Since you came along

Harley

"Link, that's not true."
"I'm serious. You should've seen how he looked at you today."
"He looked at me normally!"
"He was delighted."

"I hadn't seen him in a while, I'd expect him to be happy. I was, too!"
"I don't know. He was too happy, like when I-" He cut himself off suddenly, embarrassed to finish his sentence. 'Like when I kissed you for the first time.'

"Like when you what?"
"Like when I eat."
"That's an intense level of happy, true. I think it was nothing, Link. Wow, not even my real boyfriend but you sure are jealous."
"What? I am not jealo- I'm just saying that he- you don't- I'm not-" He stopped trying to defend himself after stumbling over every word. He was jealous. He heard her laugh at him and then felt her legs swing over his lap. "Don't worry, Link. You're the only fake boyfriend I want. No replacing you."

"You better not. Who else could treat you so well?" He placed a hand on her leg, his fingers feeling the rough material of her pants. He rubbed circles into the top of her thigh with his thumb as he turned to look at her. "Do you ever think about your time with Harley?"
"No. Ew. Why?"
"Just wondering. He seems hung up on you."
"He's just an idiot. He's a guy. They always want what they can't have. If he were a real man, he'd move on and stop acting like some puerile jerk." Link nodded, though she couldn't see him.

"Harley wasn't...all bad. He was sweet in the beginning. After a while, I guess he just got bored of me. I wasn't like I am now. No traveling or anything. I was only at the shop, that was my whole life, continuing what my parents started. I left him when I found out he was cheating on me. Clearly, he didn't take it well. After that, I dated a couple of guys but it was never serious because they weren't serious about me." Recalling her past made her sad but proud of where she was now. "I focused on myself and my life. I decided to branch out and open another shop once I had the money and stock. Then, all of this happened." Link was happy she had known better than to pity herself. She was strong and knew what she wanted out of life, for the most part.

"What about you? Ever think about your first girlfriend?"
"No, it's hard to do so. You know, considering she doesn't exist."
"What? You've never had a girlfriend?"
"Like I said, no one has ever interested me enough."
"Not even Ilia?" She didn't mean to say it, it was just a petty remark in her head she thought would stay unspoken but it slipped out. She cringed awaiting his response hoping it wouldn't incite an argument. "I think, maybe. It was a long time ago. I had never left Ordon and I think I always thought I'd settle down in Ordon. There was no one else around except her and she was my best friend. Seemed like the right choice." Sadness began to come over Y/n, the conversation seemed to be going in a direction she wouldn't like.

"When the Twilight invaded, I was panicked that she was kidnapped. When I finally found her, she had lost her memories. I don't think I'd ever felt so upset as I did then. She looked right past me like I was a stranger." Y/n listened intently. She wanted to tune him out, the tale of his friendship and possible romance with Ilia not being something she'd like to know.

"After she got her memories back and Midna left, I went back to Ordon. But it felt suffocating. So, I left. I don't know what I was looking for, I just knew I couldn't stay there. When I came back to Ordon, I meant to leave right after. I wanted to get my head straight and then head out but I felt guilty when I saw how happy everyone was that I was back. Especially her." Those words cut Y/n deeper than she'd ever care to admit. His veracious nature would mean he'd talk of all his emotions, feelings, and deep thoughts. Knowing Ilia could trigger such a reaction from him made it much more clear how much he cared for her.

"The day I saw you, I was ready to be out and adventuring, again. All of that went out the window when I saw you." At this, she perked up. "Why?"
"I realized that it wasn't adventure or whatever that I wanted. Seeing you and how you made a life for yourself knocked a bit of sense into me. I want to make a life for myself that isn't dictated by heroism or what other people think I should have. You have your life, shops, and travels, and they're all for you. Not because someone told you to or made you, but because you chose that." She never knew that Link seemed to respect her this way. The respect of a hero was gratifying.