Coming to work the following Monday hurt less than Mipha had expected it to do.
Even though she had spent most of her weekend trying to come to terms with the risk of Zelda having decided that she would have to clear the air between them and explain that she really had only been using the kiss to as a way to be left alone in the bar, or—and the thought of it made Mipha's heart ache even more than the first option—she had decided that, much like Mipha, she could not deal with the thought of everything becoming awkward between them, and picked the option of simply not showing up, cutting all ties with her and finding another café instead, Mipha knew that it would still hurt to walk into the room that Monday and see the way Link lingered behind to whisper something to Revali. It must have been some kind of joke, because Revali sent him a fond smile, shaking his head slightly as he put on his apron before helping Link put his away.
Mipha didn't miss the way Link kept holding onto Revali's hand for as long as he could, not even letting go as he began to move away, instead letting his hand fall to his side the moment he could no longer reach Revali. She tried not to pay too much attention to it. It would only fuel her own sadness if she did, and as much as Mipha would like to go back home and feel sorry for herself, she had to get to work.
So, grabbing her apron from the back of the store, Mipha forced herself to put on her widest customer-smile and went back to the counter to laugh at the customers' attempts of joking and smile while whishing them a good day when they grabbed the cardboard cup of coffee with a mumbled thankyou. And somewhere along the fake happiness, she managed to make it feel at least somewhat real. It was fine really.
Until it wasn't fine any longer.
She had just handed the cup of cocoa to a teen who actually met her gaze when she said thanks, and then, there she was. Zelda. There, having just entered the café, Zelda stood, grinning at her when she saw that Mipha had noticed her, before she moved closer to the counter.
"Hi," she said, placing her right underarm on the counter as she leant in closer towards her. As much as Mipha tried, she could not spot any signs of Zelda merely trying to get in a few last memories before she would have to tell her that there seemed to have been a few misunderstandings last Friday. She hoped that she was not staring, but knew that she most likely was. At least Zelda did not mention any such thing when she continued, "can I get a caffè latte and a blueberry muffin?"
"Yes." the sound was barely audible, even to Mipha, and she cleared her throat before making another attempt. "Yes, of course. Do you want to enjoy it here or is it to go?"
"I will eat it here. Or, well, I will eat the muffin and drink the coffee here."
Mipha nodded and began to move to prepare the order, but stopped when Zelda called out after her.
"So, do you not like any kind of muffins, or is it just that you don't like most of them?"
Facing Zelda, Mipha could not see whether or not the question had been a joke. After everything that had happened, and Zelda still wanted to discuss muffins? Something in her hoped that it was a sign that she would get a chance to repair the relationship between them, a gift from Hylia. Here Zelda was, asking her almost the exact same question that had made Mipha misinterpret everything, only this time, Mipha was determined to do the right thing and not let Revali or her own feelings convince her that she really could be lucky that their friendship could be something else.
In front of her, Zelda tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows rising slightly as she gave her a concerned look. "Uh, Mipha are you okay?"
She had been silent for too long. However, even with that knowledge, it still took her another moment before she had manged to collect her thoughts enough to let her form coherent sentences. "Yeah, yeah, I am fine, I just…" Mipha let the sentence trail off, not even sure herself what she would have said if Zelda asked for a more specific reason. Maybe that was also why she hurried to continue speaking, to not give Zelda a chance to ask for her to elaborate, "but, to answer your question, I just don't really think that I like the concept of muffins all that much. They are just kind of disappointing, or at least they often end up being it, you know?" one look at Zelda told her that, no, Zelda really did not know that feeling. "But," Mipha said, attempting to salvage the situation, "I do actually like most of the muffins we sell in here."
"And you are not just saying that because you are contractually obligated to claim that these muffins are the best?" Zelda asked, smirking at her as she made a sweeping gesture towards the plate with three muffins on it next to her on the counter.
