😈

The next day Link was back at work after his classes shelving bread and pastries.

They...smell nice... Link thought.

Most unfortunately their pretty aroma reminded him of his own Grandmother's baking. Of course, it brought back the painful memories.

I need to get away from this bread...

Link walked over to the manager of import. "Do you mind if I do something else right now?"

The manager studied him for a moment and decided it was fine, "sure. You can go help Malon with the rest of the milk."

"Uh..." Link hated doing that too. Oh well...I suppose that's better than the bread.

Link made his way over to the redhead who was busy stocking the milk.

"Hey I'm supposed to help you," Link said.

"Oh hey Link!" Malon said merrily, "that would be a lot of help thanks!"

As they put the milk on the shelves Link noticed that Malon was more tense than usual.

No point in letting it bug me, Link thought.

"Hey Link?"

"...yeah?"

He looked over to see her twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"Uh...I've been meaning to ask...would you like to go out with me tonight?"

WHAT? Link froze. He had never been asked out before. He was embarrassed and didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he didn't really want to go out with anybody.

No point in being rude though, Link thought, I'll just give myself some time to prepare, "uh thanks Malon, I would normally be interested but right now I'm not in a really good mood, so...maybe another night?" I'm never in a good mood.

"Oh," Malon said and then she smiled brightly, "okay then! I'll just ask you at a better time!"

Link tried to smile back but he internally groaned, this is going to be painful.

Link drove back to pick Aryll up from school more depressed than ever. He had just been asked out on a date. A date. How horrible.

Better not tell Aryll, Link thought, she would either get really mad that it wasn't someone she liked or really excited for me.

As Aryll ran up the car Link asked through the open window, "how was school?"

"Just dandy," Aryll sighed as she plopped in the seat next to Link, "we got extra homework today."

"Just wait until you get to college," Link groaned.

"Well in college you get to choose what you learn right? They force us to learn a lot of everything in grade school!"

"Not for the first two years of college," Link corrected, "you have to take General Education those years."

"Oh I'm going to hate college," Aryll said and Link just laughed.

Link dropped Aryll off and ten turned around and went straight back to work.

Link was busy shelving some fresh produced cabbage when Illia came over to work with him.

Link wanted to groan, now she to talk?

"Um...Link?"

"...yeah?"

"Well...I've been meaning to ask..."

Link's eyes narrowed at the cabbage he was holding, don't you dare tell me...

"...would you like to go out with me tonight?"

No freaking way! Link thought trying not to fall over in confusion, same day...same wording...did they plan this?

Link dropped the cabbage and held onto his head as if it were about to fall off, what was going on with his coworkers today? This had never happened before!

"...uh...Link? Are you okay?"

Link froze and looked over at her. Illia was looking at him as if he had just fallen off a building, "you look...sick."

"What? No I'm fine!" I am most definitely NOT fine!

"So uh...would you like to then?" She asked again with a smile.

Now is not the best time to ask me, Link thought, but he swallowed his confusion and answered as nicely as he could, "you know...I've been kind of stressed lately...I'm interested, but I need to get rid of some stress."

"Oh!" She looked a little surprised, as if she hadn't expected him to be interested. She smiled after moment, "okay! I'll ask you another day then! See you around Link!" She ran off waving back at him.

Link put his face in his hands, what have I done? I gave them hope...

After a weird day of work Link finally clocked out for the day and ran to his car.

I need to do something that doesn't involve girls...I need to do something that doesn't involve girls...

He repeated that sentence for the whole duration of the car ride back to his house.

He walked into his house and shut the door behind him. He sighed and bent his head down to stare at the floor, I am really not in the mood to date.

Aryll ran into the front room, "hi again big brother! How was work today?"

Oh good grief...

_^_

"Oh look at the leaves today!" Tetra said poking her head out of the passenger seat window, "Zelda look!"

"I know, I saw them," Zelda sighed, "how could I not? I had to rake them out of the yard today."

"Wow someone's in a bad mood," Tetra said sitting back in her seat correctly, "what happened?"

"Nothing happened I just want to get back to my book."

Tetra groaned, "oh please don't rant about that stupid romance again."

Zelda frowned at her sister, "I do not rant."

