Finnick has left; I head upstairs to get dressed and find Prim sitting on my bed.

"Hey, did you have a good time last night? You weren't bored, right?"

"Ugh, I am so jealous. Your friends are so cool, Katniss." She dramatically sags against the bed and says, "Do you think they liked me?"

"I know they did, Prim. When has someone not loved my little sister?"

She smiles widely and then pats the spot next to her. "Sit down. I'll braid your hair."

I sit on the edge of the bed and Prim kneels behind me, taking a comb and gently working through the length of my hair. She plaits it carefully and talks while her fingers work around my head.

"You and Peeta are different," she says. "Different than even way before the accident. What's changed?"

I am not sure how to answer this. On the one (and obvious) hand, everything has changed. Absolutely everything. On the other, nothing has. Peeta brought up that 100-100 thing and we've been grappling with it ever since. It's work to be you, you know? It's work every single day.

But more than that, it's private.

"Would you kill me if I told you that it was between Peeta and me?" She stops braiding for a second but then resumes. So do I. "We have this unspoken agreement to talk to each other instead of dragging everyone else into it."

I feel like crap for essentially telling my sister that my relationship—which used to be in open season to chat about—was now a bit more under wraps. It wasn't about not trusting her, or anyone else for that matter. It was about what was right for Peeta and me. All of a sudden I am fiercely protective of the one thing I—no, we—worked so hard to get back. But here I am, trying to justify my decision to keep my trap shut.

"I don't mean for it to come across like that, it's just—."

Prim takes an elastic and ties off the end of my braid. She scoots to sit next to me and gives me a hug. "Katniss, you're my sister. Seeing you happy is way better than the drama."

I hug her back. "Things are good. Really good."

"That's all I need to know. But can I ask one more thing?"

"Shoot."

"Can I still talk to you about Rory? Because you owe me years of gushing about a boyfriend."

…

I love Boston. I love that the streets make no sense, I love the food on the North End, I love what a great sports town it is and I love the history. We decide to take the Freedom Trail tour since the Ducks are out of the question and spend the day doing everything tourists would do: Quincy Hall, cannoli at Mike's, shopping on Newbury Street and pizza at Pizzeria Regina.

Prim and Rory walk in front of us, my arm is woven with Peeta's and Annie is next to us. She hasn't mentioned Finnick once, but knowing Annie, she will when she's ready. I'm just going to nudge a bit.

"So did you have a good time meeting everyone last night?"

She's a little red, but it could be from the wind. "You have some great friends. Makes me miss the times we all hung out, you know?" Annie turns to us and says, "Do you think you'll be staying here long term?"

Peeta clears his throat and says, "We don't really have plans to leave. Things make sense here. Why?"

"I miss you, of course. We all miss you. Don't get me wrong; I'm ecstatic that you're so happy, but I wish we were closer." She stuffs her hands in her pockets. "It's not the same."

"No, it's not." We walk in silence, knowing that there is a lot we left in Wisconsin. I've kept in touch with Annie and Prim, and have even chatted with my mom on occasion. Peeta calls his family often.

"I know you needed to do this, I do. It's awesome that you did this together. I'm just having a sappy moment of missing my friends."

We continue walking a few blocks and eventually catch up to the store that Prim and Rory are checking out. Peeta goes in as well, giving Annie and me a moment to chat.

"We miss you, too. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I do. But seeing the difference in you guys is worth it." She sniffs—the effects of cold weather—and looks across the street. "So, your friend Finnick seems interesting."

I smile and nudge her with my elbow. "Oh yeah?"

…

Prim brings Rory to Haymitch's on Sunday but I decide to spare Annie that experience, instead taking her shopping in Northampton while Peeta gets a few things done at home. Annie falls in love with the quaint town, reminding me again just how similar Madison is to this part of western Massachusetts.

"I don't blame you for wanting to stay here, Katniss. This place is pretty amazing."

"Amazing enough for you to come visit again?"

"Absolutely. I'd like to come in the summer and see everything in bloom. I'm sure it's a lot quieter then, too, with all of the undergrads back home."

We walk around for a while, admiring the older homes and mom-and-pop shops. Annie buys a coral scarf and I treat us to tea before heading back to the car.

"So, speaking of undergrads," she says, "Gale is finally graduating."

"Is that right?" I put the key in the ignition but don't turn it. "How is he? I mean, have you talked to him?"

Annie nods. "He's doing alright. He and Madge broke up, but I don't think he's dating anyone else. He is looking for a job somewhere in Washington or Oregon, last I heard." She pauses before saying, "He wouldn't say it, but I know he misses both of you."

"Well, he and Peeta were best friends."

"No, the three of you were best friends," she corrects. "Always were. You know that Gale loved you. It was just for a tiny moment, but he did. And he never let on that it bothered him that you chose Peeta instead because he'd rather have both of you in his life than neither of you. Now he's exactly where he didn't want to be. He's hurting."

I know Annie can tell that I'm about to argue so she interrupts. "I know what he said was wrong. But he was there for Peeta when no one else was, so from his perspective, he did everything he thought was right by sticking by his friend and he still ended up with the short end of the stick."

A sigh escapes my lips. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. Even getting Peeta to talk about it would be a stretch."

"I think you'll both be glad if you at least try. You're coming back in a few weeks for Prim's graduation, which might be a good opportunity to try to come to an understanding. You both came out here to figure out where your relationship stands, and it seems solid. Don't you think it would be a relief not to have Madison hanging over your heads like this?"

She has a point. We've been working on fixing the two of us, but as long as his family and our friends were skeptical of our (my) intentions, we'd (I'd) always feel that heaviness in the backs of our (my) minds (mind). Who am I kidding? It bothered me more than Peeta, seeing as how I was the one who skipped town. And now it was more than proving to everyone that Peeta and I were okay…it was about addressing all of the anger that everyone else experienced alongside us.

We head home in silence to pick up Prim, Rory and all of the luggage. This time we all squeeze in my car with Peeta driving for the trip to the airport. Prim begs to stop at Esselon before leaving town and we get drinks to go. Annie is pink the whole time but Finnick acts like nothing is unusual, chatting with everyone before they head back to the Midwest. He hands Annie her drink and she looks down at what he's created on the top of her latte. Beautiful spirals swirl out from the center and she smiles at him, a better 'thank you' than any tip.

"I hope you have a safe trip home, Annie. Stop by again if you come back to town."

"I will, thank you."

The trip to Hartford goes quickly and before I am ready we pull up to the United departures gate. We can't stay long so hugs are rushed and goodbyes are cried before the TSA marshal gives us the stink eye.

"I love you, Prim." The waterworks begin. "It won't be too long before I see you again. Let me know when you get home. Take care, okay?"

She nods and cries a little harder as I hug Annie and Rory in turn. Peeta hugs them all before we get back in the car. The three of them wave as we drive off, heading back home.