Okay so this didn't go as smoothly as I thought but here it is anyways. We don't see inside of Katniss's head and this is a little OOC but I think that if she was faced with Gale dying and losing him forever she would admit to herself how much she loves him. Next chapter is the games. This story is unfolding fast and I already have the games outlined I just have to fill it in. And I thought of a way to see what Katniss is thinking without leaving Gales POV but it will be a while.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.
Interviews
Portia dresses me in a black suit with flame accents. I can only assume it matches Katniss's dress. I'm nervous, more nervous than I've ever been before. Not about how the interview will go, but about how Katniss will react. There is a possibility that she may never speak to me again.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself I head down to the waiting area. She's wearing a floor length red dress with her hair done up on top of her head and she looks stunning, but that's not what captures my attention. It's her gray eyes that nearly see through my soul that capture me.
"You look beautiful Katniss." I manage to tell her.
She blushes deeply, looking me over, "Not so bad yourself Hawthorne, heads will be turning for you tonight." I can tell she is trying to lighten the mood but I don't let her.
"You're going to outshine every person out there."
She blushes even deeper, if that's possible, "Gale…" she starts but I cut her off.
"Katniss, please know, this isn't how I wanted to do this, and please, please don't be mad at me."
I know she wants to ask more but I'm thankful she doesn't have the chance as we walk out on stage. Being District 12 we are the last to go again, but before I know it, Katniss is being called.
Katniss shakes his hand and Caesar start rights in, "When you came out in the tribute parade my heart nearly stopped. What did you think of the costume?"
"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" she asks him, and the audience laughs. "I thought it was brilliant, and I couldn't believe I was wearing it, I can't believe I'm wearing this either." Katniss gestures to the dress and I can tell its fake enthusiasm but the audience won't be able to tell. She twirls in a circle showing off her dress and flames flicker in the folds.
The girl on fire indeed, Caesar asks her to twirl again and she does several times before she starts to get dizzy and Caesar helps escort her to the chair on stage. He makes a big deal about her training score and the audience goes wild but she doesn't give anything away.
"Let's go back to your reaping then. They called your sister's name and you volunteered for her. What can you tell us about her?"
I know she doesn't want to tell them but she looks out to the audience and seems to find something and answers, "Her name is Prim, she's just 12 and I love her dearly." The audience is silent now taking in every word.
"What did she say, when she came to see you after the reaping?"
"She asked me to try and win for her."
"I bet she did, and what did you tell her?"
"I swore I would."
He nods, "Now volunteering for your sister wasn't the only thing exciting from your reaping, Gale was the one who took away your little sister and on the stage, it was obvious you and Gale know each other; is that right?"
"Yes, he's been my best friend since I was 11." The audience awes and Katniss blushes.
"So, is it safe to say you'll be in an alliance together?"
"We've always had each other's backs, that's not going to stop now." I can see the resolve and determination in her eyes from here.
"Your loyalty is astounding." Caesar says and the buzzer goes off, "Best of luck Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District 12!" The audience is still cheering for her after she sits back down next to me.
Caesar calls me down and I give Katniss another pleading look as I leave her. Once we are settled in the chairs he starts, "So Gale, we've just heard from Katniss that you're her best friend, and that you are in an alliance together?"
"Yes, we'll definitely be working together."
"Your best friend is here with you, tell me is there a special girl waiting for you back home?" Caesar asks me.
"No, not really." I shake my head.
"Handsome lad like you Gale, I don't believe it for a second." Caesar prompts and the audience seems to agree.
"Well I've been in love with a girl for years, but she doesn't know."
"Well here's what you do, you win then go home and tell her, she won't be able to turn you down then."
"Winning won't help in my case."
"Why ever not?"
"Because she came here with me." Shock and sounds of heart break chorus through the crowd.
When they quiet down Caesar asks, "This is the first she's hearing of it?"
"Yes, and she might not forgive me for it." I know the cameras are showing her face but I don't let myself look, too afraid of what I might see.
"Why didn't you tell her sooner?"
"I didn't want to risk losing her as a friend, you see I'd rather have her in my life in any way than not at all."
"So why tell her now?"
"Well a couple of reasons," I don't give them the most important ones but I let them in on one, "one of them was Prim made me promise to tell her before the Games began."
"Prim, Katniss's little sister?"
"Yes." The audience awes, and is teary.
"What did she tell you?"
"That we were both stubborn."
The audience chuckles lightly but is still teary and the buzzer rings. I get up and make my way back to my seat. I don't pay attention to Caesar talking to the audience but when we start walking off stage Katniss takes my hand and leads me to the elevators. She doesn't say anything until we are up on the roof.
She turns to me, "You could never lose me Gale." She hesitates, "Did you mean what you said? Or was it for the cameras?"
I shake my head, "I meant every word. I didn't want to say it for them, I wanted to say it in our woods, and I planned on it after the reaping, but I shouldn't have waited."
"Why now though, when one of us is going to die?" She's almost in tears.
"Well for one reason, they like stories, and it will help us get sponsors, and I'd be willing to do anything to keep you alive," a tear slides down her cheek and I catch it with my thumb, "And Prim really did make me promise her, and mostly because I couldn't die without you knowing how I truly felt about you."
"Gale…I…" her voice breaks but she's looking at me with love in her eyes and that's all I need to see.
I wipe her eyes with the pads of my thumbs and close the distance between us, kissing her. She kisses me back immediately, deepening the kiss. My hands make their way into her hair while hers grasp my chest and the back of my neck. It's fiery and electric and I never want to stop, but after several minutes we need to catch our breath so I pull back but only enough to rest my forehead on hers.
"We are stubborn." She smirks, still a little breathless, "How much time did we waste when we could have been doing that?"
I chuckle lightly, "Not another second," and I pull her into another kiss.
