For a moment, Derek stands very still. Her thumb moves over his stubble and his eyes search hers even though he can already see that she's mostly looking down at his mouth and can't see it. He should take that as a sign that she's going to kiss him and, quite honestly, if she was someone else, he probably would. If Katniss was a different person, Derek would've taken that hint and pushed on so that she didn't have to be the initiator. The problem with Katniss is that she's a bit of an enigma to him and he doesn't dare make the wrong assumption, lest he break the eggshells on which he's been walking. He doesn't want to lose her. If she just wants to be friends, he can handle that, but he doesn't want her gone entirely and so Derek is especially careful with that sort of thing. When he feels the urges, or gets the inclination that she might be okay with it, he still hesitates.

But then she's kissing him and he can feel the smile against his lips. That has to be a good sign; it kind of can't be anything but. Derek draws her closer and deepens the kiss a little. It isn't hungry as it had been on coffee day at work, because he's careful to regulate that while they're inevitably being watched — and probably not just by a jealous GREEN citizen whose dance was interrupted by a RED who Derek is now kissing.

When he parts from her a moment later, Derek tilts his head against her forehead to keep her close. "Just care about me, Katniss. It's not the end of the world — for either of us — if you do. We get to start over here. Let's start over on the assumption that the consequences of the mistakes we made back home stay there and don't carry over." He pulls back just enough to look at her. "Can we try that? Just...taking it slow and testing the water and not keeping one another at an arm's length?"