Simply Everlark (After Mockingjay)

Chapter 6

The immediate warmth that hits as soon as Peeta guides the door open is unexpected. Even though the weather outside is rather cold being in mid fall, sunlight streams through the windows, causing the drastic change in temperature. I don't mind though, I actually enjoy the feeling of a warmer environment considering that I forgot my jacket.

Peeta's hand finds its way onto the small of my back guiding me through the door as he follows shortly behind. I find it strange really, that such a small act like this can cause me so much comfort and creates a warm sensation where his touch lingers.

After we are both safely inside of the abandon home, Peeta's hand drops from my back as he shifts to close the door. He fumbles with the door a bit, fingers fidgeting with the handle and the complex lock placed for security.

This is one thing I have noticed about Peeta for the few moments we have reconnected. He is shaken dealing with everyday things including the lock on the gate coming into the village and a constant shake of his fingers. It is almost like he is more aware of his surroundings, so wound up from all of the horrible memories from the Capitol that he fears what will come next. But seeing past these side affects, Peeta is the same boy that I had fallen in love with.

And I am so thankful for that.

After the door shuts with a small click, Peeta walks with heavy steps to the kitchen table, tossing his duffel bag onto the surface. He stands there for a while and so do I, inspecting him closely. Peeta's eyes gaze through the house in awe looking very thankful to be back. His hands gently caress the top of the table as he now walks around the kitchen area to inspect every detail of the area.

I still stand by the entrance, not really knowing what to do at this point. Do I leave him here to bask in his home's glory? Do I just stand and stair at his happiness?

Pushing the comments to the side, I decide to start up a conversation hoping to take away some of the awkwardness.

"Does it look the way it did when you left?"

His head snaps to the side with curiosity and a smile covers his features. "Yeah."

"So I was thinking," I begin while walking over to Peeta with my boots clicking in the process, "We could start unpacking your personal items first; You know, the ones in your duffle, then we could clean up the rooms."

He looks at me with his smile fading slightly.

"Katniss," he breaths "I don't want to unpack yet."

I look at him slightly confused. I guess now thinking about it it would make sense if he did get the time to relax for a while in his home, but why did he ask me to help him unpack when we wouldn't?

"But I-" he cuts me off.

"I want to talk to you. Just to catch up on things that I missed and I can fill you in on things at the Capitol. Then we can unpack, if that's okay with you?" He says a mouthful while breaking eye contact multiple times. I hate seeing him so unsure when in the end, it's just me that he is talking to.

"Sure, that's fine. I want to talk." I give him a reassuring smile and he gladly mimics.

Now close to the table, I pull out the dusty chair that was hidden underneath. The clatter and clings of the wood's connection from the chair's legs to the floor is a hassle, but eventually we both get situated, sitting across from each other.

The table is slightly on the small side. It is rounded, but the perfect size for two people or one, being that Peeta stayed here alone.

I shift my top around uncomfortably noticing that it was in an awkward position as I sit cross-legged in the chair. I also brush off some of the unwanted dust that had seemed to collected on my pants before directing my gaze up word to Peeta.

"So," he starts, "Do you want to share your story first?"

"Okay," I breath, collecting all of the thoughts that I am about to share for Peeta. "Well, I guess I will start at the day Haymitch and I left the Capitol. He was all that I had at the time, so I relied on him for everything. Coming back to district twelve, I had no choice but to stay with Haymitch until I was able to live on my own."

"Live on your own, what do you mean by that?" Peeta interrupts.

"Well, coming back from the war and losing Prim along with many other nightmares, I was lost. Not eating, barely able to get out of bed in the morning and live. But at the time, I had no idea what to live for anymore." I was choking back tears at the end of my sentence, unable to continue from the memories that have found their way back into my mind.

My hands rest of the top of the table, now shaking slightly as my nails claw at the wooden surface. I glance up at Peeta, his eyes filled with worry and sympathy. He suddenly gets up and shifts his chair to the right, inching closer in my direction. After sitting down his hands snake across the smooth wooden surface of the table, causing a scratching sound that stops when he meets my shaken hands.

With a simple movement, he takes my frail palms and places them inside of his, molding them together just as I remember. His palms are scratchy, rather dry but very comforting in a time like this. His gentle thumbs caress the tops of my hands, an act that makes me feel so much safer knowing that Peeta is here for me and he cares.

Tears are now blurring my vision and I refuse to look up to see the boy sitting in front of me. For now, I just lock gazes on our intertwined hands.

"Katniss," Peeta breaths with his voice almost in a whisper, "You said you didn't know what to live for, so what is making you live right now?"

I questioned earlier if he would ask this. But if I tell Peeta that he is the one who encouraged me to do something with my life, what will he think?

The only reason that I did decide to get out of that bed was the thought of Peeta possibly coming back. I am living because of him. When he did come back, I wanted him to see that I could recover from the war's destruction. And here he is, yet I am just as weak as I was at the end of the battle.

With one burst of courage that I built up while having the inner conversation with myself, I answer Peeta's question. I look up with tears still pooling up in my eyes, threatening to spill, I take a deep breath and look at Peeta through his bright blue orbs,

"It was you."

(A/N) Hey guys!
So I am slowly getting back on track with the previous Simply Everlark.

How do you like it? I am adding a lot more detail, so the story is going to be longer. And I know exactly what is going to happen now (aka no writers block so I will update soon!)