Zelda's POV
As I gradually awaken from my slumber, I find myself nestled in Link's arms. Our skin is covered in a thin layer of sweat, gluing our bodies together. With the soft, gentle rays of sunlight pouring into the room, I can now see all the traces of dirt and grime on our skin that we failed to rinse off last night.
Feeling the need to freshen up, I attempt to remove myself from Link's hug but he refuses to let me go.
"Don't," he protests in a mumble.
"Honey, I have dried mud on my elbow," I argue. "And you have some on your right hand."
He moves his hand from my thigh to my chest and gives me a sleepy smirk. "Now you have some on your right boob."
I playfully roll my eyes at his childish remark, unable to suppress a small smile that tugs at the corners of my lips. In this fleeting exchange, I'm reminded of the simple joy of being with someone who knows how to make me smile.
I stay put and enjoy Link's presence until he's ready to start the day two hours later. After everything that happened yesterday, a profound transformation has taken hold within me, allowing me to shed my insecurities and abandon the need to hide my body from Link.
I don't know what I was scared of before, but it's a relief to know that nothing has changed between us since yesterday. If anything, I feel closer to him than ever before. I might even be ready to take the next step with him. But I know there's no rush.
I'm in a new state of mind. It's liberating to be my true self with someone, free of the fear of judgment. All the cards are on the table and we have both come to accept each other the way we are.
If his family wasn't around, perhaps I would have shared today's bath with him. But just the thought of his uncle, or worse, his father walking in on us in such an intimate moment ignites a flush of embarrassment on my cheeks. It makes me imagine the potential consequence of such actions, which is exactly why Link and I didn't take it further last night.
He claims his father wouldn't care, but I do. I don't want his family to think less of me. I respect them, and want them to respect me. And to convey my good intentions with Link and their family, I will not act immature or irrationally.
After Link served breakfast to all of us as part of his apology for neglecting the laundry, his father allowed him to take off with me to embark on yet another adventure. I'm sure that he would have been a little more strict if I hadn't been present and if this wasn't our last day here. Of course we had to wash and hang the clothes from yesterday first, but once that was done, we set off under the scorching sun.
A delightful aroma of rain-kissed earth fills my senses. The ground around us is parched and still bearing traces of mud. I'm excited to see where Link is taking me, and throughout our horseback ride, which takes about three hours, I beg him to tell me where we are going but he is determined to keep it a surprise.
"Just wait and see," he keeps telling me.
The passing landscapes captivate my gaze as we venture across the mountain. Finally, we reach the pinnacle of a large hill, which allows me to get an unrestricted view of the breathtaking vistas.
I gasp in astonishment! Spread out before us, as far as the eye can see, lies a sea of sunflowers, their vibrant yellow petals turned towards the sun.
"Tada," Link hums. "They bloom every year," he says with a wide grin on his face. "And the best part is, nobody picks them because not many people know about this place. It's too far from the village."
"How... How did you even find this place?" I ask astonished, unable to take my eyes off the fields of yellow and brown hues.
Link nonchalantly shrugs, his eyes attached to me and me only. "I like to explore."
While our horses rest in the grassland, Link and I take a walk through the sunflower field. Surrounded by the vibrant mountains of Japan and engulfed by the presence of countless blooming flowers, I'm overcome by a sense of surreal wonder. The air is filled with the gentle rustling of petals, making this moment feel suspended in time.
Together, we walk through the sunflower field, our footsteps gentle and unhurried, until he wraps his arms around me to pull me closer. Amidst the whirlwind of emotions this vacation has brought, this moment is absolute perfection, and if I hadn't blurted it out yesterday evening, perhaps now would have been the time to confess my love.
We don't have much time left in Japan, and before we return to California, I need to get something off my chest.
"Hey, Link?" I start quietly while he holds me securely in his arms. "I want to apologize for the way I expressed my feelings last night and for belittling the significance of those three words. They are not overrated..."
A frown appears on his face.
"Truth be told, I had been saving those words, waiting for the right moment," I say. "Perhaps, a moment like this. For months I've carried this longing to express how much you mean to me. I kept putting it off, searching for the 'right' moment. I suppose when you hurled those three words at me on Christmas Eve, I developed this obsession, an unhealthy desire to find the absolute perfect moment to profess my love. But in the past year I've come to learn that waiting is a gamble with time. Your coma made me realize that. When it wasn't clear whether you were going to survive and recover, I regretted not having told you how much I care for you and..."
I am getting emotional thinking about Link's coma. Back then I thought I might lose him forever.
"My point is... The right moment to tell you has long passed, because if a perfect moment really does exist, then it would have been the moment I first became aware of how I felt about you. And Link... I've been aware of my feelings for a long time now. I should have told you long ago and I'm not sure why I haven't but..."
My lips stretch into a big smile as I shake my head in disbelief. Never have I felt this happy. I didn't even know that humans could feel this good about life! And it's all thanks to Link.
"I love you with all my heart, you know that, right?" I look at him and watch as a soft smile replaces his frown, and despite the slightest hint of surprise that he is hiding behind his eyes, he gives me a faint nod.
"Yes, I know."
I feel weightless, floating among a million blooming stars. A cosmic smile graces my cheeks, uncontainable and radiant. I want him to see the boundless happiness he brings into my life, into our life.
