"Peeta" a small melodious voice floats through the phone and she sounds taken aback and surprised.
Shit.
"Hey, um, Katniss...'' The words get struck in my throat and goes dry. I know that I turn into a blubbering idiot when I am nervous but seriously Peeta, come on. Just say something.
"Aren't you supposed to be at the match. Why are you calling me?"
I lick my lips and sweat is rolling down my forehead. I am more nervous right now and my hands are clammy. Maybe I shouldn't have done it but too late.
Should I say 'I Miss You' because the last thing I want to do to an already frightened Katniss is to entirely drive her away. I decide to go with something more safer.
"Because I wanted to talk to you before I go to the finals" That came out worse than I expected.
"Why?" she asks but her voice has considerably softened but has become more confused. I keep my mouth open like a fish but I could not make out one coherent word.
"Because, uh, because, I just wanted to make things right"
"Now is not the time Peeta" she huffs dismissively "But seriously, your match starts in twenty minutes. Aren't you supposed to be training"
"I got time to make a call to any person for good luck and..."
"And you thought of me" she completes for me.
There is complete silence for some time and I completely realize that I freaked her out and that she would never talk to me anymore. I look at the phone and the call is still running.
"Way to go Peeta" I chide myself silently but Katniss must have heard this because she calls out my name and I freeze. This is how she used to call me when we were dating. I am instantly taken back to the time when this happened and how she would look at me adoringly with that otherwise emotionless silver eyes. The nostalgia hits me so hard that I close my eyes and imagine her gray eyes for a second before she snaps me out of my thought.
"It's alright,uh, did you get my text"
"Yeah, I did" I reply "Did you mean what you said in that" I ask her
"Yes" she replies silently and my heart leaps out of my chest. My breath picks up and I am sure my grin got a tad bit longer and brighter every moment.
"Where are you?" I ask her almost breathlessly.
"In my home" she replies.
"Will you watch my match now?"
"Yes" she says and I know she is keeping her conversations short on purpose.
"I will win this match, Katniss and I will make up to the time we have lost" I tell her determined. Because I know that I will. She remains silent for a couple of seconds before I hear her making a small choked sound and clearing her throat
"All the best, Peeta" she says and it takes me everything not to shout 'I love you' into the phone. Maybe it is because of Gale relentlessly shouting I love you to Madge. But a small corner in my heart acknowledges this feeling. During the time we were together, I did contemplate my feelings for her and I knew that I was way past the 'feelings' stage and that what I was feeling for Katniss was much more stronger than just a 'feeling' and that I have kinda fallen for her. It took a break for me to realise that it was love that I was feeling and if she had ever felt that way, she would never tell me. Katniss was bad at talking about her feelings and kept close guarded about them that I was scared to even tell her that ' I was kinda having some feelings for you' and thankfully, a rational part in me holds back my tongue.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me" I tell her sincerely "Bye" I tell her and before I hang up the phone I hear one small reply and thank goodness was I sitting in a bench or else I would have passed out
"Bye" and one beat later "I miss you" comes out barely in a whisper.
"...and congratulations to this years winners of the Games Panem Victors" loud cheers erupt from the stadium and fireworks go off. I did it. We did it. Panem Victors won after a string of failures.
"This is a certainly a proud moment to the team, coach and obviously for the people of Panem." the announcer booms through the microphone which blares through the entire stadium. Photographers swarm through the crowd trying to take photographs of the winning team but Coach Abernathy ushers us inside the lockers room. Everyone are in good spirits and the players are hollering and shouting. They come and hug everyone.
"We couldn't have done it without you man" Finn shouts and wraps me in a bear hug and everyone agrees with his.
"And the most defining moment of the match when Peeta Mellark scored the final goal that lead the team to victory. This is definitely a great milestone in his career" I hear the commentators in the background and smile.
"Mr. Mellark is required for an urgent meeting with Mr. Heavensbee right now" a bulking man says to Coach Abernathy
"Go boy" he tells me
"No, not like this. I need a shower" I tell him
"Har, Har. Very funny. It is about your contract. Now go take the goddamn shower and meet him"
"Yes Coach" I reply and leap towards the showering rooms while the team yells 'Go get'em Tiger' and 'Yay's' and 'Whoohoo's' and Finn hits with me with a towel and smirks while Gale smiles and nods at me.
After shower, I change into my casual dress and literally run through the floors into Plutarch Heavensbee's office. Plutarch is the owner of the team of Panem Victors. He was very picky over his players and did not want to lose in this years game and Snow, the Capitol Ranger's owner rigged the system, god knows how, to his side and took the top players to his side. Luckily, Coach Abernathy scoured to find the best players to our team and since I was the last person to be enlisted, I was presented outside to the world as a professional but I was not. I trained like one but was not. Until I convinced Plutarch that I was worthy of the position, I would officially be a professional soccer player, just like my dream and I think I would have not disappointed him.
