The Beginning of the End

Chapter 15

-Katniss-

     It's been three weeks since Peeta's surgery and so far, Gale and I have been fulfilling our promise to protect him from himself. He's been able to walk and run pain-free for about three days now, but his depression seems to be getting worse. My mom prescribed him some anti-depressants and Gale has been asking him for lessons on how to back, which keeps him occupied. Baking seems to bring out the happiness in him that I missed so much. Our usually optimistic Peeta has become a completely different person. The tracker-jacker venom was supposed to change me, not him.

     "Katniss, do you want to go to bed? You look exhausted." Peeta looks over at me from the other couch.

     "Yeah, I think I'll just go lie down." I say, getting up. He gets up too.

     "I'll walk you..." he offers, but his voice trails off. I smile and take his outstretched hand. When we reach my room, he hesitates.

     "Listen.." he says, shuffling his feet. I kiss him, interrupting his speech.

     "I love you. Don't let me lose you." I tell him. He nods and walks down the hall, shutting himself in his room. I begin to worry, as I always do when he's alone.

     I wake up to hear Peeta screaming from down the hall. Jumping out of bed, I race to his room. For some reason he didn't ask Gale to sleep in there tonight, because he's no where to be seen. I turn on the light, dimming it enough so I can just see him. He clutches the blanket, panting, his face white and eyes wide with fear. I rush to his bed and climb in, placing his head on my chest and stroking his hair like he always used to do for me.

     "Shh, it was only a nightmare." I assure him, and he shakes uncontrollably.

     "No it wasn't." he sobs and I try not to imagine what his dream was about.

     After half an hour he calms down and sits up.

     "I'm sorry." he apologizes. His face flushes with embarrassment and I find it ridiculously attractive. I grab the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss. Immediately his body relaxes. He puts his hands on my rib cage, sliding them down to my hip bones. He kisses me passionately, and I don't stop him. His hands travel over my body, touching every part of me, including the deepest most hidden part of my soul. As his shirt hits the floor, he gently pulls away.

     "Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure that I'm what you want?" I kiss his neck, working my way down to his stomach, and then back up to his lips.

     "Yes" I answer, and together we fall into our own version of heaven.