Korra's POV
I looked out the cafe window and observed as people walked past by. They all had their earphones on or were preoccupied with their phones with the same emotionless expression. All they probably thought about was getting to their destination, wherever that may be.
But today was completely different for me. I couldn't stop my lips from forming spreading widely to my cheeks, my hands were sweating and shaking and my feet were tapping frantically on the floor. I was practically dancing salsa.
Every time the bell above the entrance rang as the door would swing open I couldn't help but look towards it hoping it would be her. Then every time it wasn't, I would feel a little impatient, but at the same time relieved as the fact that I could mentally prepare myself once again.
But the next time it rang, Asami stepped inside. She wore a plain white summer dress, with a little embroidery on its chest. Her hair was plaited and hung on her right shoulder. She wore light makeup and she spun her head around looking for me. I stood up and once she saw me, she grinned widely and skipped towards the booth.
"Hi," she greeted cheerfully.
"Hi," I smiled with the same expression. We both sat down across from each other on either side of the table. Our eyes would meet momentarily and instinctively, we'd look away with both our cheeks painted a dash of pink.
"We should order something," I laughed humourlessly. Asami continued to smile.
"What can I get you, ladies?" A waiter approached us and gave Asami a flirtatious wink.
"I'll have the strawberry cheesecake," I said monotonously, adding a hint of annoyance in my voice. The waiter looked at me curiously. Asami giggled.
"I'll have the same thing as my girlfriend." She said confidently, making me choke on my own saliva. The waiter blushed instantaneously, gave an awkward nod and scurried back to the kitchen.
Asami laughed as I coughed my lungs out.
"I'm sorry," She said in between breaths as I continued to glare at her. "Just, that's the first time I've seen you jealous. I couldn't help it,"
"You have seen me jealous before, just not that obvious." I smiled at her.
"So did you, whenever you were with Bolin."
The table went silent. The very mention of Bolin's name made me want to claw at my own skin, as the guilt in the shape of a spider crawled across my body.
"I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but.." Asami trailed off, as she stared at her nails.
"I know. I'll tell him."
I reached across the table to take hold of her other hand resting on the table. Our finger intertwined as if they were made for each other. Like long lost magnets finally interlinked with the other half.
"Then we can tell everyone about us."
~~~~
After a whole afternoon of spending time with Asami, I skipped towards my house with glee. After we had lunch, Asami dragged me to different clothing stores. We tried on different outfits together, occasionally giving each other advice on our chosen styles. Even though we were in a closer relationship, we didn't abandon our friendship.
I got to my house and looked for my keys in my handbag.
"Hey, Korra." An eerily cold voice echoed from the corner of the patio.
I squinted my eyes and let my sight adjust. It was Bolin.
He was wearing dark clothes, which was shocking because it had been a long time since I saw him wear his leathery clothes. Once we started dating, he had always dressed more fashionably with dashes of colour here and there.
But now, he looked messy. His hair was ruffled to one side, a few stubbles of facial hair were visible on his chin. He had a pungent smell of alcohol mixed with cigarettes.
"Bolin, what are you doing here?" I asked him cautiously.
"I was about to ask you the same question, considering you told me you were too sick to even leave your house." He answered with anger.
"Look Bolin-"
"I saw you with Asami today," He interrupted abruptly. Then he took a step closer and closer. His eyes were dark as if he wasn't even seeing me in front of him. He looked like a ferocious animal stalking its prey. Instinctively, I stepped back again and again, until I hit the wooden frame of our front door. He smacked his palms against the wall, pinning me between his arms.
"I saw how both of you looked so happy." He scoffed. "I thought to myself, maybe they made up." He then lifted his index finger up to his lips in a mocking way. "Maybe I should say hello."
"But wait!" He clicked his fingers to my ears, loud enough to send a ringing tone through it.
"You then reached out to hold her hand." He laughed humourlessly. "Not just hold it, but twirl your fingers around hers too."
"Listen to me, I can-"
"Tell me the truth Korra." He said monotonously. "Are you screwing her?" He spat.
"Are you screwing that dyke bi-"
A loud smack rang out as my palm connected with his left cheek. Amidst the cold, foggy early evening twilight, was the two of us on my front patio with an intense amount of tension between us.
He chuckled menacingly as he rubbed his cheek and adjusted his jaw. He then directed his attention back to me, his eyes filled with so much rage. I was frozen. All I could do was stare at him with as much courage as I could muster. I didn't want to give him any satisfaction by backing away. I tried to stand my ground firmly.
