Stranger in the Hallway

I wake up slowly. Where am I?

A warm light fills the room. I squint my eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness. I can feel his body under mine. Yesterday night... I tried to stay awake and told myself I'd get up and go home but after a lovely hour of talking to Link about his life in Japan, I allowed myself to fall asleep in his arms. Looks like he fell asleep too.

I get up carelessly, waking the sleeping beauty. I'd rather admit to having fallen asleep by accident but the truth is I was too scared to go home.

"I have to go home," I say nervously when Link's eyes open. I'm already by the door, not feeling any braver than last night.

I can't believe I fell asleep with Link- Again. He has a frighteningly calming effect on me. When I am with him I can relax in the most unfamiliar way. I feel safe with him. Now I have to return home after staying out and ignoring calls all night long.

Link's window is slightly open, birds are singing their morning melodies outside and there is no awful music playing downstairs. Most people are probably gone now. I tap the screen of Link's phone to check the time. It's still early; 6.37 AM.

"Do you need a ride?" Link asks, covering his eyes with his forearm.

"I drove here," I say, my hands searching my pockets. I throw my head back and groan; Impa has my keys.

I put my head against the door and listen closely. No voices. After I unlock the door I look back at Link.

"Good luck today," I whisper and a smile appears beneath his arm.

"See you tonight," he says in response, making me blush more than I already am. I almost forgot about our date.

"Er, Link?"

He moves his arm to look at me and waits for me to speak.

"Father might take my phone away," I sigh. "If I don't text you today, you know why."

"They didn't have technology during the middle Ages either. I'll just pick you up with a horse," he smiles and covers his eyes again, ready to drift off into sleep.

"Send an owl with a letter first," I joke, but I don't think he'll get that reference.

I leave the room quietly, half smiling, half worried. I am not ready to face Father, but I have to. Whatever may come, I will have to stand tall like Link. I can do this. Deep breaths.

The hallway is empty but the floor is littered in empty cups. Once I reach the stairs I can see the living room area. People are sleeping on the floor, on chairs, on the table even, and a couple lucky ones found space on the couch. Sadly, no sign of Impa. I wonder if her boyfriend was here too and if they are still here, perhaps in one of the rooms upstairs.

I enter the kitchen just to check if she's here but she isn't. I need my keys. I can't even call her since my phone is dead. Karson is sleeping on the couch so I nudge him until he opens one eye.

"Hm?" he groans.

"Karson, where's Impa?" I ask him quietly.

"Car," he answers and rubs his face.

"What do you mean?"

"She said she was going to wait for you in the car."

"Oh. Thanks." That would have been the last place I would have looked.

I leave the frat house and cross the street to where my car is parked. I want to open the door but it's locked. Impa is sleeping in the back. My knuckles hit the window lightly, waking her up. She unlocks the door and I sit down in the driver seat. Her hair is messy and her makeup smudged.

"Good morning," I say and she shakes her head.

"What happened last night?" She asks, rubbing her face.

"Link and I talked. I think we're okay now."

"You think?" She sits up slowly as I drive off. "Did you sleep in his room?"

"Mh... Yes," I say embarrassed.

"Why? I was waiting for you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't plan on staying and my phone was dead."

"Did something happen?"

"Not really," images of Link and I on his bed flash my mind.

"It's a yes no question."

"Nothing happened," I assure her.

"Really? Nothing?"

"We kissed," I shrug.

"And?" she presses.

"And nothing. What did you expect, Impa? That I'd sleep with him?" I glare at her in the mirror.

"I don't know," she says equally harsh. "You're moving really fast with him. I didn't really think you were the type who kisses some dude after one week so who knows?"

I focus on the street and try to avoid looking at her judgmental eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's fine," I say annoyed.

We turn onto the main road and Impa lies back down. Did she get drunk last night? Does she have a hangover?

"Was your boyfriend at the party?" I ask to change the topic and watch as she sits back up again with a confused face.

"What boyfriend?"

"Prissen said you're seeing someone."

"Pfft, I just say that to keep guys from bothering me," she laughs a little. "Unlike you, I'll tell you when I start dating."

"I'm not dating Link," I defend myself.

"Oh," she looks out of the window.

"You'll be the first to know," I tell her and hold up my pinkie. "I promise."

She wraps her pinkie around mine and gives me a smile through the mirror.

"What will you tell your dad?"

There it is, the question I've been dreading.

"Maybe I could say that I slept at your dorm because we were studying late?" I say, pulling up to the parking lot of the dormitories.