"Good job, Mellark" Mr. Heavensbee says and shakes my hand.
"So did I get the position?"
"When are you signing the contract kid?" he asks and if my smile couldn't get wider, it just got now.
"Right now"
I rush down to show my contract to the players. Very few knew of this arrangement and I even told Katniss well into our relationship and none of our family members knew it because I did not want Mom to know that I a not a professional yet. And that is the only reason she is good to me than she has been in my entire 25 year old life.
Thresh lifts me when I show the contract to him and other players join in the commotion in congratulating me. I am in a very good mood and feel so relieved. Finally, everything feels complete but there is one thing missing, Katniss. But at the moment, I live in the pleasure of Thresh's arms but the moment he lets me go, I run towards the locker and retrieve my cell phone only to see it dead.
"Fuck, fuck" I mutter under my breath. Haymitch comes again and lays a hand on my shoulder.
"Boy, I have a confession to make"
"I do not have time...wait, what?"
"The message you received from Sweetheart a couple weeks ago, well, I was the one who asked her to send them"
"What?" I shout and my sound echos through the room and everyone falls silent.
"I knew you were distracted after you two broke up so with Gale's help, I met Sweetheart and asked her to meet you. She refused and hence I asked her to send her the text hoping that you would attend the training more often. And she did it, for you" I heart stops and I feel lightheaded for a moment. Anger and hurt floods my veins and I clench my fist into a ball. My heart plummets into my stomach. This was all just a plot to convince me to train. She did not want to see me let alone miss me.
"But boy-" Haymitch begins again but I cut him off.
"Keep the but's to yourself" I say bitterly and pack my belongings into my bag. I had it clearly planned that I would go down to Katniss' house, apologise and make up. But all of it was fake. The last thing Katniss wants is to see my face. I should have known. She was not always vocal about her feelings and she wouldn't do the reconciling stuff over phone. I should have seen through it. I was so stupid not to realize it earlier. All eyes are on me as I storm out of the training room and in my anger, I don't even notice the small figure I bump into
"Katniss" I say involuntarily and my throat constricts. My eyes well up for some reason and I blink rapidly to keep them away. She eyes me intently and I clutch the bag tightly before I do something stupid like hug her. Before I can say a word, she is already there hugging me and wrapping her arms around my neck. My whole body stiffens at the contact and she lets go off me.
I know this is wrong. She still thinks that I am keeping up the act
"It's over Katniss. I know all about it. Haymitch told me." It hurts physically to even say those words
"But you did not hear it from my point of view,Peeta" she says and holds my wrist in an iron like fist. "It was true that Haymitch urged me to send those texts to you but later, I realized that, I did want to let go of you" she says and her brave charade has faltered and her eyes are downcast.
"I missed you,Peeta. Words are not my strongest suit but I don't know how to express it when you left."
"I'm sorry" the words fall involuntarily out of my mouth.
"I never have serious relationships, Peeta. But you were so important to me that I wanted to hold onto you and was afraid that I would let go,which I clearly did. I was afraid that I was going to mess up the only serious relationship I had. I didn't want to lose you and maybe,I think that fear is what lead me to being such a baby"
"You weren't a baby, Katniss"
"No, I should have understood your requirements but I was selfish" Before I could interrupt her, she lays her finger on my mouth and shushes me.
"It was Haymitch's plan to send the text but the last message I sent you was from me, without any directions" I do recall that I got the last message about half an hour later than the first message. "I thought that if you would come and meet me, then I could explain you everything and apologise. When I saw you on TV today, I couldn't wait any longer. I was afraid that if I were waiting for you, you wouldn't come. So I came to see you. Haymitch wanted to tell you the last part that I came today to see you, on my own" she says and her voice drops an octave lower.
"To confess that I have feelings for you, Peeta Mellark" she says and that is all that takes me before I crush my lips onto her. My arms wrap around her tiny frame. I press every inch of my body on her and in the process, I lift her lightly on her toes but she doesn't seem to mind. She snakes one arm around my hair and other plays at the one lock of hair at the base of my neck.
God, how much have I missed this touch.
After minutes of long kissing, we both let go, reluctantly, due to lack of air. She breathes small puff of air onto my face and our faces have identical face splitting grins and I lay my forehead on hers.
"I have feelings for you too, Katniss Everdeen" I whisper and her arms tighten around me and I know that I am not the first one to let go and right now, I decide to savour the moment.
I am Peeta Mellark, and my one shot to goal made me a professional soccer player and lead the love of my life into my arms.
Thank you to everyone who followed/favourited this story. I know this is only a couple chapters long but I definitely wouldn't have been able to complete chapter 2 in just a day (I wrote this after a day gap) if it weren't for the lovely people who let me know that they enjoyed this fic. I hope I did not disappoint anyone who thought turned out worse than they thought. If it were the case, I am sorry.
Anyways, thank you so much for reading and I will see you in my next fic (hopefully)
Have a great day
-Cutelily05
