Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda

"Zelda…"

I stir in my sleep as I feel something nuzzling my neck. I open my eyes to the view of ocean-blue eyes and tousled blonde hair and a grin and the smell of coffee.

"Morning." He grins at me from above as I get my bearings.

"Hey…" I answer. "Why aren't you at work?"

It's then that I realise he's already dressed—his hair still slightly damp. I sit up and he strokes my hair away from my face. "I was just about to leave. I just wanted to say goodbye before I do."

I nod my head—still sleepy as he kisses me on my forehead, his lips lingering. "I really really want to stay here with you. But I'll be back so soon—"

"I won't have time to miss you." I say with a smile.

He grins at me. "You remembered."

I nod slowly and yawned. "You should go. You'll be late."

He gives me another kiss. "I'm just taking a tour of the company. And I promise—I won't mention you to anybody."

"Thank you." I say gratefully. "Will you be driving?" I ask him. Recently he'd been taking my car to work—much to Sidon's satisfaction.

He shakes his head. "Sidon is coming to get me. He'll be here any minute." And right on cue, the doorbell rings. He gives me an apologetic smile. "I need to go. I'm sorry…"

I know he's up making breakfast and coffee because I got sort of… mad last night. I know he knows that I'm a bit disappointed. But work is work. If it was me, I'd be the same too. He gets up to leave and gives me a smile before leaving.

I know he's not my boyfriend. But I know he's trying. Trying to make me fall in love with him. And I think I already have one foot in the door.

And I also know he's trying to fill the absence.

He says I won't even have time to miss him.

But I feel more alone than ever.

I thought about it.

I've spent most of the morning thinking about it.

About how we can bridge this distance between us. I can't wait for him to come home every night and then be too tired to actually spend time with each other. So I've thought about it.

And the only immediate solution I can think of… is for him… to go back to his apartment. It was closer to the city. And he'll have less of a commute—cutting travel time in half. And I can work from anywhere, anyway. I've been meaning to bring it up with him. But he's too busy. The routine of waking up to him dressed and getting ready to leave for work is now a regular.

I don't like it. I don't fucking like it.

The first days of our weird relationship were so wonderful—like a fairy tale. But now… Instead of becoming closer—we keep on missing each other. Even on weekends, he'd run out and do some quick shoots or there's a thing from HyHo. Or Sidon drops by with some files or new scripts or he has to do some reading or costume-fitting for Happiness.

I miss him terribly.

I know he's making an effort. But last night was the last straw when he fell asleep in the middle of making out. We were in bed and he was kissing me and I was so fucking excited—it's been a log time since he's held me that way.

He tasted of cinnamon and he was breathing hard. And he started kissing me down to my jaw and I was wet and throbbing—and then he was sucking at a spot on my neck. I thought he was taking a breather—but it took me several seconds to realise that he actually fell asleep on top of me.

I am not mad.

I am not fucking—okay. Maybe just a little bit.

Just a little bit.

I had to push him off of me and undress him as he snores softly on his back. He has dark circles under his eyes. I remember the first time I woke up to his face… It was the same exhaustion on his face.

This morning though, I don't think he remembers what happens due to his exhaustion—or the days blurring together. But I woke up to his smiling face and a kiss and some coffee and of course—the doorbell… leaving me with the same empty feeling I've had for quite some time now.

Which is weird… I'm not the clingy type—not even with my ex. We kind of… coexisted. But with Link… There's a need. And I have to find a way to feed the need.

So, after my last conference call of the day… I've made up my mind.

I want to help him—even just for a little bit. He's already doing so much—making sure I'm comfortable and in my apartment. Now I can make some adjustments. I go to the bedroom and take out my suitcases, packing his clothes in one and some of mine in the other.

I go to the bathroom and take our necessities, putting them into a bag. In the end, I fill the two luggages. I survey them as I think about it—making sure I didn't miss any necessities. I can always come back for more if ever.

Then I hear my phone ring. I go out to the living room to answer it and see my best friend—Urbosa, calling. It's been a long time since we've hung out. "Hey!" I say excitedly.

I am in a cafe with Urbosa—we haven't seen each other for weeks—well… ever since I met Link. But its not my fault. She's been busy too. Urbosa is older than me. She's a professor at my university and was my thesis advisor. After graduation, we started hanging out leisurely and is like my older sister. Recently, she's been going on a lot of trips—doing lectures and stuff.

"So… do you have a new boyfriend?"

I flinch. She's been telling me stories about her trips for the past hour. I'm still debating about whether to tell her about Link. A part of me wants to keep it as a secret… But there's another part that wants me to tell her. Maybe I can get some advice. Or something. I mean, this is Urbosa! She's my best friend.

"How… did you know?"

