Feeling the hot wind blowing against her, Toph laid her hands down on the wooden log beneath her and ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the seat that had been carved into it. Feeling a stronger breeze stirring up, Toph breathed in and could smell the familiar scent of Suki in the wind. Letting a small smile cross her face, Toph felt her heart beat a little faster as she tried to keep her cool.
"Hey Toph," Suki said, her voice cheerful.
"Hey Suki, how's your day been?" Toph asked, wanting to hear more of Suki's voice as she found it soothing.
"My day has been good, rather uneventful, I trained for a little, had breakfast, and now I'm just walking around thinking of what to do. How's your day?" Suki replied, smiling as she felt the sun on her face.
"My day has been about the same. I did some bending exercises, listened to the birds singing and then I went for a walk and ended up here. It's quiet and I like that," Toph replied, feeling Suki sit down next to her on the log from the slight shift in weight.
"I like the quiet too. There is a really beautiful spot a little north from here; it has bright green foliage, soft grass, a little river that flows down to the ocean and a lot of shade as it's half inside of a mountain. I find it one of the most relaxing places I have ever been, I'll take you next time I go there if you'd like to come with me," Suki offered as another warm gust of wind surrounded them.
"I would really like that," Toph replied as she felt her face and ears getting warm. Getting to spend some one on one time with Suki was something Toph always enjoyed and it made her feel feelings she wasn't used to. Over the last few months Toph had realised that she had feelings for Suki and every time they spent time together, Toph felt herself falling more and more for her.
"Do you want to go for a swim?" Suki asked, pulling Toph out of her thoughts as she placed a hand on Toph's knee.
"If you recall, I'm not very good at swimming," Toph replied, swallowing as the feeling of Suki close to her and touching her made her heart beat increase.
"I know but we don't have to go in very deep if you don't want to," Suki responded, moving her hair out of her face as another gust of wind blew around them.
"I'm not sure but it is hot," Toph replied, feeling a bead of sweat run down her back.
"If you come I promise I'll make sure you're okay. I'll be there for you and I'll make sure nothing happens," Suki said, trying to reassure Toph.
"I think I'll come," Toph replied, smiling at Suki as she felt herself being pulled into a side hug as Suki gave her a quick squeeze.
"Awesome, meet me back here in twenty minutes?"
"Sure," Toph replied. Feeling the slightest of movement on the log as it shifted, followed by the soft sound of footsteps walking away from her. Knowing that Suki was now out of earshot, Toph let out the breath she didn't realise she was holding. Standing up, Toph walked over the dirt covered ground, feeling the sparse amount of short grass under her feet as she made her way to her room.
Running her hand over the outside of the doorframe, Toph felt the four small notches and knew it was her room. Entering the small building Toph walked over to her bed and sat down on the side of it, letting out a soft sigh.
Gently touching her fingers to her knee where Suki's hand was only minutes ago, Toph let her mind wander to Suki. 'If only I could hold Suki in my arms and softly caress her. She's such a beautiful person and she takes the time to spend time with me. I can't think of anyone who is more caring than she is. I wish I could just kiss her, I bet her lips are soft, but I know I'll never be able to, she doesn't think of me like that.'
Standing up, Toph could feel the warmth coming through the floor and it reminded her of the warmth of Suki's touch that she so desperately craved at times. Shaking her head, Toph tried to clear her mind as she went through her clothing and pulled out her swimwear and got changed into it, making sure she put it on the right way.
Grabbing a towel, Toph headed back down the path and felt the hot wind against her skin. Making her way over to the log she was sitting on earlier, she felt another hot breeze around her and she could pick up the familiar scent again and knew that Suki was already there waiting for her.
"Hey Toph, ready to go?" Suki asked, getting up off the log and walking over to Toph.
"I sure am," Toph replied. Waiting until she could sense Suki close to her, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and they headed down the path that led to the water.
Walking along the path, Toph could feel the differences in the ground as it went from dry grass, to dirt, back to grass, then to dirt again, and finally sand that was hot under the soles of her feet.
