Her eyes. Hard and dark, they used to never soften. Unless they were in the woods. That's the only time she ever smiled, and it was always for him. Never for her mother, or the other people of the Seam, or the other girls at school. Her smile was like a secret kept from everyone one from him, and he relished that he was the only one she trusted enough. At least, he was, until that stupid baker came along.
Katniss Everdeen had been his best friend for years. Sure, he had plenty of pretty girls looking to fill in that position now that she was out of the way, but all he wanted, all he needed, was her. He had dropped subtle hints, remained with her, protected her, but she never seemed to get the fact that he cared about her. Even now, he was pretty sure she was oblivious.
If only he had volunteered to go with her into the games. In hindsight, it made perfect sense, but back then, all he could do was stare. The viewers would have loved it; two volunteers from an outer district in one day. But instead, he had let that stupid dough boy go with her, failing to protect her from the horrors of the arena.
But, of course, not all of it was terrible for her. The camera had been constantly trained on her and Peeta in the cave. She seemed to be perfectly happy where she was. When she had gotten home, she had claimed everything was for the cameras, but Gale didn't buy it for a second. He had seen that look in her eyes as they kissed. A look that used to be saved only for him. But now, it wasn't his any more.