We're Still On Fire (Katniss and Peeta)

Chapter 19

Katniss is still asleep when I wake up, so I go down to make Willow breakfast. Willow hears me up and walks out into the hall clutching her teddy.

"Hi sweetie, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Ice cream" Willow grins.

"Okay, maybe something a bit more sensible?"

"I want pancakes" she says.

"That's better" I say walking down the stairs as Willow comes bounding down behind me.

I put the pancakes on after switching on cartoons for Willow.

I'd just given Willow the plate when Katniss walked down the stairs.

"Good morning" I whisper

She yawns and stretches before answering "G'morning"

"Do you want anything to eat?" I ask her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.

"No thanks" she replies. "I'm not feeling to good"

I squeeze her gently. "What's wrong?"

"Sore stomach"

I pick her up and set her on the counter top, making her the exact same height as me.

"I've got to go to the bakery now" I whisper.

"Okay" Katniss replies

"I'll see you at 5"

"Okay" she replies leaning forward and kissing me.

"I love you" I mumble

"I love you too"

I kiss Willows forehead before leaving and make the 5 minute walk down to the bakery.

I can immediately see the first signs of Spring. The flowers are starting to bloom, and although there's a breeze, it isn't cold.

I help with kneading the dough, frosting the cakes and arranging the display before going to the office towards the back end of the bakery. It's only 1pm and I can already tell that I'm going to be here all day.

I start to write the paperwork when I get a call.

It's Katniss.

"Hey" I answer.
"Hi Peeta" Katniss replies. "How's work?"
"It was great until I had to start doing paperwork, now it sucks."
"Poor you" Katniss sympathises.
"Yeah" I say.
"I gotta go" Katniss replies, "I love you"
"I love you too" I say as she hangs up

I groan in frustration.

I shouldn't of let the paperwork pile up this high. This was going to take forever.

Health and Safety, Bills, Checks, income and outcomes. Everything needed done.

I sluggishly started to write.

"I brought a smoothie" Katniss says sheepishly poking her head around the door

"You're a life saver" I say

She sits down in the chair opposite me, handing me a yellow-orange smoothie with a white straw sticking out

"Here, we'll share it"

I poke about in the drawers for another straw, and sure enough I find one.

"God, Peeta!" Katniss complains. "You really need to clean out those drawers."

I laugh. "Yeah, I know"

I stick the straw in the smoothie, handing her one of them as we sip our way through the smoothie together.

"That was actually really nice" I say

"Yeah, I thought so too. Considering I took it out of Johanna's bin."

"What?" I ask, horrified.

"I'm kidding. A new shop opened up down the road. You should of saw your face though" she says laughing

"That's not funny!" I pout

"It's hilarious" Katniss says laughing.

"Nope" I say, popping the p. "in fact, I almost had a -"

She leans forward, placing a soft but sweet kiss on my lips slowly deepening it.

Well, that shut me up.

"Now get writing" she demands

"Yes ma'am" I reply placing pen to paper.

She grips my left hand in hers. Stroking the back of it with her thumb.

It's much easier to do work when Katniss is here. And I find myself getting lost in it while tightly gripping her hand.

It's half 4 before I realise that she's fallen asleep. Resting her head on her left arm which was linked to mine.

I hate to admit it, but the angle I was sitting at allowed me to get the perfect view of her cleavage, and I may of looked for about 5 minutes.

I try to tell myself she wouldn't mind, in fact, I know she wouldn't mind, in fact, she'd probably encourage me to look.

But I felt bad. I felt like I was taking advantage of her. I painstakingly avert my eyes back to the papers.

It's 5pm now, I can't resist having one last look at her cleavage before waking her.

"Katniss" I whisper gently shaking her arm "wake up, it's 5pm"

Katniss jolts awake rather quickly. "Huh? Wait what? Shit! I fell asleep"

I gently kiss her.

"Let's go"

We walk silently home, hand in hand.

"We need to stop in at Jo's to collect Willow" Katniss tells me.

"Okay" I whisper, handing her my jacket as a cold wind starts blowing.

She wraps the jacket around her body "Thank you"

"You're welcome. It's getting really cold for March"

Just below the gates of Victors' village she stops and kisses me passionately, the wind picking up and blowing her hair to the East. "I love you"

"I love you too" I mumble

"Forever and Always" she whispers