Chapter 12- Love Made to Last
3 months later…
The night was crisp. Bolin could breathe in and feel the iciness in the water vapor. There was a thin coating of snow over the neatly mowed grass of Republic City park. The gray clouds blotting out the night sky promised more to come by morning. Bolin was used to people walking by the Fire Lord Zuko statue all while he waited for Maya, but only one or two passed by. They rushed by with their jacket collars pulled up to their cheeks. They were gone quickly, leaving him alone with Pabu. So much had changed since that first day he pranced over to the statue to wait for the girl of his dreams, the girl that was so out of his league it was laughable. The girl with a personality she kept hidden for the sake of her professional reputation. The only girl he had ever loved but had never told her.
Maya approached the statue at a confident walk. Bolin stood up to meet her. He looked at her head to toe. She looked as happy as he had ever seen her after Ricsan's accident. She greeted him with an affectionate hug. They were no closer to being together than they were before the tragedy, but a small hug could never be awkward after everything they had been through: the car chase, the news reports, the funeral. Standing by her side dressed in black while they put Ricsan's remains in the ground was the hardest thing either of them had ever done. They overcame the healing process together to reach this state of friendship no force in the world could break.
"Have a good day at work?" Bolin guessed.
"You could say that," Maya returned. "I have big news."
Bolin gasped. "Oh don't tell me! I knew it! You got that big promotion at work. Am I right?"
Maya held his hands to stop him from dancing around in mock excitement.
"Actually, no. I have been worrying that I made the wrong decision about something, but I know the time was right…Tonight was my last night at work. I resigned two weeks ago."
Bolin stopped dancing. "I didn't know you were quitting. Why did you?"
She shrugged and stared up at the Fire Lord. "I was just past that stage in my life. It was time to move on. The semester has ended. It is time to take a break from it all and prepare for the next year. The time to make changes is now, and I am ready to deal with them."
"Good for you," he told her. "I am happy for you."
Maya reached back and yanked the ponytail out of her hair. She shook her head. Luscious, volumized red hair flounced about in every direction. She was looked as free as she felt. She was wearing normal clothes as well rather than her old uniform.
The two of them started their traditional walk around the park. They spoke of casual things, and they did so enthusiastically. Bolin marveled at how perfect it all was. He never thought they would make it after Ricsan's death, but here they were. He would have been content walking around the park with Maya forever. He had never had a friend like her and probably never would.
"It's a cold, cold night," Maya commented.
"I can give you my jacket if you are freezing. I can tough it out," he offered chivalrously.
"I don't want to be in any hurry to leave. How about we just go back to my place? We can keep talking there," she said.
"Alright."
It was only a short walk away and made perfect sense on a night like this. Maybe Maya would finally show him the pro-bending poster she had on her wall from a brief boy obsession she had as a tween! He would pay to see that. Or she could finally show him her Pai Sho tile collection she claimed was better than the legendary Iroh's.
They went through the park and through Republic City University campus. Maya glanced at every sight thoughtfully, even though she had seen it a thousand times and would see them thousands of more times over the years. Bolin assumed he would be getting used to this sight as well. Maya's future was beginning to give him thoughts about college as well. He loved pro-bending, but there were thousands of careers out there that could give him a life of fulfillment. Perhaps someday he would consider going and finding it. When he imagined himself as a student at the university, it did not feel that insane. When they went in Maya's residence hall he wondered if he would ever live in a dorm like Maya's. Probably not, but the fantasy still lingered. Anything in the world was possible.
Maya's room was small but charming. Everything was clean and in place. He walked in and stared at the walls, the desks, and everything else. He was not sure where Maya wanted him, so he milled around until she invited him to sit on the bed.
"It's so soft," he said, and rubbed the blankets lovingly. "One could sleep here forever. I can't believe you never let me see this before now."
"Well, I never really had a reason to."
She plunked down next to him. She laid back comfortably against the wall. She turned on a radio to play soft music in the background. They talked some more. They always talked, like they had the entire world to cover in conversation. Bolin had never minded. They talked about idle things, like Asami's progress rebuilding her dad's company. Then they shifted to a more serious topic about their friendship.
"You really are the greatest person I have in my life right now," Bolin said. As if he hadn't told her that a million times already!
"You are mine too…"
Maya twittled her fingers and stared around the room. Bolin knew that look and pursued her immediately.
"What's up?"
"…Um…"
He gave her his full attention.
"Nothing is up, as collateral implies…Can we try something?""
He didn't respond right away or make some joke like he normally would. He blinked slowly and tried to think of anything she could have meant besides his first obvious thought.
