Hello! Here is another update. It's short, but at least it's something. Enjoy!

Chapter 32

The weeks fly by and soon the dawn of the Victory Tour is upon us. I wake up in Gale's arms after his insistence of spending the night.

"Time to get up?" I ask, still groggy.

"Not quite. I just wanted to spend a little time with you before there are too many people in your house." he tells me. My lips pout when I realize he'll have to leave this room soon to make way for my prep team.

"It's only a few weeks." he says, lightly pinching my cheeks to get me to smile. My expression doesn't change. "Come on, Catnip." he says with a sigh.

"What if something happens? What if I mess up?" I ask him, slightly panicked.

"You will be fine. You learned from last year what you should and should not do."

"A man died because of me." I grimly reminisce.

"Stick to the words on the cards and you will be fine." he whispers giving my lips a light kiss. "Now as for you leaving…I'm really going to miss you."

"At least you'll have the mines to preoccupy you." I tell him. With winter in full swing, the demand for coal has increased along with the hours Gale has spent down there.

"I would much rather have you taking up my time." he says, pressing his lips on mine. I keep him close and deepen the kiss, soaking in the last few minutes we have left together. I can feel my body become warmer pressed next to his and his electric touch causes my body to quiver, wanting more. He shifts himself on top of me, his arousal pressing into me.

"Gale, we don't have time." I say in a breathy voice as he scatters kisses on my neck.

"I can be quick." he mutters before lightly biting me neck.

"No, it shouldn't be…" I murmur as I scoot out from under him. "Not our first time." I finish. I feel a little guilty that it hasn't happened yet. Most of the times, it's my fault. I push him away or make an excuse. Other times it's other people getting in the way.

"Katniss will we ever…" he trails off as he takes my hand.

"When I get back." I promise him.

"Is it something to do with me?" he asks me with a wounded expression.

"No."

"Katniss, I'm in love with you. More than I have ever been with anyone else." he tells me.

"I know." I mutter.

"And you love me?" he asks after a silence. He was probably waiting for me to say it first.

"Yes."

"Then what is it?" he asks. I'm quiet. I don't know what it is. I then hear a name muttered from his lips. "Merrick."

"What?" I ask confused.

"You'll see him in 2." Gale mutters. I haven't thought about that. I told him briefly about it last time.

"I don't know."

"Katniss you wouldn't…" He doesn't have to finish. I know exactly what he's thinking.

"No, I'm with you now." I say cupping his face with my hands. He lets out a sigh of relief. He brings his face closer and his trembling lips touch mine, leaving them much too soon.

"I know I'll never be him." he starts.

"No, Gale." I cut him off.

"It must have been hard having him leave with so many feelings still there. But I think with time, I could make you feel that way for me." he admits. It's the most honest Gale has ever been with me. He's never opened up this much to me.

"I think you could too." I whisper.

"You're still holding onto him Katniss. I can feel it." he whispers back.

"I'm not trying to."

"I can't compete with him and you know it." he gently tells me.

"What do I do?" I ask.

"Let him go."

"Ok." I whisper before kissing him yet again while I wrap myself around him. Moans escape from him and I as our pelvises rub against each other. I stop only because I can hear Effie's voice and the sound of heels climbing the stairs.

"Hide!" I warn Gale as I climb off of him.

"Hide?" he asks with a laugh.

"Effie!" I tell him.

"Only if you hide with me." he says as he billows the sheets and blankets over us. "They'll never find us here." he murmurs, stroking my cheek.

"Gale, stop!" I tell him, now exasperated. The last think I want is for Effie to see us like this. I remove the covers and take his hand leading him into the bathroom, closing the door behind us. Maybe if she knows I'm in the shower, she'll leave me alone.

I quickly strip and hop into the clear glass encasement before pressing a few buttons. I let out a large gasp as I see Gale has entered as well. It's the first time either of us has seen the other naked. I quickly try to cover myself with my arms, but I'm too late. He's already seen every inch of me. The lust in his eyes tells me he likes what he sees. I suppose now it's my turn. My eyes scan his body slowly from head to toe. He's beautiful with chiseled features due to his laborious job. I throw him a shy, playful smile to let him know I like what I see.