"Really, little bird? You think you can hide something like that from me?" Urbosa sneers at me. She calls me 'little bird' because I was flighty and small and delicate before. It kind of stuck.

I take a sip of my iced coffee and play for time. "Is it that obvious?"

"We're talking an awful lot about me. It was a random question but you just confirmed my suspicions." She winks as she takes a bite of her blueberry cheesecake.

I sigh heavily but a little bit glad as now I don't have to think of an introduction to the topic. Urbosa—straight to the point as always.

"Tell me, who is he?"

"Well… we met at a bar." I start. "And… we sort of hit it off."

"Is he handsome?"

I swoon and sway in my seat—"yes."

"Do I know him?"

I gulp. "Link."

"The model?"

I nod.

Urbosa wiggles her eyebrows. "Tell me more."

"He's not my boyfriend yet… But right… so he took me home. We had sex—"

"Was he good?" She interrupts.

I wince but giggle at the same time. "Do you want me to tell you the story or not?!"

She laughs but shrugs as if telling me to proceed. I take a deep breath. "So… there. . After that… he asked if we could move in together. There is also a time when he got sick and I went to one of his readings. Nicole was there—remember her? The actress?"

Urbosa nods but doesn't say anything.

"She's a bitch. Anyway… I pretended to be his girlfriend then."

"But now, you're not yet… official?"

I nod—hearing myself and knowing how… easy and lame I am. "He said… that he wanted to explore… this thing between us. And he didn't want to be apart from me." I blush at my next words, "and that he will do anything and everything to make me fall in love."

"He sounds… dreamy." Urbosa says after a while.

I nod. "Very much so."

"And have you?" She asked. "It's been weeks. Are you already in love with him?"

I… nod. This is the first time I've admitted to this out loud. He's got me. I am fucking hooked on him. That's the reason why I've been waiting every night for him to come home.

"Then why do you look so sad?" Urbosa interrupts my train of thoughts.

"He… He's been busy ever since he started that new show, Happiness. I'm seeing him less and less. He comes home late and leaves early." I explain.

"So you miss him?"

I nod slowly. "Duh."

"Life of a celebrity." Urbosa says in a clipped tone. I'm still waiting for her to make more comments but I know she's thinking about it.

"My place is farther than his. So I was thinking that… to help—we can move to his place instead. So he can come home earlier." I say lamely.

But Urbosa just nods, looking at me over the rim of her coffee cup. "That's a nice gesture."

"Anything I can do to help." I say slowly. I know it's right around the corner.

"My take on this—" Urbosa starts, "This can go two ways. Either he just wants you around to fuck—or he really does like you." She sips her coffee again. "The first one is… not so probable. He doesn't need to move in with you to do that. So I'm guessing it's the second."

I nod. I have the same guess. "It's just that… it's been a long time since we've really spent some time together. He's been so busy."

"Why don't you go visit him at the set?" She asks. "They think you're his girlfriend anyway. You can get away with it."

But I shake my head. "Link… he's famous. We almost got caught when we went to the mall that one time. It scared him—made him think that I wanted to get away."

"Does he know about the thing… with your Father? Why you want to stay hidden?"

I nod. "I told him. He's working for HyHo."

Urbosa's eyebrows shot up and I watch her gulp. "That's… very close."

"Yeah. But he promised not to mention me. And I don't want the press to know who I am. With him… that will always be a risk."

"So… you're torn between loving him fully and being found out?" Urbosa says simply.

I giggle a bit nervously. "You know me so well, it's scary."

It takes a while for her to answer. "I say go for it."

I am a little bit confused. "Go for?"

"Go! Fall in love with him! Do everything you want with him—announce it to the world!" She exclaims with a smile. "Your relationship with that fucking boring ex of yours was a pain in the ass. I haven't met Link yet. But I would kill for a man like that."

I laugh aloud out her outburst but feel a sense of comfort and warmth spread throughout me. "But my Father—"

"Fuck him, right?" Urbosa says. "You're an adult now. You've been taking care of yourself for years and you don't need him."

I nod. When Urbosa puts it like that, it all sounds so simple.

But maybe it is.

I remember Link telling me not to overthink this.

"Get him to say he loves you. Then go from there."

"I think he's waiting for me to say it first."

"Fucking gentleman. Where'd you find him?!"

I shrug and giggle. "He said… he's drawn to me. Like… gravity."

"Why. is. No. One. Drawn. To. Me." Urbosa groans aloud. I laugh at this. She's had several relationships but they all go away in the end—intimidated by her fiery personality and success in life. "Just go marry him. Your ass of a father won't be able to marry you off if you're already spoken for." She tells me mischievously.