"You mean…something besides a subtle yet blindsiding invitation for an arousing activity?" he clarified.
"That's the most intellectual sentence I have ever heard you say, Bolin. But no, I mean exactly that."
They stared at each other rigidly for a few seconds before both of them made the first move at the same time. As they kissed-over and over again- Bolin realized that he never felt so into it with anyone else before. Since Maya and him had never done anything intense like this before, both of them were impatient to see what each other wanted and where every second would take them next. Common sense, worry for an awkward friendship in the aftermath, and second guessing of what they really wanted were all lost in the fog in their minds to keep the present going as wonderfully as they wanted. Bolin had a faint hesitation when Maya started to shed off her work clothes like a free prisoner out of uniform. Once again he remembered he had never gone any farther than this, but was that any reason to stop?
"What do you say, Bolin? Live in the moment?" Maya asked eagerly, short of breath from what already happened and the heavy arousal to do more.
"Absolutely."
That one word was all that separated them from changing their course of action. After that the rest was history.
Over the course of the next week, many things changed for Bolin besides his personal affairs. He came home from Maya's one night to find Korra and Mako throwing a celebration in their apartment. When he asked what it was for, he was excitedly informed that Mako was granted a new job working on Bei Fong's police force. Bolin was ecstatic for his brother and joined in the celebration. Since he started work five days ago, he was rarely ever around. But Bolin made sure to be happy for him. The next change came when Korra's airbending training on the island intensified. There was talk around the city that the council of four nations was disbanding. Tenzin was not needed as much after the Equalist revolution was suppressed. For the sake of following in Aang's footsteps as a grand master, he surrounded Korra's entire world with traditional air nomad culture and training. That being said, Korra was barely around either. But he was happy for her too. He knew as well as anybody that friendships were the first thing that was affected when life created change.
The third change came when he was least expecting it, involving Maya. He could have identified the signs all week, but not once did he ever think they meant anything: Maya quitting her job, talking about living in the moment, looking around at her normal surroundings like they suddenly meant something to her. She finally broke the news.
Maya was leaving.
"Leaving?" Bolin repeated incredulously.
They were sitting together on their park statue when she told him the news. As he did that first night they had sex he tried to think of every other possible meaning. He almost wished he did not know her well enough to know right there and then she meant what she said.
"So much has changed me in this city," she said wistfully. "I mean, I have never been anywhere else. It has shaped me, and has defined the way I look at myself and the world. It turned me into the product of a demanding society that has always told me who to be to be somebody."
"You can be whoever you want to be in Republic City," Bolin pointed out.
Her head is just running wild. She will change her mind, he thought.
She lifted her shoulders in an exasperated shrug. "And who would that be? My name entitles me as Maya…but I think I need to go find Maya. Everything that surrounds my vicinity right now is Republic City. It always has, and I have never been anywhere else in this world. There will be more for me out there. Out…anywhere. My aunt is a psychologist down up in Ba Sing Se. When I told her I wanted to change my career to helping people the way she does, she offered to take me as her apprentice. I can learn all that I need to know on the job while making a difference. "
"You don't think you are thinking…I dunno…rashly? What about all the things you would be leaving behind. Like your friends."
He planned on being subtle in his head. When it came down to it he pretty much said flat out, "Don't go, Maya, I'll miss you!"
He officially felt like an idiot. They were sitting there together, but for what? He had no idea what to say, how to even respond to what she was saying. No matter what she said he could not bring himself to understand.
"I will miss my friends," Maya said wistfully. "Leaving friends is never easy."
"Then why do you want to leave so badly?" he pressed again.
She patiently went back to exactly what she said earlier. "I need to find a new way. When I look around here, I don't see home anymore. I see bitter expectations from a major I no longer want and memories of an enslaved version of myself."
"But you have good memories too," he replied.
Maya shook her head slowly. "I know you don't like this at all. I wasn't sure how you would react. I couldn't tell you sooner. I tried…"
"I guess I am grateful for that," Bolin said, for he was that nice of a guy. "If I can't change your mind at least we got to have as much fun as possible."
He stared at the trees. Pabu nuzzled his neck, as if he understood what his owner was going through. Perhaps he did. Bolin raised his hand to pet Pabu's head. Maya reached over and pet him as well. Bolin side-glanced at how close Maya had moved to him. Then he looked at the trees again.
"Bolin," Maya said.
Seeing no way to avoid it, he looked at her.
"Someday you will have a reason to leave Republic City. There will be questions, curiosity, a calling that you can't ignore. I wish I could explain this better."
"My whole life isn't in Republic City," he returned flatly.
"It's not?"
