Melting of a frozen heart

Chapter 25

A couple of months have passed since that day in the woods. Every day I am grateful that _____ let me into her life. I feel as though we have grown closer, and closer each day we see each other. 

It hasn't been the easiest thing of course. But I'm just glad _____ is not alone anymore, and she has someone to lean on through her struggles. She tends to keep quiet about what specifically is on her mind, but over time I am starting to get a better clue. I don't always know how to help, but I think she just likes the company.

Just because it has been rough, that doesn't mean we haven't had a good time getting to know each other better. I told her parts of what is was like growing up in the capitol, and she told me about growing up in the districts. She shared with me how much of an imagination she had as a kid, and how she loved collecting pine cones.

Today is one of those rare days where we both don't have to work at the same time, so we are now just roaming the district. It makes me nostalgic of when she first gave me a proper tour of the place. I remember staring at her sparkling eyes, as she told me all about the history of district seven.

"Treech. Are you there?" she asks me.

I start blinking nervously due to her catching my eyes, and popping me out of my bubble. "Yeah I'm here"

"Alrighty then. I asked you if you wanted to have dinner with my family again soon, and you didn't answer." she states with an eyebrow quirked up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'd love too" I say quickly. 

She flashes me a slight smile, and says "Good".

I feel a tingling in my stomach, and I send her a shy smile back. "So how was work this morning?" I ask her.

"It was okay. It was work I guess. I did see a grown man cry because a bee flew near him. That was pretty funny. How about you?" she asks me. 

"That's funny. It was fine I guess. Just random capitol drama, nothing too interesting" I tell her. 

"Cool" she says. We start walking through the busier part of the district, so we are having to move out of the way for those who are still working today. But a lot of the people are just civilians living theirs lives as much as they can.

A lot of loggers are out this evening. I even saw Ivory, and Birch walking about. I saw that they were holding hands, but Ivory shoved Birch into the nearest bush when she saw I was looking. I had to hide a laugh with a cough when I saw the confused look on Birch's face.

"Hey do you mind if I take care of something?" _____ asks me out of the blue. "It will take five minutes at the most"

"Yeah. Go for it." I tell her. She smiles and walks off. I'm curious as to what she is doing, but I'll respect her privacy.

I find a near by tree (which obviously isn't hard to do), and lean up against it while I wait. I just watch as people pass by, all busy completing tasks in their very different lives. "Hi" a voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

I look to see a girl I have never seen before, smiling brightly at me. "Hi" I say slowly, and confused.

She laughs, which hurts my ears, and says "No need to sound so hesitant. I'm not gonna rob you"

"Cool. I was hoping that I wouldn't get robbed today" I say.

"Well my names Maggie. What's yours sugar?" she asks me with flirtatious tone.

"Treech" I say flatly. 

"What a mighty fine name you got there. Sounds like your parents loved the trees a little too much" she says with another obnoxious giggle.