Burning Embers

After school, I gathered my siblings and we went home. My mother was napping. Her health was growing worse and worse, all she could do was rest in bed all day, but our household had to function without her. Callie and Dahlia were doing homework, Griffin was doing some chores outside, and I was getting dinner ready; Clay wasn't home yet. Tonight I managed to scrape up some odds and ends to make soup. To be honest, it was more cabbage and carrots than meat, but it would have to do.

As I chopped carrots and tossed them into the boiling pot, I heard a knock on the door. I cleaned up my hands, dried them on a towel, and went to open the door. I was expecting Gale, but instead, I saw Blaze.

It wasn't the first occasion Blaze arrived at my house unannounced, much like Pronze. However, it wasn't as frequently and normally he was wearing a great big smirk. This time, he looked… apologetic. Sincere. Traits that were not common of Blaze Whitlock.

"Hi Blaze," I murmured, trying to conceal the surprise in my voice. After our run in at school, I thought he would have avoided me.

"Hey Leena," Blaze replied politely. "Um, I brought you and your family something… you know, in honor of Reed." He raised a bag I just realized he was holding. "It's just some beef… not a big deal."

But we both knew he was being modest. Any form of meat was something to be cherished in our district.

"Thank you, Blaze, thank you so much." I said with great gratitude.

Blaze began to hand over the bag, but red liquid began to ooze through and drip onto the floor. "Oh, sorry." He grumbled, quickly trying to catch the blood in the palm of his hand.

"Maybe put it in the sink," I suggested, leading him over.

Our hands were both underneath the burlap sack to try to stop the blood from dripping all over. We brought it to the sink and set it inside. My hands were cold and sticky, but Blaze's hands were warm. As we released the sack, I began to move, but he didn't release my hands. I looked up into his eyes, and for the first time, I noticed flecks of gold in his green eyes.

Something strange stirred in my chest, but before I could figure out what it was, Blaze parted his lips. He began to say, "Leena, there's something I want to say—"

"Leena?"

Gale walked in with flowers in one hand and a very similar, but smaller burlap sack in the other hand. His eyes narrowed and his facial features hardened at the sight of Blaze with his hands around mine.

I quickly pulled away from Blaze as if he was on fire.

"Blaze was kind enough to drop off some beef in honor of Reed," I explained, "I was just thanking him."

I glanced back at Blaze, but he was a different person than the one seconds before. The warmth in his eyes cooled and his smirk was painted back onto his face.

"Flowers… very nice." Blaze commented sarcastically.

Gale answered curtly, "Yeah. Can't compete with fresh meat though."

"I should really be starting the soup…" I mumbled awkwardly.

"What's in the bag?" Blaze asked, ignoring me.

"That's none of your concern," Gale bluntly replied. "Shouldn't you be going?"

"Leena and I were actually having a nice chat before you interrupted," Blaze defended.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

Gale and Blaze were nose-to-nose when Griffin barged into the room and groaned, "Leena, when's dinner ready?" He glanced at Gale and Blaze, took in the scene, and frowned. "Uh, let me know when it's done." He mumbled, quickly ducking out of the room.

"Thanks, Griffin…" I rolled my eyes.

The boys straightened up, but both kept their eyes on each other. The flowers in Gale's hand were crushed as he balled his hands up into fists. Blaze crossed his arms, forgetting he had blood on them and stained the sleeves of his shirt in the process. Meanwhile, all I could do is stand to the side and hope neither of them were foolish enough to take a swing at the other.

"I should get going, Leena." Blaze finally sighed, backing down.

Gale added, "Yeah you should."

Blaze ignored Gale and passed by him. He stood in front of me, disappointment lingering in his eyes. "See you around," He nodded before heading out the door.

I called after him, "Thank you!" However, I couldn't be sure if he heard me. After I closed the door, Gale chuckled to himself by the sink. "That really wasn't very nice. He was just being thoughtful."

"Thoughtful? Leena, he's trying to buy your love with a couple pounds of meat." Gale growled. "He doesn't really care about you… not like I do."

Gale was right. I already knew it.

"I'm making soup," I told him. "Stay? Please."

I watched as the anger in his eyes began to melt, and he slowly returned to his normal self. Gale took three long strides and closed the space between us. He wrapped me up into his arms and held me closely. "Of course," He murmured into my hair. Gale's fingers traced the length of my cheek until they reached under my chin, tipping it up so he could meet my lips.

"Leena!" Callie shouted. Gale and I broke apart before she came dashing into the room. "The parade's starting."