A week goes by and still no word from Velvet. I had passed her a couple times on my way to work, but she didn't see me. That, or she saw me, but ignored me on purpose. I'd say both are a good possibility right now. I've been going to work, never being late, working hard and coming home at night. One night this week, I went back over to my family's house for dinner. When I walked into the door, Posy literally blind-sided me and tackled me. She knocked me into the wall, causing me to hit my head on the way down. We both laughed about it though. Another night, I went to go see a movie with Travis. Ben had to work again. After a second week passed, I had almost accepted the fact that Velvet and I were not going to be speaking again. I didn't call her, though. I was determined to let her call me first. It was after all, he turn to talk and I was afraid that if I went first, she would think I was being pushy. I started to wonder why I had such bad luck with woman. I always seem to fall for them first, then they never feel the same. Everything points back to Katniss. Even when I don't even try, my mind still wanders back to memories of her.
It was Sunday afternoon. Another day off. Ah, I love these! Lounging on the couch, I was watching a documentary on tigers when I hear a soft knock on my door. Clicking off the TV, I walk over to the door and open it. "Hey, Gale." Velvet says sheepishly. "Hey." I say, surprised to see her. Relieved even. She did want to see me again. Yes! "Do you want to come in?" I ask her, arm stretched out, ushering her in. "Um. No. Actually, I was thinking. Could we take a walk? There are some things I would like to talk about." "Uh, yeah. Sure." I say as I grab my coat off of the coat rack behind the door. I shut my front door, careful to keep the cat inside, and lock it. Once I turn to face Velvet, I see that she has braided her hair into a bun that sits on the top of her head. Her makeup is soft, girlish almost. She's wearing the same red coat and black earmuffs that she did on our date and still looks beautiful in them. I realized how much I have missed seeing her in the past two weeks. Focus Gale. I smile down at Velvet and she looks up at me, and gives me an odd expression. It seems like she is embarrassed about something, but is afraid to tell me about it. I wonder what that's for. "There is a small park a couple blocks away from here, you want to walk there?" I ask, starting to walk towards the buildings front door. "Yeah, I would like that." As we walk out into the street, it starts to snow and the wind picks up, causing my hair to fall into my eyes. We walk in silence for the few blocks it takes to reach the park. The sun is setting behind us, bathing the snow sprinkled grass in an orange and pink glow. "This is hard for me, because I know I messed up." Velvet says after taking a deep breath. I glance at her and see that snow flakes have clung to her hair. They look like glitter. "I wasn't fair to you. I know that you were confused when you woke up in a strange home in nothing but your underwear, but that morning, I honestly didn't care." Velvet looks down and gently kicks at a rock and it bounces down the sidewalk. "This isn't excuse, but I have been going through some stuff with my family lately, and I just. Snapped." I have to flip the hair out of my eyes to see Velvet when she looks up at me, her dark blue eyes pleading. "I'm really sorry, Gale. I know that it has been two weeks and I haven't called you or anything." There doesn't seem to be anyone else in the park, so with the snow falling silently, it feels like we're the only people in the world. "I won't hold it against you if you never wanted to hear from me or even see me again." Velvet says quietly as she turns her eyes back down. I stop walking and gently grab her elbow. "Velvet, don't be putting this whole thing on yourself. I was the one that kept you up screaming, and then yelled at you afterwards. I didn't handle the situation well either. I didn't control my temper. I have always have had problems with it. I should have reacted differently. I'm sorry too." For the first time tonight, Velvet smiles a little. "Thanks." I realized I was still holding her elbow, so I quickly let go. Wow, that was much longer then it needed to be. Wait, she didn't act like she cared. Oh, that's good. "And of course I still want to see you. I'm not going to stay mad forever." I look down at Velvet and her smile gets bigger. The snow is falling heavier now, so we walk under an old, big tree for cover. There are absolutely no sounds, other than a few cars on the road and the occasional jogger. It's peaceful. With the sun completely set, Velvet looks up to the sky. "The night sky has always been one thing that I love. Stars twinkling in the night sky. It just makes me so happy." She turns to me. "And the fact that we've put this thing behind us, that makes me happy as well." I laugh a little. Strange. Standing here, under a tree in the moonlight, Velvet looks radiant. I have a sudden urge to grab her, and plant a big kiss on her lips. Don't do it Gale! It will ruin everything because she will probably think I'm coming on too strong. Patience. Velvets eyes turn back down to the ground and she crosses her arms. "Velvet." She looks at me. "You said your were having some problems with your family. Do you want to talk about them?" She gives a little smile and faces me. "Not right now. I still need to get through one more big decision with my family. After that, I would love to talk with you about it." Good. Things were going good. Should I ask her out on a date, now that we've patched things up? Am I moving too fast? "I still want to see you again, Gale." Velvet places her hand on my face. My eyes widen slightly. She's touching me. Why is my heart going this fast? Calm down! "Uh. Movie?" She looks puzzled. I couldn't even say a complete sentence. Dang, she was beautiful. "I mean, do you want to see a movie? Tomorrow night?" I smile nervously. Why does Velvet have this effect on me? It's like I can't breathe. "Sure!" She seems really happy. I'm glad. "Look, I have to go now. Thanks for understanding." Velvet says as she drops her hand and puts it in her jacket pocket. "Alright. Do you know the way home?" She laughs and starts to walk away. "Yes Gale, I think I know the way to me own home. Thanks though." I'm such an idiot! "Uh, right. Bye Velvet!" I call out. "Bye!" She waves and just like that, is walking home. I turn in the opposite direction to head back to my apartment. I have a date. A REAL date. To top it off, it's with one of the most beautiful women I know. I am so giddy that I have to stop myself from skipping.