Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
"So," Madge starts off carefully. Gale's immediately alert, glancing at her with wide eyes as if he knows what she's going to say already. "Rory told me that you… that you like me."
Gale coughs, shaking his head instantly. "No."
Though she can feel herself deflating she tries not to let it show. "I'm not saying youdo," Madge tells him. "Just repeating what Rory said."
"Well I don't," the miner mutters. He drags his eyes away from the blonde and glances out in the field. "I let it slip to Prim that Rory likes her," Gale forces out. "I knew he'd do something stupid like this."
Madge fiddles with the hem of her shirt, trying not to let herself be too disappointed. Of course it was a stretch that Gale had actually liked her.
"Shame," she mumbles. "He said the sweetest things."
Really though, he had. Maybe Rory actually was trying to get back at his older brother, tell a lie, but everything the young boy said had sounded so sincere and genuine.
Gale lifts an eyebrow. "He did?"
"Mmm," Madge nods.
Gale's stomach turns. He really hadn't meant to tell Prim about Rory's crush. It slipped. Honest to God it was an accident. So the little runt thinks it's okay to go out and purposely tell the mayor's daughter how Gale actually feels for her? Last time he tells Rory anything.
"Like what?" Gale wonders.
If Rory really did spill Gale's heart all over the place he better have done it accurately.
"Well it doesn't matter if it's not true," Madge nearly snaps. He can hear something in her voice. Anger? Frustration? "Just lies to butter me up."
Gale wrinkles his nose to suppress his smile. He decides to take a chance. "Probably said something about how I think you're pretty," Gale says. "In all those sundresses. With your hair down."
Madge lifts her gaze and blinks a few times. "Probably."
"Or how I love it when you play the piano for me. No one else around." Again Madge blinks and Gale swallows back his smirk. Her eyes are glistening. "Like my own private concert."
"Perhaps," she shrugs, trying her best to make it nonchalant. Madge has always been a bad liar.
"Oh," Gale leans toward her a bit. "I bet he said something about how I don't sell you strawberries for the money, just because I know you like them so much. Or just so I have an excuse to see you on Sundays."
Madge's cheeks heat up and she drops her gaze. "No," she shakes her head. "Not that last one."
"That's because I didn't tell him that last one," Gale murmurs. Madge peeks through her bangs up at Gale, a questioning look in her deep blue eyes. He reaches over and grabs her hand. "Prim kissed Rory on the cheek last night," he tells her. "You know that?"
"I did not," Madge breathes.
"I guess he got mad that he couldn't tell Prim how he felt so he was going to ruin it for me, too." Gale shrugs a bit. "Brat."
Madge lets out a laugh so airy it sounds like a deep exhale. "But you said—"
"I said that Rory was going to ruin it for me. Which he did. So I re-ruined it and did it again." He slides his fingers down and links with Madge. "Probably not my best plan."
"Probably not," she agrees, a light smile on her face. "But I forgive you anyway."