A Little Too Not Over You

A Little Too Not Over You Too

"Imagine my surprise when out shoots a whirling dervish of fire! It was horrifying!" Link lifted his shoulders and dropped them, demonstrating a shiver.

You refrained from laughing. Your mouth was already parched from the hours of talking you had endured. You pressed your finger against it, feeling the presence of flaked skin on your lips, reminding you just how thirsty you were. But the longer you spent time with Link, the more you remembered him, and goddesses, he was funny.

You caved in and began to laugh.

"What?" He asked defensively. "Go ahead and try to convince me that if some crazy whirling flame dancer jumped out at you, you wouldn't be afraid." He folded his arms, waiting for your response.

You wiped a tear away and attempted to collect yourself. "Link, you used to drop your sling shot when a Deku shrub jumped out from the ground."

"I don't do jump scares well!"

"But wasn't the boss of the fire temple a dragon that popped out of the ground through different crevices?"

Link imitated a shudder once again. "Please, don't remind me."

You reached for a glass of water, chuckling at his dramatic theatrics. You and Link had both settled on a nice little tavern tucked away in the far eastern corner of Castle Town. It was hard to stay mad at him. He had a way of unraveling you through conversation, and with each story came the passing of an hour and then another. It was now close to one a.m.

"I can't believe we stayed up so late just talking."

Link's eyes flickered at your empty hand resting on top of the table. "I can."

Every now and then, Link would stop midsentence and stare at you, losing his train of thought. You can't say that you found it odd when you yourself became so immersed in the man sitting across from you that your brain seemed to nullify any further thoughts.

Link folded his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "Hopefully your husband won't mind you being out this late."

You rolled your eyes as you caught his not-so-subtle glare at your hands once again.

"I'm not married."

"Alright, then your boyfriend."

"Nope."

"Girlfriend?"

"Link."

"Lover?"

"Link!" You reached across the table and swatted him. "You can't just waltz back into my life and ask about my relationship status. What does it matter to you anyway?"

He leaned forward with a small thump as his chair legs plopped back down onto the wooden floor. He locked his eyes on yours. "I know I can't, but I guess I just didn't want to feel foolish for when-"

"Excuse me?"

A woman with stringy blonde hair weaved in a neat braid walked toward your table. She clasped her hands together in a way that made her appear wholesome beneath the muted lighting of the tavern.

"Are you Link?"

Link straightened up his spine and responded to her question with a curt nod.

"The hero..." her voice transformed into breathy, fluttering spurts of sound. You knew instantly what she was doing. She stood up straight, miming Link's posture so that her breasts would be eye level with him.

"May I trouble you for an autograph?" Her lashes danced up and down as she leered at him.

You stifled a snicker. Link took the woman's quill and scroll; her fingers lingered on the back of his hand, causing him to become flustered.

"Um, what is your name?" He asked, trying not to goad her on with eye contact.

A caterwauling sound cut through the woman's reply. "ECK! IT IS HIM!"

Three more females flocked around the table like hungry calves, ready to feed off a teat. You remained outwardly stolid, but inside, the hurt of the past was threatening to make itself known. You shifted in your seat, keeping your expression indifferent to the buzzing cadre of female admirers surrounding Link.

That was until a clapping sound erupted from behind you. "What in tarnation? Link? Well now, I gotta tell Malon you done come back home!" You felt a tangled clump of chest hair tickle against the nape of your neck as Talon leaned over the back of your chair to observe Link. His booming announcement of Link's presence drew in more onlookers and fanatics.

As hordes of people began to crowd around the table, you pushed your chair out with an angry jab, the legs screeching across the floor, announcing your breaking point. Your chair hit Talon in the gut, causing him to erupt in a howl. "YESH! WHAT'S YER PROBLEM?" You stomped outside and into the brisk night air.

You made your way down a small alley, spotting an abandoned milk crate to sit on. Your eyes began to bubble with a fresh serving of tears. Tears that you swore you'd never waste on Link ever again. He's been back for a grand total of a few hours, and here you were already sobbing.

It was time to face the facts. Lying to yourself for the past seven years did you no good. You weren't over him. You were never going to be over him. And you couldn't get over the fact that he left and went mute for so long, leaving you to wonder if he ever really cared.

And the most pathetic part of it was that you still didn't know what you wanted from him. Did you want an apology? A love confession? Your best friend back?

Did you even want him at all? Or did your ego just want revenge for being snubbed for seven straight years?

But as you thought of the way his eyes looked at you in the tavern, you realized all along what you wanted. It was the way he looked at you as children, too.

It was unconditional love.

"Y/N?" You looked up to see Link's silhouette at the end of the alley. You heard the distant sound of voices, alarming him. He ran toward you and grabbed your hand. "Quickly, they're following me." He whisked you down another alleyway, pinning you to the wall, holding you, and masking you both in the shadows.

The voices grew louder and louder, until they fizzled out into another direction.

Link sighed.

He looked down at you, suddenly aware of how close both of your bodies were. "Why did you run away?"

"I didn't think you would notice my absence, Mr. Hotshot hero."

He gazed down at you with hooded eyes. "I've noticed your absence for the past seven years."

It felt like the weight of his body was melting into yours. Somewhere along his journey, the knobby knees he had as a kid had turned into slender and toned muscle. You felt his thigh pressing gently in-between your legs as he kept you pinned down. "As I was saying before I was interrupted, the reason I was asking if you were taken is because I had designs to take you myself. Ever since that day outside the forest. When I saw the way the sun captured your e/c eyes and the way your h/l hair smelled like the dew of a fresh morning."

The smallest inkling of pride leapt forward, making one final display of control. You let out a gentle snort. "I've moved on. You can't just disappear and come back and-"

His lips hovered above yours.

"You can't-" Any words coming out of your mouth no longer matched the frequency of desire coming from your body and heart.

"You're over me?" The unfamiliar gruffness of his tone sent a shockwave of lust coursing through you. You knew your pride had officially lost.

"Yes."

"Then if I kissed you, you wouldn't care?"

"No." You lied as your body began to squirm with impatience.

You threw your arms around his broad shoulders as he rested his hands on your hips. You murmured against his lips. "Why would you kiss me?"

From your lips, which had lied, came a pair of lips quivering to deliver you with their truth.

"Isn't it obvious that I'm just a little too not over you."

Edited:2/12/24