"Katniss, wake up!" Somebody shakes me, and I grown, sitting up. My bed is surrounded my all of my female friends and family: Johanna, Annie, Madge, Prim, and even Adrienne. I groan.
"C'mon hon, you're gonna be late. You can't miss your own wedding. You're not even dressed yet and we need to leave in two hours!" Madge rushes me. They're all wearing matching pale blue dresses. My bridesmaids.
Today's my wedding day.
I take a super-quick shower, and then everyone's hands are on me, Johanna's drying my hair and Prim's styling it. Annie is doing my makeup, Madge is painting my fingernails, and Adrienne is getting me dressed. It's like my prep team all over again, except this time, I'm not going to fight to the death, and I actually like these people.
"You were so drunk last night." Johanna informs me, filling in the lapses in my memory. "I mean sloppy. It was hilarious. You should've seen yourself."
"You're one to talk, Jo." Adrienne retorts. "Don't even get me started on the stories I could tell you about Johanna. She is one crazy girl."
The two of them go back and forth for a while, making friendly insults towards each other. Occasionally, Annie adds something, or Prim giggles a little too hard. She's still just a kid - even though I must seem so hypocritical for thinking that. After at least an hour, they all step back. Madge helps me up and I slip on a pair of heels. "You look beautiful, Katniss."
I look at myself in the mirror. I hardly recognize my reflection. I try to calm myself down, by going over what I know. My name is Katniss Everdeen. I'm twenty years old. I live in District 4. Today, I'm getting married to the love of my life, Finnick Odair. My hair's in an updo with a few curled pieces hanging down by my ear. I'm wearing a long white dress; it's tight but not that revealing. For the first time in my life, I feel special. All eyes will be on me, and that's quite alright. I hug Prim tightly, and thank everyone.
The wedding is on the nicest edge of the beach. There's less than one hundred people there - Grant, Natalie, their kids, a few of Prim and Rory's friends, as well as Finnick's friends from the district, and some people we've both met who are still around.
I've never been to a wedding outside of District 12, so I'm not sure how they're supposed to work, really. The bridesmaids and groomsmen - our closest friends, naturally, walk down the aisle. Prim's a flower girl, which she's too old for, but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
I'm supposed to walk down the aisle with my father, but that's not really an option.
The music comes on the piano, and Haymitch is next to me. "Ready to go, Sweetheart?" He asks me. I stand up, and hug him tightly.
"Thanks for doing this." I say, smiling. We link arms at the elbows. He's cleaned up, in a suit, and is actually reasonably sober. A nice change.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't get all emotional on me, sweetheart. It's a wedding, not a fight to the death." He teases.
When I walk down the (reasonably short) aisle, everyone's staring at me. I want to shy away, but my eyes find Finnick's and everything seems okay. He still catches me off guard with how beautiful he is. But I feel like we deserve each other, instead of me just being in awe of him.
Thomas apparently knows how to officiate weddings. I spend most of the time he's talking just squeezing Finn's hand. I have no idea why I'm so nervous. I wasn't this scared going into the hunger games, for crying out loud. Finnick mouths Don't worry at me, and I try to exhale calmly. Thomas snaps me out of my daze by asking, "Finnick, do you take Katniss to be your wife?"
"I do." He smiles.
Thomas turns to me. "Katniss, do you take Finnick to be your husband? It's not too late, I'm not married yet either." Everyone laughs, Adrienne included. I turn bright pink.
"I do." I smile.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Everyone claps as Finnick's lips melt into mine. I get lost into the kiss, as always. I won't ever get sick of this. The whole room fades away and it's just tongue and teeth and lips. He doesn't pull away until someone coughs loudly. That was probably too much for public, even though it's my wedding day. Gloss whistles. I laugh a little. Finnick whispers in my ear, "We'll finish that later, Ms. Odair."
Katniss Odair. I could get used to that.
It takes three trips to carry in all the gifts. We got a lot of stuff. Finnick just drops it all on the kitchen table, and then, finally we're alone. "I think we need to this the right way." He tells me. I'm a bit confused, but then I'm swooped up in his arms, and he carries me up the staircase - yes, bridal style and into the bedroom. He puts me down and turns away for a moment, my dress has pooled around my ankles. "Beautiful," he whispers, kissing the place where my neck and shoulder meet.
"Do you know what today is?" I ask him, realizing what a coincidence our wedding day has fallen on.
"The four year anniversary of the first time we met, rather the first time we fucked."
"How about we celebrate that properly then?" I kiss him again. For once in my life, I have everything I could want, and there's nothing threatening to take it away. My friends, my family, a husband, food, money, and a home.
Katniss Everdeen, the girl from the Seam. The girl who had to eat squirrels to survive, who never took a shower in hot water until she was sixteen. If only my fourteen year old self could see me now.
Looks like I finally got my happy ending.
A/N: Well, that's it. Sorry to end it so abruptly. There's definitely going to be an epilogue.
Review if you liked it! :)