At first, it was just a way to fill the void that Katniss left. And Gale knew that Madge knew that that was all it was. But that void didn't last very long and so he wasn't sure what his excuse was anymore.

It made Gale feel dirty because he knew that his mother had raised him better than this and he knew he was better than this. He avoided Madge as much as he could, he tried to keep himself from going back to her, but she was addicting and enticing. The way her skin felt against his, her golden curls, her crystal blue eyes… it all had him coming back far more often than he would have liked.

Madge was the golden girl of the district. Not only was she the mayor's daughter, she was easily the most talented, the brightest, the most beautiful girl the district had to offer. No one touched her. No one, except for Gale, apparently. And Gale was just Gale - a poor, dirty, miner's son, doomed to a life of toiling in the darkness six days a week. It really would be better for both of them to end this before - well, before someone found them out. Or before feelings got involved.

During the day, Gale could feel her eyes on him and he pointedly ignored her. He didn't want to tarnish her precious reputation; he couldn't be the ruin of Madge Undersee. No one would suspect a thing if they continued on exactly like they had before Katniss left. He felt even more guilty when Madge sat alone at lunch, her one friend fighting for her life. Her blue, blue eyes were teary and he hated the loneliness he could see him them, but what could he do about it? The beautiful, broken, lonely girl was not his and would not ever be his no matter how many times she fell asleep in his arms.

Eventually, she stopped looking for him in the lunchroom and that made Gale more upset than he understood. She stopped trying to speak to him in the hallway. Her bedroom window was still unlocked every night, so he knew that she wasn't necessarily upset with him.

Gale wanted to know what was going on in her mind. He wanted to hear her affirm that this wasn't just something to keep her entertained. He wanted her to tell him that he was important to her and that she at least cared about him, but he didn't want to give her power over him by asking these questions. And so he didn't. He tried to piece together the pieces of the puzzle of their complicated relationship by himself.

The conclusion he came to was that it didn't matter what Madge felt, Gale was in love with her and he would be with her for as long as she wanted him around. He would keep coming back until she locked her window and closed her blinds and wouldn't let him in. Maybe one day, he would even be able to sit with her at lunch. Maybe they would be able to brush hands and entwine fingers, but for now, he was content to simply be with her.

One night, as she fell asleep curled into his chest, he was stroking her smooth skin and her soft hair. He brushed his lips against her face and her arms and he murmured in the darkness what he wasn't allowed to say in the light. "I love you, Madge."