"There you are!" Aang calls brightly to me as I approach the morning camp fire, where everyone else is gathered and cooking breakfast. The Duke is poaching some Lemur eggs and Sokka is polishing his meteor blade. Teo is chatting animatedly to Toph, who is only half listening, her hand feeling the earth carefully.
Zuko is no where. His absence is the only thing I really take in, apart from Aang's radiant smile. I return it shyly and walk over to him. We share a hug and I feel his heart through his warm skin. I breathe in his familiar smell and release my tension.
"It feels like I haven't spoken to you in ages." He confesses quietly, a smile still playing across his young face.
"Well we'd better make up for the time we've lost…" I tell him, and I take his hand. Everyone apart from Sokka, who is still glued to his sword, is watching. But I don't fully take this in either.
My gaze falls to our gently clasped hands, wondering how they got there, remembering the months we had tip toed around each other, the nights I would lie awake and think to myself: Will tomorrow be the day?
I've waited so long for our hands to belong to one another, but now… how can I be sure this is what I want?
His arrow disappears beneath our clasped fingers, hiding. I feel dizzy and disorientated as the dream I woke from last night suddenly resurfaces…
Skin grazing on skin…
Lips blessing lips…
Shouts of joy…
Handfuls of sheets pouring through my clutching fingers…
"I love you…"
Aang's soft grey eyes penetrate mine. I am shaken, but I manage to force a smile. It makes my cheeks ache. I brush my hair away from my face with my free hand and tighten my grip on his.
Aang is who I should be with. It fits. We've been through everything together. Zuko has been plaguing us for nearly a year, and has only just walked into our lives without wanting to kill us. What connection do I have with him?
"Do you want to go for a walk?" I ask him silkily, smiling properly now, feeling my affection for him rise up from the soles of my feet, making me suddenly want to throw my arms around him, and kiss him full on the lips, even in front of Sokka, who finally pipes up:
"Oh just get outta here, you crazy kids in love!"
The tension of everyone watching us beadily is broken. We all laugh, Aang and I blushing together and we finally set off , making the group promise to save us some egg.
"You know I'm not sure I'll even want to eat some of that egg…" Aang tells me thoughtfully, "It'd be like eating Momo!"
"He'll never know they're Lemur eggs." I assure him, but within seconds of saying this there's a huge screech, that sounds like Momo in distress and we hear the Duke crying out in surprise. Momo is obviously cleverer than he acts…
"Uh oh..." Aang mumbles, looking over his shoulder as I giggle quietly, "Maybe I should go and help…"
"They'll be fine, plus I don't want you to go…" I confess, looking him straight in the eyes. We slow and before I know it, Aang's hand is in mine again.
This time I am not confused. I'm elated, bubbling up inside until it feels like I'm going to burst into song. I can't stop the smile on my face, and Aang mirrors it, blushing slightly.
"There's no need for blushing now…" I tell him softly, raising my free hand to touch his pink cheek. My fingers must have felt like a butterfly landing gently on his face. He closes his eyes at my touch and it's as though his lips are just pulling mine towards them.
They look so soft and welcoming…what can I do but kiss him?
I close my eyes, and lean forwards. It feels as if I'm just falling through darkness, but I'll reach the light soon…
"Avatar! We need to resume training!"
A blink of an eye and my hand is away from Aang's face as if I had been electrocuted. My eyes are wide open as we look to the top of a hill where Zuko's voice had cut through the crisp morning air. I flush red, not being able to draw my eyes away from him, the night before flashing before me again.
Is he looking at me? He's too far away to tell…
"Come on," He calls again and pauses before saying, "You can finish all of that later."
Aang's eyes apologize to me as he slinks off, his hand leaving mine so it's cold and empty, too big for the space surrounding it. He fits.
I'm so angry, I can't believe how livid that boy can make me. He awakens something inside me and it scares me to death.
It scares me to death how I want to hurt someone, but love them, wrap my arms around and kiss them until my heart stops beating at the same time.