And for a moment, I entertain the thought of him and I getting married… maybe some kids. But before all of that—the immediate problem is that I miss him.

"Do you think it's… weird that I already… you know." I ask her slowly.

But Urbosa shakes her head. "For some people, it takes weeks, months, years—whatever. For some—seconds. Time doesn't matter. When you know, you know."

Urbosa's phone rings and she snaps it up with an annoyed expression. I can tell it's important because she gets up and excuses herself. A few minutes later, she comes back. "Listen, little bird. I have to go. My publisher is doing shitty and I need to get back."

I nod and shake it off. "No worries. We can catch up again next time." I tell her.

She puts on her coat and gives me a tight hug. "Take care of yourself. Bring Link next time. Love you."

"Love you too, Urbosa." I call out. And just like that—I was back to being alone.

I get an Uber and go back home.

"I'm home."

I automatically look at the clock. It's a little past eight. "Kitchen!" I called out.

He pops is head around the corner with a big smile. "Hey." He slid his hands around my waist, his chin on my shoulder. "What's for dinner?"

"Stir-fry. Have you eaten?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Not yet. I sent you a message that I was on my way home."

I take two bowls and he clings to me. I portion out the food but he takes them and brings them to the counter. "I haven't seen it yet. But I made dinner for you too, just in case."

I take my seat and he does beside me. "Thank you for dinner."

I begin to eat and so does he. I watch him from the corner of my eye but he's on his phone—looking at what looks like… a PDF. Maybe another script. Most probably.

I keep on going back to what Urbosa and I have talked about. And also… I need to tell him that we should move to his place. I've left the luggages in the bedroom for now.

"Zelda?" He calls and I look at him.

I don't know how long I've been spacing out but I see that he's done with dinner and he's reaching for my empty bowl too. "Oh!" I gasp as I move away. He kisses me on my forehead sweetly and I feel my heart flutter.

"Why are you spacing out?" He asks with a smile as he proceeds to wash the dishes.

"I… I was just thinking." I say.

"About?"

"Uhmm…"

Get him to say he loves you.

"I was out with my friend earlier today." I say.

"Oh, really? Is this Urbosa? You mentioned her before." He says as he dries up the dishes and puts them on the rack.

"Yeah. We went out for coffee after I was done with work." I watch him dry his hands and he comes to me, his arms circling my waist as he kisses me lightly. It's a distraction and I miss him.

"Did you tell her about me?"

I nod. "She said you're dreamy."

He chuckles. "I try to be. I'm sorry I've been away most of the time. But… I'm almost done with Happiness so…" He starts to apologize.

I wave it off. "It's fine. I understand completely."

"But I miss you…" He whispers before kissing me again. And I am pressed flushed against his chest. I kiss him back—slowly yet hungrily. I start to get excited but he pulls away. "Let me get a shower first." He whispers sexily.

I nod, trying to control my breathing. "Okay."

He gives me one last look before going into the bedroom.

And that's when I suddenly remember.

I hear a thud. I imagine it must be a phone. But I flinch and look towards the bedroom where he comes rushing out and I feel a sense of panic. "What?! What happened?" I gasp but he takes me in his arms and hugs me tight—knocking the wind out of me.

"Please… don't." He whispers desperately. My heart is thumping and before he says another word—he lifts me up on the counter where he starts to kiss me—stopping the words from coming out of my mouth. "Don't. Zelda, please don't do this. I'm sorry."

He keeps on mumbling his apologies as he keeps on kissing me—hungrily, desperately. His hands—his hands are wandering—gripping me tightly as he holds me close to him. "Is this because of last night? Is this because I don't have time for you?" He demands, his voice hoarse. He pulls back away from me and searches my eyes with his.

Words are dying in my throat as I sat there, confused and breathing heavily. "Wha—what do you mean?"

He crushes his lips against mine immediately, groaning—a low rumble in his throat. "Please. Don't. Please don't make me leave." He mumbles in between kisses.

He's seen the luggage. And he thinks I'm throwing him out. "Link, I—" I try to stop him but he's taking off my clothes. And where my skin is exposed, his mouth is on it immediately. He grabs my breast and puts my nipple into his mouth, sucking. I gasp aloud at the sensations as my toes curl and my legs wrap themselves around his waist.

But he needs to know. I take a deep breath and try to focus, "Link, I—"

Instead, he comes back up and kisses me again, effectively stopping the words. "Let me love you. Please." I hear the thud of his jeans falling on the floor. And I let the words die in my throat, forgetting what I was supposed to say. He takes my panties from under my shirt and pulls them down. "Let me love you."

I am reeling. The promise of him buried deep inside me has me fucking reeling. It's been so long. I forget what I'm supposed to say. I watch him stroke himself as he looks into my eyes and I must look flushed and desperate and aroused.

