THE HUNGER GAMES: AFTERMATH

First Night

PEETA

"You're my wife now. Real or not real?" I whispered to Katniss. We are now standing in the terrace of our home, waving goodbye to the remaining guests who were last to leave. She turned to me and smiled, "Real." We bought laugh. I scooped her up and carried her until we reach our room.

"I'm going to put you down now, I think you ate too much cake!" I teased her.

She laughed, "I am not that heavy, Peeta. But alright, you may put me down now so I could take a bath and remove all this make-up. I'm not used to this anymore!"

I set her down. I could feel my heart pounding. What now, Peeta? I asked myself. I watch her go inside the bathroom.

If there's such a thing as being the happiest man in the world, it would be me. I have loved Katniss ever since we were five. From that moment I realized that I am captivated by her, I have watched her walk home every day. I have watched her in the corridors of our school, in the cafeteria at lunch, in the market trying to trade her haul. I have always wanted to talk to her but I never had the courage until our names were reaped.

I feel nervous. I actually have no idea what to do, where to start. After all these years sleeping beside Katniss, you would think that wedding night shouldn't be a problem anymore. But it is. This will be the first time for both of us, and we have never talked about this. We sleep together, yes, but we were too busy healing and recovering to even think about doing it. 

I could still remember our first kiss. I'm not even sure if it was real for her, but for me it was. I was almost dying, and the touch of her lips made me want to fight to stay alive. She could've left me, she could've just finished me off while I was weak. Instead, she stayed by my side and helped me heal. She even risked her life to get that medicine for me. That's Katniss, kindhearted and courageous.

She's brave and courageous, and what does that make me? A coward. It took me five years to propose to her. Now I'm so nervous because it's our wedding night, I don't want to make a mess out of myself. I also definitely wouldn't want to wait another five years just to be able to make love to my wife.

Before I even came back to District Twelve after the revolution, I went to District One to check on the situation. It wasn't as damaged compared to the rest of the districts, so they were quick to recover. As I was walking, I passed by a jewelry shop and a ring caught my attention. It is made of white gold, and only has one diamond on it. It is very simple, I wouldn't be surprised if people from the Capitol don't even notice it. I mean, compared to the gargantuan size of all the jewels surrounding it, as well as the strange designs, this certain ring stood out just because it is the simplest and most normal looking. 

I studied it carefully, and realized that while it looked so simple, it actually gives off the illusion that the edges of the diamond are on fire. I don't know how they did it, all I know is that it was perfect for Katniss. I bought the ring without even considering if she would even like to marry me. I have kept it with me for years, waiting for the right moment, hoping that she would agree.

It was mid-October when I asked her. I've been meaning to, but I just couldn't find the perfect timing. We were taking a stroll at the Meadow, taking in the view and the cold wind. The moon was full, and it was still bright all over even if it was already nighttime.

"I love moments like these," she said while gazing at the moon.

"What moments?" I asked.

"Moments of peace and tranquility," she answered. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"We could," I look at her and she's still staring at the moon. "We could stay like this forever, you and me."

"I hope so, but what if you changed your mind and left me?" she said with an unstable voice.