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"A field As far as you can see it&039;s full of grasses as high as rain There are patches of different colors But there are no paths," says Peeta

"I bet sorain I bet Thresh knohich ones, too," I say "Did you go in there?"

"No Nobody really wanted to track Thresh down in that grass It has a sinister feeling to it Every tis Snakes, and rabid ani in there"

I don&039;t say so but Peeta&039;s words re beyond the fence in District 12 I can&039;t help, for ahim with Gale, ould see that field as a potential source of food as well as a threat Thresh certainly did It&039;s not that Peeta&039;s soft exactly, and he&039;s proved he&039;s not a coward But there are things you don&039;t question toobread, whereas Gale questions everything What would Peeta think of the irreverent banter that passes between us as we break the law each day? Would it shock hiainst the Capitol?

"Maybe there is a bread bush in that field," I say "Maybe that&039;s why Thresh looks better fed now than e started the Gaenerous sponsors," says Peeta "I wonder e&039;d have to do to get Haymitch to send us some bread"

I raise my eyebrows before I ree Hayo One kiss equals one pot of broth It&039;s not the sort of thing I can blurt out, either To sayoff the audience that the romance has been fabricated to play on their sympathies and that would result in no food at all Sos back on track So simple to start with I reach out and take his hand

"Well, he probably used up a lot of resources helping me knock you out," I say mischievously

"Yeah, about that," says Peeta, entwining his fingers in ain"

"Or what?" I ask

"Or or " He can&039;t think of anything good "Just give me a minute"

"What&039;s the problerin

"The problem is we&039;re both still alive Which only reinforces the idea in your ," says Peeta

"I did do the right thing," I say

"No! Just don&039;t, Katniss!" His grip tightens, hurting er in his voice "Don&039;t die for ht?"

I&039;nize an excellent opportunity for getting food, so I try to keep up "Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren&039;t the only one orries about what it would be like if "

I fumble I&039;, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit ain and I realized how much I don&039;t want him to die And it&039;s not about the sponsors And it&039;s not about ill happen back home And it&039;s not just that I don&039;t want to be alone It&039;s him I do not want to lose the boy with the bread

"If what, Katniss?" he says softly

I wish I could pull the shutters closed, blocking out thisfood Whatever I&039;, it&039;s no one&039;s business but mine

"That&039;s exactly the kind of topic Hayh Hay of the kind In fact, he&039;s probably cursingsuch an eed moment But Peeta somehow catches it

"Then I&039;ll just have to fill in the blanks myself," he says, and moves in to me

This is the first kiss that we&039;re both fully aware of Neither of us hobbled by sickness or pain or si with fever or icy cold This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest Warm and curious This is the first kiss that et it Well, I do get a second kiss, but it&039;s just a light one on the tip of my nose because Peeta&039;s been distracted "I think your wound is bleeding again Come on, lie down, it&039;s bedtih to wear now I make Peeta put his jacket back on The daht down tothe first watch, too, although neither of us think it&039;s likely anyone will coree unless I&039; so hard that it&039;s pointless to object In stark contrast to two nights ago, when I felt Peeta was a million miles away, I&039;m struck by his immediacy now As we settle in, he pulls my head down to use his arm as a pillow, the other rests protectively over oes to sleep No one has heldti my mother, no one else&039;s arms have lasses, I lie watching the drips of water splatter on the cave floor Rhyth Several tiry with myself After three or four hours, I can&039;t help it, I have to rouse Peeta because I can&039;t keep my eyes open He doesn&039;t seem to mind

"Toh in the trees we can both sleep in peace," I promise as I drift off

But toe continues as if the Ga us all away The thunder&039;s so powerful it see out anyway to scavenge for food, but I tell him in this storm it would be pointless He won&039;t be able to see three feet in front of his face and he&039;ll only end up getting soaked to the skin for his troubles He knows I&039; painful

The day drags on turning into evening and there&039;s no break in the weather Hay, either fro will cost an exorbitant amount - or because he&039;s dissatisfied with our performance Probably the latter I&039;d be the first to ad, weak fro huddled together wrapped in the sleeping bag, yes, buteither of us does is nap

I&039;m not really sure how to ra up to another will take soirls in the Seaate these waters so easily But I&039;ve never had h anyotten food last night My instincts tellfor physical affection, he wants soetfor the interview I&039;m rotten at it, but Peeta&039;s not Maybe the best approach is to get hihtly "You said at the interview you&039;d had a crush on me forever When did forever start?"

"Oh, let&039;s see I guess the first day of school We were five You had on a red plaid dress and your hair it was in two braids instead of one My father pointed you out ere waiting to line up," Peeta says

"Your father? Why?" I ask

"He said, &039;See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,&039;" Peeta says

"What? You&039;rethat up!" I exclaim

"No, true story," Peeta says "And I said, &039;A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could&039;ve had you?&039; And he said, &039;Because when he sings even the birds stop to listen&039;"

"That&039;s true They do I lythis to Peeta It strikes , ht not really be that I think it&039;s a waste of tiht be because it reminds me too much of my father

"So that day, inYour hand shot right up in the air She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us And I swear, every bird outside the s fell silent," Peeta says

"Oh, please," I say, laughing

"No, it happened And right when your song ended, I knew - just like your oner," Peeta says "Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you"

"Without success," I add

"Without success So, in a way,was a real piece of luck," says Peeta

For a moment, I&039;m almost foolishly happy and then confusion sweeps overup this stuff, playing at being in love not actually being in love But Peeta&039;s story has a ring of truth to it That part aboutthe first day of school, although I don&039;t re And that red plaid dress there was one, a hand-s after my father&039;s death

It would explain another thing, too Why Peeta took a beating to give me the bread on that awful hollow day So, if those details are true could it all be true?

"You have a rely

"I re a loose strand of hair behindattention"

"I am now," I say

"Well, I don&039;t have much competition here," he says

I want to draay, to close those shutters again, but I know I can&039;t It&039;s as if I can hear Hay in et the words out "You don&039;t have much competition anywhere" And this time, it&039;s me who leans in

Our lips have just barely touched when the clunk outside makes us jump My bow comes up, the arrow ready to fly, but there&039;s no other sound Peeta peers through the rocks and then gives a whoop Before I can stop hi in to me A silver parachute attached to a basket I rip it open at once and inside there&039;s a feast - fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and best of all, a tureen of that incredible lamb steild rice The very dish I told Caesar Flicker the Capitol had to offer

Peeta wriggles back inside, his face lit up like the sun "I guess Hay us starve"

"I guess so," I answer

But in htly exasperated, words, "Yes, that&039;s what I&039; lot, sweetheart"