Three in the Morning

Side by Side

Peeta

Wow. Is this even real? Katniss remembers me. She remembers me. And now I'm on the way to her apartment? I should start fires more often.

Scratch that.

From the moment we enter the building, hateful looks are directed at me from every angle.

Katniss grabs my arm and pulls me into the elevator. She pushes the button for floor four, and up we go, just the two of us in here.

"What are your plans for today?" I ask curiously.

"Drawing the shades and hibernating. You?"

"I mean, you're my hostess. I'll comply to your plans. Which are perfect, because sleep is just what I'm craving."

She takes the keycard from the waistband of her tiny pink shorts and opens the door for us.

Her apartment is small but spacious. There's virtually no clutter, and everything's seemingly right where it belongs.

She yawns and sways on her feet.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight- er, morning, Peeta."

"Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... do you have a tee shirt I can borrow or something? It's pretty cold in here," I request.

God, I think it's something like fifty degrees at most.

"Yeah, follow me," she says.

I do. Into her bedroom.

I can't say it's as tidy in here as the rest of the apartment. Water bottles with varying amounts of liquid and a couple of empty beer bottles with one of wine litter her night table. Dirty clothes are on the floor, the bed's unmade, and overall it just looks like a tornado struck the aftermath of a wild party. At least it smells nice, though. Like a pumpkin candle.

Her cheeks flush as though she hadn't realized her room was a mess. She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and gets to rummaging through a dresser drawer.

"Here's a shirt," she says holding up an "I heart New York City" tee that's probably a men's large when I'd peg her at about... a women's extra small...

"Thanks," I tell her and let it hang loosely on my body.

"And here're some pants," she holds up a pair of plaid, men's, navy flannel pajama pants, which I slip on over my boxers.

It looks like the whole drawer is men's clothes.

"You, uh, get a lot of... visitors?" I ask.

"Huh?" She says, closing the drawer and standing up.

"Male friends, you know..." shit, I'm making this so awkward.

"No!" She snaps, "my best friend, Gale- remember him? He's still in Texas and he comes to visit a few times a year. He just leaves them here... he's usually here for weeks at a time, so-"

"Oh, I see."

She glares at me. Her eyes are even more stunning now that I don't feel the need to turn away when she looks at me.

"I'll be in my bed if you need me. You can watch some television if you'd like while you're on the couch," she says, climbing into the disorderly sheets.

How subtle.

I tread out of her room just as she unscrews the cap of one of her water bottles. I wonder if that's even water.

It's even colder in here. I'm freezing my butt off, so to take my mind off of it, I turn on an episode of Family Feud. That doesn't work and I'm shivering within five minutes.

I really don't want to bother Katniss but this patent leather couch isn't very heat reflective, and lack of blankets isn't helping.

I walk back to her room, and knock on the door frame. She's deeply sleeping already. How ironic it is that the sun has just entirely come out and she's just entirely crashed.

I enter and shake her tired, little frame gently, inquiring for the location of her blankets when her eyes flit open.

She points to a rocking chair in a far corner with fabric piled atop it. I take a blanket off and retreat back into the main room and onto the couch while I watch the Collins' come out on top in a Family Feud episode against the exuberant Trinket 

After a half hour at most, it's still too cold to even attempt falling asleep.

I find myself wandering back into her bedroom, unsure of even what I'm asking her for this time.

"It's pretty cold out there." I say, tugging on the hem of my- Gale's shirt.

"Oh, just come join me in here." She offers, not bothering to take her face out of the pillow it's so gracefully face down on.

The bed's unnervingly small, I notice, when my arm is pressed awkwardly up against her backside when I lie down. I shift around a little until I find a comfortable position.

Then, between the body heat of two of us and the covers, I'm thawed out enough to sleep.

When I wake up, the sky is bright as can be, the sun streaming through the windows, and to my surprise, Katniss' arms are hooked around my body. Her head is nestled into my shoulder. I feel myself smile and there's nothing I can do to stop that.