Maybe It Can Be Real

Chapter 39

Ending of last chapter:

"I think I'm going to give you that list anyway," he says with a sly grin.

"Oh, God, no," I say. "Please don't."

"Are you sure?" He's not going to give up on this.

So I lean forward and smash my lips onto his.

**** A couple days later ****

Oh, crap. I need a wedding dress, I think to myself as I rinse the bubbly soap off my body. That might be slightly important for a wedding. Who should I go with? I don't have any close female relatives or friends here in 12 with me - well, if you count Sae I have one person. I'm not too entirely keen on taking her dress shopping, though. I don't even want to go, really, but I have to. Looks like I'm going by myself. My heart sinks a little at the thought.

I'm pretty sure Peeta went into the bakery this morning unless he decided to stay home today. I don't see why he would, though. So I guess I'll be going dress shopping today. Is there even a store in 12 where I can get one? I almost never pay attention to my surroundings when walking through the main town because I'm usually talking to Peeta. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there. I mean, there has to be something, right?

After getting dressed and combing through my wet hair, I go downstairs and look through the pantry in search of some food to eradicate the gnawing in my stomach. There isn't much that appeals to me here. Maybe I'll stop by the bakery quickly before I go shopping to get something to eat. And, of course, to see Peeta. I grab some money off the desk in our family room and shove it unceremoniously into my pants pocket.

I walk out to the front entryway and slip my father's old hunting boots onto my feet. The soft leather has greatly molded to my feet by now, so they fit almost perfectly. They're just barely too big lengthwise. I exit the house, pulling the door shut and locking it behind me. I slip the key into my pocket while jogging down the porch steps.

My mind wanders to the wedding as I walk to the town. I feel like I'm going to mess things up somehow. There's not much to mess up, but I still feel like I will. Like will I stumble on my vows? I know Peeta's will outshine mine by a million miles, but I just... I don't know. I'm stressing out about it too much.

The bell rings over my head as I push the heavy door open and walk into the store as the amazing smells wafting from the kitchen hit me. I breathe in the smells with a smile plastered on my face.

"Hello there, Ms. Everdeen! How are you today?", June asks as she fills a bag up with goodies for a customer. Some of the people stare at me for a moment, but they quickly lose interest in me, much to my gratitude.

"Hi, June. I'm pretty good, how are you?", I respond politely.

She folds the top of the bag over. "I'm doing well, thank you," she replies. June then takes the payment from the customer and gives them the correct change, bidding them a cordial goodbye and moving on to the next customer.

There are a couple other customers waiting in line, so I take a seat at one of the small tables and wait until they leave. I'm technically allowed to go in the back to the kitchen, but I don't want to interrupt Peeta in whatever he's doing. A few minutes later, the customers are all gone. I get up and walk to the counter.