Life after the fall of panem

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I meet Peeta downstairs. He's waiting by the back door with a basket of food and a blanket. He opens the door, allowing me to go out first, then closes the door behind him as he comes out. I've missed the smell of outdoors, the sounds, the feelings. "Where do you want to walk to ?" Peeta asks me. "I think I know, follow me ?" I ask him gently. He nods. "Now I've never showed anyone this, not even when I would hunt with ..." I get choked up with his name. Peeta half smiles and nods again. Thinking of Gale makes me upset, I'm getting nauseous and flushed. Peeta reaches for my hand; the warmth of his hand pulls me back to the real world and I relax. Our fingers intertwine and I don't let go. I lead him back by my old house , the house I lived in before the games. I take him to where the edge of 12 used to be, and we walk over the crunched up fence. He doesn't question anything. We walk for a little while longer to my dads pond. The pond where I learned to swim, the pond is the last thing I have left of my dad. "This is beautiful." Peeta says almost breathlessly. "It was my dads, he showed it to me." I started. "He taught me everything here. To hunt, to sing, to swim, to defend myself. Everything." Peeta pauses, sets down the basket and blanket, pulls me in and hugs me. It wasn't just a hug, it was one of those meaningful, perfect hugs he only gave me every so often. "Thank you , Katniss. For sharing this with me." He kisses the top of my head and I take a deep breath. "Let's eat ?" Peeta says. I nod, he set out the blanket and places our meal on it. He and I take our seat and begin to eat. We talk about his job at the bakery, when my next doctors appointment is, where Haymitch and Effie have been, and that's when he asked. "Katniss ?" "Yes Peeta?" His forehead creases, "The baby ... " he starts but I interject, " Yes?" "What are we going to name them?" I gasp.