Who: Peeta Mellark and Caroline Forbes What: First date When: The day after this Where: Caroline's place to Italian Restaurant Rating/Warnings: Low just some cuteness Status: Complete
Peeta was just a little nervous about his date with Caroline. He usually didn’t ask someone out this quickly, but they had a good rapport when they first met that he knew he wanted to take her out on a date and see how things would go. He had spent time trying to figure out what restaurant would be the best to take her to and he finally figured out that Mama D’s Italian Kitchen was casual and had a great menu to choose from. He got ready, dressing up a little bit with a nice polo shirt with some jeans, before he went to go pick her up.
He parked in front of her place and then got out of the car to go get her. He wasn’t the type to just send a text or honk once he arrived. He shifted his weight as he waited for her to answer the door. He had a small white box in his hands, which contained an apple rose pastry because he didn’t want to bring her flowers on their first date.
Caroline hadn’t really dated much since her last relationship back in New York. She tried the whole dating app thing but it never really worked out. Caroline didn’t have much time for dating anyway. But it was different with Peeta. He was sweet and easy to talk to. Caroline had enjoyed getting to know him in their interview and then again when she went back to Mellarky. She was looking forward to getting to know him better.
Like Peeta, she was also a little nervous. She went for one of her more casual dresses pretty sure Peeta wasn’t talking her anywhere overy fancy but she still wanted to look good. Her hair was in it’s usual golden waves. She was just putting on her shoes when she heard the bell. “Can you get that?” she asked her mother not wanting to keep Peeta waiting.
Liz Forbes answered the door, looking tired but that could just be from a long day, not obvious that she was sick. “Hello,” she greeted the man there to take her daughter out. “Caroline should be out in a minute.”
As if on cue Caroline made her way to the door smiling brightly when she saw Peeta. “Hey!” she greeted eyes falling to the box in his hand. “That for me?”
“Oh! Hello,” Peeta answered quickly after being taken by surprise by the appearance of Caroline’s mother. That hadn’t come up in their discussions, so he was hoping that she wasn’t going to suddenly start grilling him about his intentions. She looked like she could be quite fierce when she wanted.
But he didn’t have a chance to do much more than just think about it when Caroline appeared and he smiled. She looked beautiful and he held the box out to her with a nod, “It is, but maybe I should make sure you share with your mother now. There’s two items in the box anyway.” That would win him some extra brownie points, right?
Caroline hadn’t mentioned it because honestly she had no idea her mom would be answering the door. For one she had planned on actually being ready on time to open it herself. But also it was hard to know if her mom was even going to be awake or not. And she hadn’t really wanted to bring up living with her mom or why she was ahead of time. Even if he might find out eventually.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Caroline replied still smiling at him as she took the box and of course looked inside. It was some type of pastry in the shape of a rose, or two roses actually. What a clever way to bring her flowers. God, he was so sweet. “Thank you,” she beamed before handing the box to her mom. “Can you put them in the kitchen? And don’t eat them without me,” she teased and then turned her attention back to Peeta. “And don’t wait up,” she added as she made her way out the door. That wasn’t so much because she was expecting to be out all night with Peeta. It was more because she wanted her mom to get some rest.
“Have fun,” Liz replied shutting the door behind her daughter, glad that she was taking a night to herself when she was usually so busy with work or taking care of Liz.
“Sorry about that,” Caroline said once they were both outside.
“Too bad,” Peeta chuckled a little bit with a smile on his face. He wanted to do something nice for her and it worked out perfectly that he made two now that he discovered his mother was here as well. It was hopefully going to give him some brownie points for something like that. He couldn’t help but laugh when Caroline warned her mother to not eat the pastries without her. The don’t wait up comment gave him a bit of pause, but he had no expectations for the evening besides getting to know her better.
Peeta gave a wave before Liz shut the door and then smiled over at Caroline when she made that comment, “It’s totally fine. Your mom seems nice at least. She didn’t give me the third degree, which is great.” He led the way to his car and opened up his door for her before moving around to his own door.
“You’re lucky you didn’t try to date me in high school,” Caroline teased. Her mom had been a lot more strict back then. But now Caroline was grown, she was pretty sure her mom just wanted her to be happy. There was no need to grill a guy on a first date anymore. If things got serious she had a feeling Liz would definitely have some questions. But Caroline was getting way ahead of herself. Who knew, this date could turn out horribly. Though given their past interactions and how thoughtful and sweet he was being now, she doubted it.
Caroline slid into the car and waited for Peeta to get in. This wasn’t the first time he had held a door for her and she had to admit it was nice, most guys didn’t do that kind of thing anymore. “So,” she said once he was in the car. “Do you bring pastries for all your dates?”
