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She shyly smiled at the chubby boy waiting for her. The only boy she was sure that didn't have cooties.
The petals on the bouquet of flowers she clutched in her hand had started to lose their color from the lack of water. It didn't matter though. At that moment, all Katniss Everdeen could think about was that she was getting married to her best friend. Peeta Mellark. The boy with curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and round cheeks.
Peeta stood before a tree as Katniss slowly walked toward him, the bouquet of flowers still safely clutched in her hands. He smiled at Katniss with only six teeth visible. She dropped the flowers to hold Peeta's hand.
Peeta, unsure of which finger he should put the ring on, placed the tiny hoop earring onto Katniss’ pinky finger. Katniss mimicked his actions placing the other hoop earring onto Peeta's pinky finger. They smile at each other after that and Peeta smacked his lips onto Katniss’.
It was both their first kiss, at the age of six.
Lily Everdeen and Carol Mellark watched their children contentedly before smiling at each other.
-
“Rain check?”
“But you finally agreed to having dinner!” she whined.
“I'm sorry Glimmer. I'll make it up to you some other time. Katniss really needs me right now.”
Glimmer huffed strutting away from Peeta. She was pissed, but Peeta didn't give two shits about her. He just wanted to comfort Katniss now that Prim had finally moved away for med school. He knew how Katniss felt, seeing Prim grow up and go off to college. It was something made them proud, but also made them feel like she was growing up too fast.
He stopped by 7-eleven on his way home and purchased a tub of cookies and cream cheesecake ice cream which was Katniss’ favorite. He could hear some quiet sniffling and hiccups as he entered their apartment.
Katniss was sitting on the loveseat with a box of tissues and crumpled tissue papers everywhere as she held onto a photo album. She was going through it when she heard Peeta come in.
“I have ice cream.” Peeta help up the plastic bag he carrieds.
“You're making me feel worse Peeta.” she sniffled.
“I'm not making you feel bad yet. I'll make you feel bad when I go back for this ice cream I bought and find it empty.”
She laughed through her tears and he shuffled closer to her. Placing the ice cream on the table before them, he plopped down onto the sofa, placing his arm around her shoulder.
“Are those baby pictures of Prim?”
“They are. I just wanted to remember the good times when she was still so little. When she still wore her hair in braids instead of curls. When she was still so innocent. I mean, I love my sister as she is today, but I just miss her being my little duck. I miss when I tucked in the back of her shirt.” she choked out a sob.
Peeta laid her head on his chest and rubbed her back until she calmed down. Katniss was very emotional when it came to the people she loved and that was something Peeta loved about her.
“Katniss, I'm sorry to break your make out session with my shirt, but your ice cream’s going to melt.”
She chuckled against Peeta's chest. It made his heart beat faster as her laugh vibrated through his chest.
“Thanks for the ice cream. You really didn't have to buy me one. Your buns would've been enough to cheer me up.” she said.
“Oh really? I'm afraid you haven't tested these out yet.” Peeta wiggled his eyebrows.
She slapped the pillow against his face.
“That's gross, Peeta. Don't ruin the perfect image of cheese buns in my head.”
She dug the plastic spoon into her tub of ice cream and Peeta smiled as he watched her.
-
“Don't you have work today?” Katniss asked.
“Don't you want me here?”
“No, I didn't mean that. Of course I'm glad that you're here, but I was just wondering why you didn't go to work today.”
“Have you forgotten what day it is today Katniss?” Peeta raised his eyebrow.
“It's a Monday so you should be in the bakery, not here with me.” She answered.
“You really forgot? Today is the day that you got your job, Katniss! This day marks your first year in your job! How can you forget that?”
“You remembered that? I didn't think it was important.”
“I know everything about you Katniss, and I took the day off to celebrate with you and cheese buns.”
Katniss was surprised by how much the little details of her life seemed to matter to Peeta. Sometimes he noticed or remembered things she hardly thought of herself. Like the time she had switched up her shoelaces, thinking nothing of it, but Peeta had noticed. She wondered why he bothered paying so much attention to here. She figured it was because they had been friends for years. If she was honest, she never saw those small details in him that he saw in her.
She took a bite out of the delectable treat that is the cheese bun, and moaned as it made contact with her tongue. Peeta always knew the foods she loved. She managed to give him a small smile in return through her chewing.
