Korra and Asami

20: Surprises

"Her?" Korra's jaw dropped at the admission, not believing what she heard.

Kuvira halted in her actions and looked at the avatar in confusion, "Is it that hard to believe that I also like women?"

The avatar's face turned red, "N-no! I mean, I just didn't expect it that's all. But I mean, now thinking of your demeanor and personality. . ."

Kuvira laughed loudly, continuing to put her things away, "Well it's the truth, but she and I were complicated."

Korra tilted her head in curiosity, "I thought you loved Bataar."

Kuvira smiled softly, "I do, but that doesn't mean I ever stopped loving Amara. I know that whatever Bataar and I had is over, sad as it is, but that might've been a good thing."

Korra sat crisscrossed on the floor eagerly waiting to hear more, "So. . . how were you and this, Amara complicated?"

Kuvira hesitated in telling her, not embarrassed of also liking women but not wanting to overshare or burden the Avatar with such stories.

Korra seemed to understand, smiling, "Kuvira, you can talk to me. We're friends."

Kuvira was delighted to hear that, deciding to tell her, "Amara was one of the locals on the outskirts of Zaofu, a server at her father's restaurant. This was before Bataar, years before. There was just something about her. Her family had so little, close to nothing and it was obvious but she was so happy and carefree, like she had everything she ever wanted in life already. At the time, I wasn't mentally okay. I was hot-headed and miserable all the time but when I stepped foot in that restaurant and saw the way she acted, the way she moved, the relationship she had with her father. . . I wanted that. A life of simplicity and happiness, of feeling wanted and loved, because if someone who grew up with almost nothing can achieve that, why couldn't I?"

Korra was listening intently, enjoying the way Kuvira told her story.

Kuvira chuckled a little, "I sat there for hours, having finished my food a long time ago but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. If anything, I wanted to be friends with her at the time, romance hadn't even yet crossed my mind, not with another woman anyway. I don't know if it was me watching her or the expression on my face but she approached me at my table and sat across from me smirking."

Kuvira sighed, blushing lightly, "I was a little rude to her at first. She told me I had been staring at her most of the evening and, of course, I was but I didn't think she noticed and I snapped at her, telling her that I wasn't and that she was imagining things but she didn't get upset, she just smiled and told me I looked like I needed a friend. That's pretty much where it all started.  After that, I would go to the restaurant often. She would work and after, we would spend time together, talking, and laughing, sometimes after a hard day in Zaofu she would find me by the river and sit with me, telling me how one day she wanted a nice house overlooking the valley, that if she ever wanted to live with anyone, it would be me, and I indulged her of course but I realized later on how she meant it."

"So, when did you two start, you know?" Korra asked, wanting to hear where the romance began.

"Well, that's the thing, it was more of an unspoken longing I guess you can say. Over time, our hugs got longer, the touches on each other hands and arms would linger, our faces would be mere inches apart whenever we spoke but we never really did anything about it. I was young, confused and so serious all the time, I knew I was starting to feel something I just didn't know what and it scared me. I imagine she also didn't know what she was feeling either."

Suddenly Kuvira's demeanor changed and her shoulders sagged, "Then I ruined it."

Korra was a little taken aback, "How?"