"No way," she whines. "If you pin this on me, he'll tell you that we can't be friends anymore."

"He wouldn't," I say, not even convincing myself.

"Just tell him you slept in a boy's bed at a frat party," she suggests and we both burst into laughter.

"Sounds like a bullet proof plan," I shake my head. How did we go from arguing to laughing in less than five minutes?

"While I'd love to see your dad's face when you tell him that you slept with a guy, never, and I mean never, tell him the truth."

"I'll come up with something," I say, imagining Father's reaction to the truth. Even if the truth is pretty innocent, he would make a very big deal out of it.

"Let me know how it goes." She opens the door and thanks me for the ride home. I wave her goodbye and drive away.

Now that the car is empty and I'm all alone with my harrowing thoughts, I get increasingly anxious. Even though I haven't eaten, I feel like throwing up. Getting home and explaining to Father why I was gone all night and didn't answer the phone terrifies me. Deep breaths, I try to remind myself but it's not working. My breaths are short and hectic.

I drive faster than the speed limit allows. Even though I know I'm driving fast it feels slower than usual. I park my car and get out without giving myself the time to think this over. If I did, I know I would lose the courage to enter the house. I don't even stop in front of the door to take one last deep breath as I usually would.

Thinking about Link and the way he was so collected around Father on Thursday night gives me the strength I need. After I've straightened my back and put on a brave mask I unlock the door. I can do this.

The house is quiet. Most of the staff isn't here yet but I'm sure Father is already up, provided that he slept at all last night. When I take my shoes off and put them away I can hear him coming down the stairs. My heart suddenly beats in a painfully odd rhythm. I turn around and feel a sharp urge to fall to my knees but I stand tall before him now and gather the courage to speak.

"Good morning, Father."

What will it be? Will he yell or will he treat me like his staff and dismiss me with a disappointed look? Will he tell me to drop biology or will he punish me worse? Will he listen to my explanation? I hope not, for I have nothing to say in my defense.

"Where are you going?" He asks and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Pardon?" I blink nervously.

"It's not even 8 AM, are you heading to the library?"

Is he actually kidding me?

He is calm. Unbothered. Standing in front of me in his robes with a coffee in one hand and a book in the other. He didn't even notice that I was gone all night, did he? I should be relieved but I feel nothing but fury and sadness. An abyss of misery replaces the spot in my heart where affection used to be a long time ago.

"Zelda?" Father arches his brows.

"No, I'm not going to the library!" I snap.

"Then where are you going at 8 in the morning on a Saturday?"

This is unbelievable. It's so absurd, it's almost funny. My stomach is turning and all I see is red.

"What do you care?" I pass him furiously and head upstairs before he has the chance to have the last word. I know this will come back to bite me, I can already hear his angry steps on the stairs but I couldn't care less right now. I shut my door and throw myself onto my bed.

Father tries to open the door but it's locked. I never lock my door, he told me not to.

"Young Lady, open this door," he demands in a strict tone.

I don't reply. I bury my head in my pillows and claw the blanket with both hands. Here I was thinking that despite the anger and disappointment he may have felt toward me, he would still be worried about my unexplained disappearance. But he didn't even notice that I was gone at all. This hurts worse than any punishment I expected. My heart is actually aching from his lack of attentiveness. He's usually very informed about my whereabouts, always staying close by and being aware of my location and activities. It's annoying, but it still shows me that he somewhat cared about my well-being.

"Zelda, we've talked about this. No locked doors. Now open up," he hammers against the door.

My lungs are trembling from the lack of oxygen. I lift my head and gasp for air.

"I won't repeat myself," Father threatens.

I wipe my tears forcefully, pluck my charger into my phone, grab a new set of clothes and open the door. Father storms into my room, ready to scold me with his finger waving aimlessly in the air but I walk past him and straight into the bathroom across the hall.

"Unacceptable!" He begins to burst. I shut the door and ignore the rest.

If I talk back now it won't end well. The anger racing through my veins is boiling my blood. To form a wise sentence that I won't regret seems impossible right now. What would I even say? I have no words. It's advisable never to make a decision when one is sad, never to make a promise when one is happy, and never to reply when one is angry. I don't remember who said that, but I think about it often. So I will just remain silent for as long as I can to avoid talking to the man I call Father. There's a stranger in the hallway. And that thought scares me.

After a brisk shower I change into my bathing suit and a short beach dress. That Father didn't notice my absence last night will hurt for a little while longer and I am sure that looking at his face when he scolds me for misbehaving won't be an easy task, but I can count myself lucky that he doesn't know that I spent the night at Link's party.

