Fragile

Chapter Five: Not telling Her

Quickly, they gathered their shirts and pulled them on. Gale entered the kitchen and saw that Peeta was now at the stove holding the pan of omelet and Katniss was sitting on the counter, her lips pursed together. Peeta looked back at Gale. "It's a long story--"

"Katniss, why is your jumper like, singed?" He asked her, picking up the jumper.

"That's the long story--"

Gale quickly put the jumper down as a look of realization appeared on his face before pure anger. He glared at Peeta. "Peeta," he chuckled dangerously low. Peeta carefully turned around.

"Uh...yeah?"

"Why is your shirt inside out?"

Oh crap, Peeta thought. "Um..well, I guess I put it on inside out this morning," he said nervously. Gale gave him a look that pretty much said he wasn't believing it. He then turned to Katniss.

"First thing, why are you just in a camisole? You've told me you wear jumpers so no guy looks at you sexually," he stops to point at Peeta. "That's a guy who looks at you sexually. Want to know how I know?" Katniss hesitantly nodded her head. "I heard him on the phone with his brother, talking about you and how amazing of a body he thinks you have and everything."

Katniss gave Peeta a shocked look and Peeta put his head down. It was true. He did tell his brother how amazing of a body he thought Katniss had, and he had just realized that maybe Gale heard the whole conversation. About how much he wished he could just take her out on a simple date without him hovering over them. Gale scowled at Peeta before he left the kitchen, but turned around at the doorway. "Oh, and, Katniss, your camisole is backwards."

That night, Katniss had locked her bedroom door so Peeta wouldn't be able to come in. He heard her cries, but he couldn't get in, and that frustrated him the most. All he wanted to do was comfort her, but she wasn't letting him. He paced around his room, contemplating a way he would be able to get inside of Katniss' room.

After several moments of pacing, he heard her door open. He only knew it was her door because it had that annoying squeak whenever it were opened and closed. He peeked out of his room and watched as she padded to the bathroom. He noticed her bedroom door was left open, so while she was in the bathroom, he went to her bedroom.

Alright, you're in, now what? He asked himself. Before he could ask himself anything else, Katniss' voice pierced the silence.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked him, her voice surprisingly steady. He turned around.

"Katniss, I'm sorry, okay?"

Was that really all he had to say? Katniss asked herself. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that all you have to say about yourself? You're sorry? Well, what if I told you I don't forgive you?"

Peeta sighed. "Then I would say that I completely understand and I would leave and go back to my room." Katniss bit her lower lip.

"What if I told you I don't want you to go?"

Peeta crossed his arms over his chest. If she doesn't forgive me, why does she want me to stay? He took a step closer to her. "I would say that I believe you were lying when you said you don't forgive me."

She released her lower lip from her teeth. "Peeta, why did you tell him that?"

"Because I was being honest with him. From what you've shown me, you're just an amazing person in general. Your body is an added bonus."

As much as she liked the compliment, it took every nerve of her being to restrain herself from slapping him right then and there. She told him how she felt about herself and Peeta was just worming his way in with these comments about her physique. She didn't like it at all. "Stop talking about me like I'm some girl with a porn star body."