"Link…"

There is desperation and fire in his eyes as he exhales softly. "Zelda, please. Please don't do this." He whispers. And he whispers them again and again and again. And now I'm not entirely sure what it is I'm not supposed to do.

He buries himself in me over and over and he's doing it so passionately that I am on an entirely different plane. I am coming back down to earth as he released himself inside me when he whispers he loves me so softly I'm sure I imagined it.

He apologizes into me repeatedly and we end up on the bed catching our breaths as he hovers over me, his forehead against mine.

It takes a moment for me to recover.

"Did you just… fuck me into submission?" I ask softly.

He looks away but looks back at me, "depends… Did it work?"

I nod slowly. "Maybe."

He twitches inside me and I giggle as he pulls out. But he doesn't leave. I feel him against my thigh. "Please don't kick me out." He whispers sombrely. "I know I've been busy and I haven't been paying attention to you lately but I love…"

I know I did not imagine what he whispered earlier. "Me?"

I expected him to blush, to look away—maybe to deny it—I don't know. But he doesn't. He looks at me squarely. "Is that okay?"

What the actual fuck—wait, hold up. Is he asking me if it's okay to love me? Is it?

Yes.

Yes.

A thousand times yes.

But I reign in my excitement and nod.

"Then, yes. I love you." He whispers in a voice so low that its sexy and rough and husky. He doesn't wait for me to say it back but instead he kisses me. "So please… Don't kick me out. I need you."

His confession has me broken in pieces and light is streaming through. I cannot keep it from him any longer. He'll know soon anyway. But… he's still staring at the bags and so I let out a giggle while he looks at me questioningly.

"I have no plans on kicking you out." I say with a smile.

His fingers are tracing the column of my neck, down to my collarbones. "Then?"

"I was going to say… that we move in at your place instead. Because you're closer to the city." I literally see him in relief as he falls on the bed beside me. He's hiding his face under his arm. I turn on my stomach and look at him.

"So… I got it all wrong?" He winces.

I cannot stop giggling as I nod. "I still appreciate the… apology." I pry his arm away from my face as he looks away in embarrassment. "Heeey."

"I made a fool of myself." He says as he stares up at the ceiling, refusing to look at me.

I know he's embarrassed. But I can't help but tease him. "So you're kidding about loving me?" I ask him—with just a hint of hurt in my voice.

He looks at me directly. "No."

"I spaced out during dinner. Then you started kissing me so it slipped my mind to tell you about me packing up." I explained.

He smiles at me lazily as he pulls me closer to him, my head comfortably on his chest. "Does my kissing distract you?"

"Yes." I answer honestly.

He traces my lips with his thumb.

I want him to know I love him too. But what comes out instead was, "how is work?"

He shrugs as he props his head with his hands under. He looks down at me. "I am eager to get it over with."

"How is… HyHo?" I ask. I know he's started working already but this is the first time I've asked him.

He doesn't look away from my eyes. "I did a couple of shoots. Pretending to be in a meeting, in a call, whatever. Pretty boring stuff."

I don't ask about my father. And he doesn't volunteer information either. For this, I am grateful. "You said Happiness will be done soon?"

He nods slowly. "Yes. Good riddance. I'm tired of Nicole."

"Is she bothering you again?"

He shifts under me. "Have you seen… Happiness? Or do you know what it's about?" He asks.

I shake my head and smile at him sheepishly. "At the reading… I wasn't listening… exactly."

He chuckles. "Okay. Then… It's a romantic series. I'm the boyfriend—" he says this with air quotes and an annoyed look on his face, "—that gets cheated on. I'm only at the start of the series and maybe some cameos by the end of it."

"Oh. And Nicole is… the girlfriend?"

He nods. "I just want to get it over with."

"This is unlike you. I thought you liked your job."

"I do. It's just…" He sighs and looks at me, touching my cheek with the back of his hand. "It's keeping me away from you and I don't like that." I blush under his words but he turns on his side and my vision blurs as he touches the tip of my nose with his. I feel him smile before I see it. "You haven't told me you loved me back."

I pull back in surprise but he catches the back of my neck and pulls me down on him for a kiss. His lips brush against mine softly and I feel the familiar build of desire and excitement, my heartbeat starting to accelerate.

"I'm hoping like hell you do." He says in a half-whisper. I find myself nodding as I feel warmth all over my body. He smiles at me as if in awe and wonder and nuzzles my nose with his. "Say it." He says.

"I love you, Link."

He chuckles before flipping me on my back and I squeak in surprise. He's between my legs again and I feel him as he guides my legs to wrap around his hips. He kisses my neck and leaves marks on my chest. He takes my breath away as he responds with his actions and shows me just how much he loves me back.

