Freezing, I let the silence once again return, though this time it was an awkward, suffocating silence that I found hard to break. Gulping, I shook my head and looked at Korra. "W-What did you say?" I was half-shocked, thinking I might've misheard her, and half-hoping she'd be too embarrassed to repeat herself if I happened to be correct; of course, this was Korra we were talking about.
"I-I like you, Aang! I like how kind you are, how you always help me, how you don't pressure me, how you push me to be better, how you understand me. I-I like all that about you! So, g-go out with me!" Standing up, Korra stood directly in front of me as she laid her confession bare, her face a deep crimson, but her voice was firm.
If I were frozen in shock before, this time I was nearly mentally broken; after her second confession, it was clear that this wasn't just a little innocent crush— She was, at least a little bit, serious about dating me.
However, ironically enough, that was the problem. If it were just a childish crush, rejecting her would be easy, and while it would've hurt her, she would've gotten over it. But if she was serious? Rejecting her wouldn't work. Even if I did reject her, she would try again; that was the type of woman she was.
Honestly, though, those were just superficial problems; the main troubling reason was that… 'I'm happy.' Yes. Korra's confession made me happy; my heart was racing, my body was flushed, and my cheeks, though I tried to suppress it, felt a warmth creeping onto my face. It wasn't surprising that I've subconsciously fallen for her; Korra was beautiful, charming, playful, determined, and a bit reckless… All in all, she was a phenomenal woman.
'But my wife.' My reincarnated wife and child were the two main aspects of my life that kept me motivated and determined to live a long life. However, if I were to open my heart to Korra, wouldn't that be betrayal? My one-night stand with Hina could also be seen as betrayal, but I view it differently; I don't love Hina as a woman. A sister? Yes. But not a woman… Korra, I see her as a woman, nothing more, nothing less.
'I-I don't know what to do.' I must've been lost in my own thoughts, as I was suddenly slapped by Korra, causing me to wince as I grabbed my cheek. "S-Sorry, you just weren't responding, Aang." Sheepishly smiling, Korra tapped her fingers together, behaving like a caught child, causing me to sigh.
"So, a-about your response? You don't have to force yourself, Aang. I'd rather you reject me than accept my confession, just please me." She wasn't as embarrassed as before. Korra now stood with a hint of confidence as she looked at me, though I could tell she was eagerly anticipating my response with hope hidden within her eyes.
Not knowing how to fully respond to Korra's confession, I deeply sighed and just told her the truth, listening to Kyoshi's earlier advice.
"Honestly, I-I don't know how to respond… I'd be lying to both of us if I said I wasn't happy, even now, my heart is still racing from your confession. After all this time, it seems I've grown more than just a friendly attachment to you." Placing a hand atop my rapidly beating heart, I looked at Korra, who couldn't suppress a smile at my response, which only made me avert my gaze; her charm and joy were too much for me to bear at the moment.
"So, I-is that a yes?" I was unable to give Korra a clear response. On one hand, I was attracted to her and wanted to give a nod, but on the other hand, I was loyal to my wife.
"I don't know, Korra." I could faintly see Korra's brows furrow as her confidence slowly wanes. "Is there something stopping you?" Wryly chuckling, I nodded. "Perceptive you are, Korra. Yes. It's a bit weird, but I'm waiting for my fated one. She hasn't been born yet, nor do I know when she'll be born, and if I accept your feelings, I-I feel like I'll be betraying her."
When I finished speaking, a wave of embarrassment washed over me as I realized just how terrible it must've sounded to her. 'Ugh, that sounds like a pathetic excuse to reject her without actually rejecting her.' "Korra, wait, that wasn't–" "Why do you think it'll be an act of betrayal?" Freezing, I stared at Korra, who looked at me with a curious expression, causing me to furrow my brows.
"B-Because I'll be casting aside her for you. Is that not betrayal?" "Why would you need to cast aside her for me? You could love us both… It's not common, but wealthy individuals sometimes have multiple lovers." I was slightly taken aback. I had been bringing my modern thoughts to this world; this wasn't the world of my past life, having more than one lover was reasonable.
"Also, she's not born yet… Do you think she'll mind about something that occurred before she was born?" Again, I was taken aback, as I hadn't taken that into account. If our roles were reversed, I know I wouldn't have cared about the relationship my wife had in the past; she and I were in the present.
"Korra… Can I give you my response in a week? I think I need some time to think." Looking up at Korra, she raised an eyebrow before nodding, a faint sigh escaping her lips. "Yes. But you better not make me wait a day longer. Don't think I'm an easy woman." Wryly smiling, I held back my desire to respond with a 'But you were' comment and stood up as I walked her to my door.
"I promise. I wouldn't want to disrespect your feelings." Nodding, opened the door for Korra, who huffed with a smirk, only to suddenly stand on her toes and kiss my cheek, causing a faint blush to creep onto not just her cheek, but also my own. "D-Don't you think that's a bit unfair?" Gently grabbing my cheek, I eyed Korra, who flashed a grin before walking away, entering her own bedroom.
Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it as I slowly slid down onto the floor. Staring at the ceiling, a troubled expression plastering my face, I reached up and grabbed my cheek, the same one Korra had just kissed. 'I'm so confused.'
Deeply sighing, I stood up and climbed onto my bed, though rather than sleeping, I entered deep meditation, wishing to calm the turbulence within me.
___
___
It was the next day, and all five of us were heading to the topmost area of Jathr, where Fan stored several portals he's made. We entered through the last one we'd created, which, like the others, was hidden deep underground, by Kyoshi.
Snapping his fingers, Roku manifested a flame, illuminating the cavern, prompting Kyoshi to slowly lift us to ground level. "You okay, Korra? You look like you didn't get a wink of sleep." Following Roku's voice, I looked at Korra, who had bags under her eyes and looked exhausted. "Y-Yeah, just a little sleepy."
Seeing how I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep, I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, only for us to emerge from underground a minute later as the morning sun shone in the sky. "Did you always need to make the portal that deep?" Glancing at Kyoshi, we distanced ourselves from the portal, prompting her to lower it back down deep into the ground.
"So it remains hidden." "No one but you could ever find it." Shaking my head slightly, I yawned and performed a few stretches, while corrupted spirits, drawn to us by our noise, zeored in on our location. "Ah, perfect, these old bones need a bit of warming up." "Just set yourself aflame, that should work." "Even when dead tired, you still retain the capacity to jest, how unlucky."
As the two berated each other, they took the lead, meeting the charging spirits head-on with the destructive power of fire and the graceful and deadly power of water. As I watched them, because of what happened last night, I was drawn to Korra, appreciating every move of her graceful and powerful body.
'Korra. She looks more attractive.' I always found Korra attractive; there wasn't a time when I hadn't, but perhaps because I became aware of my subconscious feelings for her, they're affecting my own judgment of her.
Though my little sightseeing was cut short when I felt the ground tremble right behind me, prompting me to glance at a praying mantis-like spirit, its scythe-like arms embedded into a thick rock. With a thud, a boulder twice its size fell onto the praying mantis, killing it as its energy dissipated into the atmosphere.
"Korra, she has your mind occupied." Glancing at Kyoshi, I softly sighed and rubbed my head as I nodded, ashamed of my own neglect. "Haa, thank you, Kyoshi."