"Uh huh."

"No!"

"Why do you read romances sis?"

"Huh?" Zelda was surprised at the question.

"Well? Why?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well...I have my own theory."

Zelda groaned, "and what's that?"

"You read about romance because you've never had your own and you want to fantasies about what it's like."

Zelda glared at her sister, "that is not why!"

Tetra shrugged innocently, "well...you won't tell me so I have to come up with something..."

"Think what you want, but your theory is wrong."

"Are you sure?"

Zelda looked away from the road and at her sister sincerely, "yes I'm sure."

"Hmm."

They were silent for a little while. Zelda didn't mind the silence, her sister was hard to listen to most of the time. Until Zelda brought up something she had been meaning to ask Tetra about.

"Hey Tet?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you actually do homework with Aryll? I kind of feel like you just mess around."

"What? We do!" Tetra loudly claimed, "I promise we do!"

"Sure."

"Well...I mean...we do do other stuff once we've finished."

Zelda laughed a little, "yeah I bet you do."

The two of them were silent for a couple more moments.

"Heyyyyy-"

"What now?" Zelda asked lowering her eyebrows again.

"Why don't you come into Aryll's house to read instead of in the car?"

Every time Zelda drove Tetra up to Aryll's house Zelda would bring her book and read in the car, waiting for Tetra to come back out. Once she did, they would drive back home.

Zelda thought that the drive was long enough that it would be worth it not to take it four times and instead take it twice and wait in the car while Tetra was inside. Zelda had never considered reading inside Aryll's house.

Zelda shifted in her seat, "and why would I do that?"

"I got two reasons," Tetra said facing Zelda and holding up two fingers.

"First: its more comfortable. Isn't your car seat...uh...a little stiff?"

"I don't mind it," Zelda said shrugging.

Looking slightly defeated, Tetra continued, "and two: you wouldn't be alone if you went inside. You know...don't you get lonely in here?"

"Tet...one point of reading is to be alone. How am I supposed to concentrate on reading when I'm with people?"

"Uh..." Tetra twiddled her fingers and didn't respond.

"And..." something struck Zelda strange, "I would be alone anyways if I went inside wouldn't I? You would be with Aryll."

She saw Tetra's face heat up a bit and she started to sweat, "oh no you wouldn't be alone! We would both be with you!"

"Uh huh..." Zelda turned her attention back to the road. Still...it was odd.

"So...will you?" Tetra asked with puppy dog eyes.

"No," Zelda said stiffly, "I have no reason to. And I have two reasons of my own why I shouldn't go in."

Tetra folded her arms, "and what are those?"

"One: it would be rude to invite myself inside uninvited. Aryll's parents may not like the extra company. Two: because I really think the last company I need is a pair of immature preteens."

Tetra looked like she was going to say something, but she held her tongue and faced the road as well.

After a moment of silence she asked, "will you at least walk me to the door?"

Zelda sighed and didn't even question why, "if it will make you content, then yes. I will. Will you stop asking me to do random stuff now?"

"Sure!"

Zelda paid no attention to Tetra's sudden excitement as she quickly pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text.

"Thanks big sis."

"Sure Tet."

Zelda did feel a bit of guilt, however. She had lied to her sister; Tetra had pointed out exactly why she loved to read romance novels.

_^_

"Do you think that Tetra will want any dinner Aryll?" Link asked loudly since Aryll was in the other room.

"Um...probably!"

It was odd to not have Aryll in the kitchen while Link was cooking...where was she?

"Aryll...where are you?"

"Uh...in the bathroom..."

Link hesitated, did he really want to ask. Sighing he did, "why have you been in there so long?"

"Sorry I uh...I've got constipation."

"Sorry Aryll..."

"It's okay!"

For some reason she didn't seem very sad about the fact that she was having trouble in the bathroom. She seemed quite...excited?

Less than a minute later the doorbell rang.

Aryll quickly yelled, "AHHH IT'S TETRA AND I'M STILL IN THE BATHROOM! LINK WILL YOU PLEASE GET THE DOOR FOR ME?"

Aryll usually was ready to answer the door around 5:30 when Tetra came. Link turned the stove down and walked towards the door, "yeah I've got it Aryll..."