That night, we went to his apartment with the bags I packed. I am in the walk-in closet where I hang up my clothes at the space he provided. My necessities were already in the bathroom. And he's given me a pair of warm, fuzzy socks as the central heating kicks in so I don't have to walk around barefoot.

He's shown me a more detailed tour of the place and led me to a room at the end of the hallway with lots of windows and sunlight. It's empty with a few shelves on one side. "This will be your office." He says with a gesture.

"What?" I gasp. I mean… I didn't fucking expect—

"I'll set this up for you so you can be comfortable working here too." He says with a smile before closing the door and taking my hand to show me the laundry room.

Now, he's in the kitchen talking to Sidon on the phone.

I am happy. And content.

I've finally admitted it to him—confessed my real feelings. And so did he. And we're a couple now, right?

Right?

I mean… we've confessed… so that means…

Okay, fine. After saying it—he made love to me over and over until I was tired and we didn't get around to talking about it. But does the status really matter? Isn't what's important is the fact that we love each other?

Okay.

I need a solid answer.

Later.

I will ask him later.

I continue setting up the closet when I hear his footsteps come into the bedroom. Sure enough, I feel his arms around my waist. "Hey."

"Hey. How is Sidon?" I ask him.

"A little pissed." He says sweetly in contrast to what he's stating.

"And why?"

"Because HyHo wants to give me a security team, assistants and my own car." He says in a singsong voice. I know he's doing it to keep the mood light at the mention of HyHo. Wew. My father can really be a fucking handful.

I put the last shirt in a drawer and face him. "Okay. One by one. Security?"

"I don't want people following me everywhere. Besides, it means they'll… see you too."

I nod. "Assistant?"

"Having an assistant means someone who will be here at our place—" my heart flutters at the mention of 'our' "—almost all the time so I'll get to spend even less time with you."

"Car?"

"I can get my own." He says with a cheeky smile.

"Points taken." I say. But a part of me is a little… guilty. I know it's because of me that's why he's refusing these… improvements. "You can use my car, you know. There's no point… in buying another one." I say softly.

He smiles at me. "I like this. Sharing stuff."

And I remember what I need to ask him. "I also… wanted to set the record straight."

He looks at me expectantly. "Hmm?"

"I mean… you're officially… my boyfriend now, right?" I ask. I fucking dare ask.

He chuckles and kisses me. "I thought I was already?"

"But—it's like setting a goddamn Facebook status. I think I need it in writing." I exclaim as he laughs aloud and leads the way out of the closet. "I am dating the great model-actor Link and you know—i need… some sort of confirmation."

"Yes. I am. And you're mine." He says swiftly that's all too fast and hurried for my liking. I drag my feet and he looks back at me almost impatiently. "What's wrong?"

"Say it properly." I demand as I take my hand out of his and cross my arms.

He laughs for a moment but sees the serious look on my face. He stands straight in front of me. "Okay. We are… officially a couple now. I am your boyfriend. You are my girlfriend." He says slowly.

I bite my lower lip to keep myself from grinning like a damn fool. But he smiles and leans forward, taking my chin in his hands. "You are so adorable and cute and I love it and I love you." I blush at his words but I don't flinch from his kisses.

Link woke up late this morning since we slept late last night. I don't blame him. I had a hard time getting up out of bed too. But he ended up rushing and now even left his phone by the bedside table.

I haven't fucking touched it, okay.

But it's been beeping and ringing most of the morning so I figured he needs it. So I am here in the kitchen making coffee while I type in Sidon's number to ask where they are. I could take it to him… and maybe see how he works and goggle at him.

I just turned the coffee machine on when I hear the doorbell ring.

Hmm… Link did not mention anything about visitors today. And if it's Sidon… He would have called first. I go to the front door and look at the video intercom. There is a girl with red hair outside. She looks a lot like Sidon.

I press the button. "Hi. Can I help you?"

She peers into the intercom. "Hi. Are you Zelda?"

I'm pretty sure she's related to Sidon. They have the same eyes. "Yes."

"Great! I'm Mipha. Sidon's sister. He asked me for a favour to grab some stuff for Link."

I quickly open the door and she steps inside. She's small but her lithe and petite figure is model-like. Her features are dainty and she's very pretty.

Once she's inside, she gives me a quick hug and I am a bit taken aback at her closeness. "Damn Link for not introducing us earlier!" She says with a big smile. "Again: hi, I'm Mipha. Nice to meet you."

I gulp as she lets me go. "Hi, I'm Zelda. Nice to meet you too."

She looks at me from head to toe and I feel a little bit uncomfortable. I'm wearing one of Link's shirts which reaches the top of my thighs and the fuzzy socks he gave me last night. I completely forgot what I was wearing when I came to answer the door.