He laughed again, cunningly.
He then slowly took a few steps back then spun on his heels across my lawn towards our front gate. "This isn't over, Korra." He called out as he left and vanished beyond the fog.
It took me a few moments to realise that I had stopped breathing. I held myself longer just in time to open the door and step inside the house. Then, as if a large pile of bricks landed on my shoulders, I collapsed on the wooden floor. My vision became fuzzy and I began to wheeze with short and sharp intakes of breaths. I was having an attack again. I could feel my consciousness slowly fading.
As I started to sway to one side, I saw a vague silhouette of my mother rushing to catch my fall.
~~~~
I woke up to the sound of an incessant throbbing in my head. I felt like I could hear a faint ticking in my brain and I couldn't shut it off. I slowly opened my eyes and let my sight adjust to the harsh light coming from one corner of the room where the window was.
"You're finally awake." I looked towards where the voice spoke to find my mother leaning against the door, with a cup in her hand.
I groaned in pain, as I sat up my bed rubbing my temples.
She approached the side of the bed and handed the cup to me. The whole time keeping silent which made me stare at her puzzlingly for her weird behaviour.
I took the cup anyway and nodded my thanks.
"So," she cleared her throat. I spoke too soon.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked with a curiosity in her tone. My mother was never the type to care about anything that goes on in my life, so the sudden shower of questions didn't really sit well with me.
"Why do you wanna know?" I stared at her questioningly.
"Why do I have to have a reason to act as a mother?"
"The fact that you can't even categorize yourself as a mother, my mother, is enough explanation!" I rolled my eyes and placed the cup on the bedside table.
"Just leave."
She sighed and stood up slowly. Her expression was still at it's chilliest. But for some reason, I thought I saw a hint of guilt in her eyes. I shrugged the thought away. It was probably just a glitch.
I stared at the stained cream ceiling above me. It was terribly quiet, and I hated it. I hated it because now, I couldn't escape Bolin's rageful voice in my head. It was the very first time I saw him act like that. It frightened me.
~~~~
I paced nervously in front of the front gates of the park. I called Asami an hour ago to tell her about Bolin. I couldn't tell her over the phone because I was afraid she might freak out, though she wasn't that type of person. I just didn't want her to do anything reckless.
As I paced, she announced her arrival by the creaking of the front gate. She tried to approach me calmly, but her expression betrayed her as anxiety was clearly written all over it.
She marched nervously towards me, her posture awkward and tense. Once she got closer, she stood about an arm's length away from me. I gestured for her to sit next to me on the bench. She hesitated for a moment then followed suit and sat.
I twiddled with my fingers on my lap, trying to work up the courage to tell her the truth. But I was afraid that saying out loud would somehow make it worse than it already is. But she needed to know. I had to put my anxiety away to warn and protect her.
"Asami," I sighed. "I need to tell you something,"
"It's about Bolin," I stated. "He found out about us before I had a chance to explain it to him. He's upset," I cleared my throat, finding it hard to spill the words out. It became harder to breathe as I tried to form a sentence. My hands began to tense up and shake subtly and tried as I might, I couldn't stop them.
Taking notice, Asami took both my hands into hers whilst rubbing circles with her thumbs to calm me down. Thankfully, it worked.
"I don't know what he's capable of," I whimpered. "I'm scared."
Asami scooted closer to me, and pulled me closer to her warm body, placing my head on the nook of her neck. She continued to rub circles on my back as I cried into her neck. As she cooed softly to calm me down, I could feel my anxiety lessen. She was the only one who could calm me down. Her sweet lemon and honey scent filled up with bliss and comfort. In her embrace, I felt truly at home.
"I will never let him hurt you Korra, I promise." She said as she stroked my hair soothingly.
I sat up straight to take in her form. I gazed at her enticing eyes, letting myself be indulged by their beauty. I let my soul be stripped bare by them, letting my walls be destroyed by them, and let my entire being be accepted by them. She loved me for who I was before, for who I've become and for who I was willing to be.
And frankly, I loved her too.
Without hesitation, I cupped her face between my palms and brought her lips to mine. She was shocked for a moment but crushed my doubt by returning the kiss with as much passion as I had. She kissed me ferociously, our tongues dancing to the beat of our synchronized hearts.
With that, my fear disappeared.
But that won't last for long.