Must we always meet like this? I OWN NOTHING
"Hi Gale, what's up?" I ask in complete surprise. I haven't heard from him in days and he randomly calls me during the middle of the night? It's really weird, but I'm not ungrateful. I'm really glad that he called.
"I'm here" are the only two words that he speaks and the ones that make my day. Even before I can hang up, I run straight out the door towards a sullen looking Gale. I give him a huge bear hug and he returns, but suddenly he lets go and I feel like I did something wrong. He clears his throat and I look down to find that I'm still only wearing my fluffy white towel and I awkwardly step back. As I look down, he hesitantly laughs at my own embarrassment.
"I missed you Katniss."
"I've missed you too Gale. Did you see your family yet?"
"No, it's too late at night" he says with a sigh.
"Come inside. We both need our sleep" I say as I think about where I want him to be sleeping. Next to me would work… No! He doesn't like you that way Katniss! Just back up, and be friends.
"Yea, that's a good idea."
"So…um… how's it been? I mean, work and everything?" I ask, honestly curious, while we walk back to my house.
"It's been… good" he says, obviously on the edge.
He's probably afraid that I might go psycho and start screaming at him about the bomb and the rebellion and blame him for everything else in my life. The last time I saw him, he gave me the arrow. After that though, I couldn't detach his picture from my sister's death so I left my memories of him burning in my fireplace. We said goodbye and I never saw him again.
It was a horrible mistake, but I was too proud to apologize so I guess I'm sorry. I just wish I could say it out loud. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from letting him go, but I can't so all I have left are the memories of December, before he left and before I died inside.
I thought that when he left, Peeta would free me from the fire and anger that was trapped in me from the Games and life before, but no. I thought Gale was trapping me, but in reality, he let me go. Peeta was always stopping me from doing what I wanted to do like taking my anger out on something or yelling out at someone because he wrapped his arms around me kept me from moving and being free while Gale let me rant and yell and he never minded when I had to just punch something to get my anger out and, in turn, I let him do the same. But then, I missed Gale and I felt trapped by my own feelings and emotions for him. I wish I had realized sooner, before I had to go to the Hunger Games, what Gale was to me and what I was to him. Again I wish that I could go back in time…
"Katniss, what are you doing?" Gale yells out to me. Before I realize what's going on though, I walk right into the side of the house, missing the door by 6 inches.
"I guess that's what I get for wishing." I mumble angrily to myself. I wish I could go back in time to stop me from doing that.
"Katniss, are you okay?" Gale asks with a not-so-worried expression on his face. He actually looks like he's trying not to laugh
"I'm fine." I grumble angrily, but forgetting I was wearing a loose towel, I stand up with my arms raised above my head. The towel drops and Gale immediately turns and walks-runs- into the house without another word. I grab the towel and race inside, trying to wrap it around my body. I see Gale's beet red face, obviously embarrassed but trying to act nonchalant, most likely mirroring my own. Even though I heard stories about what Gale did at the slag heap, he's never seen that much of me. No one ever has.
"Um…H-help yourself to any f-food…I'll be…r-r-right back." I stutter out and race up the stairs to quickly put on some clothes. I grab whatever was lying on my bed and change, having no idea what I was wearing until I'm at the top of the stairs. I got cold and I felt strangely underdressed. When I looked down, I was wearing my only pajamas that weren't in the wash, something that Haymitch got me to impress Peeta before he had to go the insanity ward. It was black and red, lacy lingerie, and was covered in sparkly orange and gold flames. I put it under my bed in a box, never expecting to even touch it again, but I guess I took it out when I was cleaning the house. Once again, I race to my room change, but this time, I actually paid attention to what I chose to wear. I grabbed a pair of forest green sweatpants and a black t-shirt. I raced downstairs, sliding on my white socks into the kitchen where Gale was eating an apple with a bemused expression on his face. Red still tinged his cheeks from my last, um, incident.
"Hey." I say sheepishly.
"Hey. What's up?"
"What do you mean?" I ask Gale, honestly confused. I told him everything on the phone when I last called.
"There really isn't anything much new." Now it's his turn to be confused. He raises an eyebrow questioning my truthfulness. "What? There is honestly nothing new in my life! I still live in the same house, same furniture, I look the same, the only thing different about me is that I stopped hunti-" I stop. Gale looks shocked, most likely because I told him I stopped hunting. I stopped hunting a couple of years ago because there was no need to. Nowadays, we get fresh meat for a low cost and I have enough money that I've been saving up from selling furniture, meat, and greens and the winning money from the Games that I would never have to work again.
