Catching Fire

“Why don't you get some sleep?” he says.
Because I can't handle the nightmares. Not without you, I think.

...


“What are you going to do?” I ask.“Just review my notes awhile. Get a clear picture of what we're up against. But I'll go over
it with you in the morning. Go to bed, Katniss,” he says.


So I go to bed and, sure enough, within a few hours I awake from a nightmare where that
old woman from District 4 transforms into a large rodent and gnaws on my face. I know I
was screaming, but no one comes. Not Peeta, not even one of the Capitol attendants.

...


Peeta rises and flips off the tape when he sees me. “Couldn't sleep?”
“Not for long,” I say. I pull the robe more securely around me as I remember the old
woman transforming into the rodent.
“Want to talk about it?” he asks. Sometimes that can help, but I just shake my head,
feeling weak that people I haven't even fought yet already haunt me.

When Peeta holds out his arms, I walk straight into them. It's the first time since they
announced the Quarter Quell that he's offered me any sort of affection. He's been more like a
very demanding trainer, always pushing, always insisting Haymitch and I run faster, eat
more, know our enemy better. Lover? Forget about that. He abandoned any pretense of even
being my friend. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck before he can order me to do pushups or something. Instead he pulls me in close and buries his face in my hair.
Warmth radiates from the spot where his lips just touch my neck, slowly spreading through the rest of
me. It feels so good, so impossibly good, that I know I will not be the first to let go.