That earned a hearty laugh from Peeta. He could definitely imagine her mother being a little more protective about Caroline dating. High school was definitely a more interesting time when it came to dating and Peeta had his fair share of scary parents and awkward meetings. He started up the car and gave a small shake of his head, “Nah, not many of them knew I was a baker when we had a date, so you get to reap the benefits.” He hadn’t dated anyone in a while and he usually didn’t date anyone that came into the shop, but Caroline was a different case. He made their way to their destination and hoped that she would approve of the place he picked.
“Well I’ll take it,” Caroline said beaming. Not that that was the reason she was out with him though. She had made that clear with her comment back at his bakery the other day, she was way more interested in him than his cooking.
Caroline recognized the place he had picked but she hadn’t been there in years. “Oh good choice,” Caroline commented as he drove up. She was ready for some good food and even better company.
“Oh good! I’m glad you’ve been here before. It’s one of my favorite places if I’m craving Italian food, so was hoping you’d enjoy it,” Peeta admitted with a smile as he drove into the parking lot and went to find a spot. It was a little busy, but he had put in a reservation so hopefully they didn’t have to wait super long for their table.
Once parked he got out to go around and open up her door again. They walked together into the restaurant and he went to the hostess stand to activate their reservation. They had a couple minutes to wait until their table was ready, “Okay, so my dirty secret is that I really love garlic bread, so don’t be surprised when I order more than one order, okay?”
“That’s your dirty secret?” Caroline teased. “If you think that’s a dirty secret I better not tell you any of mine.” Though she didn’t really have anything scandalous. “But I promise not to judge. As long as you share.” Because really who didn’t love garlic bread? It was like the best part of Italian food. Well the pasta was pretty great too. And pizza. Basically all Italian food was the best.
“The one I’m going to admit to you on the first date, yes,” Peeta teased back with a wink. He didn’t really have any scandalous secrets except for revealing himself to be an amputee which would come later, “And good, you can have one order and I’ll have the other.” That seemed like a pretty good compromise. The hostess called his name and Peeta reached out to place his hand on Caroline’s back as he urged her to go ahead first. They were escorted to their table and Peeta pulled out her chair for her before going to sit on his own.
“Now I’m intrigued,” Caroline teased. She almost mentioned something about a second date but it was too early in the evening for that. Besides the hostess was leading them to her table. She had to admit she liked the way Peeta’s hand felt on her back as they walked to they were led to their table. And then he was pulling out a chair for her, which didn’t surprise her with how he was with doors, and he had pulled out a chair at his bakery as well. It was sweet.
“Thanks,” Caroline said as she sat down. She waited for Peeta to sit and the hostess to let them be before speaking again. “So you won’t tell me your other dirty little secrets,” Caroline began a smile on her face. “But tell me something you don’t usually tell people.”
“Hm, what to say. I’m pretty much an open book,” Peeta honestly lived his life without keeping many secrets. But Caroline didn’t really know him though so he could pretty much tell her anything and act like it was something he didn’t usually tell people. But there was one thing that she probably needed to know about anyway, “Well, I was in the Army when I got out of high school and lost my leg when we ran over a mine.” Might as well put that out there so at least she knew about it. It was more than awkward when you got further into something with someone and they didn’t know.
Caroline was also an open book. She didn’t see the point in hiding things or keeping them secret. But that also didn’t mean she just went around telling everyone everything about herself. There was a lot Peeta didn’t know but that was the whole point of dating right? Getting to know one another.
What Peeta said though she wasn’t expecting. If it wasn’t for the table between them she would have probably looked down at his leg. Her face softened. She had a feeling he didn’t want a big deal made out of it. “Well that wasn’t what I was expecting,” she said with a small smile. “So what was it like? Being in the army?”
“Yeah, no one really expects that,” Peeta answered with a slight smile and a shrug of his shoulders, “It was good. I had a really great squad that I basically consider family. Everything was good until that day. I definitely don’t regret any of it especially since that pushed me to get into opening up my own bakery.” Peeta learned a lot while in the Army and he used those skills quite a bit in his life now. He was proud to have served.
“What about you, what’s something you don’t tell many people?” He definitely wanted to get the focus off of him for a moment and learn more about her. Of course that was the moment the waiter came over to introduce himself and take their drink order. When he left Peeta looked back over to her with a laugh, “Okay, now you can proceed.”
Caroline had more questions. Mostly about how the Army had pushed him into opening up his own bakery. But before she could he was asking her the same question she had asked him. And then the waiter was over asking for their drinks. The subject was dropped for the moment, but she was definitely planning to circle back to it. She wanted to get to know him better too.
