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late, but it’s fine
Freshly straightened platinum blonde hair tugged into a tight ponytail. Sharply angled eyeliner. A swipe of bright lip gloss.
Yue feels like a queen.
Glancing at Katara through the glass of the mirror they’re sharing, Yue takes a moment to appreciate her friend’s curly hair, blue mascara, and tight jeans.
“Damn. We look good,” Katara notes, poking her tongue out at her reflection in the mirror playfully.
Flicking her ponytail over her shoulder, Yue nods in agreement, crossing the room to tug on her jean jacket. “I hope so. Otherwise we’ve just wasted two hours.”
Pocketing her phone and glancing at herself one last time, Katara laughs before following suit and reaching for her sweater. “Being with you is never a waste of my time,” she says, looping her arm through Yue’s.
“I’m glad to hear it.” With a smile, Yue escorts her friend out to where Zuko’s waiting for them in the living room. “Are you ready to third wheel, Zuko?” She can’t help but tease.
With a good natured groan, Zuko glances up at them from where he’s sitting on the couch. He reaches for his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her onto his lap. “You know that I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you’re the one who’s gonna be third wheeling, Yue.”
“Not in my apartment.” Yue’s brows knit into a glare as Katara slips a hand under Zuko’s shirt with an innocent smile.
Quickly running her fingers through Zuko’s dark hair, Katara presses one last kiss to his lips before inclining her head toward the door. “Let’s go.”
one conversation, he’s kinda her type
Striding down the street in her tall heels with her two best friends by her side. Tossing her ponytail as soon as she flashes her ID and gains entrance to the club. Ignoring the interested looks she receives in favor of sipping her drink in peace.
Yue feels confident as hell.
For a good portion of the night, Zuko and Katara danced together, but now they’ve found a dark corner to makeout in, and Yue doesn’t bother attempting to find them.
Drink in hand, Yue stands off to the side and scrolls through her phone, not entirely willing to step out of her comfort zone and mingle with others. She’s content as is, not necessarily unwilling to dance, but lacking a partner now that Katara’s cozied up for the night with Zuko.
She’s content as is… until she sees him.
His hair is dark and unruly. His lips are twisted into an amused smirk. His body is lean beneath his collared shirt.
And he’s looking right at her.
When he finally sidles up beside her and dips his head down to whisper, “Hey, beautiful,” she blushes and fiddles with her silver hoop earrings.
Her mind goes blank, yet she doesn’t struggle too long to come up with a coherent response. “Do you use that line on every girl you hit on?” The question is a bit more bold than she’s ever dared to ask before, but she finds that she doesn’t regret it.
“Nah.” When he shakes his head, a few strands of hair slip to cover his eyes. “Only the special ones.”
She’s forced to look away so that her blush is less apparent. “I don’t like you already.”
A finger under her chin tilts her head upward, and then she’s lost in his eyes. “Now, sweetheart, we both know that that’s not true.” His teeth glint under the club lights. “I’m Jet.”
Her lashes brush lightly against her cheeks. “Yue.”
she met him last night
Blurry vision. Jet’s dashing smile. Bad ideas. He seems kinda funny. Another glass is poured. He’s kinda her type. Drunken thoughts.
Yue feels as though Jet’s got to be one of her worst decisions yet.
Last night, she had no idea that meeting a handsome rogue at a club and getting absolutely smashed in the process were in the cards for her evening.
Yet here she is, snaking her arms around his neck, tilting her head back for more as his hands dance along the curve of her waist.
This is a bad idea. He’s a bad idea.
Even so, she doesn’t regret this a single bit. Through the clouded thoughts of her mind, she decides that she’ll enjoy this night while she can, but she’ll avoid him like a plague afterward.
If she sees him ever again, she’ll undoubtedly cave to his persuasive charm, and she’s well aware that deals with the devil always fall through.
don’t believe in him
Hungover with a splitting headache. Alone, curled up on her bathroom floor. Several missed calls from both Zuko and Katara. A bottle of painkillers and a full glass of water left on her kitchen table.
Yue feels as though she’s been hit by a train.
Blinking once, then twice, in an attempt to clear her vision, she pulls herself upward, bracing her body against the bathroom sink. Her mind is drowned in an alcohol-induced haze as she tries to recall what happened last night.
Zuko and Katara. Drinks. Clubbing. Jet. Dancing. More drinks. Jet making sure she got home safe via an Uber.
