There's one thing I have to admit. Besides the couch, mornings since Madge moved in are pretty darn good. Not only do I get and extra half hour sleep because I no longer have to walk the kids to school but the girl knows her way around the kitchen and breakfast this last week has been amazing. It surprised me at first, I always thought she'd have maids to do all the cooking. On top of that, she introduced me to the wonder that is coffee. After just a week it rouses me from sleep and the buzz I get from it makes going to work a tiny bit easier.

That doesn't mean my heart doesn't sink to my stomach every time the lift doors close. The evenings aren't bad either. The meals are heartier and there's a fresh bowl of hot water waiting on the porch for me when I get home. With soap! Proper soap, not the grainy bitter smelling stuff we make ourselves but shop bought, fine soap.

The walk home is always bittersweet, on the one hand it's good to be done for the day, to be going home. On the other, the suns going down, the last rays of sun shrinking away. It's dark when I leave in the morning, it's even darker in the mines and it's dark when I get home. And everything aches, my back the worst, just when I thought I was getting used to it. My shoulders feel like rusty hinges and even the joints in my wrists grind painfully.

When I get home I'm ready for Posy to wrap herself around my waist, I'm ready for Rory and Vick to somehow drag me in to their wrestling match. I'm still exhausted but it's more manageable now. After dinner we watch the footage from the victory tour. The couch wasn't big enough for us before, now with Madge as well, even less so. My mother and I sit on the couch with Vick between us, Posy is falling asleep on ma's lap and Rory and Madge sit in front of us with their backs against the couch. I try to ignore that Madge's bare arm keeps brushing my thigh but it's annoyingly hard. It's her arm for goodness sake and really it's more my knee than my thigh. Not having my own room, not having privacy, is more inconvenient than I thought it would be. I'm still a hot blooded male teenager, there's certain things that have to be ... maintained. I am not thinking about this whilst watching television with my family.

"I think it's bed time" my mother sighs, lifting Posy and ruffling Vick's hair as he yawns

"Ten more minutes" Rory pleads "I'm older"

"Five. No longer" she kisses his head "Gale he's allowed five more minutes, no more. Night Sweet Pee" almost as soon as she's gone Rory's eyes droop and I shake my head at him

"You sure you want to stay up?"

"Yeah, yeah" he nods and pulls himself upright only to sink down again

"Come on" I nudge his shoulder "I'm not carrying you" reluctantly he lets me pull him to his feet and he's snoring before I've even left his room. In the living room Madge hasn't climbed on to the couch like I thought she would and I return to the spot I left.

I wake up and the TV shows nothing but the Capitol seal, I could swear I only closed my eyes for a second. I look down when I realize my left leg is much warmer than my right to find Madge has curled herself around it. Her head rests on my thigh and her arm is hooked around my calf. It's all that's holding her up as she's fallen asleep. I think about staying where I am, going back to sleep and just paying for it in the morning but that's not fair on Madge either.

"Madge" I barely whisper her name "Madge" it's no louder. Eventually I just scoop her up and carry her to my bedroom. Not something I ever thought I'd be doing. She stirs when I lay her on the bed and I'm struggling to keep my own eyes open

"Gale?"

"Go back to sleep"

"No Gale, why don't you take the bed tonight" her voice is heavy with sleep, her words are slurred and I'm so tired they're barely registering anyway

"Go to sleep"

"I know you're back is bad, just take the bed" in the end the thought of going back to the couch is what does it. I pull my shirt over my head and climb in before she's even gone.

I wake up blinking, unsure what woke me until the mattress dips again. While my eyes are closed I wonder if it's Posy or Vick who's had a bad dream and crept in to my room. Judging by the way she's curled into my side I'd guess Posy. As I'm drifting off again my mind registers one thing as odd. Her legs are tangled with mine, Posy's legs aren't that long, or smooth. In fact, it can't be Posy at all. Not if I can feel her head on my shoulder and her feet on my legs. Gingerly I open one eye and my fears are confirmed, it's definitely not Posy.

I panic and freeze, not good. What is she doing here? She said she'd take the sofa, I don't actually remember her getting out of the bed though. Hell's teeth, how did I get myself in to this! I pull my arm away an inch and she rolls away from me so her cheek rests on my palm, her legs no longer ensnared with mine. When I try to free my hand she rolls back and this time hitches her leg over my hip. Shit! Eventually I give up trying to get free and just try and get some sleep. I wake again when Madge's knee brushes my crotch and find myself in a delicate condition. I feel slightly less awful about it when she sighs and lays her hand on my chest but still wouldn't mind the bed swallowing me up right now.

"What the-!" It takes a split second for me to put everything together and I dart upright

"Madge, I can explain"

"You're in the bed" I nod "I'm in the bed" I nod

"It was an accident"

"I was supposed to take the sofa" she remembers, slapping her hand over her eyes "I'm sorry" I don't mean to make it so obvious, I shift to hide the tenting of the blanket and her gaze follows "oh, oh! Sorry I'll … give you a minute"

"Yeah" I force out, this is the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone

"I- yeah- good morning"

"Uh morning?"

"Sorry".