When the waiter left she let out a small laugh herself. “Sometimes I think they have the worst timing,” she joked. Of course she knew they were just doing their jobs but there had definitely been times when a waiter asked her how she was doing or how the food was when she was mid bite with a full mouth. “Hmmm,” Caroline said trying to think of something. “I probably should have had my own answer ready when I asked you,” she laughed again. “I considered majoring in theater in college.”
“They really do, but I also think maybe they have a sixth sense for when the best time to butt into a conversation is. It’s like Spider-Man feeling his spidey sense. Oh no, that couple at table 12 is having an in depth conversation, time to go ask about drinks,” Peeta teased with a good natured smile on his face because he honestly didn’t mind, they were just doing their job.
He didn’t mind waiting for her to figure out her answer as he took a sip of his water. Her reply made him cock an eyebrow, “You know what, I could believe it. What made you change your mind? You would have been really good on a stage.” He would definitely have showed up to all her plays if they had been in college together.
“You may be on to something,” Caroline replied smiling brightly. She didn’t mind either really. Yes it was inconvenient sometimes but it was probably better for them to interrupt or say something too early than to leave a table waiting too long.
“What makes you think that?” Caroline asked with a raised brow. “But I don’t know,” she went on answering his question now. “I’ve always liked singing and stuff but I never really had much time for it in high school, it seemed silly to make that my major. Besides I’ve always been much more passionate about planning things.”
“You have this light about you that would work well on the stage,” Peeta was telling the truth because he could see that about her, “And now I’m going to have to try to hear you sing sometime. And I don’t think it would be silly to make it your major - if you were enjoying it then you would have been happy. And passionate about planning things? Is that really a thing?” He couldn’t help but tease her a little bit on that one.
The waiter came back and dropped off their drinks and took their order. Peeta made sure to order two orders of garlic bread because why not? If he got too full he would just eat his meal tomorrow, no big deal. Once the waiter left again he took a sip of his water. He knew that she probably wanted to ask him some more things and he was giving her that opportunity.
“Hey!” Caroline protested. “Don’t diss my passion.” She was laughing though. Not at all upset about Peeta’s comment. She knew it was a weird thing to be passionate about. But ever since middle school she had been on every dance committee, planned multiple fundraisers, hell she had even helped plan events around town. Who wouldn’t want to make a living doing what they already loved? And yes she had purposely ignored the singing comment.
Caroline ordered pasta primavera for herself, smiling at Peeta’s two orders of garlic bread. He hadn’t been lying. Once the waiter left she wasted no time getting back to one of his earlier comments. “So how did being in the army push you to open a bakery?”
Peeta playfully rolled his eyes at her and gave her a smile for good measure. It was easy to tease her because she reacted beautifully to the bait. He would never diss someone’s passion because they were the only ones who truly knew how happy it made them.Peeta definitely didn’t enjoy planning events as much as Caroline did, so he was thankful she was around to take that load.
Peeta ordered shrimp linguine and then chuckled when Caroline followed back around to his comment earlier, “Well, I kind of just went into the Army because my dad wanted me to be more gourmet food and we had a huge fight about it. I always thought the military wasn’t a horrible idea and just kind of ran off into it to get away from him. But once I was discharged and going through PT I knew that baking was still something I liked and it cleared my head, so I said fuck it and decided to open up my own bakery.”
Caroline frowned slightly. That didn’t seem like the best reason to join the army but at least it had all worked out. Well minus losing a leg, but he found where he was supposed to be now. She knew not everyone knew from a young age like she did. “I’m glad you found your way back to it. And not just because it’s how we met.” The smile was back on her face. “Are things better with your dad now?”
“Aw, you getting sappy on me already, Caroline?” Peeta teased with a small smile. It wasn’t a good idea, but it had been his idea at the time and he was definitely young and dumb at 18. He didn’t regret his time in the military though and it honestly it had made him a better person doing all that, “And things are slightly better. I think winning a contest made him realize that maybe my baking wasn’t a total waste of time. I just try not to bring that up with him anymore. So, tell me about your parents.”
“Well,” Caroline started. “It’s true!” she was laughing though enjoying herself and getting to know Peeta better. It was nice how the conversation flowed so well and they were able to cover both serious topics and still have fun with each other.
