So here's the new chapter, I decided to cut this chapter shorter than anticipated I really wanted to get something out to you guys this week in light of my slacking over the past month or more. There is more coming and I will probably be putting too much time into it over the weekend so look forward too more. Also I'm uploading revised versions of the previous two chapters for grammer corrections and ease of reading improvements. Thank you all for reading and keeping up with the story as always folks and have an awesome day.
"Yeah, Bolin, I don't really know," Korra yelled from the kitchen.
"You know, you could just come back into the living room and answer without the yelling," Mako interjected. Korra squinted her eyes and stuck out her tongue as she came back into the living room to sit down, handing each of the brothers a beer.
"So she just left you there? On a street corner? That's some terrible RomCom shit right there," stated Bolin casually, without looking away from the Call of Duty match he was playing.
"Oh shut up, there's nothing remotely romantic going on. I haven't even heard from her since then and that was 2 days ago. Besides, I'm about to have a whole lot less time. I rejoined the MMA club, so I have to train my ass off," Korra answered.
"Korra, that's awesome!" Bolin squealed.
"Well the weekend is right around the corner, never know what could happen," Mako said.
"That's true, maybe you should text her," Bolin chimed.
"Yeah, maybe…" Korra said, quietly looking down at her phone. Mako and Bolin shared a glance then both spoke.
"When are we eating?"
Kuvira was reading her Comparative and Theoretical Government textbook on the couch when her cell phone began to buzz on the coffee table. She reached for it hoping it was Korra, instead it was a number she didn't recognize. She answered the call in a skeptical tone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is Tai. You filled out an application to work here at the gym? This is Kuvira, right?"
"Oh yes, that's me," she answered quickly.
"Well, we're offering you the job as you're the only person who filled an application, and we need you on short notice."
"Oh alright, well what were you guys thinking?" Kuvira asked.
"Well we would like you to come down tomorrow to discuss the finer details, if that isn't too much trouble. We need to fill the position as fast as possible as we have a dance class that's been cancelled until we fill the position."
"I can definitely do that. You're able to work around the schedule I filed with the application?"
"Yes that shouldn't be a problem. The program is mostly for young girls after school, so the majority of the weekdays we shouldn't need you and maybe a few classes over weekends. Like I said, we can discuss it when you come in to fill out the paper work."
"Alright, that's perfect, thank you," Kuvira replied, as she heard the apartment doors lock unlatching. Opal walked through the door, dropped her bag immediately by the coffee table, and sat down next too Kuvira with an exasperated sigh. Kuvira just smirked at her, "Yes, thank you again. I'll be in tomorrow, goodnight."
"What was that?" Opal asked.
"Well I got that job as a dance instructor at the gym," Kuvira said, leaning back into the couch and opening her textbook.
"That's awesome! At least you won't have a job you hate... hopefully. I know how you are about kids," Opal goaded.
"Right… children, wretched things that they are. Oh well, how bad could it be?"
"Well I don't know about you, but I am totally ready for the weekend to begin, starting with tonight. I've got a friend coming over," Opal said looking away .
"Who Bolin?" Kuvira asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not Bolin, he's hanging with Korra and Mako tonight," Opal answered, getting up off the couch and heading to the kitchen.
"Alright who then?" Kuvira pushed, walking after her into the kitchen.
"It's Asami, she'll be here in a few minutes," Opal replied, spinning around and leaning against the counter top.
"Like, Asami the girl who broke up with Korra Asami?" Kuvira asked leaning against the doorframe into the kitchen.
"Yes, that one. She is still everyone's friend, even Korra though she doesn't know it right now."
"I'm not judging!" Kuvira said, putting her hands up, turning around, and walking out of the kitchen. "I've kind of been wanting to meet this girl anyway." She sat back down and picked up her book, then remembered the unopened letter in Korra's desk. Would Korra understand this little girl's night in without her? Or would she be hurt, possibly even feel betrayed?
"Speaking of, have you talked to Korra lately? I'm sure she would like to hear you got that job at her gym," Opal said from the kitchen.