Stumbling into the kitchen, she downs half of the glass before popping a dose of the painkillers and chasing it down with the remaining water.
After a quick texting exchange with Katara, it’s decided that the three will meet up and get brunch together.
The strands of her once perfect ponytail are now slipping from their position atop her head, and her once pristine wings of eyeliner are smudging at the corners of her eyes. Once she’s downed another glass of water, she heads back to the bathroom, intent on taking a quick shower and getting ready for brunch with her friends.
Setting her phone back down on the counter, she tries not to think about the unsaved number that’s sitting at the top of her notifications.
Jet.
Jet who took her home last night. Jet who didn’t try anything untoward with her despite her vulnerable state. Jet with his dashing smile. Jet who left her water and painkillers to help combat her hangover when she woke up. Jet who simply can’t be good because all her instincts are screaming that he isn’t.
Anyone with a smirk so disarming must be a player… Right?
Quickly shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she steps into the shower, mascara running down her cheeks and hot water coursing along her skin.
though it ain’t right
Chatting with Zuko and Katara at brunch. Pointedly ignoring Jet’s texts. Eating delicate spoonfuls of her parfait as though she didn’t wake up as a hungover mess just a little over an hour ago.
Yue feels as though she’s on a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Who were you with last night, Yue?” Katara asks curiously, nibbling on her chocolate croissant.
Heart seizing in her chest, Yue’s quick to reply, “Nobody.”
Zuko’s look turns suspicious. “… Yue?”
With a sigh, Yue sets her spoon down, unable to meet either of her friends’ gazes. “Katara, what was the name of that guy you were talking to in college?”
“Haru?” Katara’s brows furrow. “Aang?” She sets down her croissant. “Jet?”
A blush dusts across Yue’s cheeks at the name. “Yeah… I spent some time with him last night. I didn’t recognize him at first, or else I probably wouldn’t have spoken with him.”
“Not a bad choice. He’s a cool guy.” The look that Katara wears turns sly. “I never knew that tall, dark jerks were your type, Yue.”
“Aren’t they yours too?” Yue pouts, inclining her head toward Zuko.
“Damn, Yue,” Zuko laughs. “I think I’m offended.”
With a shrug, Yue eats another spoonful of her parfait. “I’m not wrong, am I?”
“… No. Not at all.”
Zuko and Katara exchange glances once more while Yue pointedly ignores them.
“That’s what I thought.” With her friends’ approval, she finally saves Jet’s number to her phone.
she thinks she loves him
A party at Zuko’s apartment to celebrate his engagement to Katara. A flattering plum dress that clings to her curves in a way that boosts her confidence. A pair of silver drop earrings that dangle from her ears daintily. A man who admires her from across the room with blatant intention. A drink in hand to provide some liquid courage.
Yue feels as though she’s walking on clouds.
Glancing at him subtly through her blackened lashes, she makes polite conversation with Katara’s big brother, Sokka, while waiting for him to approach her. When he finally whisks her away from Sokka, she’s relieved, and he slots his body against hers in a way that’s become comfortingly familiar over the past few months.
“Hey, beautiful,” Jet whispers, tickling her ear lightly. “Miss me?”
Twisting in his arms so that she can thread her fingers through his unruly waves, Yue blushes. Despite how long they’ve been dating, she still has yet to get used to his brazen flirtation. “You don’t give me much opportunity to miss you, Jet,” she replies back as teasingly as she can manage.
WIth a smooth arch of his brow, Jet dips further into her personal space, briefly touching her nose with his. “Is that so?” He tilts his head slightly, his lips gently skimming her jawline. “Should I be giving you more opportunities to miss me, then?”
Her grip on his hair tightens as she shakes her head breathlessly, “No.”
“Don’t get too drunk tonight,” he teases, his hands finally coming to rest on her waist. “You’re no fun when you’re hungover.”
Yue gasps when his tongue darts out to trace along her collarbone. “You’re never fun.”
Shaking his head fondly, Jet glances up at her and flashes his teeth knowingly, “I beg to differ.”
“You always do.”
That night under Zuko’s living room lights, glasses of wine rest on the coffee table. The small party is in full swing as those attending engage in polite conversation while Katara and Zuko receive their friends’ congratulations on their engagement.
Dancing across the carpeted floors, Yue and Jet sway together, both lost in their own little world.