August 25th, 2012
2:05pm

Walking alongside Prim, my hands grasp a small basket filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses of all sorts and some meat. This is where Prim insists I get my food, the street market that is always busy during the afternoons. I tell her that I hate the place, it's filled with too many people who are running their errands and babies that cry because they're mothers aren't giving them the attention they want. She only pushes me for being too critical and I laugh.

"So," I say gently and she turns to look at me with a bright smile on her face. "A little birdy told me you have a boyfriend." Her face instantly falls into a pure look of fear. Gulping, Prim begins to make up an excuse all while shaking her head and waving her hands.

"Katniss, I swear I have no idea where you'd get that from but I don't—"

"Are you happy with him? Rory, I mean." Lines begin to form over her forehead when my tone doesn't sound as angry as she would have guessed it would be. She answers me, hesitantly, but she does.

"Yeah," a small smile creeps over her lips and she looks off to a distance, like the way Annie does when she speaks about romantic actions Finnick managed to conjure up. "I am." Prim nods her head at me, her eyes glossy until they snap back to reality. Those blue eyes fall onto me and her smile is gone, again.

"Why do you do that?" My question is more annoyed than confused.

"Do what?"

"You do that thing where you stop smiling as soon as your eyes fall onto me." We stop in our step, staring at each another until the other looks away.

"I don't do that," Prim says sheepishly and turns to head toward her car. It's still kind of upsetting that my mom got her a car and not me, but it really makes more logical sense because I don't even have my licence.

She gets into the car and unlocks the door for me to get in too. Opening the passenger side door, I set the basket onto the center compartment and crouch to sit in, but my name is shouted and I look up to find Peeta running my way.

"Is that Peeta?" Prim asks and I shrug at her, even though I know it is just that guy.

Shutting the door again, I meet Peeta the little ways and smile at him. Now this side of me is unheard of to Prim but I can be friendly, it's rare but I can be.

"Going somewhere?" He asks and smiles at Prim, waving at her. Looking over my shoulder, I see her wave back and look at me with her brows upturned in confusion. Oh boy will she have questions when we're alone.

Sliding my hands into my front pockets, Peeta arches a brow and I nod at him. "I was just about head home. Why?" I ask, "Did you need something?"

His blonde hair falls in curls that make me want to run my hands through them, but I don't because that would be creepy. Instead I avert my eyes and try to calm whatever the hell I was thinking. This isn't me, I do not think about that towards guys. Then again Peeta does manage to ruin me without even doing it purposefully.

"No," he shakes his head and smirks at me in the most sexist way. "I was just wondering if you were up for a movie tonight."

Instantly I want to nod, and I do. Until I realize I have that damn article to write. It's about the loss of jobs over the past few months for the school districts here in Panem. Even the though it bores me, it's part of my job.

"Great, I'll… call you?"

"You said that two weeks ago, remember?" I reply in a snarky tone, making him scrunch up his nose and tilt his face away from me but his eyes still focus on me.

"About that," he starts and I shake my head at him. He didn't promise, it's not like I sat up half the day with my stomach rolling in anticipation for his call, nope. And it's not like he's mine and it's not like this is that big of a deal to argue over.

"Peeta, I was joking. Call me, yeah." Walking back a few steps he rolls his eyes and smiles anyway.

"I'll call you this time, I promise Miss Everdeen." He bows dramatically and watches me. We stay like that, me backing up slowly, him standing there and our eyes just intensely stare at each another until I finally break into a small chuckle and turn away, walking back the car.

Later that night, I'm sitting up with my laptop set in front of me, recorder, notepad full of notes and a cup of coffee.

The article was easy to begin and easier to finish than I had originally thought it would be. About halfway through proofreading it, Peeta called and I invited him over. He suggested we just sit in and watch some movie he'd rent. I agreed.

Now standing in front of my tall length mirror, I adjust the yoga pants I wear and my tank top. My hair is in a braid, almost messy looking and my make-up is just natural, effortless.

"Oh," I breathe to myself, "the irony." I try to look effortlessly casual when really I put so much effort into how I looked. Not like me at all, honestly. I could not give two shits about what Gale saw me in, what Marvel thought about if I had make-up on or not and whether Finnick thought my hair was just right. But with Peeta it's like I need approval with how I look.

When I buzz Peeta in, I unlock the door and wait there with the door open as he comes towards me with pizza in hand and a plastic bag full of DVD's and what looks like beer.

"Hi," he says and leans in to kiss my cheek. That wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I can't really expect things from Peeta because he can be so unpredictable at times. He's also very bold, goes for things without giving it a second thought.

"Hey," I say and he pulls back and I gesture towards my apartment. "Come in."

Walking past me, Peeta looks around and inhales deeply. My brow rises at him; he reddens just a little before wandering into the kitchen.

"What was that?" I ask, my thumb hooking over my shoulder to point towards the door.

"Oh, that…" he says slowly, setting the pizza how and waves his hand at me. "It was nothing, Katniss."

Chuckling, I shake my head and he sets the bag down onto the counter next to the pizza box. "Peeta, that wasn't nothing."

"Your apartment just smells like you, that's all."

It's my turn to blush, and I do. My cheeks catch his attention and he smiles at me, a small smile that holds so much hidden feelings. I could tell by the way its kind and the way his eyes fall onto me.

Placing his thumb onto my cheekbones and cupping his palm over my jaw line, I stop breathing.

"Katniss," he says slowly and I raise my brows, showing my interest in whatever it is he wants to say.