-
“Is this seat taken?”
She eyed the stool next to her before bringing her eyes up to the man. Blonde hair, blue eyes, but no dimples. Shame.
“Does it look like it is?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Feisty, I like it.” He smirked.
“Fuck me if I'm wrong, but dinosaurs still exist right?” He asks turning to her.
“Nice try, but I've heard that line before.”
“Can I buy you a drink at least?” His grating voice rang in her ears doing nothing but annoying Katniss.
“No, thank you.” With two words, the blonde man was turned down. He didn't bother her for a while until she stood up to go to the bathroom. “Hey, where are you going?” He placed his hand on Katniss’ back sliding it slowly down to her ass.
“None of your business.” She snapped as he smiled maliciously.
“Damn, you're one sexy girl, you know that? Looking fuckable as hell.” He pressed his body closer to Katniss locking her wrists in his hands.
“Get off of me, asshole.” She spit trying to hit him. The man kept a tight grip on her wrists.
“Not yet, baby girl. Not before I get to take a taste of you.” He pressed his hard-on to her left thigh.he's disgusted by him.
“Hey man, get your hands off her!” A husky voice to their right says.
Peeta.
The man holding Katniss glared at Peeta.
“And who are you?”
Katniss turned to Peeta standing at her side, glowering. It's not a usual look on his face. He looked to Katniss for a moment before saying, “I'm her boyfriend.”
“Oh thank god”, Katniss thinks. It's their go-to excuse when one of them is getting hit on and they're not interested.
Peeta stood closer to them and continued to shoot daggers at the man holding Katniss’ wrists. Peeta's hand slipped around Katniss’ waist, the man finally releasing his hold on her wrists. After, the man slowly walked away from them. Once he was out of sight, Peeta turned to Katniss.
“Are you okay?” Concern was etched on his face as he searched hers to see if anything was wrong.
“I'm okay, Peeta.” She said cracking a smile at him as he sagged in relief.
Katniss could feel the warmth of both his hands on her cheeks, soothing her. Suddenly, Peeta placed his lips on hers, pulling back just as quickly; Katniss almost didn’t register what was happening. Almost.
“I'm sorry, it's just… I don't like seeing you being treated like that.”
She nodded dumbly, the quick peck leaving her lips tingling. It was a friendly gesture for them and they've done it plenty of times, but now it left her feeling like this, feeling like she wanted to go back for more. She wanted to kiss him again, this time longer than last time, more slowly and more passionate, but she knew she couldn’t.
-
It was the day she had been dreading the most: The dress fitting for Prim’s wedding.
Prim had been out of medical school for a year now and was interning at the hospital in the next city. Before she started her internship, Rory finally got the balls to remove the velvet box from his pants and show it to Prim, asking her to marry him. It was a memorable moment and Katniss was happy that Prim was happy to finally settle down with a man that she was sure loved her so much.
But she really doesn't like dress fittings.
The day was sure to be filled with arguments over which colors were best for the bridesmaid dresses, either taupe or beige. Whether the dress should be long or knee length. Whether there should be ruffles or lace, sparkles or embellishments, and all those things that stereotypical girls talk about during dress fittings.
She entered the dress shop to the sound of heels clacking on the floor. In a second, her sister's arms were wrapped around her in a tight hug. Katniss wrapped her arms around Prim too.
“Katniss! Oh my god, I haven't seen you in a long time! I missed you!”
“I missed you too, Prim. I'm so happy for you and Rory. How is he doing by the way?”
“Oh Katniss, Rory’s great! He’s so sweet to me and never forgets to pick me up from my 30 hour shifts at the hospital. He also treats me with my favorite foods and pampers me when I need it. I just know that he's putting in all this time and effort for me. It just makes me fall in love with him even more.” She sighed happily.
Katniss was truly happy that Prim had finally found the love of her life. Rory was a good man, and she was sure that he wouldn’t disappoint Prim and their family.
“Katniss, you made it.” Their mother interrupted.
She turned to her mother and plastered a smile on her face. They hadn’t seen each other for a while. Katniss moved to hug her mom before Prim spoke up again.
“Mom, I was just telling Katniss about Rory. I'm so excited for the wedding! Everything has to be perfect…” Katniss tuned out,
suddenly lost looking at Prim’s face full of pure joy and contentment as she told them about her wedding plans.
