Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
Gale paced the corridor outside her office, his eyes stayed on his feet as he walked. Madge got off in ten minutes and there was no way he was letting her leave without apologizing. Again.
Ever since they discovered they both worked in District 2 they had been at each other's throats. Or well, Madge had been at Gale's throat. He wasn't sure why she disliked him so much, why she refused to spend even a few minutes in his presence.
She pushed her way out of her office and breezed past him. She had seen him pacing from the window between the hall and where she worked and tried her best to avoid him. She already had a long day; it didn't need to get any longer.
"Madge!" Gale called, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. "I need to talk to you."
"Let go of me, Hawthorne," she snarled, ripping her wrist from his grip. "I've already had a bad day I don't need you to make it worse." She picked up her footsteps and rushed to the elevator, unaware if he was following or not. Of course, he was, and he managed to get in the metal box before she could press the door close button.
The second he was in and the door shut he pulled the emergency switch, locking them where they were. It was just to his benefit that no one else was there. "I'm sorry," he told her quickly. Her eyes widened as the alarm sounded. "Sorry for this, and for yesterday, but I needed you to hear me out."
"I don't want to hear you out," she snapped. "God, you can't give me one day of peace!"
"I'm sorry, Madge! I didn't mean to spill your coffee on you yesterday that was an accident…"
"For crying out loud, Gale," Madge collapsed against the back wall. "It's not about the coffee."
"Then why are you so irritated with me?" he asked confusedly, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sorry about the paperwork last week, and you missing your ride, and…"
"It's not about any of that!" Madge threw her hands up and tugged on her hair. "It's not about any of that." He closed the distance between them and rested his arm above her. "And don't stand like that."
"Then what's it about?"
"I said don't stand like that."
"What's it about?" he repeated slowly. Madge swallowed, glancing up into his deep gray eyes.
"You've always been awful to me," she finally forces out. "Back in the District, and you think all of a sudden you can come here and just act like we're friends?" She rolled her eyes to hide her oncoming tears as he leaned closer. "You act like nothing happened in the past, like everything was just forgotten. Don't you remember how you treated me?"
"And I'm sorry," he said gently. "Really, I am." She shook her head and dropped the gaze, focusing on the ringing of the elevator alarm instead of Gale's proximity to her. "You think if I didn't care I wouldn't be here?"
"You hated me."
"I never hated you," still, he leaned closer. "I tried to, and I couldn't." Again she shook her head. "Madge," he murmured. "Do you hate me?" Unable to respond she dropped her gaze. "Do you hate me?" he repeated, leaning down closer so she could feel his breath. "Because I don't hate you. I never did."
"Gale," she exhaled once before he pressed his lips against hers. Her hand reached up to cup his face but she dropped it at the last second.
"And you don't hate me," he whispered as he pulled away.
"Yes I do," her voice quivered and he smirked. "You never… you, you…" Again his lips were moving gently against hers. "You revolting…" Madge couldn't figure out if she wanted to push him away or pull him closer, his lips were against hers again, "…close minded…" he nipped against her as she tried to figure out an insult, "…bastard!"
"I like you too, Undersee," he teased, kissing her one last time before flicking the elevator out of the emergency brake and letting them carry on their way.