“Definitely not a waste of time,” Caroline replied. “I mean has your dad like even tried any of your food? Because that alone should change his mind.” But then it was time to talk about her parents which was only slightly depressing. “My mom’s a cop,” she began very sure not to say was a cop. She’d be back to work eventually. Caroline just knew it. “She um, she has cancer. That’s why I moved back,” she didn’t want to dwell on that topic right now. But if Peeta could be so open about his life even the not so great parts she could too. Besides if he stuck around long enough he would find out eventually.
“And my dad’s gay,” she went on. “Left my mom for another man when I was twelve. We aren’t that close anymore.” In fact they barely talked but she was okay with it. All she really needed was her mom anyway.
Peeta was surprised that Caroline let all that spill. It was actually kind of impressive that they weren’t just having a very shallow conversation, but truly able to share all parts of themselves. She had a lot going on and Peeta was in awe that she managed to keep her shit together. He had definitely not kept his shit together after returning home for a while and had to force himself back into normalcy. He reached over and took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
“His loss. And that’s very courageous of you to come back to help out with your mom. I can tell that you guys love each other a lot from just that small interaction, but at least you don’t seem to be doing this out of obligation. I really hope that she kicks cancer’s ass,” Peeta wasn’t going to give her dad any more of his attention, but he did hope that her mom would be okay. He might have to start sending over some care packages if he and Caroline kept seeing each other.”
Peeta’s hand on hers was nice. Yes she felt some sparks, but mostly it was just comforting after everything she had just shared. But then he had shared a lot too. She wasn’t the only one who had a lot going on. He had been through a lot and he was still this incredibly sweet and charming guy.
“Thanks,” Caroline replied at his comment about her being courageous. “But I really couldn’t imagine living across the country while she’s going through this.” It wasn’t even an option. “Besides, this is home.” She probably should have moved back when she finished college, but with having a boyfriend there and her internship that led to a job, it just made sense to stay in New York. It gave her all the experience she needed to start out on her own in Orange County. “Me too,” she added in reference to her mom kicking cancer’s ass. She was grateful he didn’t say much about her dad. That was still a bit of a sore subject with her even after all these years.
The waiter came bringing over their garlic bread, Caroline wasted no time grabbing a piece and taking a bite. Yum. “Okay,” she said with a smile. “This was definitely a good idea you had.”
“You’re definitely a good person, Caroline Forbes, and you’re going to get a gold star for daughter of the year,” Peeta gave her a half grin, “So you grew up around this area then?” He wasn’t surprised they hadn’t run into each other yet because the area was so large and honestly until you got a car and some independence it was hard to go explore anywhere else.
He took back his hand when the garlic bread arrived and laughed when she grabbed the first piece. “See, I’m full of good ideas,” he teased her as he grabbed a couple slices for himself and put them on his own plate before taking a bite, “Mmmm, this is definitely great garlic bread.”
Caroline felt her cheeks redden at the compliment. She didn’t want to draw anymore attention to it though, so instead she just focussed on his question. “Yeah, where you picked me up actually,” she confirmed. It was a little strange being back at her childhood home, but she wanted to stay close to her mom. She already knew Peeta grew up in Pasadena from when they first met so she didn’t ask the same question back to him.
“Oh?” Caroline replied with a brow raise. “And whose idea was it to get Italian?” she countered before taking another bite of the bread, because yum.
“I mean I could maybe find another place that also sells garlic bread that isn’t Italian?” Peeta laughed and smiled at her, “Okay, fine, I’ll let you have the win for Italian food, but I get the win for double garlic bread.” It was easy to talk with Caroline and he was enjoying this meal so far. The conversation continued as they ate their bread and soon enough the waiter brought their meals and the lull in the conversation felt okay because the food was too good to not enjoy.
The more Caroline got to know about Peeta, the more she liked him. She was trying not to get too invested though, this was still a first date after all. But she couldn’t help herself. The pasta was delicious just like the garlic bread. Caroline ate most of it but then she was stuffed. “I don’t even have room for dessert,” she commented with a bright smile. “And I still have that pastry waiting for me at home too.”
“Agreed. I always think about how I should just do dessert first because the entrees are always so massive,” that was the only thing that ever bothered Peeta because he was definitely the kind of guy that liked to try out desserts at restaurants, “And I definitely want you to try that pastry and let me know what you think about it. I’ll grab the check and we can head out of here.” He let the waiter know they were ready when he came by to grab their plates.
“The two orders of garlic bread probably didn’t help either,” she teased. Maybe they would have more room for dessert if they hadn’t filled up on all that bread, but whatever it was worth it. Besides she still had a sort of dessert waiting for her. Though she felt a little bad that Peeta didn’t,
“Oh I will,” she assured. “Especially if it’s horrible,” she added with a laugh before Peeta was telling the waiter they were ready for the check. She was a little disappointed that the evening was coming to an end and she had really been enjoying herself. But hopefully there would be another date.
