Humming a song to myself I cleaned our apartment, smiling as I danced with the mop, twirling around as I mopped up a sticky tea puddle that had been made earlier by Mushi when experimenting with new teas. Since I had the morning off, I had decided to get some house chores done, so I'd already washed everyone's clothes, cleaned the dishes and washed down all the surfaces, now all that was left to do were the floors.
Once this was done, I looked outside to see that it was nearing midday and sooner or later, I would need to head over to the tea shop. Lee was working there all day, however Mushi had taken the morning off for a special reason, though he wouldn't tell me why, so I didn't press for answers.
Straightening my earth kingdom clothes and dusting off my hands I stepped out of the apartment, locked the door then head out into the streets, continuing to sing softly to myself, admiring the beautiful day. I got to the tea shop a little early, however I'd brought Lee his lunch so as I walked in, I gave him a slightly nervous smile, my cheeks reddening as my tummy fluttered upon seeing him. "Hey Lee, I have your lunch right here." I informed him, lifting up my basket and showed it to him, my smile widening innocently as he gave a smaller smile in return and nodded his head in thanks.
So we exchanged items. I gave him the food and he handed me my apron so that I could take over, and the moment I was out the front, I was talking away to everyone in the tea shop, smiling warmly and laughing at all the jokes that were called out to me, no matter how bad they were.
I noticed one girl in particular. I'd seen her almost every day this past week, in fact I'm pretty sure she had been in here every day. She must really like the tea. Or maybe…no. It couldn't be because of that, right? Not Lee!
When Mushi returned, I gave him some refreshing tea and a little something to eat too, seeing that he was a little low on spirits, however a cup of his favourite jasmine tea soon had him back to his old self and as he drank, I couldn't help but giggle as I hugged him from behind. "You're so squishy Mushi, your name suits you." I told him, making him chuckle with me as he patted his belly.
"That's right. I'm very proud of my tea belly." He laughed again and I beamed, kissing his cheek before moving back to continue stacking the shelves, glad that I had helped make him feel better.
"Uncle, we have a problem." Lee announced quietly as he approached the both of them and Mushi descended the ladder to listen to him, leaning closer. "One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation." He said and I lifted my head to see the girl sitting at the same table she always sat up, prettily minding her own business and sipping her tea. "Didn't I say don't look?!" Lee snapped in irritation and I quickly averted my gaze, however Mushi only chuckled.
"You're right. I've seen that girl in here quite a lot. Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you." He told his nephew casually but Lee instantly reacted the same way I did.
"What?!" We both chorused but then a polite voice spoke up from behind us.
"Thank you for the tea." She said with an attractive smile, handing Lee a few coins before he quickly turned away from her. "What's your name?" She questioned him curiously, her large eyes gazing up at him and instantly I felt a pang of jealousy towards her so I turned away to hide my face so that she couldn't see.
"My name's Lee. My uncle and I just moved here." He answered, a little unsure of what else to say.
"Hi, my name's Jin. Thank you and, well, I was wondering if you and I could go out sometime?" She suggested and the knife I was using to cut up herbs slipped from my hand as I jolted suddenly at her suggestion, causing me to squeak and leap back into Mushi as the knife cluttered to the floor.
"Sorry!" I squeaked before ducking away around the back, pressing myself against the wall to listen as Lee stuttered.
"Uh I…uh…"
"He'd love to!" Mushi interrupted, making me flinch with hurt at the thought of Lee dating another girl. Wait, why should this bother me so much? It's not like they're going to get together or anything. Maybe the date will go horribly wrong and they will never want to see one another again! But that's actually not a very nice thing to hope for…oh no. What's wrong with me?!
"Great! I'll meet you outside the shop at sundown." She informed them both before leaving, a happy smile on her face and I rocked my head back against the wall, sliding to the ground with a defeated sigh. Oh well, guess I was too slow.
