Some Things Do Happen in the Copy Room

Happy Birthday, @xerxia31 - my dear, dear friend ;)

It’s not much, but here is your birthday gift, beta-ed by the incredible @burkygirl because obviously, I couldn’t ask you :)

“Hey Peeta, can I talk to you for a sec?”

And just like every time someone called out to Peeta Mellark, or he happened to walk by her desk, Katniss lowered her head, desperate to find something - anything - to look at.

Something about the man simply made her react. Maybe there was something enticing about his name. But she didn’t have a crush on him.

Absolutely not.

Katniss Everdeen didn’t have crushes.

Most of the girls in the office were swooning about his blond curly hair, about his bright blue eyes, about the muscles hidden under his shirts, yet it wasn’t any of this that drew her to Peeta.

Well, it wasn’t only his good looks.

She still remembered the days when they were in the same high school. Times had been tough. Her father died. Her mother had a breakdown. Money was tight and she made sure that any food in the house went to sister., It was a time when she almost lost everything.

Almost.

Every day in homeroom, she found a small package on her seat with a sandwich, or a delicacy. The food kept her alive, yet she had no idea where it was coming from…. Until one day, when she spotted Peeta leaving the bag on her chair.

From then, she had started to notice small details about how him. His blonde hair, blue eyes, the quiet force emanating from him. Or how he always held the door open for women. He helped old Mrs. Sae cross the road, He showed genuine kindness every chance he could, even if it meant losing a wrestling match on purpose so his brother could shine.

Not that she ever cared about wrestling, it was just some kind of high school bonding thing.

Right ?

Right.

It was strange to think that after all these years, they were working at the same company, in the same department.

Even after all these years, he was still as kind as he was at sixteen, still opening doors for women, or helping Annie carry her bag every day.

Ten years had sculpted his jaw and broadened his shoulders. That sure was a plus.

Yet, it was no use spending time thinking about Peeta Mellark. She was nothing to him anymore, and she was getting very good at pretending she didn’t care about him.

That’s why she tried to avoid looking at him as much as possible, or going for lunch at the same time, or being alone in an elevator with him (plus the eleven flights of stairs did her legs good).

She even fetched her daily tea and muffin when she knew he wouldn’t be around for his coffee (black, no cream, no sugar). There were times, though, when she couldn’t avoid being in the same room as him, usually when he came to the office she shared with her co workers.

When that happened, she was overcome with an absolute need to to escape being in the proximity of the man every woman she worked with was swooning over.

Every woman but Katniss Everdeen. Pretending he had no effect on her still counted, right ?

Right.

She was saved this time by suddenly remembering she had very important things to do in the copy room. She grabbed the first file she found and made her way discreetly out of the office, walking straight into the room at the end of the corridor.

It was her safe place. Most of the time, the copy machine wasn’t even working, broken for one reason or another, but to Katniss it was the best place to be. The room had a small window where she could gaze at the park one floor down, the little bit of green reminding her of her beloved woods back home.

It was also a place where she could hide for her lunch, or escape Delly’s neverending chatter about things like  the hot new lipstick her favorite actress was pimping on Instagram, or the new kale-based diet. Delly spent an hour analyzing that one.

Katniss usually found herself in the copy room at least once a day.

As soon as she was inside, she released a breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding. Here, in the quiet and calm of the copy room, she was able to forget about her non-existent crush on Peeta Mellark, on the absolute-no-effect he had on her.

She put her hands on the windowsill, looking through the glass at the park outside, wishing she could climb the large oak tree, and losing herself to the memories of her childhood.

She jumped when she heard the door creak open and found herself facing none other than … Peeta Mellark.

It was like a slow-motion scene in an ‘80s movie. The door closed and he turned to face her, her eyes soaking up every detail of his tousled blonde locks, his t-shirt stretched beneath the expanse of his chest. His eyes, blue as the sky on a spring morning lit up as he smiled.

“Finally,” he said, gazing down at her with a spark in his eyes she didn’t recognize.

“Escaping the flock of admirers ?” she retorted.

