Hello again, guys. Hope you like this one, it's a bit scattered, but really I think I got them where I want them emotionally, I just need to ready them for the drama.

I'm chipper on Friday after a good day at work, despite the hot weather and humidity that plagued us all week. I accept Rue's invitation for dinner, grateful to hide in an air conditioned environment for a bit longer.

She waits for me while I change, not wanting to wear my long work pants outside. It's so humid, I had to take cold showers during the night and sleep naked with my window opened. She had the great idea to wear a dress, but I don't own any work sensible dress or skirt. In fact, I don't even own a dress. I put on jeans shorts and a black tank top, knowing it's not very fancy, but I know Rue won't mind.

We walk quickly to the restaurant, already sweating bullets after just a few blocks.

"Wow, the heat is brutal," I say.

"I guess it never gets that bad in your hometown?" She asks and I shake my head.

"It gets humid all right, but we have the woods or small lakes to hide in, here, everything is concrete and glass, it's like there's no oxygen left."

She nods in understanding.

"Yeah, it's the smog."

We sit down, order, and talk comfortably about all sorts of things. I'm sipping my frosty lemonade when she asks: "So, what will you do after this?"

I've been avoiding conversation of this type with people at work.

"Mmmm, honestly, I don't know. Try to find a job I guess."

She giggles: "Me too."

"Truth is, my hometown doesn't hold a lot of job opportunities, I'll probably have to work from home, whatever I do." I finally confide.

"I'm so envious of you," she says, and my eyes widen in surprise. Rue, jealous of me? Why on earth?

"Why?" I ask.

"Come on Katniss, you've got your life figured out, you have this amazing boyfriend who wants to marry you, whereas I never even had a serious relationship, you know what you're doing at work more than any of us. You just— you commend attention. You could get any job you wanted. I wish I was more like you."

I chuckle uncomfortably. "Trust me, Rue, I don't have anything figured out."

To say my discussion with Gale went well would be fooling myself. It didn't go badly, at least. He wasn't exactly receptive to my feelings, being so mad about having to wait for me in the hallway for hours into the night. And I don't exactly blame him. After hours of talking in circles, we decided to go to bed, leaving the reconciliation for tomorrow. I even tried to kiss him goodnight, but he rejected me and I just backed away.

The next morning, he said he couldn't afford to fight any longer, that he needed to get home early, and didn't want to sulk the whole way home. We kissed. I said we would talk on the phone, I promised him not to get drunk again. He apologized for wasting dinner — Peeta and he had cleaned it up— and that he would text right before leaving next time.

"Why do you say that?" Rue asks and I jump back to reality.

I end up telling her about my fights with Gale, about my stubbornness to do what I want instead of what's good for us. She doesn't press me for the details when I don't want to give them, but really listens, and it feels good.

"Katniss, you should tell him all that, how you feel. You don't owe him to live the exact life he wants, and if he loves you as much as I think he does, he'll be open to changing his life for you, you just need to ask him."

I think about what she just said, but I can't believe it. Not because Gale doesn't love me enough, but because of his father, his business. It's his whole world.

"He's taking over for his father, the ancestral family business, it would crush him to let that go, I could never ask that of him."

"Maybe it would crush him more to lose you?"

I frown. "He won't lose me, it's just a bunch of stupid fights. I just need a bit of time to get more reasonable."

She looks at me curiously, but stays silent. I wonder if I was a bit too defensive on that last sentence.

"I need to go soon, I have that blind date I told you about," she admits.

"What, it's tonight? And you let me go on and on about my stuff?" I chastise her, knowing she didn't need and my problems bringing her down before her date. I'm even surprised she wanted to go to dinner with me.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it on Monday," she assures me.

"You better! Didn't you want to eat with him?"

"Nah, dinner is too much of a commitment if it goes badly," she explains as she grabs her purse and pay for her dinner.

I understand. If she's not interested at all, a dinner can be long. "I hope it goes well," I say and she nods.

"Me too, have a good week end," she waves me goodbye.

"Bye."

I walk back home, the heat only slightly less insufferable now that the sun is hidden by the skyscrapers.