"I've known for a while," he reveals. "And even if you hadn't said those words to me last night, or if you told me that you never loved me in the first place, I'd still know how you really feel about me because everything you do proves that. Your love is really strong, not only for me but for your friends and family. Since the day we met I got to see you grow. Your relationship with your father was really distant when we first met, and now he's calling you every day to check in on you and your boyfriend in Japan. A year ago, he probably wouldn't have let you do any of this especially with a guy, and if you didn't love him as much as you do then maybe you two would have never recovered from that fight last year. You might not always see it, but your heart has touched everyone you've interacted with in the past year. Not just your dad. No matter how many rude comments Ravioli made, you showed him that you cared when he didn't have anyone else to talk to. You also cared so much about Mipha, even when you barely knew her, and you wanted to protect her feelings more than your own. You cared about Malice's abusive relationship and talked to her when everyone else looked the other way, and you stood by Impa's side when she had to go to court and when she told you that she had feelings for you. Don't even get me started with our relationship... You've done more for me than anyone else, whether it's taking care of me after my knee surgery, helping me recover my memories after my coma, or fighting for my place at Hyrule University, you never once hesitated to help and support me... You're loyal and forgiving, and you are by far the most selfless person I've ever met. There's a reason why you're the first person to find out about Pik's illness or Mipha's feelings, or Anju's pregnancy. They all trust you and need you in their lives."
"You're going to make me cry," I chuckle, my voice trembling with emotion.
"I'm sorry... It's just that... I heard what you said at the shrine last night and I don't ever want you to think that any of us would be better off without you. That's a really sad thought. I've actually had that thought a lot in the past but when I met you... you took that belief away from me. Now it's my turn to take that belief away from you. You're my best friend and we all love and need you. Some more than others," he shrugs, his coy expression hinting at himself. "That being said... Zelda Hyrule, I love you with all my heart, too."
"I love you, Link Miyamoto."
"I love you so much," he chuckles, hugging me tighter. "You know," he ponders for a moment. "There's no way of saying I love you in Japanese. I mean, the words exist but the meaning of the words together doesn't work the same in my culture. Because we don't really say 'I', or 'you' since that's already implied, so all that's left is the word 'love', and I don't want to get all Grammarly on you, but if you just use the word love in Japanese to say 'I love you', it sounds more like a task and not really like a deep feeling, if that makes sense."
"Interesting," I nod in understanding.
"Besides, in Japanese, you don't really say 'I love you' to people," he continues. "So you can imagine that growing up in Japan, that phrase kinda confused me. I didn't get the significance of it because here in Japan, love is more about the things you do rather than the things you say. When I met you, I understood love for the first time. Even though you hadn't said those words to me yet, I understood."
"I suppose every culture has their own way of expressing love. It doesn't always have to be verbal," I conclude thoughtfully.
Enjoying the comfort of Link's embrace, I allow my eyes to roam the sunflower fields. I suppose I always knew that my love for Link was obvious. Still, saying it out loud felt different than when I showed him my care in actions. Like this vast sunflower field, love blooms and flourishes in the hearts of those who welcome it. Just as each sunflower stands tall, reaching for the sun's radiant warmth, love uplifts and inspires us to seek the light of compassion and understanding. With its vibrant yellow petals, this sunflower field mirrors the brightness and joy that love brings into our lives.
"Have you ever heard of Tanabata?" Link asks, still hugging me tightly. "It's a traditional Japanese festival. Legend has it that a weaver princess named Orihime fell in love with a cowherd named Hikoboshi. They are celestial lovers, each represented by a star in the night sky."
I close my eyes, surrendering to the whims of my imagination as it transports me beyond the pastel blues of the sky. I'm voyaging deep into the very core of our boundless universe, where an ethereal expanse of galaxies unfolds before me like a brushstroke on the canvas of existence.
"They were so deeply in love," he tells me as I rest my chin on his shoulder, "that they neglected their duties. Orihime's father, the Sky King, didn't like that his daughter got distracted by love. So he decided to separate the two lovers across the Milky Way."
I imagine myself in the role of the princess, Link as the cowherd, and Father as the king, and remember how I wasn't allowed to be with him at the beginning of the school year.
Link continues, "The couple was devastated that they couldn't be together. But there is one special day when they are allowed to reunite. Every year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, birds form a bridge across the galaxy so that the lovers can spend the day together."
"The seventh day of the seventh month?" I ask as the realization hits me.
Link gives me a joyous nod. "Tanabata is today, July 7th. It's the day that symbolizes inseparable love."
My arms keep him close as my eyes well from emotion. "I never want to be separated from you. When you were in a coma, I was so devastated. Just the thought of losing you made my heart ache. It was a horrible experience."
"I'm so sorry I put you through that, Zelda... I'm here now," he assures me. "I'm yours."
"Good," I sniffle. "Because my heart is too weak to bear that much pain, it's not complete without you. I need you. And I refuse to let anything come between us ever again.."
"I need you, too, Zelda. I won't let anything happen to you."
I nestle my head closer to his. "I don't want to go through life without you by my side. I promise there will be no more jealousy or insecurities. No more lies or getting into fights."
"Never again," he vows to me as he leans his head against mine and gently strokes my back.
With my eyes closed and my heart devoted, I speak in a tender whisper. "Never without you."
—
(Guyyysss I've been so excited for this chapter! If this was a TV show this would be the mid-season finale hehee! But don't worry, we're not taking any breaks. Next chapter will be here one week from today :D
I really just wanted to stop by and chat with y'all. What have you been up to lately? How are you doing? Did you eat something today? Have you smiled? Did you get enough sleep? I sure didn't.
University has me BUSY! I actually have a professor who reminds me sooo much of Pik. He has full on sleeves (tattoos on both arms), he's young and enthusiastic, carefree and laid back. Piercings. He really doesn't look like a literature professor but he loves to discuss poetry. I'm enjoying it hahah. My other classes are chill too. Only thing that sucks is that I have an 8 AM and I'm half asleep during the lecture. oh well...
But anyways! tell me all about your lives! I'll be reading your comments and responding to a couple :)