Katniss's POV
The sound of the train clicking gently against its tracks finally brought me from my deep sleep. My legs shifted a little, and I realized that I had been put under some blankets, the warmth pulling me in, almost asking me for more sleep. Instead, I lightly pulled my eyelids open, adjusting to the gentle light that had began to shine through the window.
I was carful not to move to much, because next to me, the light breathing of Peeta tickled my neck, and I knew he was asleep. Turning lightly to face him, I realized that I had snared myself into him. Peeta's arms were wrapped sweetly over my waist and under my neck, his fingers rubbing up and down the small of my back. "Good morning," his voice whispered so quietly only I could hear.
A sudden gleam etched itself onto my smile, "Good morning." My head only an inch to rest on the comforts of his chest, and slowly my hand held onto the front of his chest, it was almost a trick to make me fall back asleep. It was too peaceful.
"Is it morning already?" I asked, not moving to look at Peeta.
"Yeah, you slept through dinner. Last night, you were sleeping so quiet, so well, that I didn't want to wake you," Peeta's voice was quaint and dear, my heart beginning to pound in my chest.
"That must be why I'm so hungry," as if in cue, my stomach reacted in loud growls.
Against me, the quick movement of Peeta's chest as he laughed spread onto me, as we both smiled at it. He was smiling at the joke, but honestly, it was his presence and now that made me smile even harder.
My head moved up to face him, and I took in his face, all once again. He sat up a little more as he brought his lips to mine, holding me as if I could simply disappear.
And I didn't blame him.
After everything; the games, the deaths, the war, endless rebellions, Peeta had lost everything, everyone near to him. Except me. I was all he had, and he really was all I had, but in the end I knew that I didn't choose him because he was all that was left, I choose him because I knew I couldn't survive without him. I couldn't go on without him.
Peeta was my everything and I couldn't have him taken away from me again. I'd learnt that once before, and I really never want to face that problem again.
But also looking from his point of view, Peeta had lost me several times before even though I was right in front of him, and maybe that was worse. It was worse that I lied, that I acted so sparsely, and denied to him my feelings, and even now that we were safe, that the chances of me leaving were gone, it was hard to deny it.
Snow was dead. Coin was dead. Hope was alive, more than ever, but it was the nightmares that strapped me down and held me to them. And as much as I wanted to feel free, I knew it would take time, if anything.
I needed Peeta to know that I was really his, until he decided otherwise.
"Peeta?" The tone of my voice came off more as a question as I spoke his name.
He looked down, adjusting his arm so his head sat perched up on it, "yeah?"
I was ready to say a thousand things, to speak of all the feelings I could tell, but nothing came. I couldn't find the right words to sculpt my mouth.
That was until I looked right through his eyes, "I just need to tell you....how scared I am." Hesitant, I sucked in a tight breath, and I pulled myself to sit up.
"I'm scared to loose you, and I know you feel the same, but I just want you to know there's not a way you'll loose me." I wasn't as good as expressing my words as Peeta, who made it seem like nothing. But I just needed him to know how much this all meant.
