I had just started to doze off when Katniss calls my name.
"Peeta!" she calls, a hint of enthusiasm present in her voice, but before I can even open my eyes she kisses me. I open my eyes, startled, and smile as soon as I see her face. I could watch her forever without ever getting bored. "Peeta, look what Haymitch has sent you," she says holding up a small pot.
"He sent me something?" I ask unconvinced. It was surely meant for Katniss.
"Yeah," she answers cheerfully, ignoring my skeptic tone. "C'mon, let me help you up so you can eat."
"But, Katniss, I'm not hungry," I complain as she gently helps me up and leans me against the cave wall.
"I didn't ask you if you were hungry," she says flatly.
"I'm not eating," I say imitating her tone.
"Yes you are. Here," she says placing the pot in my lap.
I push the pot away and cross my arms, staring at her defiantly.
She sighs. "Peeta," she says in a gentler, persuasive tone. "You need to eat. How are you going to get better if you don't eat?"
I turn my face away from her. Yes, it's very stubborn of me, but I'm not hungry.
She places her hand in my cheek and turns my face so that I'm forced to look at her. Her face is now just inches away from mine.
"Please, Peeta," she whispers intently staring into my eyes. "For me?"
"Uhh…I guess I could take a few sips." Pathetic. How can it take so little to change my mind? A few soft words. I'm doomed to this girl's will. I sigh and reach for the pot.
I unwillingly drink half the broth and then push it away.
"You didn't finish it," she complains.
"I can't drink anymore. I'm full."
She deliberates for a moment. "How about I make you a deal," she says. The cave's light is so poor, but I could swear she's blushing.
"What kind of deal?" I ask suspiciously.
"One kiss per sip," she says and before I can answer she leans in and swiftly touches her lips to mine. "You owe me a sip," she says grinning.
I shake my head in defeat. When she plays it like this I just can't win. I don't want to win. "That's not fair," I say and take a sip. "You're not giving another choice."
"Do you want another choice?" she asks a bit too innocently and kisses me once again.
I sigh. "No." And with that I eventually finish the broth, sip by sip, kiss by kiss.
After I'm done she sits by me until I succumb into sleep once again. I would have thought that after today's events I would dream sweet dreams, but instead I find myself wondering through an unknown forest. There's an eerie feeling about the place, but I just keep walking, trying to figure out where I am. And then the true nightmare begins. I freeze, staring in horror as Katniss's body is slowly lifted in the air and into a hovercraft. "Katniss!" I try to scream, but I can't even manage a whisper. The doors to the hovercraft close and then it disappears, taking Katniss way from me while I stand there. Alone.
I wake up jerking my body upright. Not a good idea.
"Holy damn!" I gasp in pain, laying back down again. I'm breathing heavily, both from pain and the nightmare. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Katniss?" I call out. No answer. Where is she? I wonder. "Katniss!" I call again. Nothing. Ugh! How I wish I could just scream for her. But that's not safe. What if one of the others is within hearing range?
I give up exasperated. What if she's in trouble? What if one of the others got to her? What if she's…dead? No. She's okay I tell myself. She's fine. She's probably hunting or something. But if she's hurt...I can't do anything about it. I can't even take care of myself right now. So I just lay there, useless as ever, waiting – hoping – for her to return. But I can't lay still. Not while I'm worrying. I take a deep breath and try to get up. And it's while I'm struggling to get up that I hear footsteps outside and then she's here. Safe.
"I woke up and you were gone," I say, relief saturating my voice. "I was worried about you."
To my surprise she laughs and then gently pushes me back down. "You were worried about me? Have you taken a look at yourself lately?"
"I thought Cato and Clove might have found you. They like to hunt at night."
"Clove? Which one is that?"
"The girl from District Two. She's still alive, right?"
"Yes, there's just them and us and Thresh and Foxface – that's what I nicknamed the girl from Five. How do you feel?" she asks looking concerned.
"Better than yesterday," I answer truthfully. "This is an enormous improvement over the mud; clean clothes and medicine and a sleeping bag…" and more important even yet "and you."
She reaches out to touch my face and I catch her hand and press it to my lips.
"No more kisses for you until you've eaten," she says smiling.
She props me up against the wall and I obediently swallow the spoonfuls of berry mush she feeds me. I refuse the groosling though. I may be yearning for the feeling of her soft lips against mine, but I didn't want to puke on her either.
"You didn't sleep," I say when I notice the dark shadows under her eyes.
"I'm alright," she says, but she doesn't fool me.
"Sleep now," I insist. "I'll keep watch. I'll wake you if anything happens."
She hesitates. "Katniss, you can't stay up forever," I point out.
"Alright," she agrees. "But just for a few hours. Then you wake me."
She smoothes the sleeping bag on the cave floor, grabs her bow, and lays down. I sit beside her, leaning against the wall, my bad leg stretched out in front of me. I stare through the cave's door onto the outside world.
"Go to sleep," I say softly as I brush the loose strands of hair off her forehead. Eventually she falls asleep. She looks so defenseless while she sleeps, and without her usual frown in her forehead she looks even more beautiful than usual. I gently caress her face, happy that I'm able to do so. I remember all the times when I would watch her from a distance, wishing to have an excuse to talk to her, but never finding any. It all seems so silly; having had to be placed in an arena where everyone's trying to kill us, where we had been supposed to kill each other in the beginning, so that I could finally talk to her. So I guess, in a sick way, this is my destiny. Otherwise I would've never worked the courage to talk to her.
If I make it, I'm going to have to thank the game makers, I laugh darkly to myself.
Katniss told me to wake her in a few hours, but since nothing interesting – alarming – happens, I let her sleep through the day. The sun has already made its way past the center of the sky when Katniss wakes up. She sits up looking around confused.
"Peeta, you were supposed to wake me in a couple of hours," she says annoyed.
"For what? Nothing's going on her," I answer her and then teasingly add, "Besides I like watching you sleep. You don't scowl. Improves your look a lot."
She scowls in response and I can't help but grin. She almost smiles, but then her scowl becomes deeper as she touches my cheek. Her hand feels as icy as ever on my skin. Not a good sign. She looks at me accusingly.
"I've been drinking plenty of water," I say defensively. I drank every time I was thirsty… which now that I think about it, wasn't very often. Oops.
She checks the bottles and shakes her head, frowning impossibly deeper. She gives me two more fever pills and stands over me while I drink first one, then a second quart of water. She then tends to my minor wounds, burns, and stings, saving the worst for last.
