Simply Everlark (After Mockingjay)

Chapter 8

"Katniss," Peeta watches me with wide eyes while gripping onto the metal legs of the latter, "Please be careful."

Currently, I am standing on the highest notch that the ragged latter provides. Even with shifting my weight from one side of my body to another, the latter sways. With every sudden shake of the rusted contraption, my heart stops but eventually regains itself as Peeta's hands support me.

After talking for a while, we both decided to unpack some of Peeta's items. I am working on placing boxes that were lining his floors, holding merchandise that no longer is needed in the high point of his closet, causing me to use this unstable latter. Peeta should be unpacking his more personal items that were traveling around in his duffel, but he stopped when I almost fell while lifting a heavy box, and he has been by my side ever since.

"Peeta, I'm fine." I smile towards his direction trying to ease his worry while his hands remain clamped on my ankles.

I climb down a few notches of the latter attempting to get ahold of another one of Peeta's never ending storage boxes. His hands shift away from my ankles as they become harder to reach and they gently grab my waist. His hands remain planted at the indents of my stomach, and I don't intend to have them removed.

It's a simple gesture, really, but it causes so much comfort that I suddenly don't worry about falling off of the latter. All of the nervousness is now replaced with that same feeling I had received just a moment ago. The feeling that starts in the pit if my stomach and flutters up to the base of my throat. Such a feeling that I can't seem to control.

After taking a few steps downward, I reach the end of the steps mounted on the latter and Peeta's hands slowly ease off of my waist.

Just as I am crouching down to grasp a rather large box, Peeta's hand plants itself on my shoulder, restricting me from bending down any farther. I ease up slightly, catching a glimpse of his expression.

"Do you want to help me start dinner?" he questions catching me off guard as I give him a confused look seeing all of the work left to be done. "We can finish unpacking later, but for now I thought that this would be a good break."

I look around the room at the stacks of brown squares covering the wooden flooring that was once visible. But after a few moments of thinking I decide that a break wouldn't be so bad. "Sure."

I follow behind him, watching the muscles under his tight shirt contract and relax. Our shoes click on the floor in unison as we travel further through the houses winded hallways, eventually making it to the kitchen.

When I visited Peeta's house, I spent most of my time here. The kitchen was where Peeta, Haymitch and I would gather when we were all together, before all of the chaos. I would always find myself traveling back to the kitchen after wondering around the empty rooms, sitting down at the round table. I could almost imagine Peeta cooking with his back turned from Haymitch and I as he would create a meal at the stove. It was almost like he was in his own world while baking and cooking meals I had no idea existed. Now looking back at the memories, I almost feel like I took the simple things for granted, now willing to give anything to relive the moment.

"Hey, Peeta?" I say snapping out of my memory and realizing something as I round the counter "Do you have food?" I ask feeling dumb forgetting to stock a vital item.

He glances back at me quickly, then returning to rummaging through the cabinets above. "I think so." he says while finally finding a baking pan and shutting the mass of open doors. "I asked Haymitch to restock the food supply before I got back. Do you mind checking the fridge?"

I nod and smile watching Peeta so exited to be back to baking again. He is now in the phase of zoning out everything around him, and I don't want to disturb his trance so I remain silent for the rest of the preparation.