"Can I dare you to kiss me again?" He questions, face looking so innocent and tone soft, husky almost.

How could I say no? He makes me feel something no one else has had the power to do before Cato happened. Hell, he could ask me to murder my boss and I probably would just to have him kiss me like he had before. Okay, maybe that's a little too far but I would do anything to get his lips to kiss mine.

As a reply I say nothing but take a step forward; submitting to his offer—if that was what it was.

Giving me a wicked smirk, Peeta curls hands onto my hips and pulls me flush against his body. I take note that his body is warm; it urges me to slide my hands up his arms until my fingers hook behind his neck. But I don't because I'm afraid it'll give him the idea that I want something more. Instead I lay my hands flat on his forearms.

"I'm taking this as a yes," Peeta says quietly and I quietly laugh, then leaning in to shut myself up.

The kiss is just like the others; amazing. It sends shivers down my back, sends my head into a deep frenzy. It makes me tingle at the ends of my fingers, toes and all the way to the top of my head.

I have no clue how but my hands have done their own working, massaging their way up his arm until they run through the hairs at the nape of his neck. Peeta lets a low rumble come out from his chest and I feel the vibrations against my own. I know he likes it, I know just how a guy sounds when he's enjoying something. I know it probably all too well.

Peeta is the one to pull away first, and when he does, we're both breathing shallowly.

"You're a good kisser," Peeta compliments me and I look away because the only reason for that is that I've had my very large share of guys kissing me.

"Thank you, I think."

Catching my chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilts my head up and kisses my forehead. A gesture that was never shown to me from a guy, a sweet and kind peck on my forehead causes all feelings of doubt to subside.

"Let's watch those movies." And we do. We watch old 80's movies like Sixteen Candles then we move onto The Breakfast Club. After that movie we ended up watching a Pixar movie called Up.

"You're a dork." It's an insult for him after the movie was over.

Placing his hands over his heart, Peeta acts like he's been shot and I laugh. He falls dramatically off of my couch and groans like he's in pain when he lands on his back.

"Why do you hurt me this way?" Peeta asks playfully in a hoarse whisper and I roll my eyes at him.

"You're taking it too far." When I say this, his hands reach out for me and pull me down with him. I laugh and try to pull myself away from him but his hold is too strong for me to get out of.

"Let me go!" I try to tell him but I start screaming in laughter when his fingertips have found their places on my ribs. He tickles me for what feels like the longest time in the world. When he finally releases me, I sigh deeply with a grin on my face.

"I like your laugh." He tells me. I lay next to him, my head over his arm. Gently rubbing my bare shoulder with his thumb, Peeta turns his entire body toward me while I only look at him.

"I also like your eyes, your hair and your nose." The last bit he taps the tip of my nose and I push his hand away.

"You stop that."

"Why? Can Katniss Everdeen not take a compliment?"

"No. It's because Katniss Everdeen doesn't like compliments." It's my turn to face him. His body is so close to mine that I could actually feel his heart beating against his ribs.

Peeta has no reply and I'm glad because I thought that he might actually compliment me some more.

Unexpectedly, Peeta leans in and presses his lips to mine. My eyes are open while his are closed. After a few seconds though, I close them and let whatever I feel lead me. And lead it does.

Peeta sits straight up and I follow him, our lips never breaking apart in the process. My legs slide over his thighs until I'm straddling him. I don't give too much care into how this will turn out because I can only think of the hunger that pools in the pit of my stomach and how much I feel the need to touch every single inch of him.

"Katniss," he whispers against my lips and I plant small pecks onto his lips until I pull away.

"Huh?"

"Maybe we shouldn't let this go too far." He wants to stop? Did he not like the kissing? My eyes must've shown just how confused I was because he smiles at me earnestly and caresses my cheeks with his thumb.

"It's not that I don't want to stop. It's just that… if we go too far we might regret it." I know he's right but part of me wants to feel that regret as long as I've felt this intense feeling that Johanna chirps about after a good one night stand with a guy.

Only I don't want to lose Peeta, either. Not Peeta because he makes me feel this way. I can't lose him, not yet anyway.

Catching my bottom lip between my teeth, I nod at him with my eyes staring at him from under my lashes.

"Okay," he breathes and squeezes my hips with both hands. "I should get going before you've managed to pull me in deeper with those doe like eyes of yours."

Laughing, I rise off of him as seductively as I can which earns me a rise out of him. Peeta follows my lead and stands, too.

"Okay," he says again but makes no move to get out of here. Impulsively, I stand up on my tippy toes and kiss his lips just to pull away as quickly as I had started.

"Bye." I say and brush my hair behind my ear.

"Bye." He says and grins. Leaning down to kiss me, Peeta takes his time with this one. It's the kind of kiss that fills me with need and want all over again.

"Okay," I say and sigh deeply, pushing him away by his chest. "Good bye, Peeta."

Letting me push him towards my door by his chest, Peeta only smirks and hooks his fingers over the edge of my pants and underwear so they slowly caress my skin.

"Good bye," he says for the second time and leans in for one more kiss but I turn my head so he ends up kissing below my ear. It sends shudders through me but I try not to react too much.

"I'll call you, Peeta." Opening the door, I push him out and with a little reluctance from him; Peeta sighs a good bye and turns away.

Shutting the door, I lean against it and heave a great big breath of relief. Peeta Mellark is ruining all I am, with or without the intention of doing so.

Hi! I updated correctly today. Only because I got my phone to remind me. But it works! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. You're all awesome. By the way, reviews are always welcomed, even if it's constructive criticism.