walked on the beach
"Do you want to go for a walk with me?" asked Ty Lee, toying with a lock of her sand-stained hair.
They were on Ember Island and everything had become complicated. Pretending that there was nothing between them became impossible, and Ty Lee wanted to make moves towards a beautiful relationship. They could be together and she knew it.
Azula was less interested. She wanted it, but she did not at the same time. It was a distraction when she needed to focus, because she could not stop ruminating – she could not stop wondering about what could be.
Now they were together alone on a sun porch, and Azula was trying to keep to herself. Of course, Ty Lee barged in ready to occupy herself. Occupy herself with Azula, apparently.
"No, and I never will," replied Azula in the most callous way she could muster. It made Ty Lee openly cringe. "I have no idea why you keep trying to do whatever it is you're doing."
"I'm trying to have fun with you because I think you're fun and I think I like to have fun and I love you, you know." Ty Lee stopped when she realized the difference between saying I love you when they were just friends, and saying I love you when they were something else.
Ty Lee turned away from the sunlight and knelt down. She sat casually but it felt very much like a cat rolling on its back to show utter submission. Azula did not notice; she found it quite ordinary.
"Of course you do. I think perhaps we could do something together at some point in time," Azula said. She was breathless, a very rare state for her. "But I will not walk on that beach with you."
Ty Lee did not know why Azula resisted.
Azula did; she wanted to evade confronting the confusion of romantic interest in your best friend and, honestly, underling. That was not supposed to happen. Romance did not mix with what she and Ty Lee were.
So, a walk on the beach would be admitting that cold truth.
Ty Lee did not want to admit that her princess would never be hers.
She did not want to face the facts either, and neither did Azula.