A sickening feeling settled in my stomach, a mixture of pain, jealousy and anger however I shoved it aside as I cleaned the knife then returned to my herbs, keeping my face bowed as Mushi started to hum joyfully, probably being the only one who was actually excited for Lee's date. "Isn't it wonderful Saki? Lee's finally making friends here. Maybe even a lady friend." He chuckled but I couldn't see the humour in it.
"Yeah, it's great. Good for you Lee." I said quickly before thrusting another tray of tea and cups at him. "Here, your next order. I'll be in the stock room if anyone needs me." Quickly I turned around and strode away, leaving a baffled Lee and a surprised Mushi however I ignored both their reactions to my quick turn of attitude as I hid myself away out the back and started to clean everything despite having done it only yesterday.
I didn't emerge again until I had a mask expertly placed over my features, wearing a smile that fooled everyone else into thinking everything was alright, though inside I felt every pillar and wall was crumbling into dust.
When the day ended, I was glad to go home, not wanting to stay and watch Mushi do Lee's hair to smarten him up. I started on some dinner, a simple fish soup with some lemon tea to go with it and I kept it all on the fire to keep it warm until Mushi got back and I plated everything up for him before going over to my corner of the room where I slept. "Sakiya, are you not hungry?"
"No." I answered, falling face first onto my pillows and closed my eyes.
"I see." He said, taking a sip of his tea then exhaling with satisfaction at the refreshing taste. "Does this by any chance have something to do with Lee being out with another girl?" He questioned curiously and I instantly flared up in defence.
"No! No way! That is totally ridiculous!" I argued before blinking, realising that I had totally overreacted so I flipped around and anchored my shoulder into my blankets again, closing my eyes and ignoring everything around me as I curled up and struggled not to cry like a pathetic, wimpy little girl.
"You know…maybe if you told my nephew how you felt, he might surprise you." Mushi said to me as he continued to eat, noticing my shoulders as I trembled. "You'll never know until you take the leap." I calmed down a little, thinking things over until I heard Mushi speak again. "Come now Saki, dry those eyes and share a nice cup of refreshing tea with me." He invited, so after a moment I stood up and wiped my eyes dry, giving a slightly hopeless smile to my friend before sitting down and joining him for supper.
We both waited up for Lee, both of us curious to know what happened. I sat on my bed sewing a few rips and tears back together, though I was unsure how I knew how to sew. Someone must have taught me long ago. Mushi was leaning out the window, looking down into the street with anticipation but then the door opened and Lee walked in. "So, how was it?" He asked but Lee only strode over to his room and slammed the sliding doors shut behind him, making me flinch slightly and I glanced over at Mushi who sighed with disappointment then continued to water the plants outside his window.
When I heard the door slid back a crack, I stopped my sewing as I heard Lee's voice speak softly. "It was nice." Mushi smiled pleasantly as Lee hid himself away again, however I felt my chest give a painful twinge.
"Don't worry Sakiya. It was just one evening." Mushi said to me simply as he admired his flower arrangements. "You should tell him how you feel."
"I feel like he's a stuck up jerk who hates people and only tolerates me because you make him." I bit back proudly, lifting my chin and turning my head away. "You want me to tell him that?" Mushi only laughed.
"You and I both know that you're hiding the truth." He told me, continuing his gardening. "If you do not tell him soon, then you will lose him to another woman." As he spoke I pricked my finger in a lapse of concentration, making me wince before I lifted my finger to see a drop of blood, so I quickly sucked it away so that Mushi didn't notice. "My nephew is a complex young man, however I believe that you are one of the few people able to fully understand him. He needs someone who can heal him of the many scars he has suffered through his life, and who better than a beautiful young lady who can understand pain?" He questioned, making me blush and look away again in thought before I glanced over to Lee's room. Maybe Mushi is right. I can't just sit back and let my feelings go unspoken.
So I made a promise to myself. If things don't go well with Jin, then I'll tell him exactly how I feel about him, even if I just blurt it all out at once.