THE MAN IN THE HANGING TREE | Gale Hawthorne

TWENTY ONE - Love is Forever

YOUR POINT OF VIEW

I burst through the door of the bakery, the tears now freely flowing. I totally deserve this pain, I totally deserve these tears. I didn't tell Gale how I really felt, I broke his heart. Gale got tired of waiting for a love that would never happen, and he found a new one.

I broke his heart, and now he broke mine.

I let in a shaky breath as hands grip both of my arms. "(Y/n)? Are you alright? What happened?" Noah asks, his voice laced with concern.

I look up into his ocean blue eyes, his features are blurred by my hot tears. "I've lost him! I've lost him!" I sob, Noah pulls me into his arms.

"Hey, hey." He says, rubbing my back soothingly. "It'll be alright, you're too good for him anyway."

"No!" I furiously wipe my tears away. "He was too good for me, he is too good for me! I'm a coward and a complete and utter idiot!"

"You're not a coward." Noah tells me, his arms still tightly wound around me. "And you're not an idiot either."

"Yes I am. I didn't tell him- I didn't tell him how I feel and now- now he's with Katniss!" I stutter out, sobs still wrack my body.

Noah wears an expression of confusion at this. "But Katniss and Peeta– what? They're engaged now."

"He kissed her, I knew he liked her before we got together, I should have never–" I take a deep breath to calm myself. "I should have never fallen in love with him."

Noah grows even more confused. "No, that's impossible. He was in love with you, I know it."

"Well it seems he's moved on. Besides I broke his heart, he deserves to be with someone who would never do that to him." I say, defeatedly.

"No (n/n), you don't get it." Noah sakes his head at me, pulling away so he can look me in the eye. "That boy, well that man, he loves you. If you broke his heart in the first place, that's how you know he really loves you."

"Noah, you aren't making any sense." I sniff.

"You don't really understand the concept of love, do you?" He shakes his head at me, then continues without hesitation. "Love is about getting through the tough times, and coming out together better for it. You break each others' hearts a couple of times, but you're able to mend them in the end because you love each other so much. And yes you cry, you cry a lot but you push through the shitty parts of love and relish in the happy parts and you love the person even more than you did the day you met them everyday."

He pauses, his eyes peer into mine. "You can't break someone's heart, and your own in the process, if you never loved each other in the beginning."

I soak in his words. Everyone of them is true. "Oh, Noah." I hug him tightly.

He hugs me back, gently, as if in my current state I may break like glass. "That's how I know I loved you, you broke my heart into a million pieces."

I still at his words. I had no idea...

His watery eyes meet my own, and I can't help the feelings that bubble back up on my chest, the feelings I felt when we were dating.

And in an act of unguarded emotions, as he leans in closer I don't pull away, in fact I lean in too. Our lips meet, after a very long time apart, and a firework of feelings erupt in my stomach.

The love I felt for this boy while we were dating comes back, though not as strong as other love I've felt. Along with love is guilt. Even though Gale and I aren't together, and he kissed Katniss, guilt is still the heaviest feeling in my gut.

I love Noah, but not like this. I recall the words my mother said to me last year, about the boy she used to be in love with, and now it all makes sense.

We will always love every person we fall in love with. We may go different ways in life, we may not talk to the other anymore, but love never stops. Love is infinite. Whether it's romantic love, or familial love, it's always there. Even when the person is gone, even if you grow apart, love is ever present. Or so my mother said.

I love Noah, as distantly as my mother loved that boy. I will never stop loving him, even though I know we're both going to end up going different ways in life. Even though I know we may lose touch eventually, I will always love him.

I feel bad about these new revelations, but by the expression on Noah's face as we pull away, he feels the same way.

"I love you." I tell him, wistfully.

"I love you too." He smiles gently. "I'll always love you."

"And I you." I smile as well, Noah pulls me into his arms again. Finally a blanket of understanding falls on both of us. "But not like this."

We will always love each other, but we will never be together, we don't belong together. Love is still forever.

Noah is the first to pull away from my hold, his blonde hair is tousled and his ocean eyes are as bright as always, but for once his attractive image doesn't make my stomach flutter.

"Not like you love Gale." He says gently. "Go to Gale, tell him how you feel, get your love back."

I grin at him. "Noah, you are the best."

"I know." He mirrors my grin. "Now go, before I kick you out of the bakery!" He says sternly, raising a finger.

I laugh at him, but I know he's being serious so I pull away and head for the door.

"I'm sorry, about everything." I say, turning to meet his eyes one last time.

"It's alright." He says, and I know he's being honest. We're good, we'll stay friends and I'm thrilled about it. "Besides." Noah continues, blushing a little. "I've been talking to Delly lately, I think I'm going to finally ask her out." He gives a little bashful smile.

"I'm so happy for you Noah." Him and Delly will be perfect together I think, hopefully they can make each other happy, like I hope Gale and I can.

"I'm happy for you too." He says. "But now you have to go and win back your true love. Go!" Noah shoos me one final time.

We share one more smile before I run out into the frosty air, ready to confess everything to Gale, everything.

I love him, I've always loved him, I was just to scared to tell him.

But my progress is halted by a noise that rips through the square.

A sharp cry of pain belonging to an all too familiar voice.

And once again, the icy trendrils of fear squeeze my heart.

Gale is in trouble.

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