Mockingjay - 4 weeks after Peeta's rescue

15. Beach

Katniss awakes from the sun tickling her nose. She lightly opens one eye and for a moment doesn’t know where she is. Her arm finds the way to the other bedside just to find a cold sheet. Peeta’s not there, he must be up earlier. Now knowing exactly where she is, Katniss jumps out of the bed and catches her shorts and a shirt before she heads into the bathroom.

“Good morning” Katniss enters the kitchen and finds Annie, Haymitch and Effie at the breakfast table. “Have somebody seen Peeta this morning or know where he is?”

“Hey Katniss” Finnick calls from behind her. “Peeta told me to send you to your new house when you’re awake. He didn’t tell why although I tried to get it out.”

 Katniss peeks into the shop window right to see Peeta fighting with a tape measure. She restrains herself not to burst out laughing and enters the old bakery.

“Good morning Sir, may I help you?” she goes over to him and grabs the tape measure.

“Hey, yes thank you.” Peeta smiles at her “I want to measure out the place for the new counter.”

After a few minutes they got the measurement and Peeta catches Katniss and gives her a long kiss. “As I know you, you didn’t eat anything for breakfast and now you’re starving” he smiles and before she can nod pulls her out of the house to the beach.

“Oh Peeta!” Katniss eyes flickers between him and the big picnic basket on the blanket in front of her.

“Please turn around and close your eyes. I need only one moment.” Peeta says and heads to the blanket. Katniss can hear something rustling and then: “Katniss, please turn slowly and open your eyes.”

Katniss turns and awaits to see Peeta right in front of her, but there’s nothing. Oh, moment, he is right in front of her, but he kneels on one knee in between hundreds of rose petals and holds some primrose and a little box in his hand.

“Katniss, I love you since I saw you the first time and I want to spend my whole life with you. Will you marry me?”

He looks to her hopeful.  She stares at the roses and Peeta kneeling in front of her.

“Oh, say something!” He pleads “Don’t let me sit here too long.”

“YES! YES! Of course I will marry you!” Katniss starts to cry and covers his face with kisses.

They fall on the blanket and as they come up for air Peeta makes out some words “Katniss, can we take a break? I would like to give you your engagement ring.” He smiles when she immediately pulls back to look at him and the box in his hand.

He slips the ring on her finger and holds her hand for a moment. “Katniss I’m so glad we get married, I love you!”

“Peeta” Katniss looks at her ring. “Is that … is that the pearl you gave me at the beach? Oh, Peeta, I love you so much and I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it earlier. I wouldn’t have hurt you so much after the first games.” Tears start falling down her cheeks.

“Katniss, you’re here now and you said yes, that’s the only thing that counts. We’ll stay together forever and soon we start our new life here in Four.”

After a few more kisses Katniss’ eyes wander to the basket “What’s in there? I’m so hungry.”

They sit down at the blanket and start to unpack the basket. Just when they feed each other with strawberries they hear a little giggling sound behind them. “What…” Peeta starts right before he sees Ryan crawling directly towards them. Before they can react with loud screams their friends jump from behind the dune with big smiles on their faces “Congratulations” they shout.

“They knew it?” Katniss looks at Peeta.

“No! Nobody knew.” Peeta is as surprised as Katniss.

“Effie gave me a present last night. A telescope and this morning when I first try out I saw you falling on your knee, Peeta.” Haymitch laughs about Peeta's amazed facial expression.

“You-You saw everything?” Katniss stumbles.

“No, after that I called Effie and the other and we decided to celebrate it together with a little beach party.” Haymitch answers a crying Effie in his arms.

“I’m so happy for you two.” They hear Effie sniffle. “Katniss tell me, did you know?”

An hour later everybody is full and all news are shared.

“Let’s go into the water” Finnick says and grabs into his bag. “Here I brought your swimwear.”

“But I still can’t swim” Peeta tries to shirk the water.

“Come on Peeta, I don’t want to go alone.” Katniss pulls him on his feet. “Besides I showed you how to swim.”

They change their clothes behind a dune and then run together with Finnick into the waves.

In the water Katniss grabs Peeta’s hands and hold him before the next wave arrives and they jump up over it. Finnick dives through the wave then swims away from the beach. Everybody can see that he loves the sea. He nearly swims like a fish.

While watching Finnick, Katniss and Peeta don’t realize a much bigger wave coming toward them. They are suddenly torn of the feet and go down. Coughing Katniss comes up fearfully searching for Peeta his hand she lost under water.

“Peeta! Peeta!” She screams while Haymitch runs onto her side.

Katniss sees a hand coming out of the water and jumps to hold it. She pulls Peeta’s head out the water. He starts coughing and then a little grin lights up his face “I only wanted to deepen my diving skills.” Another cough with a lot of water escapes him.

“I think you drunk enough seawater for one day, come on let’s get out of here.” Haymitch grabs their shoulders and pushes them to the beach, not showing how relieved he is nothing worse has happened.

They sit together until sunset.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Peeta whispers and pulls Katniss nearer.

“Hmm” she leans her head on his shoulder and enjoys the wonderful lights at the side of her fiancé.