I can tell Mipha is very friendly—just like Sidon. She gives me a small bow and points to the bedroom. "Do you mind showing me the bedroom?" She must have seen the surprise on my face because she laughs. "Link is at a Happiness shoot. I'll be doing a cameo there too. But Link left his phone and since I'm quite nearby, I volunteered to go get it."

I nod, "ohh. I was just thinking that! I saw it this morning and was just about to call Sidon so I could bring it."

But Mipha grasps my wrist and shakes it excitedly. I cannot help but to be pulled in by her enthusiasm. "Let's go together! You can see him at work! You're his girlfriend, right?"

It takes me a second to nod as I blush. She giggles. "Uhmmm… Yeah."

"I wonder how in the world you ended up with Link." She says as she crosses her arms and looks at me. "You could be a model—even more famous than me. What do you do?"

I lead her to the kitchen. "Maybe we should sit." I say with a giggle as she plops herself down on a stool. I offer her some coffee and she nods while I explain. "I'm a developer. I code and stuff."

"Smart people stuff?" She asks.

I shrug. "Not really."

"I can never do that." She sighs heavily as she takes the cup in her hands and blows on it before taking a sip.

"Aren't you in a hurry?" I ask her as she lounges against the stool so casually.

She waves her hand. "Let the boys wait. I'm more interested in you. I've been stuck with those two for a long time and I need some girl talk—if you don't mind?" She raises a sleek eyebrow and I smile at her.

She's very nice. And every second makes me like her more even though we've met just minutes ago. "I don't mind."

"So… how did you meet?" She asked so casually I expected it.

"At a… bar." I say. "Then we kind of hit it off from there."

"That was just weeks ago and now you're living together and you're a couple?" She leans forward eagerly with a big smile on her face and I nod. She erupts in giggles, slamming the table with her hand. "That is soooo fucking romantic! Damn that Link he totally put the moves on you and I didn't even know he's that good!"

I laugh at her outburst but I am a bit curious. "The moves?"

But she placates me immediately. "Oh don't think of it that way. I was just saying that Link is… cold and unapproachable usually even though he's really nice. Ever since I met him, I haven't known him to date seriously."

"Date seriously?" I ask—now I am really intrigued.

"Haven't you… googled him before?" Mipha asked.

But I shake my head. "Oh no. I don't think I can do that. It might drive me crazy."

"He doesn't get involved in scandals usually. But he does date for… promotional stuff and others. But they were never serious or even ended up that way." She explains.

I nod. "That's great to hear."

"But nooooow…. Looking at you…. Damn, you're very pretty. Are you going to announce your relationship soon? Make it public?"

I purse my lips. "We haven't talked about that yet." And doing that will reveal… who I am.

"There's no rush anyway. But I'm really glad you came into Link's life. Sidon's getting a little bit more bearable these days because Link is in such a good mood." She praises me.

Just then, her phone rings and she answers it with a smile at me. "Sidon. Yeah. I'm here with Zelda. I'll be bringing her with me. Yepp—okay." She turns to me. "Our dearest manager is asking where I am. Go get ready I'll wait for you here."

I nod and take my leave to get dressed. Since it's a shooting set… I have to make sure I look presentable. Plus… If this is Happiness… Nicole will be there too… So I take a dress and apply a light bit of makeup. I then call the office to tell them I will be on call for the rest of the day.

I go back to the kitchen to see Mipha pouring herself another cup of coffee and she looks at me, letting out a soft whistle. "You're on fire, girl. I like it."

I look down at myself. Okay… I must have overdone it a bit. The dress I chose has a slightly low neckline than the usual. I feel a little bit… disappointed at myself that I have to resort to this but I also want to see how Link will react. He always sees me in big shirts and socks and the last time I wore a dress was when we went to that date in a mall.

I liked how he looked at me. I liked how he… appreciated my dress.

"Isn't this… too much?"

"If you ask me—you've got a cleavage and you should not be afraid to show it. I like it." She takes a long sip, draining her cup. "Ready to go?"

I nod and slip Link's phone into my bag. "Ready!" I say with a smile.

We get to the location set and it's a mansion in one of those affluent neighbourhoods. Mipha is let in easily through security and she leads me into the mansion.

She says hi to a lot of the crew members who seem to know her. They look at me curiously but I just smile at whomever we pass. Soon, we reach a large bedroom at the second floor with a huge mirror.

Mipha strides in confidently but I peek in first before going in.

Our eyes meet at the mirror's reflection and I can tell he's surprised. "Zelda?"

His stylist—moves away from his hair as he stands up and holds out his hand for me. "Hey." I say with a smile. I am a bit dazzled by the bright lights but he gives me a warm hug and Mipha giggles at the corner.

