Link's POV
I did everything I wanted to do: I went to the basketball court to shoot hoops, swam a couple of laps in the pool, looked at some apartment listings online, got depressed when I saw how much they charge for rent, cheered myself up by watching half a movie in the home theater till I got hungry and ordered pizza, then I went to the gym and watched reels for 30 minutes straight instead of actually working out, and now I'm back at the pool, eating pizza on a pizza shaped floaty instead of swimming laps.
What a Friday night.
I check the time on my phone. Vah Rudania closed like an hour ago and Zelda's still not back.
Impa is with her, so I'm not worried. I still want to at least check in with her and see if she's on her way back or if she needs anything.
I call Zelda's cell but she doesn't answer. I bet her phone is on mute. She'll call back. Worst case scenario, the battery died. Wouldn't be the first time.
I get out of the pool after I finish the last slide of pizza. I dry up with a towel, and then I head back inside. Shit, the AC is so cold and I'm half naked and my hair's wet! I almost slip on the marble tiles when I sprint upstairs to get dressed.
I manage to make it to Zelda's room without tripping down the stairs and change into sweatpants and my blue HU soccer hoodie. I haven't worn this in a year because Zelda basically stole it from me, but tonight I feel like wearing it.
I chill on her bed for another hour or so until my hair is fully dry and all the staff is gone besides Cado. I'd go chit chat with him to pass the time, but I know he's not supposed to talk during his night shift and if Zelda's dad checks the cameras I'm kinda screwed. Being here with Zelda is one thing but hanging around when she's not even home just feels weird.
I lay on my back and stare at my phone for a while. I watch a YouTube video, then two, then three. Then I get bored again. It's getting really late and Zelda hasn't called or texted me back...
I try to call her again. It rings for a bit and just when I think it'll go to voicemail again, she answers.
"Hello?" But it's not her voice at all, it's some dude!
"Um, hello?" I sit up instantly and hold my breath in anticipation. Why's some random guy answering her phone? "Who is this?"
"Who are you?" the guy asks me back.
Confused, I check the screen to see if I called the wrong number. It says Zelda and it shows her profile pic, but it's not her on voice the line and I don't know how to react.
The guy continues, "She's taking a shower right now but said I could answer the phone, so what's up?"
"Taking a shower?" I ask alarmed. "Can I talk to her?"
"Dude, she's in the shower."
I try to stay calm. Impa must be with them, so everything should be fine. "Are you guys in the dorms right now? Is she staying there tonight?"
"No, she's staying at my place tonight, why?"
"Your place? What?"
"Yeah, so what's up?"
I clench my fists. "Why's she with you and why are you answering her phone?"
"Because she's taking a shower, like I said. You can either tell me what's up so I can let her know when she's done or you can call back in a few."
"I... I don't understand... Why is she with you?"
"Why wouldn't she be? Because I'm a Boar and I will hurt her? Give me a break..."
What did he just say?! I clench my jaw. "What the hell is going on over there?"
"Calm down, man! She'll be done in a minute and then you can talk to her. Okay?"
"I don't get it, did she go home with you?"
"Well I didn't kidnap her, if that's what you're implying," he says and I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or if that's just the tone of his voice.
"I swear to god if you hurt my girlfriend–"
"Your girlfriend?" He interrupts me. He sounds pissed now but not as pissed as me. "She's not your girlfriend, dude."
"What?" My fists will snap from the pressure! "Who the fuck are you?"
"I'm Kiroh, who are you?"
I recognize his name from the Lorule baseball roster... No way Zelda's with him... No fucking way...
"I'm Link and if you put a hand on her, I'll end you."
I hear him knock on a door and say, "Hey are you almost done? Link really wants to speak to you. It seems urgent."
I'm not gonna create any drama by threatening the guy. If he's letting me talk to her, that's obviously a good sign. I'm always too overprotective, so I'll just shut up before he decides to hang up on me.
I can't hear what Zelda is saying from the other side of the door but I can hear very clearly how he says, "Okay babe."
I stay quiet. All of this sounds so off.
Kiroh speaks to the phone again. "Hey, still there? She's done now, I'll hand her the phone."
There's some rustling coming from the mic and then I hear Impa's voice on the other end. "Hey Link," she says calmly.
"Impa?" Even though it's not the voice I was hoping to hear, I'm relieved I don't have to deal with Kiroh anymore.
"What's so urgent?" She asks. "I was in the middle of taking a shower when Kiroh told me that you–"
"I was looking for Zelda," I get straight to the point.
"Oh."
"Is she with you?" I'm nervous. If there's a Boar with them, I need to make sure she's safe. "Can I please talk to Zelda?" I've waited long enough! This is her phone after all!
