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Peeta stared at the burnt cookies on the counter. He didn't burn things, not unless there was a purpose, and this was the third time this has happened since they had returned from the games. He considered throwing them away but decided to hand them out to kids in the seem instead. They were just a little burnt and would be better than nothing. He put the cookies in a basket and headed out. He stopped When he saw Katniss walking out of her home, he froze. He knew that his lack of attention was due to the revelation that the love of his life was just pretending to be into him to save herself. He tried to pull himself together and waved slightly trying to smile.

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She stopped as she caught sight of Peeta, feeling her stomach drop.

It was hard to avoid your neighbor when there were only three people living in the neighborhood.

Biting her lips, she figured at this point going back into the house was out of the question. So the only option was forward.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied blandly,"where ya headed." He didn't really care but he really couldn't think of anything else to say.
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"Just into the Seam." She said, hunching up her shoulders. Sitting around all day, bored out of her mind wasn't helping, and Madge was busy today.

So. Here she was.

Damn it, damn it, damn it...

"Me too, I was going to hand out cookies." He looked down and tried at cover the pathetic excuse for fried cookies. He really hated himself for what was about to come out of his mouth.

"Wanna walk together?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

She missed Peeta. Although her feeling were...not as intense as his, he was someone one she considered important. And only seeing him briefly...it had weighed on her.

"I'd like that."

He smiled at her and held his hand out to signify she take the lead. It didn't really hit him that it kinda looked like he was offering to hold her hand.

"I'm glad I ran into you." He said softly wondering how much it was a lie.

She looked at his hand, hesitating, before taking it.

He knew where she stood on things. And she felt awful enough for what she had done, that she wasn't going to shy away from anything right now.

"I...I am too."

Peeta's breath caught in his throat when she took his hand. He look down at where their hand met trying to remember how to walk.

"Shall we?" He said shakily, maybe her walking would remind him how to do it.

She started down the path, trying to enjoy the moment for what it was.

Which was actually surprisingly easy when she let herself. She was here, walking with someone she cared for on a beautiful day. There was no reason not to enjoy it.

He really wanted to say something, anything, that could make this less awkward but he didn't think such a thing existed.

He just walked forward trying not to think about it. Anyway other time this would thrill him, in fact a year ago it was the thing he wanted most. Now He wasn't sure what he wanted.

"So how do you like the new houses? Do you miss your family?"

She knew his hadn't moved with him the way hers had. Then again, they would actually be leaving something behind.

"You know, not really. I miss my dad, but I go see him all the time." His older brothers were like any other older brothers, that is to say obnoxious. And his mother, well she was just toxic.

"The house is pretty nice, I really like the ovens." He was really happy she had brought something up to talk about.

"What about you?"

"That doesn't surprise me..."

She shrugged, watching their feet as they made their way down the path.

"It's better than our last place, that's for sure."

Still, in some ways she was much more comfortable at home.

"Still doesn't quiet feel like home though, more like just a house." He knew that's how she felt. Really how could you enjoy something you came by the way they had these houses.

"Yeah. Prim and my mom seem to have taken to it well enough, but I still feel..."

Like she was sleeping in the capitol, or on the train, or somewhere plush and cozy that wasn't her own hard cot at home.

"Like you're trying to breath underwater." That was how he felt, probably not how she felt. It just came out though, tumbling from his lips stupidly like suggestions to hold hands. He was grasping for straws,struggling for air. It had felt that way since she had knock it out of him.

"Yeah."

It was a good description for it. For the whole thing. Like something was still trying top drag them down. Her grip tightened around his hand.

He responded with a gentle squeeze before he lapsed into silence again. He wanted to tell her how he really felt about everything. That getting her was the only bright lining in the nightmare that was the Hunger Games and even that had been taken away from him. It was like the Capital has used her hands to rip out his heart. He knew it was melodramatic but he could help it. He had nightmares almost every day about it. Shadowy hands grabbing her and tearing her from him embrace. He wanted to tell her, but he wouldn't.

The silence went from comfortable to cloying. She shifted, trying to find a subject. Something safe but not shallow. Unfortunately those two cancelled themselves out.

"Would you ever want to go into the woods?"

As soon as it was out she realized the woods were pretty much the antithesis of a safe subject.

"So I can scare away food." He hoped saying it was a grin would kill some of the poison in his words. He didn't mean them to sting, but he would be surprised if they did. He didn't belong in the woods, he never did. He wasn't a hunter, hell he wasn't even a gatherer, he was the poor slob that got stuck in the kitchen because he was useless everywhere else.

Besides the woods were for her and Gale. The place they met, the place they hunted. The place they fell in love? Peeta wasn't sure of the last one, but he really didn't want to know. Wounds hurt less if you tired to ignore them. At least that's what he convinced himself of.

"But seriously, you're much more suited to the woods. The last time I went into the woods I killed a girl with my stupid, and don't tell me I didn't."

Well, that was one way to put it. She didn't know how to gently break it to him that at no point did she intend 'take you into the woods' to include 'so you can learn how to hunt.' She'd have more luck with Prim.

"I was more thinking just to walk. Explore. It's a lot more...peaceful out there. You can think."

Then again maybe Peeta didn't have issues not being able to think like she did.

Peeta felt a pang in his chest. If he didn't know better it would sound a lot like Katniss wanted to get him alone, he knew that wasn't true.

"I guess that does sound nice." He hoped that didn't lead to them going to the woods together right then. He figure it was just her being nice and starting a conversation of some sort.

She smiled, glad she had finally said at least one thing that sounded nice to Peeta. It wasn't something she was very talented at.

"We'll go sometime soon."

Maybe if she was on her own turf she could actually get something out of her mouth that sounded right in the slightest.

"Okay." Thank god, he would be able to go back to avoiding her and not be trap into going somewhere alone.

"So what are you going to the seam for? anything in particular?"

"Just some shopping. It's...still a new sensation to walk into town and actually...buy things you want." She chuckled, shrugging.

"Are you going to the bakery? That's one of my stops." As they walked, she realized, they had gone from holding hand to now, brushing shoulders.