"No, not at all, I do actually like these, especially the cinnamon muffins." Mipha admitted. And then it struck her. This was where she had made the mistake last time, turning down Zelda's invitation to go to get muffins. If she had not done that, she would never have talked with Revali about her, and he would not have brought up the possibility of Zelda having meant it as a date. And if that had not happened, Mipha would not have been so preoccupied with that idea that she began to see signs of it really being true everywhere, leading to her kissing Zelda. It was clear now that it had all started with those muffins, and now that she had gotten a second chance, Mipha was not about to waste it. So she gathered as much courage as she could, hoped that Zelda would not bring up how she had declined her offer to get muffins, and leant in towards her. "And I was actually wondering if you would like to sit here and eat one with me after my shift ends."
Zelda blinked. Once. Twice. And then a third time and the courage that Mipha clung to began to falter, threatening to send her falling as the fear that she might just have made yet another mistake began to spread through her body.
But then Zelda nodded at her. "Sure, I would love to." she said, and it felt like the smile she sent Mipha was warmer than a breeze in summer. "When does your shift end?"
"Uh," Mipha mumbled, looking over towards the clock over the door as the realisation that she had not thought that part of the plan through set in. The shift would not be over for another couple of hours, and as much as Mipha had started to look forward to that cinnamon muffin, she knew that she could not ask Zelda to wait for so long.
But before she even got so far as to mutter an apology along with a sentence meant to explain that she had not thought to check the time first but would probably require a miracle to make sense to anyone but Mipha, Revali had stepped up next to her, pushing her away as he took her spot in front of the counter.
"Actually," he said, quickly reaching out to take her hand underneath the counter, squeezing it in a silent demand for her to stay silent, "it just finished. You two go and have fun together." and then, sending Zelda a little wave, he tightened his grip around Mipha's hand and pulled her over towards the back of the shop, already helping her pull the apron off.
"What are you doing?" Mipha hissed at him the moment they were out of earshot. "You and I both know that there are another two and a half hours left of my shift."
"But," Revali held up his hand at her, "you never let me cover one of your shifts for you, and I have decided that I will do that now. Besides," leaning in towards her, Mipha could see how Revali used his smile to hide the concern in his eyes. It did not work, not even when he continued, "I think that both you and Zelda are looking forward to those muffins, so I don't think it would be fair to let her wait for you for several hours."
Oh. There was nothing else Mipha could think as Revali helped her get back outside, snatching the apron from her and hanging it back up. He was going to try to help her be able to actually keep her promise to Zelda and go eat muffins with her, even willing to double his own workload to let her do just that. She knew that she should be grateful, but, if Mipha had to be honest with herself, she only noticed the overwhelming sense of relief that she would not have to risk her and Zelda's relationship for a second time.
Still, she tried her best to protest, and it sounded forced and full of guilt even inside of her own head. But she decided to try to convince Revali to let her complete her own shift despite all of that.
"But that is not fair, you would have to work much harder to make up for me not being there with you. When I took your shift, I only had to do your work, I did not have to do two people's amount of work at once."
"Well, then it is probably quite lucky that I am the best employee here." Revali countered, going to pick up three cups, holding one in each hand and having the third one stacked on top of them, one half of it resting on each one of the cups below. For a second, Mipha feared that he would attempt to prove his words by showing her how he could still use the objects around him as juggling pins. But, thankfully, Revali simply placed them down in front of the coffee machine, quickly pouring three cups of coffee and handing them over the counter to a group of three girls. Mipha could not even remember what they had ordered. "See?" Revali said once the girls had gone back over to sit down around a table in the corner. "I can handle it. Go."
He pushed her forward, and once she had gained the momentum, Mipha found that it was quite easy to continue to walk over to Zelda, copying her pose and leaning in over the counter.
"Sorry you had to wait, I just had a few issues with getting my apron off."
But Zelda did not look like she had minded it, still beaming as brightly at her as she had done before. "It didn't even feel like that long. Did you say you liked the cinnamon muffins best?"
"Yes."
