No Games Left to Play

12: The Wedding Part 2

When we reach our house, Peeta opens the door and I look over my shoulder to take in this moment. I thought it was going to be awkward having everyone follow us, but when I see the light in everyones eyes and the smiles on their faces, I realize that Peeta wasn't the only one I made happy today. I made all of Panem happy.

Our wedding was a bigger deal to them than I originally thought. The reason everyone wants to see this moment is because it's a sign that everything will be made good again. The past is being left in the past and we can all move forward into a brighter future.

Taking me off guard, Peeta sweeps me off my feet and carries me bridal style over the threshold. He sets me down carefully in front of the fireplace and goes back to close the door quietly.

The singing gradually gets softer as the crowd leaves to continue celebrating on their own, leaving us newlyweds to enjoy the rest of our night.

Effie and my mother decided to stay in the Victor's house with Annie and Johanna tonight to give Peeta and I some privacy.

When Peeta returns, he has a handful of items. One hand holds a cutting board on which lies a loaf of bread, a knife, and a bottle of champagne. The other hand carries two empty, upside down glasses.

Peeta lays the items on the coffee table behind me and begins to light the fire. I fill up our glasses and once Peeta has finished with the fire, he cuts a slice of bread from the loaf. He pierces it with the skewer and places my hand under his. We place the bread into the fire together and let it get soaked in flames.

We pull the lightly toasted bread out of the fire and Peeta breaks it in half. He hands me one of the pieces and we feed each other, tangling our arms together. And that when it really sinks in.

I'm married.

We sip our bubbly and sit together for I don't know how long. Peeta finally stands up and pulls me up with him.

"Remember what my letter said this morning?" he asks, kissing my shoulder and slowly unzips my dress behind me. "You didn't get crumbs everywhere, did you?"

"Nope," I say, popping the p.

"Good," he says and kisses me on the lips.

He leads me up to our room and I shut the door behind us. I pull my dress of my shoulders and step out of the pool it created around my feet, leaving me in my lacey undergarments. Peeta unbuttons his vest and throws it on the floor. We walk towards each other, meeting one another in the middle. I start kissing Peeta passionately and he responds, holding me close to him. I begin to unbutton his shirt while his hands rest on my cheeks. He lets go of my face to pull off his shirt, but never separates his lips from mine.

He pushes me against the edge of the bed and our bodies collide on top of the mattress. My hands instantly go to the waist of his pants. I undo his belt and button, unzip his pants, and start to pull them down. He maneuvers his body as I push his pants off with my feet. Soon, we are both cloth-less and the heat between us increases. His hips begin to thrust into mine and I become lost in his eyes.

Peeta looks down and admires my body which makes me a little uncomfortable. We've done this before and he's seen me naked multiple times, but I'm still not comfortable with my scars. The marks on body that remind me time and time again of an era of anger, rage, and loss. Peeta stops moving his body into mine when his eyes look back up to mine again.

"You looked phenomenal today," he says, still inside me. "Looking at your body just now reminded me I forgot to tell you that earlier."

"It's because Effie was here to make me look good," I say.