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Do it. I dare you."
Kya raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Excuse me?"
Bumi grinned roguishly. "Go talk to Linny."
"You know she hates it when you call her that."
Bumi shrugged. "Listen, I've been watching you stare longingly at her for the past ten minutes. Just go talk to her."
Kya blushed. "I've already talked to her."
"There's no rule saying you can only talk to someone one time when you see them." Bumi leaned towards his sister, elbowing her gently. "C'mon, don't be a chicken-pig. Go over there."
Kya looked over at where Lin was seated on the ground, her legs crossed and her eyes closed, breathing deeply and slowly. "What do I even say?"
"Well, whatever you're thinking." Bumi tapped at Kya's head, chuckling when she swatted his hand away. "What are you thinking now?"
Kya watched as the wind tousled Lin's dark hair, the sensation enough of distraction to make Lin furrow her brow slightly. She tucked her hair behind her ear, hand brushing against and then pausing at the freshly healed wounds on her face. Kya watched as Lin's entire body tensed for a moment before she took a very slow and deliberate breath, forcing herself to relax back into her meditation.
Kya let out a sigh that was less slow, less deliberate, but just as heavy. "She's beautiful."
Bumi's teasing grin softened. "Then just say that." He nudged Kya forward. "Go on. Do it. I dare you. No! I double dare you. Triple dare you! Quadru -!"
"Okay, okay," Kya laughed. "I'll go. I'll talk to her." She clenched her fists, a look of determination settling on her face. "I can do this."
Bumi threw his fist in the air. "Hell yeah you can!"
Kya nodded firmly and began her march towards the tree Lin had chosen as her meditation spot. Each step brought her closer and closer to the most amazing girl in the world, and she could feel her confidence bleeding out with each one. By the time she reached Lin her stride was less of a march and more of a shuffle. She stood still for a few long moments, coming up with and discarding what seemed to be a million conversation starters. What could she possibly say to this woman?
Lin spoke without opening her eyes. "Is there a reason you're blocking the sun, Kya? I might be paler than you but I don't burn easy."
"Oh, sorry." Kya stepped to the side, making sure her shadow didn't fall on Lin.
A few more moments passed before Lin spoke again. "Was there something you wanted to say?"
By the spirits what didn't she want to say? There was so much that she wanted to say that she had no clue what to say. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open and her heart pounding. She wondered if Lin could feel it's vibrations through the Earth.
Right as she was about to give up, make some flimsy excuse about some waterbending something and flee, she happened to glance in Bumi's direction. He was frantically tapping at his head with his index fingers.
Whatever you're thinking.
"Can you feel how fast my heart is beating," Kya blurted out.
Lin opened her eyes, turning her head slightly to look at Kya. She took her hands out of her lap, placing her palms flat on the ground. "Yes." She raised an eyebrow. "Is it always that fast?"
Kya shook her head, her gaze on the ground. "Only when I'm near you."
The next few moments were so quiet that Kya had to look up just to make sure Lin was still there. But she was, hey eyes wide, her cheeks pink and her body as still as the stone she commanded. Kya chuckled awkwardly. "Right. Um. Yeah. I'm just gonna-." Gonna run back to Bumi and yell at him for encouraging her to talk to Lin. She raised her hand, pointing her thumb at her stupid, stupid, stupid brother. "I'm just gonna go and-." Her sentence broke off with a gasp as she felt a warm hand encircle her wrist.
Lin was on her feet in front of Kya. Her grip on Kya's wrist was gentle as she brought Kya's hand to rest against her sternum. Lin's heart fluttered wildly under Kya's touch, matching her own beat for beat. Lin cleared her throat. "My heart beats fast when you're around, too."
Kya grinned, her hand keeping it's place on Lin's chest while the other found its way to Lin's shoulder.
Whatever you're thinking.
"I want to kiss you."