"Okay then." Zelda looked away from Mipha, and she tried her best to ignore the little pang of sadness, reminding herself that she was trying her best to fix things between them so that she would never have to deal with feeling the distance between them widening again.
Mipha had to remind herself of that several times as Revali came over to them, nudging Mipha in the side, using the decorative plant between himself and Zelda to hide the little motion from her before he nodded at her.
"Yes?"
"Can I buy a cinnamon muffin and a cup of…" Zelda looked over at Mipha.
"Just an espresso, please."
"And a cup of espresso. I will be the one paying."
"What? No—" Mipha protested, "you shouldn't have to pay for me—"
But both Zelda as well as Revali ignored her, Revali simply stating the price before disappearing. He returned only a few minutes later, carrying a plate in his hand which he handed to Zelda in exchange for a single red Rupee.
"Do you want to try something new?" Zelda asked as she did her best to try to balance the two plates and the two cups of coffee along with her bag, before she gave up and let Mipha take the plates from her.
"That depends," Mipha said, "what is it?"
"I was thinking we could try to sit there," Zelda pointed, specifying 'there' as being one of the vacant tables next to the windows.
Mipha did her best to hide how even the thought of saying yes was making her begin to wish that she had never learn what Zelda's lips felt like. It was the Couple-table.
Pushed up against the wall in a spot that was technically not large enough for a table, but where they had somehow made it work regardless of lack of space, it was the only table in the room with only two chairs where they were both placed on either side if the round table and with so little space behind the back of the chair that Mipha could tell in advance that it was not possible to sit two people there without their knees constantly connecting underneath the table. But she also knew that there was no way she could tell any of that to Zelda—not without risking making her own feelings about her painfully obvious in the process—so Mipha tried to ensure that her voice would not tremble as she did her best to look calm at the prospect of going to sit at the Couple-table.
Her mouth felt incredibly dry, but she still swallowed before answering. "Yeah, sure, why not."
They made their way over to the fabled table, Mipha waiting for Zelda to sit down before she as much as moved closer to place the two plates at the table. Then, she knew that she had reached the point where she would actually have to sit down as well. Slowly, Mipha pulled out the chair, trying her best to move it as far away from the table as the wall behind her would allow her to, which was, given the nature of the Couple-table, not that much. But she managed to sit down without hitting Zelda's legs even once, a feat Mipha could not help but feel slightly proud of. It was just not that nice that she would not be able to laugh about it with Zelda.
"So," Zelda said, pushing the cinnamon muffin and espresso over towards Mipha, "would I be correct if I assumed that Revali got the answer he had hoped for from Link?"
"Yes," Mipha said, fidgeting in her seat as she sensed how they slowly got closer to the dangerous subject of what exactly had happened at the bar.
"Hmm," Zelda bit into her muffin, glancing towards the counter where Revali had just handed another one of the cardboard cups to a man in a suit who hurried back out of the café moments later, "yeah, he also looked so much happier than what I was used to. Though, of course," she winked at Mipha, "I might not be completely unbiased given how my introduction to him was when I saw him almost throw a cup of coffee at a man and then heard you tell me how that was apparently his usual behaviour." Zelda's shoulders shook with laughter.
"No, you are right, he did definitely look much happier than he did while constantly mentioning every single thing Link had done that day." the thought that she had acted the exact same way over the weekend, maybe even longer, but just that, instead of focusing on Link, she had focused on Zelda was determined to get through to her, but although the irony of the situation—her sitting here with Zelda and laughing about Revali's antics when around Link when she was no better the moment she saw Zelda—was not lost on Mipha, she tried her best to push it away.
The coffee smelt wonderful, and she slowly lifted it up to her lips, careful to make sure it was not too hot for her to drink.
"Oh, you should definitely never drink on an empty stomach," Zelda said, her hair falling in front of her should as she shook her head.
Mipha placed the cup back down onto the table, feeling how a crease appeared between her eyebrows. "What?"