"What? Why did you stop hunting?" Gale asks, with a befuddled look on his face. I then explain my reasoning and he thinks for a second.
"Do you hate hunting?" he asks, so low, I'm not sure if he even said anything.
"No" I say in the same low voice "I just don't find any reason to do it. I mean, you stopped hunting too, right?" I ask, hopeful that he agrees with me. With his new fancy job in District 2, he surely has enough money to get by with fresh meat, greens, water, and other necessities like clothing.
"No Katniss. I didn't stop hunting. I never have and I never will. Hunting is a part of me, a part of you and you can't just forget about it. It's the one thing that keeps me sane with my job and it saves me money. It reminds me of what is important and what I can't live without. It reminds me of my family and those I love, including you." And with that, he walks upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms and shuts the door behind him.
I stand there in the middle of the kitchen, shocked at what he just said. Eventually, I just collapse in my bed upstairs, unable to sleep from a new nightmare. The worst part was that it wasn't me in pain; Gale was. I could see myself leaving though Gale's eyes, I could feel his pain, and I could see what he thought. All these memories of me ignoring him while I was wrapped up in someone who wanted to hurt me too much to love me. Christmas' and birthdays passed without me acknowledging them in any way at all. I never even called.
Suddenly, the memory of us going up to the lake and me teaching Gale how to swim filled my mind. I remember every tiny detail; each movement I made to every one of his touches that set my skin on fire.
"Katniss, where are you taking me?" Gale asks me in an irritated tone. So far, we have only shot two squirrels after walking 2 hours in around 100 degree weather. I've been meaning to take him to the lake to teach him how to swim, but I've been apprehensive about it because it was me and my father's place. It's the one place that never been corrupted by my memories about Panem or District 12.
"Just be patie— never mind. But we'll be there soon, don't worry!" I say, plastering a smile on my face because I know he isn't tolerant of waiting. After about 20 more minutes of walking, we finally reach our destination- the lake. I turn around to see Gale's face, but he's already walking up to it in awe.
"I have never seen anything like this!" he calls out with a huge grin on his face. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy in BOTH of our lives.
"It's beautiful. I brought you here because I thought that you would like to know how to swim." I answer with a sly grin.
"Thanks, Catnip. This means a lot to me." And after a full minute of just staring at each other, he starts stripping down to his boxers. At first I am truly confused, but I remember that I was going to teach him how to swim. I start to undress, but leave a t-shirt on to cover up my chest. I jump in the water and pull him in with me. The water's all the way up to my neck but only halfway up to Gale's chest. I forget how he's so tall.
"Okay, so you move your arms in a half-moon motion, pulling the water behind you. Then your legs move like scissors; up and down, keeping them straight and your toes pointed." Gale's face screws up in concentration and begins to practice the moves in the water. He catches on surprisingly fast and even beats me in a race to the other side of the lake.
"Well, I guess that concludes the lesson?" I say with a curious voice because I really don't know what's next.
"Not yet, Catnip!" he calls out with a laugh and dives beneath the murky water. I look around; trying to find his ripples in the water, but suddenly, something grabs my legs and shoots me up into the air! I scream as I fall back to the water, but instead I land in Gale's hard, muscled arms.
"Gale! What the hell?" I scream, but he knows I'm not serious because I'm holding back laughter the whole time. He begins his melodious laugh and I follow his lead, but our laughter dies and a silence envelopes us a blanket. Not even the animals in the forest move, as if knowing how important this moment could be.
Slowly, Gale moves closer to me and I close my eyes, expecting to feel his warm lips on my cold ones, but instead, he just kisses my forehead like he always does. 'He's just a big brother. Nothing else' I tell myself, but I still feel a sharp pain in my chest.
"We better go, Catnip. It looks like rain." With those words, I pry my eyes away from his and look up to find that he's right. The sky is an angry purplish grey with bursts of lightning flashing on the horizon. We start to pack up and head back home.
I almost forgot the effect he had on me, but I refused to acknowledge my feelings. I can't believe I was so stupid back then- wait, yes I can. I was always clueless when it came to emotions and feelings. I guess that's why I always threw myself into keeping my family alive to keep me from thinking about those retched things. And then, after I finally realized my true feelings, I was too scared to admit it to the world. I didn't stop him that day and that is the worst mistake I ever made.
Okay so seriously people, I hate it when people do this, but I NEED reviews because I'm stuck. This is how far I got so far and my brain is broken...There's not really a central conflict so I am on my KNEES BEGGING for you guys (and girls) to review and help me out! Or pm me if your a member. Okay so if there aren't at least 5 reviews, I'm not updating :(
Until we meet again, PEACE OUT PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET! :)