Trickle [Sokka - Book One]

⚝Chapter Sixteen⚝

Eimi always loved Navrek's house. It was small and tidy. He was an only child, and it was just him and his mother. His father had died when he was nine and Eimi was six. After that, Navrek stopped talking to her for a little bit. He finally talked to her again when she cornered him outside of the palace. They spoke every single day, whether it be for a minute or for hours.

The house was small, with only four rooms. There were two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a small bathroom. Navrek's bedroom was at the end of the house, right next to the kitchen. They had snuck many snacks into his room from the kitchen for many years. However, he didn't stop by the kitchen, instead walking right into his room. 

His room almost matched hers. It barely had anything tacked up on the walls. There was only a bed shoved in the farthest corner, right underneath the small window. A dresser sat next to the bed, and a tiny desk was in the other corner. Maps piled on top of each other on the desk, and it looked like he had fallen asleep multiple times there. Some were tipping toward the floor while others were crinkled.

"Are you planning on going somewhere?" Eimi asked, her fingers trailing the lines that were etched into the top map.

"I told you already," he said, appearing behind her. His hand plucked hers off of the map and said, "Don't touch my maps."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. You want to travel the world."

Eimi turned around and was surprised to be so close to him. His chest rose and fell right in front of her eyes, so she tilted her head up to be able to see his eyes. She was trapped in between him and the desk. His hands pressed against the side of the desk as he whispered, "Yes. I would love to see the world."

"Me too."

"But I think I'm looking at her."

Eimi's heart suddenly picked up speed. He was staring down at her, something battling in his eyes. She didn't know where to place her hands, so she gently rested them on his chest. His heart rate was elevated, too. 

"I'm nothing special," she whispered, her lips barely moving. She had the sudden urge to use them in a different way. "I'm just -"

"You're Eimi," he said softly. "You're the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe. You're the prettiest girl I have ever seen. You are so funny and smart."

"Is there anything else you're forgetting?" she teased. However, she grew serious as he brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Navrek . . ."

"Yes?"

She gripped his parka and pulled him down. Eimi had never kissed a boy before. It was a strange feeling having his lips on hers, having his hands cup her cheeks. He seemed to know what he was doing. She didn't know a thing about kissing or anything romantic, but he didn't say anything. He didn't even pull away. Instead, he pushed her against the desk. Her legs were a little wobbly, so she fell against the maps. They went flying as she reached back to catch herself.

"Are you okay?" Navrek asked after pulling away from her. "I didn't mean to do that."

Eimi could barely talk. Her eyes were still shut, picturing him still kissing her. She had to nod to tell him that she was fine. He touched her arm before pulling her away from the desk. The crinkle of paper told her that he was grabbing them from off the ground.

"Are they okay?" she asked, finally opening her eyes. Navrek looked back at her with a small smile. She didn't know when he had become that handsome. 

"Yeah, they're fine," he answered. 

Eimi didn't know what she would do if she stood next to him, so she stayed near his bed. A pang of guilt hit her as she thought of another kiss she witnessed. She still had tiny, minuscule feelings for Sokka. However, he didn't know that she felt that way. She wanted to keep it that way, but she could almost see herself with Sokka.