"Just a joke," Zelda chuckled, "it's just that I clearly did not remember to do that this Friday. I remember going to a bar—"
"Yeah, you met me there," Mipha said, following along with the story, her stomach turning at the thought of how Zelda was only a few seconds away from reaching the point during the evening that Mipha could still recall everything she closed her eyes.
Only, that was not what Zelda did.
"Oh, so it was you that I met there," Zelda tossed her hair back behind her shoulders, shaking her head in disbelief, "I just—I remembered finding someone, but I could not remember exactly who. Well, anyway, I must have left you at some point during the evening, because I got so incredibly drunk that I am still not really sure how I managed to find my way home to my flat. And although I might only have gone with you to a bar once and I can barely remember anything, I am pretty sure that you would have tried to stop me from becoming so drunk, right?"
"Right," Mipha confirmed.
"Yeah, I thought so. But since you weren't there, I had no one to stop me, so, and I don't know why—or well yes I do, but it doesn't matter for the story—but no matter what, I got so drunk that you can't even imagine it." Zelda grimaced. "It was not pleasant to wake up Saturday to find that I had definitely not thought about the fact that I would have to get up again. Oh, yeah, and also, I could not find my jacket anywhere in my flat. Do you know if I managed to throw over in some corner in the bar while you were still there?"
"Uh, no, you let me borrow it when I left," Mipha said, doing her best to sound calm as she recalled the feeling of wrapping Zelda's jacket around herself to head back home, "it is safe in my flat. If you want me to, I could probably run home to get it and be back in just a little over twenty minutes." she looked over at Zelda, already halfway looking forward to her accepting the offer, giving Mipha an excuse to get up from the table and to try to use the run between the café and her flat and back again as a chance to make some of the jittery energy that ran through her body, making her leg twitch every other second and bringing it dangerously close to hitting Zelda's a few times disappear.
But Zelda just picked up her own cup. Taking a sip of her drink, she shook her head. "No, no, I don't miss it. It is just nice to know where I have left all of my stuff, you know, just to make sure that I haven't lost it for good."
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Mipha mumbled and tried her best to hide how she hooked her foot around the chair leg in an attempt to sit still, "in that case, just say when you want to get it back and then I could bring it in here."
"I will."
They sat there in silence. As it grew, coming dangerously close to reaching the point where it could be classified as 'awkward', Mipha began picking at her muffin. There was technically nothing wrong with the spongy dough, but she still could not imagine actually making herself calm down enough to touch it without breaking off tiny pieces. The taste was fine, delicious even, but the more she sat there, simply shoving little bites of food into her mouth, the less appetising the muffin seemed.
Across from her, Zelda cleared her throat. "So, uh, I assume that you had a better weekend than what I experienced, didn't you?"
Thinking of how she had spent a good part of it locked in her room while panicking about this moment, Mipha lied. "Yeah, it was fine. I didn't really do much, though, just sat at home and watched a few films and all that."
"But were they at least good films?"
"They were fine," Mipha replied with a shrug, "nothing too amazing, but I was able to stay focused through it all so at least they managed to do that." when Zelda fell silent, the thought that maybe she had actually wanted to discuss the films struck Mipha.
Things were just going so well, she thought bitterly, here she had just gotten her second chance and she was already doing her best to ruin it. But, forcing herself to sit still and not at all think about how close she was to Zelda or how the corners of Zelda's mouth were turned downwards, not quite forming a frown yet, but definitely far away from being the beginning of a smile, she decided to do her best to try to make up for it.
Picking up her cup, she paused with it just a few centimetres away from her face, using the teaspoon to point at Zelda like she had only just then been struck by an idea. "That reminds me, I think I passed by a cinema on my way over here. Would you want to go see a film there with me sometime?"
The tight feeling in her chest lessened a little as Zelda looked at her, some of her usual sparkle having returned to her eyes.
"I would love to," she said, and Mipha definitely did not feel how her heart skipped a beat at the casual use of the word, "did you have a specific film in mind?"