Nobody is waiting in front of the bathroom door when I step back into the hallway, but an irked man is standing in my room. I grab my phone and put it into my purse without making eye contact with the furious tall man.

Who are you? Why don't you care about me?

"I will not tolerate such behavior in my house," Father utters his warning carefully with a lot of spite hidden behind his calm voice. "You're acting without a grain of respect and I won't allow it."

"I bid for forgiveness," I say in my most collected voice.

I look up at him and search his eyes for the affection I always found in Mother. Her eyes were always soft, bright, and had the same tones of green as my eyes. Father always says I have her eyes. I wish he was right, but I disagree with him. Father's eyes may be more of a turquoise yet they mirror mine nearly perfectly when we are enraged.

"I didn't mean to show you any disrespect," I say.

He is still deciding whether or not to believe me but he gives me an acknowledging nod.

"If you will excuse me now, I am going to the beach."

"What for?" He asks curiously.

"To go surfing with some friends."

"Don't make me laugh," he huffs in disbelief.

"Laugh all you want. I am going to go surfing and have dinner afterward. I will return sometime tonight," I say in all seriousness and leave the room with my purse and a towel. He is too shocked to say something but he follows me all the way to the front door.

"You are serious?" He asks when I grab my sandals. "You haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

"Bakeries and coffee shops exist for a reason."

"Watch your tone," he growls.

He has every right to be angry. But so do I.

An apology lies on my tongue but refuses to be spoken. One word that only takes a second to be vocalized, but my lips won't say it.

"See you tonight," I say instead.

"Alright."

He looks a bit lost. Almost... Defeated. He did not expect me to be this undaunted.

"Just be careful," he adds.

It's odd to see him giving in. Perhaps my determination startled him enough to throw him off. He doesn't know how to handle it yet. I give him a single nod and shut the door on my way out.

My phone is only at 20%, it will probably die again before I'm home. I have one new Instagram notification among the few other messages. Link's text message wins my attention first. I open his chat and save his contact as #11 instead of using his name, just in case someone decides to snoop through my phone.

*Hey Zelda, thank you for sharing your notes with me after our political science lecture. They were so neat and thorough, you really know the material very well.*

Yes, I told him exactly what to type. I expected Father to take my phone away and didn't want him to find a suspicious message.

I decide to prank Link and send him a mischievous message before I get into my car.

*Link, this is Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. You better have a good explanation for why my daughter was out all night!"

I delete the message immediately, destroying the evidence. Knowing my luck, Father or Malice would have found that message.

It says Link is typing and I couldn't hold my smile back even if I tried. This is so mean. If I were Link, I'd probably pass out and pray to not wake up again. Oh no. I type *Just kidding* and send it hastily.

He has seized the typing. Seconds later I receive a skull emoji. Typing again.

*I know where we're going tonight* it says.

*Where?* I ask.

*I'll pick you up at the beach at 6 PM*

*Where are we going?* I ask again and he sends an emoji with a zipped mouth. Guess it's a surprise. At least I don't have to break my head over finding a place where we won't get recognized. He's probably much better at being sneaky.

I close the app and open Instagram. The message is from Mipha. I barely even use Instagram but I don't have Mipha's number so it's convenient that we can communicate on here for now.

*Hello Zelda :) Tomorrow my brother will pick us up at the dorms at half past 8 AM.*

*On my way* I send.

I will get there a little early, which is perfect. It'll give me time to find a parking spot and her dorm room. Without much thought I click on her profile. She only has two pictures uploaded; one of her swim team and one of her and Link at the beach. I blush at the sight of him shirtless. He has a lean body and the sun is complimenting his muscles. I have only seen his body in the dark and even then I could hardly look directly at him without turning red.

I can't help but notice the tag in the corner of the image. My fingers move across the screen and tap the tag, careful not to double-tap the image.

I'm taken to Link's profile. My eyes rip open in astonishment. He has over 500 photos and videos uploaded and is only short of 800K followers! Most of his photos are soccer related. His posts have dozens of thousands of likes and I don't even want to read the heaps of comments. My fingers betray me and open the comment section. It's flooded by fans drooling over Link's body and skills.

I want to close Instagram but I stumble across a hate comment, then another and another. Among the overwhelming crowd of fans, a handful of people call him overrated, annoying, and a disappointment to his nation. Poor Link. I hope he doesn't read this rubbish. I put my phone away and don't intend on returning to his profile.