The rest of the day was filled with more stories. Katniss found herself relaxing despite the stress of the previously dreaded day. It felt good to be with her sister again. Katniss was surprised that it wasn’t even that tiring with the other bridesmaids around. She found that she liked their company and even shared a few laughs with them.
When it was her turn to try her dress on, Prim squealed and ushered her to the fitting room where her dress awaited.
She put on the dress, struggling at first with the zipper, but managed to zip it up after a few tries. The dress was beautiful. It was a blush, off-the-shoulder, mermaid dress. It hugged what little curves that she had perfectly and made her body look stunning.
She felt beautiful in the dress.
Katniss stared at herself in the large mirror in front of her, sliding her hands from her waist to her hips, following the soft fabric that clung to her body. The dress certainly won't need to be altered for her since it already fit so perfectly.
She took a mirror selfie with her phone and sent the photo to Peeta.
Katniss: What do you think?
In less than a minute, her phone pinged with a message.
Peeta: You look wonderful in that dress! I might faint once I see it in person ;)
She was typing out her reply when she heard a faint voice call for her.
“Katniss, are you done?” Prim said.
“I'm done Prim. Just a moment.”
She turned the lock of the dressing room and opened the door to see Prim standing right outside. Prim scanned her from head to toe before widening her eyes.
“Katniss you look stunning! That dress looks good on you! Come on, we have to show them!” Prim dragged her to where the others were seated talking to each other.
She received multiple praises from the others, then went to change back to her clothes shortly after. It was now Prim’s turn to try on her wedding gown. Katniss took a seat beside her mom after changing. Her phone pinged with a message from her purse. It was then that she realized her previous message hadn’t gone through to Peeta.
Peeta: I'm gonna assume that you're busy with maid of honor duties
Katniss: slr, I showed the others the dress and changed back to my clothes. How's being home alone today?
Peeta: My cheese buns miss you :((
The message was followed by a photo of the newly baked cheese buns on their countertop. She grinned as she typed her reply.
Katniss: you're making me regret coming to this dress fitting
“Who are you texting that has brought such a smile on your face?” Carol, Peeta's mom, asked.
Katniss turned to look at her, almost forgetting that her best friend's mom was also here since she and her own mom were practically inseparable. The two had been best friends since high school and because of their friendship, Prim also invited Peeta's family to the wedding.
“Oh… um, just Peeta.” she replied.
Her mom and Carol shared a knowing look that Katniss didn’t notice since her phone caught her attention again with a new message.
-
“Katniss wait up!” Peeta called out from behind her.
She walked as fast as she could in the heels Madge forced her to wear. Although she wasn’t even that fast because of how much she had to drink.
She lost her balance in the heels, and before she can fall face first to the ground, someone grabbed her elbow, placing an arm around her waist, preventing her from toppling over.
“Katniss, let me take you home. It's not safe out here, especially with that skimpy dress you're wearing and with how much you drank.”
“No, Peeta. Go back to Sparkle, or Glitter, or whatever.”
“Her name is Glimmer. I told you Katniss, I just entertained her to finally stop her from asking me out every time we see each other. I'm not interested in her.”
“Not interested in her? That's just plain bullshit Peeta. Especially after I saw you kiss her.” She snarled.
When she entered the bar to have her usual Friday night drink, she was devastated to find Peeta in a make-out session with that ‘Glitter’ girl.
She didn't really see much of it, just that Peeta's lips were locked with that bitch. The thought of it made her blood boil. She was sure she probably would have burst into flames if she had seen the entire thing happen.
“I didn't want to kiss her Katniss. She kissed me so suddenly that I didn't expect it, but I pushed her away.” Peeta explained.
“Really? Why did you push her away? That girl was already perfect, Peeta. She's blonde, fair skinned, has big boobs, and curvy body. What else could you want, huh?”
“I don't care if she's perfect, okay? To me, she's not. She's not the one I want, Katniss.”
“So you do want someone and you haven't told me about her?” She narrowed her eyes at him. Keeping secrets was not something they did, or so she thought.
“You sound really jealous right now, you know that?” A sly grin slowly made its way onto his face.
“God, I hate you right now.” She rolled her eyes and stomped away. She could hear his footsteps follow her, but she didn’t look back.
“Guess I'll just leave your cheese buns on the table, seeing as you probably won't want me there tomorrow.”