And there it was, the flaw in her plan that could barely be described as a plan given how little thought Mipha had actually put into it.
"No, not really," she admitted, "I was thinking that we could just go there one day, look at what they have to offer and then just pick one of the options." Thinking was definitely not what she was good at doing right then. To say that Mipha was actually hoping much more than she was thinking would be an understatement.
Lifting the muffin up from her plate, it seemed that Zelda was about to make her wait even longer for an answer to her suggestion, but, to Mipha's relief, she paused at the last second, staring off into the distance. "Yeah, I suppose we could also do that." she finally said, and Mipha could only pray that the relief did not show on her face. She supposed it didn't as Zelda did not pause to comment on it. "What time should we do it? When would you be able to go?"
The assignment was still sitting unfinished on her computer, making the true answer to that question sound something like 'probably not for another couple of weeks'. But it was almost finished, she just had to read through it and make sure that that there were no obvious mistakes or spelling errors, so it was not like she would suddenly be unable to finish it in time just by taking a break and going to the cinema with Zelda. Or at least that was what Mipha told herself in an attempt to justify the plans she was about to make keeping her from working on her homework for even more time.
"Oh, I don't really mind when we go." the lie burnt on her tongue, but she continued. "So as long as you are free at that time, we can go whenever you feel like it."
The look Zelda sent her, slightly lifted eyebrows, mouth pressed together slightly as her eyes darted from one side of Mipha's face to the other, made her almost completely certain that Zelda could see through the lie, but just as Mipha had been about to open her mouth to add to the lie, hoping that it would somehow help, Zelda nodded. "Okay, in that case, what about tomorrow at five? Does that work for you?"
It didn't really, but then again, there was really not a good time at all to go out when she still had to work on her assignment. Besides, if she really tried, Mipha was sure she could probably manage to get it finished once she got home that evening. And even if that had not been the case, when she looked at Zelda in front of her and felt how Zelda had still seemingly not realised that they were sitting at the Couple-table from the way she had placed her foot, pushed over towards Mipha's half of the table, making it so that, even though Mipha did her best to move her own feet as far away from Zelda as possible, she could not help but brush against them, well, how could anyone expect her to be rational and say no?
"Yeah, it is perfect," she lied.
And just like that, it was decided, Zelda being quick to take out her phone to let Mipha type her number into it.
"We will just meet by the entrance, right?" Zelda asked as she accepted her phone back again, bowing her head over it as she typed in the last pieces of information before saving the contact. "I mean, I will probably still call you once I get there, but the plan is to just meet at the entrance, right?"
Mipha nodded, and could not help but feel a bit sad as Zelda got up, picking up her bag before she turned around to pull her in for a hug, saying something about how she had something she needed to do, but that she would be looking forward to going to the cinema tomorrow. Mipha simply followed along, repeating the same things Zelda told her back to her, only changing the words a little.
As she watched Zelda leave, pausing for a moment to turn around as the door closed behind her to wave at her, standing still until Mipha waved back, at which point she all but ran through the street before turning around the corner a few minutes later, Mipha could not help but wonder what it was about Zelda that made her able to so easily forget everything about logic when faced with the prospect of getting the opportunity to spend more time with her.
Although Mipha had a pretty good idea of what Revali's conclusion to that question would be, she ignored the signs that would indicate that there was a tiny chance—for it was really nothing but the tiniest, smallest chance—that he would be right, instead arriving at the conclusion that it must have something to do with the fact that she simply needed a break from studying, meaning that she would gladly have accepted any excuse to delay the moment she would have to sit down with her computer and actually get some work done. It sounded plausible enough. Even though Mipha loved her classes and loved the subjects and would, if asked, still rather write a hundred assignments than accept one of Revali's offers that she could come with him and Link to the park to be the third wheel during their dates, that friend who was so lonely that they got a pity-invitation, she nodded to herself. Yeah, that was it. She was just a bit tired.