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Zelda was beyond excited. She’d cooked a whole dinner for them following a recipe from her great grandmother, something she thought he’d really like. She’d picked out a wine that should pair perfectly, something she thought she’d really like. And she bought a whole chocolate cake from a local bakery, something she knew they both really liked. Staring at the table, she nearly giggled to herself.
There was a red tablecloth, and heart-shaped plates she ordered online, and heart-shaped confetti in a vase in the middle of the table. And red and pink candles, and red cushions on the chairs, and romantic music playing, and… and gods, he was going to lose it when he saw this.
She knew he would’ve been happy to take her out to a fancy restaurant after a night of dancing; buy an expensive bottle of wine, bring her a huge bouquet of flowers, a big pink fluffy stuffed bear with a heart that said ‘I love you’ (even though neither of them had said the same yet). But… well, she was more comfortable spending it at home. Then she could prepare everything how she wanted, and she could feel comfortable, and they wouldn’t have to dress up. And… and she wouldn’t have to worry about her family finding out.
Because of who her father was, there was little Zelda could do in public without word getting back to her family, whether by acquaintances or tabloids. And if she were to show up someplace with a man? Oh, the scandal of it! Who was he? What was his name? What did he do for work? Did he come from money? She got overwhelmed just thinking about it. No; for now, this was just for them.
Like it had been for the last year.
But Link didn’t really complain about it. He’d only mentioned it the one time, and her explanation had seemed to sate him, so… Their first Valentine’s Day would be spent at her apartment. And she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.
-
Link was… apprehensive. He’d bought her flowers and chocolates, ones he knew she liked. He’d brought some of his favorite movies, ones he knew he liked. And he was planning on saying three words that… well, that he was hoping they’d both like equally. Staring at her door, he nearly threw up.
She let him in and everything was pink and red and cheesy, including her grinning cheeks, which he promptly kissed (only after the door was closed). She’d put her hair up, showing off a delicate gold chain necklace he had bought for her birthday, and she looked prettier than ever, somehow. Maybe it was the soft candlelit ambiance.
They ate a delicious dinner she’d made, one of her great grandmother’s recipes (whom he hadn’t met). They drank the wine that only amplified and accentuated the delicious flavors from dinner (that was entirely private). They had chocolate cake from a local bakery (that he would’ve loved to take her to himself). And it was great, but somehow bland.
After dinner, they sat on the couch in front of her TV and watched a movie. It was corny and romantic, some old rom com he’d told her about, and she liked it just as much as he thought she would. And it was great, but somehow lacking.
After the movie, they went to her room to do what had made them fall for each other in the first place: listen to music. Zelda had a vintage record player and a vast selection of vinyl, some old and some new. That was how he’d met her, in fact; bopping her head to some niche death metal in a tiny old record store, not a care in the world. And with time, he’d learned that when she was listening to music was maybe the only time she was so carefree. She could be stressed about work, or her parents, or whatever was on the news, but all of that would melt away as soon as she put a record on.
As always, they brought some pillows down to the floor and laid right in front of the speakers, listening to one of their favorite albums. He’d always liked metal before, but something about the way she liked it made him love it. And it was great, but… it was almost enough to make him forget about what he’d come here to say.
“Hey, Zelda?” he said nervously, turning over to face her once they’d finished the first side of the record she’d put on.
“Hm?” She rolled onto her side to look at him, too. And her eyes were so beautiful and happy and, as always, laying like this made him think about waking up with her this way. Which made him think about living with her.
“When do you think we’ll… y’know…” he started, not at all saying what he’d wanted to say.
She blinked at him, then her face lit up and she laughed. “I mean, we can now if you want to. Do you want me to put on another record first, or…?”
“No, no, not that ,” he said, his face turning red. “I meant, um… telling your family.”
Her face fell instantly. “Link, you know how I feel about that and why I want to wait.”
“I know, I know, I just…” He sighed, turning onto his back again. “I just want to be able to call you mine. In front of people, you know?”
She was quiet for a minute. “Is that a deal breaker for you?”
“Zelda…”
“Is it?”
It was his turn to be quiet.
“What if it was?”
She was quiet again, and he started to regret having said anything. Nervously, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was staring at him, and her eyes were hard. They were hurt. But… but so was he.
“I should go,” he said quietly, then got up and pulled his shoes on and left. And she didn’t make any moves to stop him.
-
There were a million and one things she’d wanted to say when he got up to leave, and for some reason, she couldn’t force herself to say any of them. After a few minutes lying on her floor still, blanketed by silence and disappointment, she pulled out her phone. She needed to talk to someone, and for some reason, her mother was the first person that came to mind.
-
When Zelda called him, sobbing, he had no choice. Of course he’d go to console her, and they could talk about it, and… and he’d already decided it wasn’t a deal breaker to him. That he could stand to wait longer, for her.
He stood in front of her door, wanting to throw up for an entirely different reason than the last time. She’d just said she wanted to talk, which was one of the most terrifying things anyone can ever say to a person. Sure, he’d decided he was fine with it, but what if she was getting cold feet? What if she changed her mind?
When she opened the door, he could tell immediately by her face that she had changed her mind. Well, both her face, and the room full of people behind her, chattering away. The people that he vaguely recognized from family photos in her apartment or on her social media.
“Hi,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile.
“Hey,” he said, his grin unavoidable as he glanced past her at the full house. “So?”
“I changed my mind.”
“Oh, yeah?” He said, grinning even broader.
“Oh, yeah.” She took a step forward, and he pulled her into his arms.
“You didn’t have to,” he said into her hair.
“Of course I had to, Link. I love you. And I can’t be afraid of that anymore.”
“Oh, gods, Zelda,” he breathed. “I love you, too.”
“Hey, lovebirds,” her father called from the living room. “Are you going to come in and drink with us, or what?”
-
