The unease of the situation grew not only because of how Bolin parted ways with her, but because the thought of Mako with Asami pained her. How he looked at her after they kissed should have said it all, yet she still had hope that deep down he felt the same attraction for her as she did him. Finding out tonight wasn’t going to happen. They still needed to check out the competition, and Bolin had given her enough on her plate for one evening. 

With the uproar of eager fans beginning to funnel into the stadium, Korra nodded at Bolin’s suggestion, though her smile was weaker and wrought with uncertainty. He didn’t speak about last night. This should have been good – maybe he was even over it by now. They could go the entire evening without mentioning it and pretend that nothing happened. One big misunderstanding. No harm done. They were still going to be friends, and they could still hang out when it suited them. It was a comforting thought.

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem realistic.

Greeting some fans who managed to recognize them both had spared her from the worries that hung over her head, but it wasn’t for very long. Every time she managed to get a quick glance at him he appeared the same, lacking only in jokes and casual conversation that were a staple of his. And that, to her, was the most worrisome thing about this situation. Bolin wasn’t his usual self. There wasn’t a wisecrack to be heard, or a broad smile to be seen. Instead they just came to do what they planned to do. It felt professional of them, but also not who they were at their core. 

When they managed to find their seats, the distraction of navigating the stadium to get there had given her one less thing to pay attention to. It was just the two of them, more abnormal than she had ever thought possible. From here it seemed like everyone else around them was behaving genuinely. How she wished that she could have joined them. Unlike those that surrounded her, she sat perfectly still and uncomfortably tense. Her hopes that the game would alleviate her worry had failed, too, and she tried desperately to focus with no success.

Bolin tried again to try and bring some familiarity to the situation, as silent was one thing they weren’t used to being. Korra smiled weakly. [color=6495ED][b]“Yeah, they’re really going at it.”[/b][/color] In truth, she didn’t know what happened in the last five minutes. A strong shudder ran down her spine as he continued. [color=6495ED][b]“I got home okay,”[/b][/color] she said, voice dry and just barely audible over the cheers of the crowd with the excitable narration of Shiro Shinobi. [color=6495ED][b]“I… took my time, just thinking about things. About…”[/b][/color] 

Her voice left her, replaced by an apologetic glance in his direction. Something had to be done. If Bolin could be as hurt as he was and still manage to try, then it was up to her to try and meet him halfway. It was the least she could do. 

[color=6495ED][b]“I messed up last night, and I’m really sorry I didn’t clear things up at the time,”[/b][/color] she said breathlessly, shuddering again. [color=6495ED][b]“Something... Mako showed up, we talked and after that I was just… I can’t really explain it. I think that even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. That’s me trying to be honest, because the truth is… I didn’t quite see your affection for what it was before.”[/b][/color] Her gaze broke from his face, finding the caps of her knees and rooting themselves there. It was cathartic to speak her mind, but not by much. [color=6495ED][b]“Or maybe I didn’t want to believe it, even when you told me exactly how you felt before we went out. I was a jerk; I… wanted to feel better, and you were there… and that’s just not fair to you. It wasn’t right. But I know how I feel, and I didn’t feel for you like I did…did…”[/b][/color] 

Mako.

She couldn’t bring herself to say it yet, and yet Bolin had heard more than enough to put the pieces together. Silly as he was, he was far from stupid. How do you take hearing something like that and not become angry? All she could do now was brace for the worst.