A/N: The update is here! The update is here! I'll try to make this chapter a bit longer than usual, since the last one was short. And all will be revealed this chapter. I know the last one was a cliffhanger, so I won't stop there.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games, sorry to say.

Chapter 5: The Lake

Gale POV

I pull away as I go to check on the goose. The inside feels warm, but not too hot that it will burn. I pull it off with my hands to separate the goose into two. As I sit back down on the log, I hand one piece to Katniss, which we both eagerly devour.

Now she's not talking again…what is possibly going through her mind now? I never realized she felt this way. But do I feel the same? I can't be entirely sure, but there's no denying what just happened only a few seconds ago. She fills the silence with action of love, but she isn't acting like herself. There's no telling what she'll do next which is rather terrifying knowing her.

"Katniss, what's going on here?" I question. This time though, she doesn't stop until I'm finished. "As soon as you see me, you run towards me as if it's been years since we've seen each other. I nearly fell over. Not that I wasn't happy to see you, but it caught me by surprise. When you let go I tried to help you pick up your clothes, and you pull away when I hand you a handful of shirts. You inch away from me then finish shoving everything into your bag. The only part of the day that was normal for either of us was hunting like we normally do. Then, once we set up camp, I try to talk to you and we kiss. What is going on? You've gone back and forth between pretending you don't know me and that I'm the most important person in all of Panem. What is going on here? I've known you for four years Katniss! I know you better than anyone. If there's something going on, just tell me. Just let me help." I practically plead by the end.

I see how uncomfortable she is once I finish. Clearly it's something neither of us what to talk about it, but we need to. She settles her eyes on a point in the distant woods, just barely visible in the glow of the fire. "I tried to figure out why you wanted me to run away with you. The night you asked, I debated whether you wanted to hunt every day or if it meant something else. I know we've known each other for four years. I never said I had forgotten. Just, this thought caught me by surprise. I never asked why you wanted me to come, I just said yes without any thoughts as to what would come next. I guess at some point in the night I thought this trip to the woods would mean something more. I still haven't figured out whether it's true or not. I over-reacted, and I'm sorry. I should've asked before I did any of this."

"Why did you kiss me if you weren't sure how I would react? I honestly don't know how I feel about everything, but you seem as though you've figured everything out yourself. I have no idea what you're going to do next and it's terrifying. You'd think I'd know better after I've been around you every day for four years. Now your unpredictable. As for why I brought you here, I just wanted to be happy for once. We're safe from the Capitol now, we went to the reaping so now they'll leave us alone for another year. There's no pressure to put food on the table, only to take care of ourselves. You seemed thrilled with the idea before, now you can't even make up your mind. I haven't made mine up either. I suppose we'll know when the time is right. Just for right now, can we keep things as they are? It's awkward for both of us if we act like we're in love even though we've never done anything even remotely romantic until today."

Katniss POV

I wait for the words to sink in. Maybe I've been wrong all along, like today's just been one mistake after the other. I shouldn't have assumed, there's never been anything romantic between us and I knew that all along. Why did I let it happen? Gale probably hates me for it. I feel tears brimming my eyes as these thoughts flow through my mind.

"I-I'm sorry Gale. I should have kept things as they were. We should put this day behind us. Tomorrow will be like every other day in the woods. We prefer it that ways anyways. I didn't know how you would react, so I just did it. I shouldn't have done it, I know. Everything is ruined because of today."

I feel the tears slip down my face as I speak. Blinking wasn't enough to stop them. Gale reaches his hand to my face to wipe the tears off. I over-reacted again. I've lost track of how many times I've assumed wrong. Yet, he always reacts in a way that makes everything I do feel…right. As if being vulnerable around him was normal, which it never is. I act stronger than I should, so I don't look weak or as young. This time, I can't help it. I feel like leaning my head on his shoulder, but that would give him the wrong idea again. Instead, I put my knees up to me chest and hug them tightly. So much for looking strong.

"You're right, maybe it's best that we put today behind us. You didn't ruin everything, today was just an…experiment." I cringe at the word experiment, knowing the meaning runs deeper. "Why don't we start off by finding a place to rest for the night; unless you'd rather stay at the campsite." I shake my head and gesture for Gale to follow.

I take him to the only place I know in the woods that I feel safe: the lake. It takes about an hour to reach the house by the lake. If there were another place in the woods that we would rest for the night, I would've picked the other option, because of the memories of my father that embody every aspect of the cottage. But, it appears I have no other options. As we enter the stone cottage, the sunset dips under the tallest trees of the woods. I light another fire in the stone fireplace, illuminating the living area.

The fireplace is directly across from the door into the cottage. Tiny ornaments decorate the mantle above. Right in front of the fireplace is a couch big enough for two. On the right wall, there's a bookshelf with my father's plant books. On the left side of the shelf is an entryway into a small kitchen. The only appliance is a stove. The rest of the room holds cabinets full of edible plants and berries; since the trip to the lake days about a day. Normally a few roots and berries are enough to satisfy our appetites. A small, circular table sits in the back of the room, with two chairs on either side. To the left side of the living area is the bedroom. There's one wooden nightstand on either side of the king sized bed. The only piece on top of either nightstand is a single candle with a box of matches. The floor throughout the cottage is made of cobblestone of varying sizes.

Once Gale finishes exploring the cottage, he sits down in front of the fire on the couch. Suddenly, I can't think of any other thoughts other than sleep, and sit down next to Gale. My actions don't feel forced, but I go unconscious as I slip into a dreamless sleep with my body curled up next to Gale's.

Gale POV

I feel Katniss curl up beside me on the right side of me. Despite everything that happened today, this feels normal. She's not forcing herself to do this, she's probably just tired. Even if she meant to do this, I let it slide because of the pressure she put on herself today. Her arm slumps to the ground, and I assume she's finally gone to sleep.

The fire starts to spark, so I reach over to place the grate over the fire. The heat from the flame becomes milder, almost to the point that no heat escapes the grate.

I feel my eyes begin to droop as the tongues of the flame die down. Tomorrow will be the same as any other hunting day. Hopefully, tomorrow will wash away the actions of today. Though, to be entirely honest, I may never forget the day of our first kiss. What did that mean anyways? Today's kiss was too forced, that it probably doesn't count anyways. We never declared our love for each other. She thought that's what I wanted. Which, I'm still not convinced that I do. We'll just have to wait until the time is right.

My eyes droop farther down, so I can barely see through the slits under my eyelids. The last thing I remember doing, is placing my arm around Katniss for protection, and the other one lying over the arm of the couch.

A/N: Believe it or not, this chapter is almost a page longer than the others. Sorry for making Gale's POV at the end so short, I just wanted to clear up any comments on how Gale felt sitting next to Katniss. Hope this cleared up why Katniss acted strange in the last chapter. More updates coming soon.