Peeta and Finn are sprawled on the couches, half naked, watching a movie. They both look so desperately uncomfortable. They don't always look like brothers, but right now they are so similar, I smile.

"Hey," I greet them.

"Hey," Finn answers.

Peeta stands up and puts his shirt on, coming towards me.

"I need to get out of here," he says pressingly.

Peeta is even more miserable in the heat because he can't cook. Obviously, if he even tried to turn on that oven of his, Finn or I would bring him to his senses. By punching him.

"We can't go to the bar, it's too stuffy in there," I tell him matter-of-factly.

"We can't go to the bar, but we can go to a bar, anywhere but here," he moans.

"Okay, I don't mind," I agree. "Finn you interested?" I ask his brother. He just groans loudly, and I take it as a no.

Peeta and I make our way downstairs and I get an idea. "So, where do you want to go? I was just thinking we could go see the new Marvel movie. I know I said I don't like superheroes, but I owe you a favor for last week."

"I thought you'd never ask," he jokes, smiling and I can see he's pleased.

I'm happy with myself. Instead of getting drunk and stupid, I'll be good this week end.

The entire week end dissolves into a succession of Marvel movies, laughs, popcorn, and cold showers, and before I know it, it's Monday again.

I go to Rue immediately, to ask how her date went. When she rolls her eyes at me, a glint of humor in her eyes, I have my answer. It didn't go well.

"And you, did Gale and you talk at all about what we discussed?" She asks.

"Well, not lengthily. It was so hot I couldn't concentrate and there was a popcorn war going on when he called.

She raises her eyebrows questioningly.

"My roommates and I were bored," I grin.

"I still think you guys should talk," she says seriously.

"Yeah, we'll talk," I answer dismissively.

I'm contemplating what Rue said at the bar later that night. It's empty. Mondays are not hot in Boston. She seemed so vehement about me asking Gale to change his plans for me. I never considered that before, not really. It scares me. Why does it scare me? Is it because I'm afraid he'll laugh at my face? I'm pretty sure he wouldn't do that, not if I was really serious. No, I'm pretty sure he'd consider it. That scares me even more, it would put the entire weight of his happiness, our happiness, on my shoulders. On my decision making.

Truth is, I don't think I'm 100% convinced we would be happier here, or another city, even if it meant I could get a better job.

On Thursday, I rise with a start from the couch when I hear the door open. It's Peeta!

"Hey Peeta," I greet him, pleased to see him so early. I almost didn't see him this week, he worked so much, but that usually means he'll be free — or at least free-er— this week end.

"Hey," he says softly, putting his grocery bags on the floor.

I grab one of them and start unpacking. He joins me a second later.

I have been thinking about what we could do this week end, and I finally found something that looked worthwhile on Netflix. I know Peeta will love it, and after the movie last week, I'm inclined to try it. I grab his arm and whisper in his ear in a conspiratorial manner

"I have an indecent proposal for you, Mellark."

He freezes and looks at me weirdly again. I guess he finds me immature sometimes. I don't care, not tonight.

"Wanna binge-watch Daredevil with me this week end?" I say, a happy grin on my face.

He seems uncomfortable all of the sudden, avoiding my gaze.

"Delly's coming back this week end, I'm going to get her at the airport tomorrow morning."

Delly. Of course. I tend to forget all about her, because Peeta almost never talks about her. He's handling the distance thing way better than Gale and me, that's for sure. How do I know if he never talks about it? When I catch him on the phone with her, he's always whispering, never yelling. I'm sure it's all lovey-dovey stuff, like the time I walked in on their conversation in the hallway. Yuck. I guess it's good for them. Gale and I have perfected the art of fighting on the phone over the last three weeks. Since his last visit, I can't remember a single conversation that ended in "I love you."

"Oh, right, I forgot it was this week, you must be thrilled," I say, trying to sound enthused, trying to hide the disappointment on my face.

"Yeah," he says, and I can tell he's excited.

I'm not excited. I've grown accustomed to Peeta, but now that Delly's coming back, he clearly won't have the time to babysit me.

Please review.

Elmo 13