Unconditionally

Chapter 1

The smell of fresh bread floods my nose as I push open the door to the bakery. A small bell jingles and I cringe at the unnecessary attention it might bring. To my relief, no one looks up. In fact, no one seems to be here at all. Not even an employee.

"Hello?" I call, craning my head around the counter to check for signs of life. I come up empty.

I ring the bell that sits on the counter, looking around as I wait. The bakery is homey, and the fragrant aroma of the pastries that sit in their run-down shelves coats the air. Most of the walls are painted white, except the one behind the counter, which is colored a deep blue. Much of the white has been chipped from generations of use, but it's probably one of the most recently renovated buildings in all of 12. Next to Mayor Undersee's mansion, of course.

"Hi." The voice startles me, and I jump before turning around to meet its owner.

His first noticeable asset is the pools of blue that are his eyes. Then my gaze flits to his head full of golden curls, slightly mussed and very soft-looking. When I notice his lips, full and rosy, I realize I've been staring. A blush erupts up my neck and onto my cheeks. I jerk my gaze back up to make eye contact, smiling slightly.

I notice his dumbfounded expression, not quite placing the look in his eyes. Admiration? Awe? It's likely annoyance from the long silence that's stretched since he spoke.

"Uh, hi," I finally reply, tugging at the end of my braid.

He breaks out of his trance, flashing me an easily heart-stopping smile. I return it with a shy one of my own.

"Can I help you?" he asks finally, breaking the tension, and I clear my throat awkwardly and nod.

"Yeah. Uh, I'm here for Mr. Mellark?" I respond. "I have these squirrels to trade him."

His eyes brighten. "You're the girl who's been giving those to him?" His voice suggests familiarity, and I wonder what else he knows about me.

Another blush creeps across my cheeks. "Uh, yeah. He trades me bread for these." I lift my sack of game to show him.

"Wow, I can't believe I get to meet you in the flesh." He laughs a little and my stomach does a flip. "My father is always going on about how you hit those squirrels smack-dab through the eye. Every time." He sticks out his hand. "Peeta Mellark. His son."

I tentatively take his hand and shake it. "Katniss Everdeen. The huntress."

He laughs, hard, and my pride inexplicably swells. Then the silence returns. I cough and scratch the back of my neck.

"Okay, well, um... Here." I stick out the bag to him and he takes it.

He brushes his hands on his (very tight) black t-shirt, leaving behind steaks of flour that he must have picked up in the kitchen. I'm surprised by the fact that he opts for the shirt, which appears to stain easily, rather than the white apron that's looped around his waist. "I'll just go bring this to him and then I'll be back, okay?" he says to me. I nod. As if I would leave when there is the possibility of the Mellarks' bread in my future.

When he returns, he's holding a familiar white paper bag. He hands it to me and I rummage through it.

Two loaves of bread... I stop short when I come upon a jelly-filled pastry, realizing that this was not part of the trade.

"Um, hey- Hey Peeta?" He turns to me when I call out to him, a knowing look in his eye. "You accidentally gave me this." I hold out the pastry to him.

He smiles. "That wasn't an accident, Katniss. It's a treat- for you. And your mom and little sister."

I'm taken aback that he knows the (remaining) members of my family, but I recover quickly. Smiling at him, I say, "Thank you, Peeta. Thank you so much." He smiles at me in response.

I should decline his kindness; I know it's only polite to do so. But, with the realization that Prim will receive dessert tonight for the first time in years, I don't. Instead, I turn to go.

"See you, Baker's Boy," I call out to him.

He laughs. "Later, My Huntress." He bows to me, bending at the waist with a graceful sweep of his arm.

I walk out of the bakery with the biggest smile I've had in years.