Together

Chapter 6

Katniss P.O.V.

I go downstairs to find Peeta asleep on the couch again. I know he'll be mad at me for not waking him up since he usually goes to work about this time every morning, but he needs his sleep. Since he had that bad nightmare about two months ago, they occur about four or five nights a week.

For the past two or three weeks, he's been getting up after I fall asleep and coming downstairs to sleep on the couch. I wish he wouldn't do that. I want to be there to comfort him, but he doesn't want to keep waking me up. I keep telling him I don't mind, but it still bothers him.

Willow starts fussing behind me, so I quickly pick her up and take her upstairs to the nursery. "Dada," Willow says as she reaches her hands towards the steps.

"Daddy's sleeping right now," I tell her as I sit her down in her crib. "Will you sit there and be a good girl while Mommy cleans the house?" I put a few of her toys in the crib with her to keep her busy. I clean the nursery first and then sneak off to clean our bedroom. While I'm making up our bed, I hear Peeta's footsteps as he comes in the room. I turn around to look at him and watch him as he goes over to the dresser.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Getting ready for work," Peeta says. He turns to look at me and I shake my head.

"No you're not," I say.

"Katniss, I'll be fine," he says.

"No, Peeta. You look like you could pass out any second." He ignores me and goes to the bathroom to get dressed. I see the car keys sitting on top of the dresser, so I put them in my pocket.

He's been on edge the past few days, and I know it's going to end in a huge argument if something doesn't give.

I head over to the nursery and sit down in the rocking chair so I can watch Willow play in her crib. I look out the window to find that it's still snowing really hard, just like it has been the last week. In a few minutes, Peeta comes into the nursery and looks at me.

"What did you do with the keys, Katniss?" Peeta asks.

I look up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Katniss, you know what I'm talking about. The keys were on top of the dresser and you took them. Where are they?"

I roll my eyes and take the keys out of my pocket. "Here," I say as I hand the keys to him. "Peeta, I really wish that you'd just stay home today. You haven't slept good for two months and it's completely white out there where it's snowing so hard. I really don't think that you need to be driving..."

"Fine. If you don't want me to drive, then here," Peeta says as he throws the keys at me. I catch them right before they hit the ground. "You take me!" he says angrily.

"Can't you just close the bakery for today and stay home?"

Peeta rolls his eyes. "If you want me to stay home that bad, then I'll stay." He walks out of the nursery and I follow him across the hallway.

"Peeta, please tell me what's bothering you."

He stops in the bedroom doorway and turns around to face me. "Nothing is bothering me."

"Thats a lie. Your nightmares have never been this frequent. Something has to be bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it right now, okay? So just leave me alone."

"Look, I know you're tired, but you don't have to be so grouchy," I tell him. "I'm just trying to help."

"I don't want you to help me right now," Peeta says right before he shuts the bedroom door in my face. I fight back the tears as I walk to the nursery.