…You know my parents are gone."
"Yes, you mentioned it," she said seriously.
"Of course you know. Everyone knows from the radio. Well, no one ever thinks about my family beyond my parents. I have never met my grandparents, uncle, aunts, and cousins. They all live somewhere in the walls of Ba Sing Se. So I know what it's like to feel divided, to want to go somewhere else."
"Ba Sing Se," Maya repeated airily, as if this news surprised her greatly.
"Yes, Ba Sing Se. I could have left here anytime. I even considered going after the tournament because according to the world, I had nothing left to do that was considered important."
"That sounds like an amazing opportunity for you," she said.
Bolin stood up suddenly. He carried Pabu up with him, as if the Fire Ferret had a reason to distance himself from Maya too. Then the words on his mind tumbled out without restraint. "Why do you put opportunity above everything else? You act like I should have gone without a second thought. To be honest I didn't give going to Ba Sing Se a second thought. Even though they are my family by relation, my real family is my friends. They are the ones that are part of my life. They are the ones I would do anything for. I stayed for a friend who needed me. I stayed because of you, Maya. I put you above everything else."
"That was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. But it is not too late for you to meet your long lost family."
Maya was getting to a point he resented hearing more than anything. He did not need her telling him what his priorities should be, that he was the world's biggest fool for revolving his life decisions around a girl he liked. But even though he was upset he would not handle it like Ricsan would for one second.
"When are you leaving?"
Maya hesitated. "In three days. I don't think you heard my last statement."
"I heard it, Maya. But it won't just happen like that. I…I think I'm going to go."
Maya sprang up after him. "You are not leaving yet. You need to listen to me. I spent months of my life keeping my voice to myself when I was with Ricsan. Now that I know I can speak my mind, I am going to do so right now and you are going to listen."
Maya was so assertive. She had grown so much since he first met her. Even though he was falling apart inside he had to respect her will and stay. If she was going to crumble his heart away more, it was for the best she did it all at once.
"Bolin," she said seriously. Then she took his hands, which made him stare at her questionably. "The road has been a long and bumpy one. From the beginning I was so torn not knowing what I wanted. But I know now it is clear. I love you, Bolin."
"I love you too," he replied without having to think about it. However, uncertainty rattled his voice. "But why are you telling me this now? In three days it won't even matter."
She laughed. "If you would just let me finish my sentence you would know I don't mean that."
"Okay, I'm sorry. Finish your sentence."
She was smiling all over, even bobbing up and down from the suspense. Then she blurted out, "I am going to be staying in Ba Sing Se for the next six months. Would you do the honor of coming with me?"
Bolin gasped. "Wait a second…you mean the two of us could go into another big city like this one but totally different to find the missing parts of our lives we always longed to find?"
She shook her head up and down. "Yeah!"
Bolin put his hand on his chin and stared at the sky, as if he had to seriously consider the situation. Maya was already giggling with excitement.
"The trip of a lifetime with my darn good friend…Hmm…I think I could maybe make that work."
Maya squealed like an excited little kid at the Fire Festival. She freely kissed him, which was completely normal even though they were not officially together.
"My aunt does have one condition though," Maya added when they broke apart.
"Oh dear. Does she not like Fire Ferrets?"
Maya raised out her arms. Pabu jumped on her shoulders, something he wouldn't even do with Mako or Korra. "No, that's not it. When I asked her if I could bring a guest, she said that my guest had to be someone very important to me, such as a boyfriend."
"Uh huh," he pressed.
"So would you like to take that title, thus giving you the qualifications to come on my trip to Ba Sing Se?"
"I'll go anywhere with you. It is what boyfriends do, after all."
"I really do love you," she said again.
"I love you too," Bolin returned.
With that they held each other in tight embrace again. Fire Lord Zuko stood tall and proud above them, ever constant, unlike all the meetings that happened at the base of his grand statue. The illuminated moon orbited above them, as it had always done, even on the day of the new moon. But since that first meeting one part of Maya and Bolin's friendship had always remained constant: his love for her. It had not died out now and probably never would. Life was messy. Difficulties would interfere and carry one or both of them away from their true feelings. If they would last, if they wouldn't. Only the constants in this world would watch when destinies bigger than themselves summoned the lovers on their individual paths. It was as if these overlooked entities in every day life knew the aftermath of every decision, yet no one would know. And only those constants would remain emotionless spectators when life changed for both of them.
Live in the present. Bolin had faith in Maya's saying when he kissed her. She shared the same belief, that the future would happen the way it was meant to if they detached themselves from it to let it happen. He loved her now. No matter what happened, that would always be worth the world to him.