He kisses the corner of my lips. "You're here." He says with a smile.

"Yeah… Mipha dropped by the apartment to get your phone and I decided to tag along. Do you mind?" I ask.

But he shakes his head with a smile. "No. I'm glad you're here." He gestures to the woman beside him. "This is Lila, my stylist."

I shake her hand and she gives me a warm smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Zelda, you can sit here beside me." Mipha calls out.

He reluctantly lets go of me as he sits back down on his chair and Lila goes back to doing his hair. I hand him his phone and he smiles at me. "Thanks."

"I hope… Mipha didn't force you to come here." Sidon drawls as Mipha slaps him across the arm. I laugh and shake my head. "Nope. I was already thinking of bring Link's phone when I saw he left it this morning."

Just then, someone sticks his head into the bedroom and waves at all of us. "Oh, Mipha. You're here already." He says.

"Assistant director." Sidon whispers to me.

"Yeah, I figured I should just get here early." Mipha says from beside me.

The assistant director catches Link's eye. "Hey, Link. Scene 82, ready? We need to change last minute"

I see Link's face fall but he composes it just in time. "82, you say?"

The AD consults his notes. "Yep. Same location. Nolan says we can squeeze that in for today. Five minutes!" With that he left us. I look at Link but he's looking down at the script on his lap, his hand clenched into a fist.

Sidon must have noticed the temperature dropping in the room because he takes his copy of the script and flips to the scene. I watch him scan it quickly and mutter a curse under his breath.

Okay. Hold up. Now, I'm fucking curious about Scene 82. I was just about to ask Sidon when Link speaks up. "Zelda?"

"Hm?"

"What… happened to work today?" He asks.

I shrug. "I'm on call for production bugs and fixes."

"Oh." He doesn't sound… relieved. His eyes are darting back and forth. "But what if they need you right now, do you have your laptop with you?"

Weird. "Hmm… nope. But I can easily dictate instructions from here." I say softly.

"You guys, hungry? Why don't you go get some food, Mipha? Take Zelda with you?" Sidon suggests in a strained voice.

Okay something is definitely up. The fuck is happening? I look at Sidon who is avoiding my eyes.

"Fuck you, both. What's with Scene 82?" Mipha says out loud. "Why are you getting rid of Zelda?"

Thank you, Mipha.

"You're acting like a bunch of scaredy cats. Give me." She gets on her feet and holds out her hand. But when Link or Sidon doesn't give her the script, she grabs it before they could protest. I wait with bated breath as she cans the page and she gets a worried look on her face before staring at me.

Happiness… is a romantic drama. Link… plays the part of a boyfriend… And judging from their reactions to this mysterious Scene 82… I think I know why they're acting all weird and awkward. "It's a bed scene, isn't it?" I ask softly.

Sidon clears his throat. I don't look at LInk. I look at Mipha who nods after a moment. "Yes." She says. She throws the script on a chair and holds out a hand. "Sorry, Zelda. We don't have to stay for it. We can go somewhere else." She suggests with a smile.

I look at Link who is flushed, his face in his hand. He's breathing heavily and Lila has taken a step back to fix her hairbrushes. I…

Okay. I am stunned. I mean…

I knew he's an actor. It just… I never thought about it this way. He's probably kissed so many girls other than me. But that's his job. It's his job… So I can't… I can't get jealous, right?

Right?

But a bed scene… Is very different from a kissing scene.

I feel a lump forming in my throat. Should I stay? Should I go?

"Leave us." Link says after a while.

Sidon sighs heavily behind me. Mipha gives me a small smile. They leave the room with Lila following them. She closes the door behind her.

"Come here." He calls for me.

My heart is thumping loudly. And the blood is rushing to my ears. I think I can hear my own heartbeat. With shaky legs, I get up and go to him. He takes both of my hands which I'm sure are freezing cold by now and he kisses my knuckles. "I don't really know what to say." He says after a while in defeat.

I am looking at a spot a few inches above his head at the wall. I am focused on it—i could burn a hole through the fucking wall. Thoughts… Thoughts are running around in my head. I remember Nicole with her body-skin dress and sashaying hips and lingering fingers back at the reading. I see her in my mind's eye with the sultry smile and gorgeous features and in a few minutes…

Even though it's just acting.

Her hands would be all over him.

Why haven't I thought about this before?

I mean… When he comes home… after a day's shoot… He kisses me. But I have never thought that… during the same day… He's been kissing her at work.

I…

It's…

It's a little bit too late when I realise that I am holding back tears as I gasp and take a deep breath. He stands up and holds me close agains this chest. "You don't… have to see it. Stay here. Or Mipha can take you somewhere else."

