#sunsetsrmydreams

One shot.

  And another.

  The alcohol burns her throat until it matches the burn in her eyes.

  How did she get here?

  Women scream in the living room. The stripper must have arrived.

  Katniss looks down at the sash strapped across her torso like a banner, marking her as the ‘Bachelorette’ and it makes her sick.  

  It seemed like a perfectly serviceable arrangement when Gale had come to her and expressed his feelings. They had been friends forever and he’d born witness to her struggles, so he came up with a plan that in his opinion, would suit them both.

  She would marry him and he would help her support Prim through Medical School. 

  That was the deal. Simple and clean, but it was far from it. 

  Katniss has been carrying a secret for as long as she can remember. A mark that makes her feel wrong about everything she’s done. 

  It means she lied to her oldest friend. 

It means someone is out there waiting for her.

She’s a coward who would rather ignore fate.

Months ago, it had seemed like a good idea. Marrying Gale was a nice alternative to ending up like her parents who were so in love that when one died, the other followed soon after. 

  Katniss knew damn well she’d be breaking Gale’s heart in the long run, but she’s just so afraid of the future. His offer had seemed like protection at the time.

But something had shifted in the last two weeks. She could feel it…something within her was reaching out…and she felt an answering tug.

The arrangement she’d tried to be so convincingly gung-ho about is now causing her to wake in a cold sweat every night. Saying ‘Yes’ had been a mistake. 

A big one.

Now hot flashes plagued her in the middle of the day for no apparent reason and sometimes, Katniss felt that if she reached out a hand he would just…be there.

  Even the very air she breathed seemed to be charged and the small birthmark on her hip burned. Her soulmark. The only thing Katniss could do was to throw back another shot and hope her guilt didn’t drown her.

  Loud, thumping music fills the room and the screams increase, followed by loud cat-calls. 

Johanna leaps into the kitchen and grabs her arm, pulling her into the other room as Katniss resists. 

  “Come on, Everdeen! You’re up!”

  Katniss rips off the sash filinging over Jo’s shoulder. “Why don’t you do the honors Jo.”

  “What’s up with you? There’s a hot ass man ready to dance all over your junk and you’re in here! Doing shots! Alone!”  

  “It’s not my thing, you know that.” 

  “Yeah. Yeah. Well, just this once, I’ll do you the favor!” Johanna grins wildly as she secures the slash tightly across her chest and with a whoop, she is off. 

  Katniss peeked into the chaos of the room and saw a tall, muscular, blonde man grinding on her friend’s lap as all the others looked on in excitement and approval. 

  The distraction he caused allowed her to slip out of the door undetected. Quickly making her way to the roof, hoping the cool night air would soothe her frayed nerves and cool the strange warmth in her blood.

  As she looked up at the night sky, drunk and squinting at the constellations in her memory, a song came to her. It was short and sweet and it was one often sung in her home. 

  Alone, on the cusp of making the worst mistake of her life, she couldn’t help but give in to the comfort. Her voice was smooth, the words low and soft, carried on the wind to the apartment right below her feet.

  It made her remember. 

  Though there was so much pain and anguish later in her parents lives, there had also been undeniable happiness. And love.

  They were soulmates who had stumbled upon each other at the tender age of 14. Almost three decades together wasn’t enough but Katniss, in this moment, was able to accept her parents wouldn’t have changed a thing if it meant living a life, no matter how long, without each other. 

  Since her parents died, Katniss had been so envious of Prim’s unmarked soul. It was freedom to make your own choices in life, so she pretended to be unmarked.

But just look where she is now.

Drunk and crying on the roof of her apartment building..It made her wonder if some souls were marked for a reason. If maybe she should be thanking fate instead of running from it.

  A door opens, the squeal of rusty hinges doesn’t startle her like it should, because deep down, she’s been expecting him. Her blood grows warmer with every step he takes towards her.

  Slowly, Katniss turns and bright blue eyes meet hers. He looks sleepy, with creases in his cheek from the pillow that had been cradling him and a riot of messy blonde curls. He’s not much taller than her and Katniss’s gaze drops lower to a white t-shirt, stretched over broad shoulders and a wide chest followed by strong thighs hidden beneath striped pajama pants.

  His eyes have been roaming over her as well and she can’t help but wonder what he sees. She’s small, plain and not particularly pretty, but the look in his eyes says differently. 

  The drink in her system causes her to sway forward and she looks down as his hand catches her hip. The arrow shaped mark, clearly visible on his palm matching up to the one on her hip.

  They blink wide eyes as the connection overwhelms them. His voice is soft and sweet. “I heard you singing.”

  Katniss looks into those deep blue eyes, “I was singing for you,” and when he smiles, she’s knows it’s the truth.

  “I’m Peeta Mellark. I moved in two weeks ago. I’m a baker. I never take sugar in my tea. I double knot my shoelaces and thank god I always sleep with the windows open.”

  For the first time in months, Katniss grins. “I’m Katniss Everdeen. I’m a landscape architect. I always take sugar in my tea. I love my sister and I knew…I think I knew that you would hear me.”

Epilogue

It’s been five years since they met on that rooftop and talked until the early hours, reluctantly separating so Peeta could rush off to the bakery to do the morning prep work. 

Katniss went back to her apartment, climbing over several passed out friends to get to her phone.

  Breaking things off with Gale was hard. She almost went the easy route, telling him over the phone, but Katniss knew if she wanted to salvage any part of their friendship, she needed to do it the right way. She owed him that much at least. 

He was understandably upset, said some things that took Katniss a long time to get over. But it took less than a year for Gale to find the person he was meant to be with and now he has a house full with three kids and counting. And some distant semblance of friendship formed once again. 

  It also took less than a year for Katniss and Peeta to get married. Two months to be exact. It was a rushed affair at City Hall so Prim could attend before moving across the country for school. Far from the previous wedding plans that caused Katniss nothing but constant headaches and anxiety, theirs was easy and fun and held so much meaning for both of them.  

  Katniss arranges the pictures again.

  She’s nervous even though she has no reason to be. This has to be done before Prim comes home to visit. Katniss knows her sister’s eagle eyes will spot the change. The tiny bump that’s just started to make her pants too tight. Her doctor confirmed it this morning. It was a complete surprise but it shouldn’t have been. They had been trying after all, it’s just Katniss didn’t expect it to happen immediately.

  Katniss can hear the jingle of keys as Peeta makes his way through the door and when he spots her, his eyes brighten. They always do.

  “What are you doing home?” Peeta asks as he quickly moves in to kiss her, lingering over her lips like a newlywed. His eyes fall on the black and white prints placed strategically on top of the table and his eyes widen. “Katniss…?” He stares before delicately lifting one. Tears start to form in his eyes.

  “It’s real,” Katniss whispers as she wraps her arms around him.

  Peeta hugs her tightly and she feels the connection between them that will never fade.