Three in the Morning

All Over Him

Katniss

"Gale!" I shriek, upon entering the building and spotting him seated across the lobby. I brush past the doorman, a red haired young guy who I usually take the time to greet.

He stands, allowing me to run up and hug him tightly, his strength not wavering when my feet leave the ground.

"I've missed you so much, Catnip," he says with his face pressed to my hair.

I don't respond, just squeeze him tighter, until it would be awkward to hold on any longer.

I take one of his two bags and we head for the elevator.

In my apartment, it's difficult to find something to talk about for a while, until Gale raises the topic of my mother.

"Maybe we should bring her dinner or something tonight, my mom told me to say hello for her."

"Sure," I agree, although I haven't seen my mother since the hospital, and I feel like the sight of her will only provoke hostility. Even so, Prim has been begging me to drop in.

"The city's so stuffy this time of year" Gale contributes.

"When's it not?"

"How can you live like this?" He looks uncomfortable just looking out the window at the street below.

"I don't know. I don't consider this my home, you know."

"So come back."

"It's not that simple. I can't."

"Yeah, it is."

"It's not, Gale."

I'm laying on my back on the couch, my legs draped over his. He runs his hand up and down my calf.

"What should we cook for your mom and Prim? Or order pizza maybe, whichever," he asks.

"I think pizza'd be the safest bet."

"You're probably right."

The wall clock tells me that it's already five, so I call up the pizza parlor and ask for a large pie.

When I reach into my bag for my wallet, I can't seem to find it.

"Shit. I think my credit card's down at some sketchy diner a few blocks away," I say, still digging in my bag.

"Let's get down there then," Gale says.

He probably just wants to stretch his legs and get out of these cramped quarters.

"It'll be a miracle if someone hasn't taken my it by now"

At Rooba's, I ask the woman behind the counter if she's found a green leather wallet in any of the booths.

"Nope," she responds, not looking up from drawing on her nails with a marker.

"I swear I left it here, if you'd let me look around-"

"Listen, lady, I've got paying customers to serve-"

"Don't talk to her like that," Gale has pushed me aside and is taking it upon himself to confront the woman, "her money's in here somewhere and she's not going to let one of you sleazy dirtbags snatch it up."

The woman laughs, "sleazy. Yeah. Your girlfriend's the one who was here today with another guy. All over each other."

"We were not!" I jump in and yell.

She returns to scribbling on her fingernails.

"She's not my girlfriend," Gale clarifies, but he looks at me as if he feels a little betrayed.

I tug at his arm, pulling him out the doors, realizing Peeta probably took it home with him.

I wait until we're out of Rooba's to talk again.

"I was not 'all over him.' I didn't kiss him there! I didn't touch him! Who does she think she is?"

"You didn't kiss who there, Katniss?" Gale asks quietly.

Oh.

"A friend. Do you remember Peeta Mellark?"

"The baker's son? Yeah."

"Yeah."

Gale goes off to get us the pizza while I find myself at Peeta's door. I think it's the right door.

A taut guy with bronze hair and green eyes opens the door when I knock.

Maybe not, but I press on, "Hi, is there a Peeta that lives here?"

Then Peeta lifts his head from where he's seated on a couch next to a girl with long hair
cascading down her back.

"I came to see if you had brought my wallet back with you," I call to him.

"Okay," he says, and goes to fetch it.

"Is that all you can say?"

"Sorry," he emotionlessly says.

I'm a little agitated.

The girl from the couch starts to walk towards me.

Oh, God. I didn't want this to be some big ordeal. I just want my wallet.

"Hi, I'm Annie," she introduces cheerfully.

"Peeta's..."

"Oh, no, I'm Finnick's fiancée."

I must look confused, because she points to the man who opened the door initially, who waves and says, "hello, Katniss. Peeta's mentioned you."

This is strange.

"Hi."

Annie comes in to hug me, and although I'm not a huge hugger, I can already tell she's too sweet a person to decline.

"Oh! When are you due?" I ask.

It's like she has a cantaloupe under her sweatshirt. I was not expecting that.

It falls silent.

"Katniss, you can't just..." Peeta starts from the other side of the room.

No one talks for a minute, although Finnick and Annie each look mortified.

"Um... December..." Annie reveals, and purses her lips. She looks at her fiancée nervously.

Peeta hands me my wallet.

"Thanks."

He nods.

I leave before awkwardly uncovering any more secrets.