"No, not yet. I only just heard when you were on the couch with me dummy," Kuvira said, not looking up from her book. Just then there was a knock at the door and Opal's head jerked in its direction. Kuvira closed her book, took off her glasses, and set them on the coffee table in front of her, taking a deep breath as Opal opened the door. The air seemed to all be sucked from the room immediately upon the Sato's entrance into the room. The pictures in Korra's desk had not done her justice. She was dressed in a dark green skirt and blazer with a large collared white blouse underneath, impeccable dark red lipstick, and long flowing black hair that seemed to billow out behind her. Kuvira felt a bit ashamed to be as weak in the knees as she had become in those few seconds and tried to compose herself.
"Opal!" Asami cried, as she dropped her bag on the floor and wrapped her arms around her friend, squeezed, and released. "I'm sorry I'm a little too formal for this hang out session, but I came straight from work."
"Don't worry about it, but before we get too into this, let me introduce you to my sister," Opal said, turning towards Kuvira after being released from the hug.
Alright, here we go, Kuvira thought to herself as she stepped forward and extended her hand towards Asami to shake. As Asami approached, her heels clicking with the few footsteps it took to cross the living room, Kuvira could only think of the words to describe this woman. Ceo, Millionaire, Heartbreaker… Bitch… Gorgeous…Fuckable. "Hi!" Kuvira perked up as their hands met to shake, and was suddenly pulled into a hug by Asami.
"Oh, we're just going to hug, okay that works." Kuvira said in a muffled voice. Asami released Kuvira from her embrace with a small blush.
"I'm sorry I've just heard a lot about you. Opal has been building you up in my mind for a few days," Asami said as she stepped back and straightened out her skirt.
"Well, I've heard a bit about you as well. It's nice to meet you finally," Kuvira said, thinking of all the times she had heard and thought of this woman's name in the preceding weeks.
"Hey," Opal interrupted, seeing Kuvira starting to become socially awkward. "Why don't we watch a movie or something?"
"I was hoping that maybe we could just sit, drink a few, and catch up. I feel like we haven't spent any quality time together in forever," Asami said, her eyes pleading with Opal. Besides, you know I can't stay long, I do have to work in the morning."
"Alright, you win. Let me grab us a few drinks from the fridge. Hard ciders alright? Cause that's all we have," Opal forfeited.
"That's more than fine," Asami said, smiling infectiously and sitting down. Kuvira was momentarily dumbstruck by the raven haired woman's impeccable smile. Kuvira sat down on the opposite end of the couch and leaned forward to pick her glasses up off the coffee table when she noticed Asami looking at her. "So Kuvira, Opal tells me you started a graduate program at RCU, what in?" Asami asked, crossing her legs and turning towards Kuvira as Opal re-entered the room with a bottle for each of them.
"Oh, nothing extraordinarily interesting. It's a kind of comparative government with a foreign policy bent, nothing as cool as being the CEO of a company worth billions, I'm sure."
"Oh, that's nothing and pretty boring honestly. I only inherited it recently. I still go to school because I'm more interested in the engineering side of the company," Asami answered, taking a bottle from Opal.
"Well that's not all Kuvira has going anymore either. She was just offered a job teaching dancing lessons down at the gym," Opal chimed in, passing a bottle to Kuvira and sitting in an adjacent armchair.
"Oh, you're a dancer? That's exciting. How long have you been dancing for?"
"She's been dancing for years, really, ever since mom dragged her into one of her productions down at the Zaofu theatre."
"Thank you, Opal. It might come as a shock, but I'm quite capable of interacting with people on my own behalf," Kuvira said, muttering the latter half and causing Asami to start chuckling.
"Well you wouldn't know it with your social skills," Opal replied, causing Asami to burst into full laughter. Kuvira glared for a moment into Opal's forehead before recomposing herself.
"Okay," Asami said, after regaining her composure. "Where is it you'll be a dance instructor then?"
"She's teaching at the gym Korra goes to," Opal said bluntly. A silence hung in the air for a moment before Opal realized what had been done. In this instant of time that it took for Opal to recover and try to divert the conversation, time seemed to slow down for Kuvira. She saw the brief look of horror on Opal's face as the realization hit her. Asami's smile disappeared from her mouth for a moment, her mouth slightly ajar as if she needed to take a sharp breath. Opal inhaled quickly before recovering awkwardly, "Well I'm still just doing the same old thing, just a different semester."
