My half-eaten slice of blackberry fruit pie sat in front of me. Aang was right. It was absolutely delicous. But, for some reason, I was losing my appetite. I scan my eyes over the crowd, which was now bigger than ever. The sun was just about to set, and the festival was at its peak.
I sigh as I rest my elbow on the table, cupping my chin in my hand. I was only with Aang once the entire night, and it was when we embraced at the bottom of the steps. As soon as we began to walk away together, one of the Earth kingdom generals practically pulled us apart. I haven't seen him since. I look up and I see a familiar blue tattoo peeking through the crowd. I stretch my neck up a little higher, to get a better look.
Well, now I see him. I got a good look at him. He was blushing, scratching the back of his neck as a bunch of fire nation girls stood around him. I angrily cross my arms over my chest.
"You'll get used to it…" Someone says next to me.
"Huh?" I say back, turning my head.
It was Mai. I guess I completely forgot she was there. She doesn't really do much to make her noticeable though.
"It's really funny, actually. A bunch of sad, lonely girls. So desperate." She says, giving a bored sigh. "Oh well."
I look through the crowd and see another cluster of girls. They separate for a split second, and I quickly notice his familiar scar.
"Looks like they got Zuko too." I say, trying hard not to suppress a smile. She just frowns.
"Yeah well, some girl is trying to hold your boyfriend's hand. At least they know Zuko is off limits. They can look, but if they touch, I'll be sure to show them my dagger collection." She says, tapping the side of her waist. I'm assuming that's where she keeps her knives.
"Well, he's not my boyfriend, so, he can do what he wants." I say.
"Oh, well. That's surprising." She says, yawning. "Probably the most surprising thing I've heard all night."
"Well good, be surprised. Why should I care that a bunch of little girls are fawning over him? It's not like they even have a chance with him. He wouldn't even give them the time of day." I say.
Mai chuckles. "It looks like he's giving them the time of day to me…"
"Good for them." I mumble, taking a sip of my cherry-lime juice.
She raises her eyebrows at me. "I just think you're jealous."
I nearly choke on my juice. "Me, jealous? That's ridiculous. Aang can do what he wants!"
"Well, you can sit here and watch your…whatever you call it…flirt with a bunch of prissy girls. I'm going to go rescue Zuko." She says, rising out of her chair. "Have fun…"
I roll my eyes and take another sip from my glass. I slump my shoulders and return to resting my elbow on the table. Maybe I should go over there…I mean, why should those girls have fun with my airbender while I sit here all by myself? I wince at what I just thought. My airbender. What, is he a possession now, Katara?
I sit up straight and smooth out my dress. No. Why should I have to go and throw myself at Aang? He's the one who's wasting this time we should be using together to spend it with random girls. He's the real problem here.
I glance back over to Aang. He had a bored look on his face, trying to obviously move away from a girl who was desperately clutching his arm. I could almost feel like there were flames behind my eyes.
Next thing I know, I am getting up from my chair, angrily pushing it behind me. I stomp around our table, clenching my hands into fists. I keep my eyes glued on Aang, who quickly notices me and automatically tries prying off the fire nation girl's death grip around his forearm. I am fuming, and soon enough I am not even a foot away.
"Excuse me! But I have been sitting over there all night waiting for him-." I yell, pointing my finger into Aang's chest. "-And here you are, holding onto him like some elbow leech!" She quickly lets go, her head looking down, shamefully. The other girls behind her start snickering.
"What are you girls laughing about? You're all just as guilty!" I scold them.
Aang puts his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. I shake it off.
"I'm leaving." I say, making my way towards the steps.
I reach the top of the steps, only to have Aang quickly grab my hand, forcing me back.
"Katara, please, don't leave. I didn't mean for those girls to crowd me like that… You of all people should know there's nothing to worry about." He says to me, giving me a little smile. I pull my hand away.
"Who says I care about you being surrounded by all those girls?" I say, instantly wishing I didn't. He just laughs, reaching for my hand again.
"No one said anything. Please, stay." He says, looking me in the eyes. I narrow my eyes in response.
"What's so funny?"
He laughs again, pulling me closer. "Nothing, it's just…I've never seen you jealous…"
"Oh! Well, if you think I'm so jealous, maybe it's better for you if I just stay out of your way!" I rip my hand out of his and storm down the hallway, making my way towards my room.
"Katara! Wait! I…I didn't mean that!" I hear him say, running after me. I quickly dash behind a pillar, and hear him run past me.
"What is wrong with me…?" He mumbles to himself, hitting his forehead with him palm. I peek from the side of the pillar, only to see him slowly sulk off, kicking a rock with his foot. Instead of going back towards the festival, he goes in the other direction, towards the garden. I come out from behind the pillar and follow him, watching him closely.
