Peeta hasn’t said anything, but she can feel his stare burning into her. Eventually, she glances in his direction. She goes still when she meets his eyes, her breath catching in her throat.
He’s not smiling, but there’s something in his eyes that makes her blood run hot.
After a beat, his eyebrow quirks slightly, and he leans closer to her, arm braced on the table as he loosely clasps his bottle in hand.
“That was quite a performance.”
She hums flippantly, looking away, tracing her fingertip over the papery edge of the label adhered to her bottle. “It was fun. Did you like it?”
This time he smiles, just barely. He doesn’t answer her question directly, and when he speaks, his voice is low, intended only for her ears.
“What are you trying to get up to tonight, Everdeen?” His words are a teasing drawl, but there’s a challenge too. She manages to breathe normally again, despite her blood now thrumming through her veins fast and hard, and she lets her gaze sweep around the bar, as if considering, and shrugs indifferently.
“I’m just keeping my options open,” she says, meeting the playful tone of his voice. With deliberate measure, she drags her eyes back to his and holds his gaze. Challenge met.
read on AO3. thank you so much, i hope you enjoy this beast of a chapter!
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