Katniss ignored him and continued her trek home.
-
Of course, because it's Prim’s wedding, everything turned out perfectly.
The neutral colored flowers were perfectly aligned at the sides of the aisle, the breathtaking view of the beach and sunset on the horizon, the gentle and romantic music, the smell of spring lingering in everything that Katniss passed as she walked down the aisle. Even down to the various white and rose colored clothing that guests wore, to the feel of the flower stems against her hands. But most perfect of all was the taste of love.
Katniss smiled for the guests, which she truly didn’t have to force because the best day of her sister’s life was here. Prim was getting married to the love of her life.
Rory stood at the end of the aisle, nervousness seeping through him while his best man, Gale, stood beside him.
After Katniss reached her seat at the very front row, the first notes of ‘Here Comes the Bride’ began to play. Prim stood just at the end of the aisle, arm-in-arm with their father by her side.. The flower girl, who was Madge and Gale’s daughter, scattered pink rose petals on the sand before Prim began walking down the newly made path. As Prim made her way down the aisle,Katniss could swear she saw tears brimming Rory’s eyes.
The other guests, with their phones out, started taking photos of Prim, who looked gorgeous in her wedding dress. The dress was perfect for a beach wedding. It reached Prim’s toes and had a slit at the side, making it easier for her to walk on the sand.
As they reached the end of the aisle, their dad embraced Prim and whispered something to her ear that made her smile. He turned then and patted Rory on his back. After the exchange, Prim took Rory’s hands in her own as they stood side by side in front of the priest.
‘I do’s’ were exchanged and silver rings were worn on fingers. Soon after, they shared their first kiss as man and wife.
As they walked the aisle together, guests follow behind to the reception area. In that moment, Katniss’ stomach rumbled with hunger. As she met Peeta's eyes, he offered her a sad smile in return.
She still hadn’t talked to him since the bar incident, and she was about to change that now.
-
“I'm sorry.”
Peeta turned around to look at her.
“Katniss?” His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
“I'm sorry.” She repeated.
Peeta took a few steps closer to Katniss.
“Sorry… for what?” He placed a palm on her cheek, the gesture bringing back that night at the bar when he saved her from that pervert.
“I'm sorry for ignoring you. I'm sorry for the way I acted like a jealous bitch. I'm sorry for avoiding you at home. I'm sorry for not doing the dishes, I'll start doing them I promise. And for leaving food crumbs on the coffee table, I'll clean that up now, and I'm sorry for leaving the cheese buns you bake for me everyday. I swear I wanted to eat them, but I felt bad whenever I would try and grab one. The fact that you're still making me cheese buns even if I'm pretty much treating you like you're invisible just makes me feel like I don't deserve to be your friend anymore, Peeta. I'm grouchy, demanding, and lazy as fuck, but you? You’re perfect, Peeta. I'm sorry.” She bowed her head when she realized that she rambled and he probably didn't understand a word.
He placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. He smiled at her like she didn't just spill out her unfiltered thoughts.
“You don't have to apologize Katniss, but I am counting on the promises you made.” He smirked.
“What were those? The washing of dishes and cleaning of food crumbs on the coffee table? Are you sure that those are gonna be done?” He grinned cheekily at her.
“Shut up, I'm trying here.” Katniss scowled and swatted his hand from her chin.
“No, but seriously Katniss, you don't have to apologize for anything. We were supposed to be having drinks that Friday night and yet I was with Glimmer. I should be the one apologizing, so I'm sorry.”
Being a person who doesn't have a way with words, she decided to use her actions to show him that he was forgiven. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He returned the hug by placing his arms around her waist. Katniss took the opportunity to inhale his enticing scent. He smelled like baked goods. She preferred that to the expensive colognes most men used that often just hurt her nose. Warmth ran through her body then, feeling an undeniable pulsing deep within her because of her sudden closeness to Peeta.
“So does this mean that our families are finally being joined?” A voice from behind her asked.
She unwrapped her arms from Peeta, disappointed by the cold feeling of being unattached from him. Turning around, she found Carol standing beside her mother. She should've expected them, really.
“Mom, stop kidding around. Katniss here just finally agreed to do the dishes at home.” He chuckled.
Katniss hit his arm playfully.
“Oh son, I'm not kidding around. You've known each other since you were kids, you went to school together and now you live together. What else is missing? Why not just tie the knot and make us all happy?” Peeta's mom insisted.