Feeling Suki's hand easily slip around her own, Toph felt her face getting warmer as the contact made her insides want to scream with joy.
"We're about to enter the water," Suki said, giving her a little warning before she felt the cool water against her feet.
Gripping a little tighter onto Suki's hand, Toph took a few steps forward until the water was at her knees. The feeling of the cool water against her bare skin was a welcoming distraction as she could still feel the warmness in her face.
"Are you ready? We have a couple of small waves coming in," Suki said, making sure she had a firm grip on Toph's hand. She knew that Toph could take care of herself but to her a promise is a promise and she wasn't going to go back on her word.
"I'm ready, bring them on," Toph replied, feeling the vibrations in the sand as the waves rushed in towards them.
Hearing the water rushing closer and closer, Toph let out a small laugh as the water hit her, pushing her back a little. Hearing Suki laugh along with her, she felt a few smaller waves crash around her abdomen. "Can we go in a little deeper?"
"Sure," Suki happily replied, leading them deeper into the water.
Feeling a few more small waves wash over them, Toph felt more confident in the water and let go of Suki's hand. Still able to sense Suki near her, she laughed and jumped the waves, enjoying the cool water against her skin as she got to spend time with Suki.
"There's a really big wave coming," Suki said, holding on tightly to Toph's hand.
"I can sense it coming," Toph replied, taking a deep breath in.
Hearing the water rushing, Toph felt the wave hit them hard as it sent them both under the water, pushing them back onto the shore before the sand tried to pull them back into the water.
Lying on the wet sand, Toph could feel Suki's hand still in her own and when she felt a gentle squeeze and Suki's shoulder against her own, the butterflies in her stomach made themselves known. Swallowing the hard lump that had formed in her throat, Toph thought about how much she wanted to hold Suki in her arms but quickly dismissed the thought as she knew it would never happen.
"I set up a couple of towels in the shade earlier, if you want we can go and relax and dry in the sun," Suki suggested, feeling water gather around them as another wave broke against the shore.
"That sounds nice," Toph replied, letting go of Suki's hand to pull herself up off the wet sand.
Following Suki over to where she had laid out the towels, Toph let a small smile cross her face as she heard Suki tell her they were there. Lying down on one of the towels, Toph let herself relax as she listened to Suki gently humming.
Feeling the warmth of the sun on her body; Toph could sense that Suki was lying close to her. The mix of the salt water and Suki's familiar scent combined made Toph yearn to reach out and touch her, to feel Suki under her touch but she knew she had to refrain.
"Do you know how much I love you? You really are one of my closest friends," Suki said, turning her head so she could look at Toph.
Feeling her heart racing, Toph didn't know how to feel. Did Suki really just say that? What context was it meant in? Not wanting to draw it out any longer, Toph swallowed and replied. "I love you too."
Feeling Suki gently rubbing her arm, Toph took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. Her feelings were all over the place and she didn't know for how much longer she could keep them to herself. At times like these she wished Katara was around so she would have someone to talk to.
"When I said I love you, I meant it as more than just friends," Toph said after a few moments, knowing she had to be honest with herself no matter what the outcome would be.
"To be honest I feel the same way, I just didn't know how to go about it," Suki replied, sitting up on her towel so she was facing Toph.
Knowing that Suki had moved, Toph sat up and reached out, gently caressing Suki's cheek. "You are truly wonderful, Suki. You're kind, sweet, loving, and you're one of the best people I have ever met."
"I don't know what to say," Suki softly said, feeling her face flush. Licking her lips, Suki closed her eyes and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Toph's lips.
Feeling Suki's lips against her own for a moment, Toph wished that it lasted longer than it did.
"You don't know how long I've been wishing you'd do that for," Toph admitted, touching her fingertips to her lips. "That was very nice."
"It was," Suki agreed, a smile plastered on her face.
Lying back down on the towel, Toph smiled when she felt Suki pull her close. Closing her eyes, Toph let herself relax as the sun shone down on her. Her heart felt full and for the first time in a long time she felt as if she didn't need to keep her feelings to herself.
