Arrows in the Dark

Thresh and Cato

"I wonder why they sent us food? We're not exactly starving." I say slowly eating an apple and watching Peeta do the same.

"Maybe we have more sponsors than Haymitch knows what to do with." Peeta says. I know what he's not saying in that sentence. We have a lot of sponsors because of our love affair. The Capitol is eating it up. Drinking in every word we say to each other. Peeta's face is hard and unreadable.

"Something bothering you?" I ask. Peeta looks up at me and shakes his head.

"Actually I have a question." Peeta corrects himself. I nod

"Go ahead." I tell him.

"You're probably going to laugh or... Hit me." I try not to smile.

"Just ask." I say. I ting into my apple again. Peeta breaths out.

"Were you and Gale ever together?" I almost throw up but instead I choke on my food. Peeta strokes me back slowly while I try to regain my composure.

"Gale and I?" My voice comes out hoarse and I rub my throat. Peeta hands me the canteen of water and I drink some of it gratefully

"Well..?" Peeta asks. He looks nervous and his face is sort of red. I slowly shake my head.

"No.. No. He's like my big brother. I don't see him like that." I explain slowly knowing full well every word I say might be killing Gale. He told me he loved me. Now he probably hates me.

"So you guys never..." Peeta stops.

"No and never with anyone else either." I tell him shaking my head.

"So I was your first kiss?" Peeta asks teasingly. He's smiling but I'm not looking at him. I'm blushing and staring at the ground trying not to smile and failing.

"Yeah but don't get all high and might about it." I say lightly hitting his chest.

"I'm not." Peeta says raising his hands defensively. "You were mine too. You just look cute when you're nervous." Peeta says kissing my cheek.

"What about that girl Annabelle in fourth grade." I say smiling mischievously. Peeta slaps his foreheads and closes his eyes.

"I forgot about that." He groans. I begin to laugh. In the fourth grade Annabelle slobber mouth was going around kissing boys for sport. The last boy she kissed was Peeta and it was in front of the whole school. It was the scandalous event of the year. Everyone knew about it. After that Annabelle followed him around for months claiming he was her boyfriend.
"I don't count that." Peeta says wrapping an arm around me.

"Why not?" i ask with a smile. "It was a kiss? And i don't think Annabelle will appreciate you saying it didn't count. She really liked you." i said poking him in the chest.

"Yeah well I didn't like her like that." i laughed. "The only girl i ever wanted to kiss was you." i'm blushing bright red i can feel it. Peeta is smirking down at me before he kisses my forehead. "I just never had the courage to do it before.." he stops but i know what he means.

"You mean before we were put in the Hunger Games and you thought we were goign to die." i finish for him. Peeta nods slowly.

"Well when we get back home you can kiss me all you want." i say teasingly.

"Is that a promise?" Peeta asks. I laugh again.

"Yeah, yeah a promise." i say sealing it with a kiss. It's a small one but it still makes me stomach do flips. Peeta looks to be deep in thought.

"We're going to be living in the Victors's Village." he says suddenly.

"Oh yeah that's right." i say remembering. The Victor's Village is where all the victor's of your District will live after they win the Hunger Games. It's virtually empty seeing as we've only had two winners in the past 74 years one of which is still alive. I wrinkle my nose in disgust. "We're going to have to live next to Haymitch." i tell him. Peeta laughs.