Bolin was cracking a joke and making a face, and Korra, smiling broadly, was about to sass him back when she realized: This is nice.
The revelation stunned her into silence. Bolin, characteristically, did not notice. He continued on, cavalier and unashamed, as she watched him from new eyes.
It was nice, wasn't it, to spend an hour with a person so easily. To laugh at fart jokes and shovel food into her mouth and say things without having to worry if they were stupid or inappropriate.
Had she been this person her whole life? She had always assumed that she was; after all, Korra was nothing if not Herself, wholly and confidently. It was one of her greatest strengths and ultimately, her greatest weakness. But looking back, she had always had to temper that, to be less petulant around certain people, more reserved around others. Had she ever found somebody she could be comfortable with?
And Bolin, had his face always been this open, this inviting? He had nice skin, she noticed for the first time, a pleasant color that deepened when he was excited. His nose was ruddy from laughter and the heat of the room and she realized that it was, quite surprisingly, the perfect place to land a quick kiss. Why had she never noticed that before?