Hours of tossing and turning weren't bringing me any closer to going back to sleep this morning. So I quietly slipped out of my bed and got my hunting boots and my fathers jacket and slipped out of the house. Its not uncommon for me to be gone whenever my mother and prim wake up, so I know they wont worry about me. As I'm walking through the Seam I realize it must be a lot earlier than I thought, because I could only see a few sleepy miners heading out for work. I paused to make sure there was no electricity coursing through the fence, and then slid under it and ran to the cover of the forest. I grabbed my bow and arrows from its hiding place in a hollow tree and went to the place where I met Gale every morning. Once I was there I plopped down on a soft patch of grass and waited, letting myself become lost in the scenery of the woods. Gale should be here soon. Gale- my best friend, the person who I could tell anything to, and then he had to go and ruin it. With that kiss- The kiss.

We had just got done hunting for the day and were sitting by a patch of berries when Gale looked at me, he looked so nervous but why was beyond me. Maybe he was nervous that what we caught that day wasn't enough, or maybe someone in his house was sick but he didn't say anything about it if they were. Then while I was lost in my thoughts it happened, he leaned down and placed his hands on either side of my face, my breath caught as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine.

At first I was shocked, then I was upset with Gale for ruining our easy friendship, but then the thoughts of that kiss plagued me at night, the soft sweet warm lips were everything I could have dreamed my first kiss would be- I did dream about it, and slowly I would start to think that maybe Gale and I would be perfect for eachother, maybe being a wife and a mother wouldn't be so bad. But then I would have to remind myself that we lived in District 12 and my family came first. Maybe I should go ahead and catch a squirrel or two and leave before he caught up with me, if I avoided him it would make things easier. But he was my best friend and I couldn't let something like a little kiss ruin it, I should stay and talk to him, demand that he tell me why he kissed me.

I guess that I had gotten lost in my thoughts because after heaving a long sigh I heard someone behind me chuckle. I jumped up and whirled around to fine Gale standing about 100 yards away from me. "Rough morning Catnip?" he chuckled.

" I- um- no just waiting on you, I've been here for a while, can we get started already?" Ok so maybe I'm not ready to talk to gale about the kiss. He just smiled and nodded his head, and with that we set off hunting.

To say that there was tension between us is the understatement of the year. You could practically feel the tension in the air. But, nevertheless we still didn't do too bad with our hunting that day, I caught two squirrels and a rabbit, and Gale got three rabbits in his snares. Finally we found a patch that had some ripe strawberries on it, and we picked all the berries on the bush. We sat down on a rock and had some berries for lunch when Gale turned to me and said " Catnip, we have to talk. I wont tell you I'm sorry for kissing you because I'm not. If you don't feel the same way I understand but you had to know how I felt before someone else came along".

I thought for a while and said "How long?"

Gale looked confused "How long what?"

"How long have you known you felt this way about me Gale?" He explained how he started noticing little things about me after the last reaping, when I broke down and cried in front of him and told him my fears of being reaped and having to leave my family. I had never seen Gale look so unsure of himself, and something inside me broke, Gale was my best friend and he needed me right now. And in that moment the only thing I was sure of is that I was going to comfort him.

I can see the mental war that's raging inside his head, and I know he's wondering if he just messed everything up.

So I kissed him. I kissed him with everything I had. I put all my hopes, fears and dreams into that kiss. It started out slow and turned into more. It lights a fire in us that soon turns into an inferno. Neither of us are willing to break apart, our hands feel the all too familiar body of our partners. All my life I've lived trying to just simply survive, never did I truly think it was possible to be selfish. But in this moment with Gale while the heat was building between us, going to the core of my body- all I could think about is what my body was telling me to do. I wanted Gale. I needed Gale. And the second thoughts screaming in my head are completely lost in the sound of my heart hammering in my chest.

As our naked bodies lay together in a soft blanket of moss, our bodies and minds still coming down from our previous high, all I could think of was how right it felt being here with Gale. I had given my entire self to Gale and I knew it was the right choice.

But then I came crashing back down to reality. How could we have been so stupid? What was going to happen now? Would Gale want a relationship? I wasn't ready for what I had possibly just hurled myself into. So the only thing I could do was tell Gale it was time for us to head back, because everyone would start to worry about us. Plus tonight I did not want to get stuck out in the woods if we got back to the fence too late.

It was an awkward walk back to the district in silence. I gave Gale a chaste kiss on the lips once more after leaving the hob and hurried home. I had one thought in my mind. I was going to hunt with Gale, but as much as being best friends with him, well I was going to need a long time to figure out what I wanted from him. I just hope when the time comes were going to be able to figure it out.