"I want to kiss you Katniss." he whispers. I stand up on my toes but before my lips can get to his, I feel his index finger rest on my lips. "Not there." he informs me. He walks me back to the wall, resting my back against the tile. I watch him as kneels down in front of me buries his face into my groin. His tongue slowly teases my outer folds before exploring my most sensitive areas. I let out whimpering moans as I try to remain somewhat present. The sensations become too much and my knees give out. His hands on my hips prevent me from falling.

"Too much?" he asks standing up, making sure I'm ok.

"I'm fine." I pant, not wanting him to worry. Just then the bathroom door swings open, followed by the door to the shower revealing Flavius.

"What do we have here?" he asks, unable to take his eyes off Gale. "Eye candy." Gale shoots me a confused look.

"He means you." I clarify, causing Gale to blush with embarrassment.

"I wouldn't take too long. Portia is waiting. Looks like we have a lot of work to do on this." Flavius says, circling his hand in front of me. "I just hope we have enough time." he adds before walking away.

"Capitolites." Gale mutters under his breath.

"Tell me about it." I say as I jab my finger against some buttons, setting the shower to the setting that can get me the cleanest in the least amount of time. Gale stays out of my way as the shower does it's magic. In about 3 minutes, I'm ready to go. I put on the silk robe Flavius left for me and tell Gale to push the green button before leaving him to get cleaned up.

An eager prep team is waiting for me with wide smiles plastered on their faces. The greet me, and kiss and hug me for what seems like forever.

"Katniss! Flavius told us all about your new boy." Octavia says, setting me into a chair and positioning my feet into a soaking tub. I'm not sure what he could have said about him except for personal appearance. Her smile is replaced with a frown when she takes hold of my hands to inspect them.

"What a waste of a body polish." she says noticing the small scars I've acquired from hunting.

"I like them." Gale comments as he walks further into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Adds character."

"I didn't…" Octavia starts.

"You didn't need to. You know you should be a little nicer to her. Without her, you'd be out of a job. "

"Gale!" I bark out at his rudeness.

"I thought we were being honest." he says walking towards my dresser where a drawer is reserved for him. He pulls out a set of fresh clothes and drops his towel to the ground. "I wonder what you'd make of my scars." he says with his back turned towards us. The room is silent as all three of them take notice of his back. He quickly dresses and mentions something about waiting for me downstairs before leaving the room.

"I still like him." Flavius comments. My prep team barely talks for the rest of the time, only giving me instructions. Gale might have been the first person to ever put them in their place. After the manicuring, waxing, hair, makeup and dressing, I am ready. I find Gale in the living room, waiting for me. When I catch his eye, he hurries towards me and takes me in his embrace. He knows that this has to be goodbye.

"Two weeks." I whisper, my face close to his.

"Two weeks." he repeats. "Be safe…and don't say anything that will get you into trouble."

"I'll stick to the cards." I promise. His lips hungrily kiss mine and I don't think either of us wants to end it first. It's the clearing of Haymitch's throat that prompts us to end it.

"Car is ready, sweetheart." he says approaching us. He places his hand on Gale's shoulder and says, "Don't worry, I'm make sure she comes back in one piece." Gale releases me and firmly shakes his hand. Haymitch guides me to the front of the house where Effie is waiting for us.

"Don't forget to smile!" she cheerfully says before opening the door. I'm so astounded by the number of people outside my house that I almost forget Effie's words of wisdom.

"Looks like quite a sendoff." Haymitch mutters to me.

We are briefly interviewed by Caesar via satellite before entering the car. I let out a sigh of relief. At the train station, more people and cameras are waiting. This time I only have to smile and wave, which quickly cease once I'm on the train. I head straight for my cabin and sit by the window, watching the landscape whirl past me as we start for District 11. I can only hope that things will go better than last time.

Next chapter will be about the Victory Tour. Any predictions about what will happen?

I know a lot of you are patiently waiting for Merrick to return. Don't worry, the wait is almost over! ;)