“We didn’t have to eat all the bread. I love leftover garlic bread,” Peeta admitted with a grin, but it had been so good and he couldn’t stop eating it. And Caroline didn’t have to worry about Peeta - he worked at a bakery and was always bringing home random desserts especially if it was their last day of being good.
“So rude to me,” he smiled as the waiter came back and then he quickly slipped his card into the envelope without looking at it and handed it over for him to run. He wasn’t going to let her pay for their first date, “So, when are you free next? I feel like you’re so busy that I need to plan in advance with you or some event will sweep you away.”
“Sorry!” Caroline said with a sheepish smile. “I couldn’t help myself.” She had considered offering to help pay, but Peeta didn’t give her a chance. And honestly she was kind of happy with that, she was traditional in that way. Especially for first dates.
She grinned at his question, relieved he was feeling the exact same way and that she would be seeing him again soon. “During the week is better. I know it’s not like a traditional date night, but events usually happen on weekends.”
“I think we can make it work. Traditional is a boring word anyway and we can do whatever we want, it’s 2020, right?” Peeta chuckled as the waiter returned with the bill. He did the quick math in his head for a tip and then tucked the card back in his wallet, “Alright, let’s get you home before your mom thinks badly of me.” He was definitely wanting to get on her mother’s good side from the start. He got out of his chair, waiting for her to join him, before they made their way out of the restaurant together and back to his car.
“She won’t,” Caroline assured. It wasn’t like she was a kid anymore. Even if she hadn’t lived there since she was eighteen, her mom knew to treat her like an adult. She walked with him out to his car being sure to grab a mint on her way out. “Thanks,” she said smiling over at him. “This has been fun.”
“Good, I’m glad I asked you,” Peeta admitted with a smile as he moved to grab the door for her once they got to his car. He made sure she was inside before closing it and then going over to his side. He started the car up and drove out of the parking lot, “So, what kind of events do you have going on soon? I’m curious what else you work on aside from a wine and cheese party.”
She was glad he had too. She got into the car, smiling that he had opened the door for her once again. It was nice. “Just a lot of that,” she joked as he drove. “I have a gala for a women’s shelter this weekend,” Caroline went on, it was to raise money for it obviously. “Um, a college graduation party, and a masquerade.” Which was one of the connections she had made at David Xanatos’s party where the hostess just wanted to show off how much money she had. But whatever, it helped her do more pro bono work with charities.
“Man, look at you go. Those sound really fun and definitely more varied than I would have thought. The person having someone plan a college graduation party must be rich. Pretty sure we just threw ours together with food from my dad’s restaurant,” Peeta didn’t mind that at all, but he couldn’t imagine a party planner putting together the whole thing, “and not gonna lie, a masquerade sounds awesome. You should show me pictures when it’s done.” He made it to her house and parked the car in the driveway, “Do you want me to walk you to the door?”
“That’d be a good guess,” Caroline replied. Because he was correct. But it was easy enough for her to put together which helped when she had so many other events going on. “I didn’t even have one,” for college she had definitely had one for high school. “My mom just flew out and we went out to a nice dinner.”
She made a mental note to send some pictures of the masquerade to Peeta as they pulled up to her house. “That’s okay,” Caroline replied with a warm smile. “I think I can handle walking myself,” she teased. Though it was sweet of him to offer.
Peeta didn’t have a college graduation, which was fine with him because he didn’t need a degree to make food, honestly. The high school graduation had been more than enough and they had a small family celebration when he finished basic. “Alright, as long as you can handle it,” Peeta wouldn’t drive away until she was safely inside, but he didn’t need to tell her that, “I had a really nice time, Caroline, hopefully you’ll let me take you out again soon.”
“Can’t wait to do this again,” she said, her voice soft as she leaned a little closer to him. “Thank you,” she added, brushing her lips against his cheek. She didn’t get out of the car though, instead just stayed there, her face still close to his, eyes locked on him.
Usually Peeta would ask permission, but the signals were very blatant and if she didn’t like it she was more than welcome to slap him afterwards. He closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against Caroline’s. The kiss lingered for a moment before he pulled away and smiled, “Have a good night, Caroline. God, I hope you like that pastry.”
Caroline wasted no time responding to the kiss, feeling the butterflies in her stomach as she did. When it ended she slowly pulled away tucking her hair behind her ear. “I promise to let you know either way,” she said reluctantly getting out of the car. “Goodnight, Peeta.” With that she shut the door and made her way to her house.