Together, Always || An After Mockingjay Everlark Fanfiction

Chapter 25

I stir awake in Peeta's arms, smiling against his chest. I keep my arms shut but can feel his gaze on me. I open my eyes ever so slightly and peek at him through my eyelashes and sure enough, he's gazing right at me, smiling blissfully. When I open my eyes fully, yawning and stretching, he closes his eyes again, a small smile still lingering on his lips. I close my eyes again and feel his gaze return back on me. I jerk my eyes open quickly and catch his eyes open for a fraction of a second before they close again, his beautiful blue orbs disappearing from sight. This time I position my face just millimetres away from his, our noses almost touching. His eyelashes stir as he opens them a fraction again, before yelling with surprise. I collapse in fits of laughter him joining soon after.

"Why were you staring at me?" I laugh.
"Because you're beautiful," he says very seriously, brushing my hair back from my eyes and behind my ear. I cringe at the cheesiness.
"Staring is creepy."
"It's romantic!" He says seriously again but I see a smile creeping onto the edges of his lips.
"Creepy."
"Romantic."
"Whatever."
We start laughing again.

I sigh and go back to lying on his chest.
"Katniss?"
"Hmm?"
"There's something I need to tell you."
"Yes?" I sit up when I hear the urgency in his voice, "what is it?"

He continues with a hesitant expression, unsure of how I was going to take what he was preparing to say. "I invited your mother to last night too but she was busy working shifts at the hospital. She said that she was sorry she couldn't come, wished you a Happy Birthday and said that she would visit as soon as she could." Or as soon as she felt ready to deal with me and the painful memories of twelve, I thought to myself. Which is not likely to be anytime soon.

"That's okay," I said to Peeta as he seemed as if he thought it was his fault my mother wouldn't talk to me. I grabbed his hands in mine to comfort him but his confession didn't seem to be over yet.

"I also tried to call Gale but he wasn't home. A woman answered the phone and said that Gale was out for the next week for work. It was," he took another deep breath then gave me a furtive glance before staring at the white duvet. "She said she was his girlfriend."

Gale has a girlfriend?

A smile spreads across my face at the thought of Gale finding happiness with another girl. Peeta smiles too, finally relaxing. And then I remembered that I still haven't told Peeta about the time I met Gale in the woods. I explain it to him all in one breath. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I should have but I completely forgot," and now you probably think that something more happened between us, I say to myself, finishing the sentence in my head.
"It's okay. I trust you Katniss. I know he's just a friend."
"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. I swear nothing happened."
"I trust you Katniss," he said again.
I smiled and kissed him softly.
"I love you."
"I love you too."

Today was the day the supply train came in and Peeta, Haymitch and I needed to restock on a few things. While everyone else in the Victor's Village still slept, Peeta and I took Byron into the town square with Annie's permission so she could catch up on some sleep.

We stocked up a few bags of liquor for Haymitch, paints for Peeta, and groceries and spices for all of us. In a month or two, the shopping centre will be completely built and stocked up with supplies. Then we wont have to wait for the supply train to come around every week and will be able to buy whatever we need whenever we need it. I know its going to feel quite strange, I've never seen a proper shopping centre unless you count the hob and a few dramatically styled stores I saw in the Capitol like Tigris' fur shop. It also feels strange to have plenty of food whenever we need it after having to work so hard to get it, up until these last few years.

After dropping our supplies back home, Byron, Peeta and I explore the town square, watching the construction workers building new facilities in the once ugly and empty twelve. While we watch we discover that the hospital will be completely finished in about a fortnight and much to Peeta's excitement, the bakery in another month. We see lots of other families and couples watching too. One family stood out the most, as the two young girls that looked a few years older than Byron, were pointing and staring at us with excitement while their parents hastily tried to stop them and gave us apologetic looks. I awkwardly averted my eyes from the kids and instead looked to Byron. Byron seemed fascinated by the family pointing and staring, his sea green eyes fixated on the tall dark man that had to be their father in particular.