Our Love Will Remain - The story after Mockingjay

Chapter 7

We are standing on the balcony outside our bedroom, looking at the stars. They twinkle brightly on the autumn sky. The leaves of the trees are already turning yellow, and in the middle of the Victor's Village, there is actually a tree that is bright red. We see a figure wabble through the square. Haymitch. Though we didn't have much liquor on the party afterwards, he seems to have found a way to get drunk. The toasting went well. We lit a fire in the living room fireplace, toasted a piece of bread in it and fed it to each other. After that, we had a small party for the guests, or more of a dinner, really. We danced to slow music and ate a cake that Peeta had frosted the day before. We didn't talk much, except for when people came to congratulate us. To my surprise, Gale came back to do that. He mumbled a low "Congratulations" and said "Take care of her" to Peeta. He nodded, and then Gale walked away. He looked sad, but at least he came. That means he isn't too mad at Peeta anymore. After the dinner, some of the guests brought us small presents. Handy objects for everyday use. A tea set from Effie, a special made eyebrow plucker from the prep team, a baking tray from Mother, a big knife from Johanna, and, as a big surprise, a baby blanket from Annie. I know she only means well, but I feel a little sad. I don't know if I want children. My experiences from the past has made me very protective of my loved ones, and I don't think I would be able to handle the press of having to watch over my children every second. Peeta seemed happy though. I feel bad for him. He doesn't know what I think of the gift. We thanked all the guests and then headed to the house in a black shiny car. I rested my head on Peeta's shoulder, and he stroked my arm. When the car stopped in front of our house, he lifted me up in bridal position and I giggled. He carried me all the way up to the balcony which we are standing on right now. He wraps his arms around my waist. I put my hands on his.

"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever." he says, kissing my head.

"Me too." I say, turning to face him. "I'll go and change, this dress is getting sweaty." I say, giving him a kiss on the lips.

"I'll stay here." he says, and I walk into the bedroom. Now, my nerves are starting to kill me. Wedding night. We have been about to do it a few times, but we never have. I wonder if Peeta is nervous. I think he is. What if I do anything wrong? What if I go on too fast and he feels uncomfortable? "Nothing will go wrong, Katniss" I tell myself. "As long as you are with him, nothing will go wrong." But I don't feel convinced. I peel off the dress and hang it neatly in the closet. I walk into the bathroom and take a quick shower, washing off my make-up. I put on my silk nightgown and sit down on the floor. I put my head between my legs and try to calm down. "What am I afraid of?" I think. "I'm such a coward, Peeta will think that I'm not ready for this." But I am. Actually, I can't wait. But I'm still sitting here on the bathroom floor, pouting. I decide to go out to Peeta. "He's probably as nervous as you are." I say to myself. "Besides, as long as you are with him, nothing will go wrong." I tell myself again. I feel a lot braver now. I walk out the door, and find Peeta sitting on the bed. His jacket is hanging in the closet beside my dress, and he has taken off his shoes. When he sees me, he gets up.

"Hey." he says.

"Hey." I say too. We walk towards each other, slowly. When we reach each other, I put my arms around his neck. I think for a moment.

"Katniss Mellark. I like it." I say, smiling.

"I like it too." he says, and kisses me softly. I jump up into his arms and put my legs around his waist. We continue to kiss passionately, and I don't feel afraid anymore. Now, I feel perfectly at home. He sits down on the bed, caressing my waist. I shudder and start kissing him harder. I start undressing him, and before I'm done, he starts undressing me too.

When he enters me, I feel a pleasure of a kind I have never felt before. We melt into one being, bluring the lines between us. The last memory of that night before dozing off to sleep, is him holding me against his chest, kissing my hair and whispering "I love you, Katniss." into my ear.

Peeta

When I wake up, the first thing I see is my beautiful wife lying next to me, her hand laid across my chest. I start stroking her hair. I now love her more than I ever have before, if such thing is possible. Even though we both are naked under the sheets I don't feel embarassed. We have no secrets for each other anymore. When I start stroking her cheek with my finger, she wakes up. She looks at me, gives me a small kiss on the lips, and hugs me tighter.

"I love you too." she says. First, I feel a little bit puzzled, but then I remember what I had told her last night when I thought she was asleep. I kiss her forehead and she rests her head on my shoulder. Then, she asks something unexpected.

"Why are men always so fascinated by women's naked bodies?" she asks, looking at me. I am surprised by the question, but I think of it for a moment.

"I really don't know." I say. "Let me take a look." I say, lifting the sheets and peeking inside. She laughs. "No, I really don't get it." I say when I have laid down the sheets again. I have a serious look on my face, but when she leans in to kiss me I smile. I love her so much. We lay there, cuddling, for a while. When we start to get hungry, we get up. It's about noon. We take a bath together and dress in comfy clothes. I make lasagna for lunch, and we eat too fast, so we both end up with stomach ache. Typical us. We didn't do much the rest of the day, mostly kissed and layed on the couch, stroking each other's hair. When I start to feel sleepy, Katniss breaks the silence.

"Can we sleep here on the couch, husband?" she says, continuing to stroke my hair.

"Yes, we can, wife." I say, turning over to kiss her. That is the last movement I do before we fall asleep in each other's arms, happier than anyone else in the world.