I Am His {An Everthorne Fanfiction}

Chapter 7

(POV) Peeta

When Katniss left this morning, I noticed that she was taking all her stuff with her. She didn't have much, but she'd had enough to fill her old game bag. I saw her struggling with it and I offered to help her get it back to her house in Victor's Village, a few feet away from my own. She let me take her bag to her door where she thanked me, gave me a hug, and disappeared into her house.

That's when I realized that it really never was meant to be. That she's never coming back.

(POV) Delly

Visiting Peeta and Katniss always makes me happy. They're both such friendly people. There's so many good things about them that most of the time I lose count! But I have been realizing something different about them... They're acting strange. Just a few days ago, I caught Peeta looking at me the way he used to look at Katniss. And I'm not saying I didn't like it... Because I did. I don't think anyone has ever looked at me like that, and it felt good. When I lost my parents in the fire bombing, I thought I could never love anyone again. But something about Peeta makes me think otherwise. He's so strong and good with words. He always knows exactly what to say to make people feel better. I've known him since we were both so young. I never thought about him much then, but now I can't keep him off my mind. He's always been so polite, but I can see hurt behind those eyes. I can see how much the Games really affected him. He tries to cover it up, but it's easy to read. I see him flinch sometimes, like he's reliving the Games in his head. And I think, with the help of true love, he can recover. And I'll help him.

(POV) Peeta

I decide to take a walk, to help sort out my feelings. I find myself on the steps of Delly's house, where she lives with her younger brother. I nervously climb the steps up to her door.

The house is small and cozy, even from the outside. The door and shutters are a bright yellow, reflecting the impact Delly has on others. The rest of the house is a clean white and all the windows are open wide. Through the windows I can see light blue curtains rippling from the soft breeze outside.

After two knocks on the bright yellow door, I hear footsteps coming from the back of the house. I suddenly get nervous. What am I supposed to say?

The door slowly opens and the smell of backing fills my nose. It smells good, and I know just what to put in it to make it even better. Delly is standing in the doorway smiling at me. She's wearing simple clothes with a blue apron that matches the curtains. Her curls are wound up tightly in a bun on the top of her head and she has flour all over her hands and cheeks.

"Peeta!" She says, wiping her hands on her apron. "How nice to see you! Please come in!" She stands back and I walk through the door, taking in the place. It's beautiful. Everything is so perfectly in place, I don't want to walk any further.

"Sorry for the mess." Delly says, shutting the door behind me.

"What mess? This place is beautiful!" I tell her.

"Thank you!" She laughs lightly. A comfortable silence falls between us as I look around more.

"Would you like some of my apple pie? I just finished baking it. I doubt it's as good as yours though..." Delly asks me nervously.

"I would love some! It smells very good. I'll tell you a little secret: at the bakery, we always used to sprinkle just a little nutmeg on top of the pies. But don't tell anyone! It's top secret." I joke.

"What a splendid idea! I was wondering how I could make it a little better! And don't worry, I wont tell anyone, I promise." she winks at me. "Follow me to the kitchen, and we'll eat some pie together." I follow Delly into a small but tidy kitchen. The smell of baking intensifies and I am reminded of the bakery. I miss it so much... I watch as Delly opens a cupboard and bulls out a small plastic bottle labeled "Nutmeg" and sets it on the counter. She turns around and searches my face before saying:

"You miss it don't you. The bakery." How could she have known? Is it really that obvious? I feel the heat on my cheeks start to rise and I look at my feet. "Don't be embarrassed I miss my family too, it's only natural... I'm so lucky to have my brother though, I don't think I would've made it through everything without him..." I look up into her eyes and see the pain. The pain that reflects my own. That's when I realize that we can help each other. We can help each other get through the pain. I smile at Delly, and she smiles back.

The timer signaling that the pies are done goes off and Delly turns to put on her oven mitts. She slowly takes out two pies and sets them on top of the stove. I watch her as she sprinkles nutmeg on top of them. She cuts two pieces and sets one in front of me and hands me a fork.

I take a bite.

It's the best pie I've tasted in a long time.