But I'm already seeing it, Link.

Jealousy—anger? They rip me from the inside and I feel an actual tightening around my chest as I gasp and catch my breath. Some stray tears escape. I can't… bear to hold him.

The thought that he's been kissing someone else at work… then coming home to kiss me… disgusts me. I do not deny it. But it does.

It really does.

There is a knock on the door. And Sidon peeks in. "They're calling for you." He says.

I am still frozen on the spot as he lets me go. He leans forward to kiss me but I… I look away. I see the pain of rejection on his face. And I am instantly guilty but not regretting. I feel his lips on my forehead instead.

"Don't go out of this room." He says softly.

Mipha doesn't come back into the room. She was whisked off to makeup when they spotted her outside. Sidon… I can hear his voice while he talked on the phone. Lila, the stylist, comes back and she smiles at me.

"Hi, Ms. Zelda. I—"

"He's asked you to not let me out of your sight?" I say.

She nods sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

I sit back down on the chair as she proceeds to fixing her stuff again. The lump in my throat is so hard I feel like I'm choking. I have to see. It's like ripping off a fucking bandaid. I need to get it done quickly.

He's always said that it wasn't romantic at all—with twenty or so crews looking at you while you do it and cameras pointed at you. But I need to see. I need to say how… fake it is so I can be convinced.

I hear some commotion outside as some people run back and forth with equipment. "Link talks an awful lot about you." Lila tries to make conversation. I am not trying to be rude but… my head is swimming with images of Link and Nicole kissing and in bed.

A few minutes pass and I hear the director signal for action from quite a distance. Before I knew it… I was on my feet following my voice. I feel Sidon's attempt to stop me but I wrench my wrist away from his grasp and I end up at the end of the hallway.

The double-doors of a room where open and several thick cables were going into it. It is eerily silent except…

Except I hear moaning.

And I hear Link's heavy breathing and grunts.

I know it's him. I've heard it all before.

I didn't want to go. I wanted to go back and just walk away but my feet take me inside and I slip into a corner. The view is blocked by several cameras and tripods and people and there were spotlights—trained on a massive bed in the middle of the room.

My neck cranes as I try to get a good look and that's when I see.

My boyfriend is hunched over Nicole. Their lower bodies were draped with a blanket but he's… thrusting into her as she throws her head back and moans. One hand is gripping the headboard, his knuckles white against the dark wood. Their breaths were heavy and as they… for better sense of the word… fucked in front of me.

"Cut! Change the angle a bit. To the left… A little bit more… Yes, perfect. And Link—can you hold her boob? We'll be going in for some close-ups so make sure your expressions are good. Nicole, grab his hair. Yes, like that."

They stop immediately. Well… Link does. But Nicole seems to be enjoying the view of my boyfriend who's pretending to fuck her. I watch as she threads his fingers in his hair and he adjusts himself more to the left just like the director said. His hand… is hovering over her chest—waiting for the signal.

"Okay… Lights… Camera… Action!"

I want to look away. But I can't.

I am frozen on the spot. I watch as Nicole pulled him down—just like I did—and kiss him… needily, hungrily, desperately. I watch as he kissed her back and continued his thrusting, his breath ragged and heavy and he groans as she rakes his nails down his back.

I…

Can't…

Look…

Away…

Is this… what it looks like when I'm underneath you, Link?

They're still kissing. And I am waiting for the director to end the take. He does. And Link sits back on his heels. Someone comes and wipes the sweat off his brow. The muscles on his back are corded and I can see him sweating. I know it all too well.

"Next let's try another position. Link—on the bed. Nicole on top. Let's check for angles,"

He sits on the bed and Nicole straddles him. I can see she's wearing nude underwear. But her breasts are bounding against his face. I can't hear it but they're laughing and talking. Someone comes to help them adjust the position. I see Nolan… Director Nolan—come over and study them closely.

He holds her close. Just like how he holds me close.

I keep on telling myself that this is just acting. That this is not real. That the one he loves is me. But the images are burned into my head and I am frozen here in my spot as I watched my boyfriend fuck somebody else.

The take starts again and Nicole is grinding on top of him. Her head is thrown back as she moans and Link… he takes her breasts in his hands and he attends to them like he does with mine. It was then that his eyes met mine.

Blue met green and he freezes on the spot. It takes a few seconds for— "Cut! Link—what's wrong?"

I thought I needed to see how fake it is to convince myself that I am not affected—not jealous. But all I got is a good look at how real it is.

The last I see is Link scrambling to get off the bed as I race out of the door, down the hallway and out of that mansion. I hear him call my name. I hear Sidon call me too. But I don't stop.

I don't stop for anyone.

—Mackenziiee