He walks down to the tree by the pond and sits there, staring at his reflection. He sits up straight and closes his eyes, moving his hands to his lap. Oh for the love of Hei Bai, is he really meditating right now? I roll my eyes and make my way over to him, sitting on the grass next to him. I examine his position closely, and try to mimic it. I close my eyes and try to empty my mind.
It is absolutely quiet. The only sounds I can hear are those faintly coming from the people celebrating a couple hundred feet away, Aang's deep breathing, the occasional rustle of the leaves above us, and the light swishing of the pond from the orange and white koi fish that reside there.
I open one eye towards Aang, stumbling back when I realize he was doing the same thing. We lean back and laugh, breaking our silence.
"You would make a good monk." He says, nudging my shoulder with his. "But…I don't think you'd look good bald."
"Don't forget the blue arrow. I definitely can't work that." I say, giggling.
"What? Got something against blue arrows?" He says, crossing his arms.
"Eh, they're all right." I say, shrugging my shoulders. His laugh pierces through the crisp air, giving me goose bumps.
He reaches over and takes my hand, holding it innocently. I lean on his shoulder, enjoying the peace. We sit like that for a while, until he slightly shifts away.
"Katara?" He asks.
"Hmm?" I mumble, missing my headrest.
"I'm sorry I said you were jealous…I didn't mean that." He says, looking down into his lap. "You have all the right to be angry with me."
I let out a light laugh and lay down on my stomach, my face near the edge of the pond. I dip my hand in it, letting the cool water soothe my skin.
"Maybe I got so mad because I was the tiniest bit jealous." I quietly say.
He lies down beside me, and twirls his finger lightly on the top of the pond as well.
"It's weird because, at first I didn't really understand what I was feeling. Then a minute ago, it hit me. I've felt it before." I say, touching a koi fish on its fin.
"What? When have you ever been jealous?" He says with a surprised tone in his voice.
"A few times actually. Kyoshi Island, when all those girls were swarming around you." I say.
"Way back then? But you just met me!" He says, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight.
"That's what made me even more confused. I didn't understand why it bothered me." I say. I glanced at Aang and noticed he was grinning.
"And then another time…during that secret dance party you threw for those fire nation kids. You and that one girl looked pretty good together." I say, mumbling the last part.
"What girl?" He says to me, looking confused.
"You know…the one you danced with?" I say.
"Oh…I guess the only girl I remember dancing with was with you…" He says, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. I couldn't help but do the same.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, when I think of a question.
"How many times have you been jealous?" He laughs, making me nervous.
"Well, I could tell you. But by then, the festival will be over." He stands up, offering me a hand. "Want to go back?"
I smile up at him, and gently take his hand. We begin to walk up the steps when, suddenly, Aang stops. He turns and looks at me, a somewhat frustrated look on his face.
"Katara…what exactly are we right now?" He says, his voice quiet.
"What do you mean?" I ask, slightly confused. I didn't really know what we were, except happy. I was happy. The war was over; everything was the way it should be.
"I mean, are we together or…not?" He says, looking at me intently, waiting for an answer.
"I…I don't know. I think so…" I say, shifting my eyes. "But, I don't want to rush things Aang. I like it the way it is."
"Last night…that kiss… you said you were confused not even a week ago on Ember Island. Why…why did you change your mind?" He says.
I ponder his question for a moment, thinking of a good answer.
"I don't think I ever really changed my mind Aang…I think it has always been made up, or at least a lot longer than just a week ago."
"So, what you're saying is… you liked me before last night?" He says, his eyes still on me. I impatiently sigh.
"Of course I liked you Aang, why in the world would you think otherwise? I know I may have seemed to lead you on at times, but I hope you never took it that way. This is all new to me…" I say, reaching for his other hand. He smiles at me and pulls me closer.
"I know you may not like this but I want to take things slow. I want to be able to be happy and enjoy my time with you without having people bothering us, or pushing us together." I say, rolling my eyes, thinking of the thousands of conversations I had tonight that had 'you' and 'Aang' in the same sentence.
"I understand. As long as I finally know where we stand, anything works for me." He says, suddenly giving me a sly smile. I raise my eyebrows.
"But…the occasional kiss would be nice."
I let out a small laugh and lean into him, gently touching his lips with mine. It was sweet, lasting not too long, but not too short either. We pull away and embrace, him sighing deeply into my hair.
"Katara…?" He says, pulling away. I smile at him, waiting for him to continue his question.
"What do you think Sokka will do when he finds out about us?" He says, nervously biting his lip.
I giggle a little and peck him on the cheek.
"I don't know and I don't care. Sokka probably won't care, or even notice." I say.
"Well, I'm not so sure if he would care or not, but I'm positive he would notice this any day." Aang says, leaning towards me, pressing his lips hard against mine.