War of Change | Book 3

23: Damaged

The Fire Nation prince leaned there against the doorframe, forcing an odd half-smile that didn't meet his ocher orbs.

All of the warmth I had felt had come rushing back, blooming in my chest and reaching into my arms and farther down into my torso. My heart did not slow; the clamor of war drums had been replaced by the flutter of dove wings.

"Zuko." It took me a moment to realize it was me who had spoken his name.

The corners of his mouth twitched up a little more.

Before his thoughts could takeover, a heavy sigh fell out of his mouth, and he shook his head, eyes falling off my face. "Suki told me what happened," he pushed off from the wall and took a step into the room, "I thought you would want to talk to someone."

My chest became tangled with a chill as I unconsciously took a step away from him. "Do you think that's such a good idea?"

He didn't even try to pull on a smile; I could read the sadness in his eyes as clearly as I could feel it in my own. "I know we aren't together anymore," he slowly moved to sit on the bed as I watched his every move, "but does that mean we can't at least be friends?"

A bitter snort left my mouth. I crossed my arms and turned my head towards the open window over the bed. "It must be nice being the one who gets to make all the rules."

There was silence. The corner of my gaze flicked over his shrunken form at the end of my bed. When his eyes caught ahold of mine, he sat up. "Fine," he huffed, standing up. "I won't bother you."

Panic hammered into my chest with each stomping step he took away from me. "Wait!"

He listened. He stopped at the door, his hand on the handle, but his head turned towards me.

I swallowed hard. My chest was doing flips. "I'm just... I'm not good at knowing my limits."

He turned slowly towards me. "Yeah, well..." He took several tentative steps back towards the bed. "At the risk of sounding overbearing," he scrubbed the back of his neck, "I think, by now, I've learned you pretty well." He sat back down on the bed and looked up at me. "At least, I know a few of your limits."

I bit my lip. It wasn't farfetched. Sometimes I was certain he knew me better than I knew myself. He always seemed to arrive just in time to catch me before I fell, no matter the circumstances.

A small curl of his mouth budded. He patted the spot beside him. "Come on, we can at least try to be friends."

I wasn't sure what to do. The heat in my body tried to pull me forward, but there was a chill in my legs that kept me where I stood.

"Kida," he spoke softly, "at that temple, I promised I wouldn't let you walk away. I intend to keep that promise, whether I can kiss you or not."

A grin somehow found its way onto my face. "Are we us again?"