Remembering Snow's words, Katniss puts on a happy face for the cameras. She and Peeta embrace and share a romantic but playful kiss — their first in many months.
When Gale is most in pain is when Katniss kisses him, and this is true again as we see her answer Gale's pain with a kiss. She wants to give Gale what he wants, but she can't yet completely commit to him, as she must think of her family and Peeta and being the Mockingjay for the revolution.
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
From the start of the Hunger Games story, it was clear that Gale had feelings for his best friend, Katniss. However, Katniss was never able to explore the romantic side of her life as she was too busy providing for her family and then winning the 74th Hunger Games with Peeta.
Katniss has always been confused by her feelings for Gale, though she used to insist she didn't think of him as more than a friend. She knows that her romance with Peeta must upset Gale, but she is still shocked when Gale kisses her in the woods after she returns home from the Games.
How many times did Katniss and Gale kiss in the books?
I remember three kisses between Gale and Katniss: one in the woods in Catching Fire, one when Gale was dying in Catching Fire and one in Mockingjay when they were at Katniss's old house.
In Catching Fire, people who have never met or barely know them think that Gale is her cousin. Gale admits to have fallen in love with Katniss in Catching Fire.
Before the Capitol battle, Gale had explained to Katniss his series of bombs designed to feed off human compassion: a small bomb would go off, and then when medical aid rushed in, a second bomb would go off, killing those people as well. Incidentally, it's this exact type of bomb that took Prim's life.
It's only implied that they get it on via snuggling and other affectionate acts in close quarters — but if you have read the book, they really imply that they took their relationship to the next level.
Katniss Fell in Love With Peeta During the Quarter Quell
However, it wasn't until Mockingjay -- when Peeta got kidnapped by the Capitol -- Katniss realized how much she cared about him and that she couldn't live without him.
Character List and Analysis Gale Hawthorne. Gale, Katniss' 18-year-old hunting partner, is well-liked by many girls in the District 12. When he first meets Katniss in the woods, he believes that her name is Catnip, and so this becomes his permanent nickname for her.
Katniss has a conflicted relationship with her mother. Following her father's death, her mother fell into deep depression and now rarely speaks. As a result, Katniss has a difficult time feeling love and affection for her mother, even as she recognizes that her mother is a kind and intelligent woman.
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
Peeta sleeps first. Katniss kisses him on the forehead, for herself, she admits, and not for the audience. She is glad to have him there with her, comforted by the thought that together they can fight Peeta.
Katniss thinks about how she and Peeta are supposed to be in love as she kisses him, and she also points out that she realizes Peeta's feelings have actually been to her benefit. Their relationship has attracted a great deal of attention, which in turn means more sponsors.
Gale does not marry anyone in The Hunger Games. He and Katniss talk about running away together and starting a new life in the wilderness, but they never officially marry.
Katniss is acquitted of murder by reason of insanity and sent home to District 12, while her mother leaves for District 4 and Gale for District 2. Other District 12 natives later return, including Peeta, who has recovered his memories and his love for Katniss.
Who does Gale end up with at the end of Mockingjay?
In the Mockingjay movie, Katniss confronts Gale about his role in Prim's death, which he struggles to come to terms with. Katniss, unable to look at him the same way, lets him walk away without a word and eventually ended up living with Peeta.
She later realizes, after a conversation with the imprisoned President Snow, that President Alma Coin sent Prim to her death (which was caused by a hovercraft by the rebels) both to sway the Capitol citizens to Coin's side by making them think Snow was bombing the children, and to swing Katniss to her side through the ...
Deceased. Primrose Everdeen - Blown up by President Coin's parachute bombs. Messalla - Melted in an unknown pod that trapped him before burning the flesh off him.
Gale is jealous of Peeta and the relationship he has with Katniss, and he wants Katniss to decide between them, though he doesn't press Katniss during her recovery in District 13. Gale is an excellent hunter and excels at setting snares and traps.
Although she will never know for sure, Katniss does recognize that she cannot be with Gale. She will never be able to forgive him for his idea — the parachute bombs — that killed Prim.
Katniss cannot tell Gale she loves him because it will make everything much more complicated in her life. She is struggling as it is with her feelings for Peeta and Gale, and with all her worries of just keeping her family alive, love for him is the last thing she can think about right now.
