She hadn't meant to put herself out there period. That's the last thing she wants. To put herself out there, to let anyone get to know her. She wants to be alone here. She wants to be dead. She wants to forget the pain of losing her sister. She wants to forget everyone she's killed and forget that Peeta had ever been tortured because of her and just forget. She doesn't want to talk, let alone sing or dance or kiss anyone. She has no reason to be happy. No reason to be cared for.

That's what she should say to him. If she says these things, he might not feel so guilty. He might realize that he did absolutely nothing wrong. This is all her fault. Her fault for letting herself get drugged. Her fault for insisting he dance. Her fault for kissing him. It's all her fault.

It's not that the Alpha Complex is no place to start that kind of relationship. It's not that she sees him as anyone bad. It's all about doing what's right for him. And anything involving Katniss, even friendship, isn't good for anything. She'll only hurt him worse.

He's saying the right things, acknowledging that they can leave things as they already exist between them. Not build anything more between them. They can remain co-workers and not form any kind of bond. That sounds safe. Smart. But there are things that he says and the way that he says them that leave her confused. Her eyes narrow. "Why do you want to know what I want?"

What does he want?