His eyes traveled from the arena, back to Korra as she wrestled with her thoughts. He was glad to hear she made it back okay. Amon and his supporters could be dangerous, even if Korra was the Avatar, they could have caught her off guard. If something had happened to her, he would never have been able to forgive himself. Bolin took a deep breath and began to divert his attention back to the two fighting teams in front of them but Korra spoke up. The earth bender felt tense, as he had been avoiding this talk for as long as possible but it was inevitable. It had to be. They [i]had[/i] to talk about things. Pretending they were okay, was not okay.

Even if it was uncomfortable and painful.

Friends didn't just bail or ignore the first sign of trouble.

He could sense her anxiety and it in turn was making his own muscles cramp up. There were new knots forming in his chest as Korra tried to explain what she could, to the best of her ability. Bolin tried to follow her logic though it was disjointed. [b][color=seagreen]"I...see."[/color][/b] He said with much difficulty when she mentioned not knowing about his affection for her. She glanced down, feeling all the more embarrassed. It wasn't often that Bolin doubted himself, but in that moment, he had to compare himself to Mako and wonder what it was that his brother had, that Bolin didn't. Maybe it wasn't a trait, as much as it was something else. 

As Korra continued to push through her words, he listened intently though it felt like he was somewhere else, on some big mountain somewhere, only hearing a faint voice. Even the roar of the crowd around them fell on deaf ears. It was like his whole world had become muted and grey and he had no place he belonged. Nowhere to go. Bolin swallowed. [b][color=seagreen]"Yeah, you like Mako. I get it."[/color][/b] He said it so simply, so casually even though it punctured his heart. He eyelids were half-open as he glanced off, a slight smile of pain and acceptance gracing his lips. Bolin brought up his arm and rubbed the back of his neck. [b][color=seagreen]"I can't hold your feelings against you, Korra...or your lack of feelings, in this case."[/color][/b]

[b][color=seagreen]"You know, if you had just been honest with me, up front, I would have still taken you out as a friend. It didn't have to be a...date."[/color][/b] Bolin told her, his voice slowly returning to him as he finally looked to Korra, his pained smile gone, replaced with an unusual seriousness. [color=seagreen][b]"I like you Korra, a lot. But we've only known each other a short time."[/b][/color] He considered. [color=seagreen][b]"I still want to be friends with you and I'll deal with my own feelings and make sure they don't get in the way of us being friends. I just don't see why you thought you had to get in the middle of Mako and Asami's relationship."[/b][/color] He thought aloud as he looked back to the match in front of them as there was a break for both teams to get some water and catch their breath.

[b][color=seagreen]"You had no right to kiss him. It's fine if you don't like me but Mako and Asami are together and you have to respect their decision. If Mako had any feelings toward you, they don't matter when he's with Asami. I've tagged along on some of their dates, don't judge me I was hungry, and they make each other really happy. I know it hurts to watch someone you think you like, like someone else."[/color][/b] He slowed down to collect his remaining thoughts. [b][color=seagreen]"I just think after all Asami has done for you-for us, you would have treated her better. And I thought as friends, you owed me some honesty in not wanting to go on a date, instead of leading me on. Maybe I should have been more open about what I thought last night was but I thought your signals spoke for themselves. But I was wrong."[/color][/b]

Bolin didn't have much else to say on the matter. [b][color=seagreen]"Do you regret kissing Mako?"[/color][/b] He couldn't help but ask her quietly. He didn't think she did but he was curious to see where her thoughts were. Did she think it was a mistake or did she still think that kiss was the right thing to do?