Kuvira couldn't help but to start tuning Opal out and drifting off as she talked with Asami about her semester. She thought of Korra, the letter, and how everyone was avoiding the issues here in play… whatever they were was still unclear. She suddenly found the atmosphere in the room unbearable.
"Hey, please excuse me, I'm going to hop in the shower."
Opal and Asami both turned to Kuvira and sat in silence for a second before Opal responded, "Okay, we'll still be here." Kuvira excused herself and retrieved her towel from her room. Upon entering the bathroom, she started the water from the shower head and let it run to warm up.
"Maybe I should call Korra," she thought to herself. It had been a few days since she left Korra on the street corner and she was embarrassed about that. She had handled that situation with all of the tact of a thirteen year old. Maybe I'll call after the shower, she thought after undressing and stepping into the steaming water.
The atmosphere in the living room was not really becoming any less thick as Opal and Asami sat, drinking from their bottles occasionally for a minute or so after Kuvira left the room. "So how is everything on your end?" Opal asked, hoping to break the silence and awkwardness that hung in the air, but she was surprised by the response she got from Asami.
"Can I speak plainly for a moment now that we're alone?"
"Oh, sure you can. We're friends for a reason," Opal answered.
"You're Korra's best friend. Please tell me how she is?" Asami asked, her eyes shimmering in the light of the lamp in the corner providing the only illumination in the space.
"Oh,… I don't know if I should do that, Asami. I don't want to get in between you two here. Hanging out with you both individually is one thing. This… this is a whole other thing."
"Please?" Asami pleaded. "She hasn't spoken or written a single word to me in almost two months now. I tried calling, text and emailing, all of which have been ignored. I just want to know how she is."
Opal stood up and circled around behind of the armchair she was in, leaning forward resting her palms on its back in thought. " I really don't think this is a good idea, but okay. She's not great, that's for sure, but she is climbing back on the horse. She told me the other day she started back up with the MMA club on campus, so that has to be a good sign."
Asami smiled at the last part. "That's good. She always did love fighting…"
"Well how are you? I heard through the grapevine you're with someone new," Opal asked to break Asami out of her revere as she heard the shower turn off.
"Oh, you must have heard from the boys, huh? Well I don't know about that. I don't think it'll work out. In fact I'm sure it won't. I haven't called him back in a week."
"Ohm why's that? I haven't even gotten to meet this new romantic interest of yours," Opal responded playfully, until she noticed tears welling in Asami's eyes.
"I miss Korra so much, Opal," Asami cried. "I wish we were still together…" she doubled over towards the coffee table, resting face in her hands and her elbows on her knees sobbing. Opal moved to Asami's side in a flash rubbing her back and running her fingers through Asami's hair.
"Shhh, it'll be alright," Opal cooed.
Kuvira stood in her room, leaning against the closed door in her bathrobe. Did I just hear what I think I heard? she asked herself. She held her breath listening through the door. Those are definitely the sounds of crying, I must have heard right, she regrets breaking it off with Korra… She walked over to her bed and pulled her phone out of her pants pocket that had been casually thrown onto the bed. She scrolled through her messages until she came to the conversation with Korra, she opened the conversation and stared down at the screen thinking of what to say.
Korra, Bolin and Mako sat on the couch sprawled over each other eyes glued too the television, each had a fresh piece of Moosebear's tooth jalapeno and pepperoni pizza in one hand and a beer in the other. "On the television a giant dinosaur chased some chizzled guy across the screen when a phone started vibrating.
"Who's phone is that?" Mako asked.
"Mine what's it matter to you?" Korra said pushing Bolin to the side too reach in between the seat cushions for her phone.
"I'm expecting a call that's why." Mako answered sharply.
"It couldn't possibly be from a girl so who would be calling you?" Korra responded snarkily. "Aha! Got it!" she cheered pulling out from the couch. Unlocking the screen she found a new text message.
Kuvira: Hey, mind if I come over? I got some good news.
"Kuvira wants to come over, that okay with you guys?"