Carol's face drips with disappointment. Peeta's mom has always been disappointed in him because he never bothered to pursue a romantic relationship with Katniss. His mom always wanted him to marry Katniss so the Everdeen and Mellark families would finally be one.
“Carol, sorry to let you down, but I don't think Peeta and I have feelings for each other romantically.” Katniss explained.
“Well, I'm probably waiting for something that's never gonna happen, so I won't keep my hopes up anymore.” Carol said with a sigh.
“Yes, I believe we should just let them sort things out, maybe they'll figure it out. If they're meant to be Carol, it will happen.” Lily Everdeen comforted her friend as they walk away from the pair.
“Thank you for saving me from mom. She grills me about you all the time.” Peeta placed a kiss on her cheek.
She was startled by the chaste kiss, but it took everything in her to not grab him by the neck and pull his lips down to hers.
They mingle with friends who have been invited to the wedding and listen to different speeches. Katniss didn't speak in front of the crowd because she told Prim that she'd probably just say a lot of non-sense, and that she wouldn't want to ruin her big day. Prim reluctantly agreed. The newlyweds had their first dance to Etta James’ “At Last” and after that, the dj invited the guests to join the newlyweds on the dance floor.
Peeta took Katniss’ hand saying, “Let's dance.” Katniss stood from her seat as Peeta lead her down to the dance floor. She placed her hands on his shoulders and his on her waist. They waltz to the soft music of Train’s “Marry Me”.
She looked up at Peeta,surprised by his quiet staring; an intense look in his eyes. Usually she felt self-conscious, but right now she didn’t.. Instead she found herself trapped in his gaze, unable to look away. They’d drifted closer to each other without noticing.
It was only now that she noticed Peeta's enticing eyes had tiny flecks of purple in them. She'd always seen Peeta, but it was only now that it registered to her that her best friend was very attractive. Freckles scattered across his cheeks and nose, his blonde eyelashes so impossibly long she wondered how they don't get tangled up together; and his lips. His lips that would probably feel good pressed against hers. His lips that she longed to kiss. His lips that might do wonders to other areas of her body.
She was so close to him that she didn’t know what to do and so, she took the cowardly way out.
-
The vibrant lights shone on them. Aluminum gray eyes met with blue eyes that are comparable to the sea. The air in the room felt thicker as each second ticked by. There wasn't anyone noticing Katniss and Peeta, but they felt as if all eyes were on them, expecting them to do something they were both afraid of doing.
Something he was afraid of doing.
Their lips were less than an inch away and Peeta could feel the way her breath was coming out in small puffs. He noticed the way her eyes drifted from his eyes to his lips. He has no excuse for kissing her this time, besides the fact that he had always wanted to do this. He was barely a centimeter away from doing what he had wanted to do again after that incident at the bar when she suddenly pulled back. She retracted from him so suddenly as if she'd been shocked with electricity.
She turned back and headed straight to the exit, but Peeta wouldn’t let her go that easily. Not anymore. He was positive that she also fell under their bubble earlier, and if there was at least even a 0.01 percent chance that she felt something for him too, then he was taking that chance.
He grabbed her wrist and startled. She twisted around as he grabbed her neck and sealed her mouth with his. Fireworks shoot off behind his eyelids at the feel of her lips on his. He felt electricity coursing through his veins when she kissed him back. He couldn’t describe the feeling of being able to kiss the person he had loved almost his entire life.
He was not aware of the people around them anymore. He could only focus on Katniss. The kiss was soft and slow, comforting in a way he'd never felt before. His heart fluttered in his chest. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek. She pulled him closer as her hand ran along his back. He was sure that she could hear his heart beating now, and it skipped a beat when he felt her smile through their kiss.
She pulled away after a while and leaned her forehead on his.
“You can kiss me anytime you want Katniss, just make sure that you mean it.” She looked up to his eyes and smiled.
She leaned in for another kiss, telling him that she does mean it, evoking sensations in him that he wasn't aware he could feel. They both slowly pulled away from each other, now aware of the people around them and they both grin.
“I'm done lying to you and to myself Peeta. I love you.”
He heart reacts again as he returned the words,
“I love you too, Katniss.”
Lily Everdeen and Carol Mellark smiled knowingly to each other.