He didn’t take the bait.

“No. I was looking for you.” He took a step forward,  and Katniss felt the cold of the windows on her back as she tried to escape.

“Why?” she managed to whisper. The smell of his cologne was invading her senses, musky, manly.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

It sure wasn’t.

“Why would you be looking for me?” He took another step forward and she felt the icy cold window through the material of her blouse.

“You have no idea, do you? The effect you have on everybody? On me?” he answered, stuffing his hands into his pockets, looking  a bit - shy ?

Katniss was at a loss for an answer. The effect she had ? She didn’t think half of the people in the open space where she worked would be know her name, let alone in the other floors of the building. She was a nobody, and very pleased to be so, thank you very much.

Peeta sighed, moving his eyes from her face to look around

.

“It’s like … every time I try to talk to you, you … disappear. You’re there a second, then gone the next. I’m seriously wondering whether you’re a ninja, you know?”

“I’m not a ninja,” she huffed. How was this possible? That Peeta, her total non-crush-turned-crush could be looking for her ? Plain, simple Katniss Everdeen had nothing to offer to someone like Peeta Mellark.

He chuckled. That’s when she realized she had spoken out loud.

“You’re kidding, right ?” He gazed down at her. “You have fire, a light that shines through you. You’re beautiful. You’re smart – and I swear, when you sing, the birds stop to listen to you.” He stammered at her startled expression. “I swear I’m not a stalker, I heard you in the park at lunchtime one day.”

She was speechless, bute wasn’t done.

“Do you think you could like me? At least a little?” She turned her head as she felt her cheeks heating. “Katniss, look at me, please,” he pleaded, but she couldn’t find it in herself to raise her head,too afraid of what she could find there - amusement, disdain, disgust ? She wasn’t ready to face rejection.

“Katniss,” he whispered, again.

There was something so raw in his voice, so primal, that she had no choice but to raise her head.

She was astonished to see joy and happiness in his expression, his eyes becoming bluer as he read the truth of her feelings in her face.”

“Do you like me too?” he asked in a voice barely higher than a whisper. She could feel the doubt, the uncertainty behind it.

Her throat suddenly went dry and left her speechless.

Could Katniss dare to admit right here, right then that Peeta was her crush? That he always had been?

She nodded, taking a leap of faith. A simple move of her face, barely perceptible.

Time stopped, or so she thought.

Until Peeta started smiling, wider than she’s ever seen. They closed the gap between them, and she felt his breath on her face and his hands sliding up her arms so slowly, so tentatively – lighter than the wings of the wind, warm as the embers of a fire, soft as silk. She shivered with anticipation when he put his face closer to her, moving slightly to whisper in her ear.

“You’ve been my crush forever, Katniss.”

His hand had stopped at her left shoulder, as if he was letting her decide where this situation between them would go.

For once, though, Katniss Everdeen was sure of something. Peeta Mellark made her feel things, things she wouldn’t label right now, yet definitely wanted to explore.

She turned her head, her lips coming very close to the corner of Peeta’s mouth. She smiled before quickly leaning in, leaving a whisper of a peck on his cheek, nothing more.

It was just the first step after all.

He took the next one.

His hand caressed her cheek as his lips ghosted over hers, leaving here and there a small kiss, as if they had all the time in the world.

Maybe they did, after all.

She kissed him back, playing the same game as he, finding places on his jaw, just under his ear, or on his pulse point to place soft kisses, delighting at the effect they had on him, at the sounds he made. Then he took control of the kiss, starting to map her lips, his tongue caressing the soft places of her mouth, making her shiver even more, making her moan softly.

They kissed until they were out of breath, their foreheads pressed together, their eyes closed.

Katniss couldn’t help smiling.

“Do you think they’re looking for us?” Peeta whispered, his hand trying to untangle her locks of hair.

“They’re looking for you, probably.”

“They can wait.”

He kissed her again, as if he couldn’t get enough.

She let him, more than happy to comply.

She could do that every day, she realized.

Several times a day.

Yes, she definitely could.