Drunken Confessions

Raucous laughing, shouts of triumph and drunken squeals of delight are the sounds of Haymitch's house the night we came over. Haymitch, on his third bottle, was a lot funnier when he was drunk senseless. However, we thought his jokes were funnier after we had a few drinks. Couple drinks… okay, many drinks. How had I managed to drag Peeta here? Was it so awful that my memory recall how I managed this feat of feats?

"No, no, no, no, no, no…" Peeta yelled then chuckled without taking a breath. "Well, maybe yes."

"Ah!" was the sound of Haymitch winning the argument. I was too drunk to know what it was they were talking
about and too tired to figure it out. Personally, I was glad we were doing this. It made me happy and it made Peeta irresponsible, but most of all it made Haymitch drunk and we all knew a drunken Haymitch was immeasurably better than sober Haymitch.

"If my mother knew what I was up to," I said, stumbling across vowels. It was true, she was at home caring for Prim without the slightest idea that I was drunk to the world. Haymitch laughed a scary cackle.

"This is just the beginning, Sweetheart," he said, still managing that biting sarcasm even in his madly drunken state. I giggled the hiccupped. Peeta hiccupped merely moments after me. It was good to feel numb after all of the training for the Quarter Quell. I know in the back of my mind that I should be spending the last of my time with my family and people I love. The thought reminds my misty mind of something I had been debating saying for a while now.

"Peeta," I muttered, fumbling to find his hand. "There's something I need to tell you…." Peeta seemed to snap out of his giggly state to listen to me intensely. He shot Haymitch a glance, wondering if he knew anything about this. His eyebrows knitted together in concern. He took both of my hands with his own and waited for me to speak. He almost seemed to forget that he didn't like me that much lately.

"Peeta," I stuttered, preparing myself to say it. "I love you." His face was shocked when the words escaped my lips, but it didn't last long before he was kissing me. That I admit was the best part of the night. My only regret was that neither of us remembered it, until Haymitch told the story at our wedding.