Peeta's POV

Chapter 1

It's strange to think that six months has passed since Katniss told me she loved me. All the years I spent wishing she'd notice the way I gently brushed her fingers when I sold her bread at my family's bakery. Or how my blood boiled underneath my pale skin at those rare occasions her eyes met mine at school. I'll never be able to forget those moments, but my mind seems to be working against me since those dark days I spent in the Capitol. Sometimes it takes minutes for me to regain my sense of reality. And sometimes it takes hours. But Katniss is always there in my arms begging for me to stay with her. I always do.

This morning I wake to the smell of bacon and eggs—Katniss usually always leaves before me in the morning, leaving me breakfast. She still can't shake the morning ritual of hunting. It's not that we need the extra meat—we have plenty of it—I tend to think it's a healing process. But often my mind strays to the idea that she's out there waiting for Gale to show up one day. I try to convince myself that I'm wrong.

I eat my breakfast quickly so I can head down to the new bakery in District 12. Katniss knows that this is my healing process. I'll never know what happened to my parents or my brothers… I'm not even sure I'd ever want to know. Some things are just better left unsaid.

I take my time kneading the dough letting my thoughts stray to Katniss again. I'm not quite sure I'll ever be to explain what I feel for her. My memories have gotten clearer through the help of Katniss talking about the time we had together. I often think back to the day we almost took nightlock. I was okay with dying. I was happy that my last moments would have been with her-the last face I'd see would be hers.

After making about a dozen loafs of bread, I walk over to the storefront and switch the 'closed' side of the sign to 'open'. Greasy Sae is always one of the first to walk through the door. She is a kind woman, helping Katniss with the house, and helping me get this place up and running again. I owe her a lot for helping us get through the horrors District 12 was left with.

"Morning Peeta, got any fresh ones for me?" She asks with a warm smile.

"Only for you. How many?" I laugh, wiping my floured hands on my pants.

"Two please. I'll share some with Ripper if I can get that damn girl to put down the booze." She chuckles through the few teeth she has left.

I wrap the bread in a towel to keep them hot for her walk back to the house. I never charge her for the bread. The few people left in District 12 should have something to indulge in after all the years of starvation.

"Thank you, boy. You know I was thinkin'. When you planning on poppin' the question to Ms. Everdeen." She asks, winking at me.

I laugh and shake my head. What can I say? I'd joked with Katniss about it last month. She didn't say no, but she also didn't say yes. I wasn't going to push the subject now. Not now.

Greasy Sae waves on her way out and thanks me again. A few moments later, I take two more loafs out of the oven, when I hear the door open.

"Those for me?" Katniss says as she walks up behind me, wrapping her arms around me from behind. I maneuver myself to turn around without breaking free of her hold. I take her face in my hands and gently graze her cheekbones. Everytime I look at her, she reminds me of all the things I owe my life to her for.

"Only if you can pay the price." I laugh, kissing her lightly. She stands on her tip-toes wrapping her arms around my neck this time. I rest my head against hers, with my arms at her waist. She smells intoxicating—like orange blossoms and orchids.

"Come on, you can come back here later. Come home with me for a little while." Katniss teases. I grab her hand and start my pace out the door. The bread can wait.

When we make our way back to the house, we find Buttercup sitting outside on the front step, cleaning his coat.

We lay on the bed together, both silent. We look into each other eyes for a long while. Some days, we spend hours doing this. We know we don't have to say a word to each other to know what the other is thinking. It reminds me of all the nights on the train I held her in my arms.

She takes my hand and holds it onto her heart, placing hers over mine. It's moments like these where I know myself. I know I won't lose my head in this moment. I know that she isn't the enemy like the capitol said. She never was. She is mine, and I am hers.

She leans closer, resting her head on my chest.

"You're my best friend, you know that right?" She says.

"I know that." I say, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Katniss, I.." I begin to say, but she interrupts me. "I wish I could freeze this moment, and live in it forever." She says. Instead of saying something further, I lift her chin to my face and press my lips to hers.

"You know that reminds me of something I was going to show you today..." I whisper. "It's a bit of a surprise, but way long overdue."

She sits up, looking at me curiously. "A surprise? Well don't keep me waiting! Let's see it!" She grabs both of my hands and drags me off the bed. I lead her over to the closet but stop before I open it.

"Wait, close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open them." I say.

It was from before I was a prisoner of the capitol. It was after the first games. This was something I could not give to her because the time wasn't right. This was when she said it was all for the games.

"Open them."

As she opens her eyes, she doesn't say anything. She takes a step back and sits on the bed, tears welling in her eyes.

"Peeta, when did you make this?"

"After we won the games..on the train ride back to District 12." I say. "I've been waiting a long time to give this to you, Katniss." I say, lowering my eyes to the floor.

It's a painting of her sleeping underneath the soft, orange sunset. It's reminiscent of all the nights we spent sleeping on the train together. I always recall how peaceful she looked when she slept. It was not long after the first time we did, that she started mumbling my name in her sleep. I knew I couldn't convince her then that she loved me, but I knew in my heart that she really did. I had waited all my life for her already, so that's why I waited for her to admit to herself that she loved me too.

"I waited so long for you already, Katniss. I knew then how you really felt. But I knew the only person to convince you, was yourself." I sit down on the ground, looking up at her.

She takes my face in her hands, and sighs. This time, she leans down pressing her lips against mine. I get up, never leaving her lips, and pull her onto the bed. I trace her jaw with my lips, softly. She buries her face into my collar, letting out a loud sob. I hold her tighter in my arms, kissing her hair.

"Thank you Katniss. Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I gave up on myself." I whisper.

She pulls back, looking into my eyes. "You would have done the same for me. I can't imagine life now without you in it. We need each other, Peeta. We really do. We protect each other. We always have. Not from the capitol anymore, but from our inner demons. The ones that fight us every day. The ones I fight to have you stay with me." She looks down at our intertwined hands.

I begin to lose it now. I try hard to stay strong for her, but I know she's said this to me once before. I can't forget that. I look back up into her eyes. She's so incredible.

"Always."