The Nightmares Hidden in Dreams - A Hunger Games Fan Fiction

Birthday(s)

I wake from my dreamless sleep to the smell of something delicious. Slowly, I open my eyes. My vision first settles on the cheese bun right in front of me. Then they shift to the gorgeous man standing over me.

"Happy Birthday," he whispers with a smile on his face. I begin to sit up and grab the bun from his hands. It's gone in less than a minute. I set my sights on something equally as pleasurable.

I pull Peeta back to the bed, and he gives me a better gift than the cheese bun.

➳➳➳

The world outside the window is a blur. The train moves too fast to be able to focus on the view, turning it into ribbons of green and blue. I turn away and look at Peeta, who is watching me.

"What are you staring at?" I ask him, a small smile threatening to pull at my lips. It's easier to lose track of my worries with the sunlight lazily drifting through the window.

"You," he replies, flashing his too-bright smile at me.

"Stalker," I tease.

"It's not my fault I can't look away." His eyes travel the canvas of my face, pausing at my lips.

I blush, knowing that I must be beet red. Peeta's grin widens, and I turn away again. The sun is far less blinding than his beauty.

The warmth of his hand engulfs mine. He lifts it from the table between us, and I watch his fingers as they trace the lines of my palm.

"What is it?" I ask, sensing that there's something he wants to say.

He shakes his head, shifting his gaze from me to the window. "Nothing."

I pull my hand away from his, and gently touch his cheek. He turns back to me.

"You can tell me," I whisper, and his eyes soften. His gaze feels like a caress, a comfort I didn't even know I needed.

"I just want you to be happy, Katniss," he murmurs. His eyes are so sad, I have to resist the urge to cry.

I look at him with as much conviction as I can muster, and reply with the honest truth. "And I am happy, Peeta. I'm happiest with you."

"So I haven't done anything wrong?" He looks so hopeful, hopeful that his fears are not warranted. And they're not.

If I didn't have Peeta, I don't think I ever would have felt happy again.

"Of course not. If I've seemed unhappy, it's only because I'm worried, not because of you."

He seems relieved at this. The tension in his back fades, and he offers me a small smile. "Do you want to do something before we have dinner with your mom?"

I look at him questioningly. "What did you have in mind?"

➳➳➳

Water burns my eyes as it splashes over me, leaving me sopping wet.

"Hey!" I yell. Peeta throws his head back and laughs. He finds himself so funny. Little drops of water linger on his bare chest, the sun's reflection casting him in an ethereal glow. His blond hair is a slightly darker shade, more like the color of the sand we stand on.

I'm sure I just look like a swamp monster.

We swim in the ocean in District 4, sand soft beneath my feet, avoiding the water we splash at each other.

I'm happy. I don't need to convince myself of it at this moment.

A large wave begins to rise behind Peeta, and I point at it. He turns behind him, and then grabs me and pulls me under. The wave washes over us, and for a second, it feels like we're the only two on this earth. Everything is quiet beneath the sea. I feel nothing by the cold vastness and Peeta's hand holding mine.