Spit it into her voicemail, a little slurred and sounding like the shot whiskey you downed for courage. Feel as ashamed as you do walking into work in last night's clothes. Wake up cringing for days, waiting for her to mention it.
….
Mako lay on his couch, staring at the ceiling. This was the fourth time in 2 days he had found himself studying the white paint of the house that he lived in with Korra. He sighed and looked at his watch, it would still be another 3 days until she returned from the South Pole.
Ever since his girlfriend had left to visit her Mother and Father he had been feeling strange. All he could really decipher from his complex emotions was that he wanted to hold the girl he loved in his arms again.
He thought about that for a moment, the girl he loved.
They had never really said 'I love you' to each other, he had been taught that was a very serious phrase that one shouldn't throw around.
"The girl I like" He spoke aloud, tasting the words in his mouth. They tasted bitter, not at all correct. To say that would be comparing his feelings for Korra to someone like Asami. Sure, he liked Asami as a friend and everything, but what he felt with Korra was so much more than that.
"The girl I love" Even as he said it a grin crossed his face, this phrase tasted sweet in his mouth. It tasted of romance and passion and everything he had ever had with the Avatar.
He let out a small happy laugh as he repeated it to himself
"I love Korra"
Although…did she know this? She knew what they had but had she ever put it into words like this?
He sprung from the couch and quickly made his way into their bedroom. Heart pounding, he sat on the large bed and reached for the phone, his hand freezing halfway there.
What if she didn't feel the same way?
What if he had all of this wrong? There must be a reason he had been taught that saying 'I love you' was so taboo
His heard cleared for only a second as he reasoned with himself. He was caught in between his conflicting emotions and, deciding rather quickly, he had gone to the kitchen and taken a swig of whisky from the bottle there.
The shot of whisky he had just downed gave him enough courage to punch in the numbers he had spent the past 2 days memorizing. He waited anxiously as the ringing seemed to mock him, not wanting to cease and relief him of his discomfort
"Hello?"
His heartbeat quickened, Korra had picked up the phone! He revelled for a mere moment at the sound of her voice, still sounding sweet and melodious over the phone
"I love you" He spat, the whisky making his speech sound slightly slurred.
"What?" She asked confused
His eyes widened in panic as his brain told his hand to hang up the phone. He sat, listening to the silence for a minute before throwing his hands against his face and rolling back, cursing himself.
She probably didn't even know it was him, the connection couldn't be the best from Republic City to the South Pole, and his voice sounded like the shot of whisky he had downed for courage.
What if she did know it was him? What if her reply was just her shock of hearing him calling her and professing his love for her? Now she was probably feeling hurt that he hung up on her!
He threw a pillow over his face and yelled into it, trying to find an outlet for his confusion and frustration
The next 3 days weren't spent staring at the ceiling as he had expected, but rather feeling as ashamed as he would walking into work wearing the previous days clothes.
He knew what he said was true but he hated himself for the way he handled the situation.
When Korra returned home his mornings were spent cringing, waiting for her to mention it.
She never did.