Maybe It Can Be Real

Chapter 34

Ending of last chapter:

I softly press my lips to Peeta's. I barely pull away and whisper, "Thank you. For saying that on the tour. For always taking care of me. For-for-for everything that you do."

He smiles and kisses me again. "You're welcome," he whispers. "I'd do anything to keep you happy."

I grin. "I'd do anything to keep you happy."

****

I shake my head as I eye Haymitch warily through the window. He caught my attention earlier by yelling at the geese he keeps in a small pen in his yellow grass-filled yard. From there I watched him drink about half a bottle of liquor while stumbling - and sometimes tripping over nothing - in his yard, profanities that I'd rather not repeat spilling like water from his mouth. Honestly, I didn't know some of those words even existed.

I grimace as I watch him puke into his bushes. It's neither a lovely sight nor sound. I close the window, hoping it'll stop the grotesque noises coming from Haymitch's yard from coming into my house.

He can't keep drinking this much, it will kill him.

Oh my god, it will kill him.

My stomach twists into knots at this revelation. I can't loose Haymitch too. I've already lost too many people that I love. I think if I got to the point where I had no one left that I love, I probably wouldn't have the will to survive. I don't know how Haymitch and Johanna do it. Well, maybe just Johanna, cause I like to think Haymitch - at the least - likes me and Peeta. Cares for us the slightest bit.

I walk over to Peeta's art studio, where minor paint fumes escape into the rest of the house. He's been in there pretty much all day painting something that he won't let me see. He freaked out earlier when I asked to see it. Okay, maybe he didn't freak out, but he gently ushered me away from the easel when I asked after we finished being excited about the news of Thresh and Rue's families. I did see some green, though.

"Hey, uhm, can we talk?", I ask Peeta tentatively as I tap my knuckles against the door frame to alert him of my presence.

His head pops up from behind the easel. He looks at me with a somewhat bewildered - and slightly nervous - expression. "Yeah, sure."

I nod with my head over to the couch and sit down on the plush surface, Peeta following my actions. I bring my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs, my chin resting on my knees. My chest slowly moves up and down with a deep breath. I don't really know how to start this.

"I'm so scared," I whisper, "Haymitch keeps drinking so much. Too much. He's gonna die if he doesn't stop."

Peeta sighs. "I've been thinking the same thing recently. We really need to do something, or-or take him somewhere where they can do something."

"Maybe we can ask people to not sell him liquor like you did when we were training for the Quell," I wonder aloud.

He scratches his chin. "Possibly. I'm not sure who sells the liquor to him. Do you know if it's Ripper or the actual store?"

I shake my head. I truly don't know.

"Do you wanna go to town and ask around to see if we can find out?", he questions.

I scrunch up my nose. I'm still not too fond of human interaction. Honestly, I don't think a lot of people like me, I know I'm not a friendly or likeable person. Which I'm okay with since I don't really like people either. It takes a lot for me to genuinely like a person.

"No, I don't want to go. You can go, though."

He ponders this for a moment. "I think I'll go now, if you don't care."

"I don't care," I reply, "I want you to go as soon as possible so we can get this problem resolved as soon as possible."

Peeta grins at me. "Do you think I'll need to pay them off?"

I shrug my shoulders with a small smile on my lips. "Probably."

He stands up and presses a chaste kiss to my forehead. "I'll be back later. I love you, Katniss."

I grab his chin and bring his lips to mine. "I love you too, Peeta. Don't give them too much of our money," I say, in a better mood thanks to Peeta.

My feet shuffle after Peeta as he walks to the door. I watch him walk down the pathway to the gate of the Victor's Village. When he gets to the gate, he turns around and waves to me with a heart-melting smile on his face. I beam at him and wave back.

God, I think I love this man too much. Can you love someone too much? I don't know. Probably not. But I love him a lot, so much that it scares me sometimes. I wouldn't change it for the world, though.

****

IM SO SORRY THIS WAS SHORT ITS A LITTLE FILLER CHAPTER FOR WHAT I HAVE PLANNED OK buT HEY YOU DIDNT HAVE TO WAIT FOREVER THATS A PLUS

Oh yeah I changed the title to "Maybe It Can Be Real" it probably makes zero sense now but it will make sense before chapter 40 I promise.

I haven't done this in a while, so this chapter is dedicated to @Grace1213thg because she seems sO HYPED for an Everlark proposal *squeals* aw me too <3 (pssst I know when that proposal is coming *sly face emoji*) :]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 14.4K READS WHAAAAT

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Shoot straight and be brave my fellow lovelies,
Weezabeth <3