Roses

Gale

You know how most days aren't good days? This is a good day. Seriously, this day has been amaze-balls dipped in awesomesauce! I got a wonderful pm earlier from the amazing elied, which was totally awesome! SO this chapter goes out to elied, because I wasn't planning on writing until I got that pm.

  Gale hesitated, looking down at his phone with a nervous glint in his eyes. It had been fifteen years, fifteen years since the war ended. Fifteen years since he had had any sort of relationship with Katniss Everdeen. The last thing he had heard of her was through Annie Cresta, when she asked him to watch her son while she went to their wedding. He had been hurt that he wasn't invited, but it was probably for the best. SHe still had ill feelings towards him, and if he was being completely honest, so did he.
  But now that he was getting married, he decided he wanted to talk to his old friend one more time. He had to at least have some closure, just so he could begin this new chapter of his life knowing he's at least attempted to apologize for whatever he'd done. So, with a hesitant breath, he picked up the phone.
~
Katniss sighed as she flopped down on the couch, Closing her eyes for the first time in what felt like days. Rueby and Nicky were sick and had kept her up all night, So, at nine o'clock, she had dropped them off at their favorite uncle Haymitch's house. Peeta was sick too, but he seemed to be managing on his own. And right now, she was ready to just sleep for a good twelve hours- or however long Haymitch kept the kids.
  She was just drifting off when she heard the phone ring. Groaning loudly, she picked up the landline off the table beside her. There was only one person it could be, so, with a sigh, she answered it. "Haymitch, it's just for a few hours. I promise I'll pick them up by dinner, okay? She asked. "Well hello to you too." Her heart skipped a beat. "Gale?" She hadn't heard that voice in so long. It had been fifteen years. Fifteen years since she'd seen or heard from him. So why was he calling her now? They hadn't even bothered to exchange letters He didn't even know she had kids- and she had absolutely no idea what she didn't know about him! So why now?
  "Look, I know it's been a while. More than a while, it's been years. I don't know where we stand, as friends or as enemies. I don't know if you still hate me, if you're angry at me or- I'm just sorry. I'm so sorry we ended up the way we did. I'm sorry for giving up on you and I'm sorry for coming up with that God damned strategy. If I could go back and fix any of these, I would. But I can't, and I'm so, so sorry Katniss."
  She was silent for a moment. He was being genuine, that much she knew. But forgiveness wasn't something she was good at. It was because of him that she lost her sister. Because of him she hurt at every memory that was once happy- But surely, surely she could mane an exception for Gale. For her best friend, who she used to be able to trust with anything. Surely she could, after all these years, forgive him.
  The anger, the hatred for him she once felt had long since boiled down. And now, all that was left was a grudge and resentment. She really did believe she could forgive him. So, with a small smile, she said, "Gale, I forgive you. Of course I forgive you."
  Friends are fickle things, and losing them can be painful, but if the friendship is truly real, nothing can ever be done that can't be healed with time and an earnest "I'm sorry." And so, all the time that had passed seemed to melt away, and the two caught up with each other- all ideas of sleep long forgotten.

Thank you all for reading this far! It means so much to me! So here's the deal, if I get five or more reviews by Wednesday I'll update again on Thursday and on Sunday. 'Kay? Kay.