"Um, she's not here, sorry," Impa tells me and I don't know if that should relieve or worry me to know that she's not there with them. "I accidentally took her phone home with me."
"She's not with you?" Shit...
"Wait, this is Zelda's phone?" I hear Kiroh ask Impa. "That makes so much more sense now!" His voice gets closer to the mic. "Hey, Link?" He says but I stay quiet. I need a second to calm my nerves. "I thought this was Impa's phone. I thought you were asking to speak to her! Total misunderstanding, man!"
I take a deep breath and fall back into the sheets. Zelda didn't go home with a Boar, and she did not take a shower at his place. But Zelda is also out at night without her phone, which definitely isn't much of a comfort.
"Sorry if we confused you," Impa says to me.
"I wasn't confused at all," I snap. "That dude made it sound like he's with Zelda! Like he took her home with him..."
"It's not his fault," she defends him. "He didn't know that this was her phone. He only heard it ringing and told me "Wild" is calling. Neither of us knew it was you calling for Zelda, so I told him he could answer it. He feels really bad now."
"Where's my girlfriend, Impa?"
"She's with Revali and Mipha, don't worry."
Another deep breath. My heart is sinking in my chest, calming down bit for bit. If she's with Mipha and Revali, I know she's safe. I can call them and get a hold of her. "You have no idea how relieved I am right now."
"Yeah, I bet," Impa laughs uncomfortably. "But yeah, Zelda's safe. I accidentally took her phone but she's in good hands." Then I hear Kiroh's voice yelling out, "Sorry, man! Totally my bad!"
I just lay on Zelda's bed for a few seconds, still holding the phone close to my ear. Zelda is safe, that's what matters. I would ask Impa if she's safe too and make sure the Boar isn't bothering her, but she sounds fine. And she's a black belt, so she can definitely take care of herself.
"Are you okay?" I ask anyway.
"Yeah, I'm good," Impa says.
"Kiroh is a..." I pause. It's not my place to tell her. "You're good? You sure?"
"Thanks for the concern, Link. I know he's a Boar and it's fine." She sounds defensive so I won't say another word about it.
I focus on making sure Zelda is okay. "You said she's with Mipha and Revali, right?"
"Yes, she should be home soon," Impa tells me.
"Okay, thanks Impa. Sorry for freaking out on you guys."
"Yup, no biggie. Tell Zelda I'll be stopping by tomorrow to drop off her phone."
"Will do."
We hang up. I trust Zelda and I don't think she'd ever cheat on me, but the way Kiroh made it sound like he was with Zelda, I... It kills me.
As soon as the call ends, I call Mipha. Her phone is set to "do not disturb", so she doesn't answer. It was worth a shot though. I call Ravioli next. As expected, it instantly goes to voicemail. He declined my call.
I shoot him a message because I know he'll block me if I spam call him.
Me: *Just checking in on Zelda*
He replies: *Wrong number.*
Me: *She doesn't have her phone. I just wanted to make sure she's okay.*
Ravioli sends me a picture of Zelda smiling and dancing in a crowd full of people. I don't recognize the place, but she looks happy and healthy, and that's what I needed to know in order to calm down.
I relax my fists, my palms sweaty and cold. The picture looks zoomed in, and most of the people around her are our age. It looks like she's at a party but it's not at the frat house.
*Keep an eye on her plz* I say and, to make it sound less controlling, I send another message that says, *Have fun*
He just marks my message with a thumbs up but doesn't reply. Good enough. I know she's in good hands and I'm happy to see that she's enjoying herself. I just hope she's being safe. The whole Boar thing really scared me. Not even that he's a Boar but the fact that a guy answered her phone and I had no clue what was going on.
She's not as strong as Impa, but I just have to trust that she will be cautious when she's out and about.
I open Twitch on my phone and watch gameplay for a while to keep my mind busy. I need this distraction right now. I never used to get this protective about anyone until I met Zelda and started to really care about something for the first time. I care so much about her and I never want to see her get hurt. I wish I could protect her from anything and anyone.
I close my eyes. I won't fall asleep, I just need to relax my eyes for a bit.
Next thing I know, the stream has ended. It's pitch black in the room.
I tap my phone to check the time. The screen is at max brightness, blinding my eyes.
Ugh...
It's 1:53 A.M. and Zelda is still not home.
There's a text from Ravioli:
*she left. lmk if she got home safely*
This was almost two hours ago, and no, she did not get home safely...
----
First of, I'm SO sorry for the misleading title! I saw an opportunity and I took it 🙈
Secondly, I wanted to ask you guys what are some of your favorite lines from TAY and NWY? I'm thinking of posting a little fun quiz where you have to guess which character said which quote :)
Thanks again for 1 million reads! Don't forget to comment some Q&A questions and art/merch request on the previous chapter :D xx Ace