Chapter 2

"Hey there, you're up early again."

I turned my head to see who was calling out to me, though I already knew who it was. I released my grip on the door knob in order to turn and face my old friend, Strich.

"Good morning, Strich!" I said, offering him a smile. I could already feel the butterflies in my stomach start to build up. Oh, how I wish he could take these butterflies for me! I wonder if he could get rid of them if he k-

"Good morning to you too!" he said with a returning smile. "So, what are plans for today?"

Oh Goddesses, you have the most charming smile, Strich! It's so distracting!

"Well, since there aren't any classes today and since it's so nice outside today, I was just going to go out and enjoy the day doing whatever I please! I was thinking it would be nice to fly around for awhile and explore any areas I haven't seen yet."

Strich's face lit up after I mentioned going exploring. "Is that so? Because I just so happen to know of a place that you haven't seen yet that's perfect for exploring! I'm sure you'll love the place as much as I do!"

"Really?" The thought of exploring new territory always thrilled me. "Where is it?"

"I could tell you, but I'd rather show you myself. I still need to eat breakfast, so how about you run ahead? You can wait for me at the plaza, I'll catch up to you once I'm done."

"Great! Sounds like a plan!"

I waved at him as I left the academy, giddy with excitement at the prospect of today's adventure. I walked down towards the plaza, taking my time. Strich isn't much of a fast eater, so there's no need to rush. With every step forward I took, however, the butterflies soon returned, no longer overpowered by my excitement.

I found myself imagining his sweet smile, over and over again, and the soft sound of him calling my calling my name... I can't help but wonder what it would be like to hug him or even-

Oh dear Hylia, I've been bitten by the love bug...

I've been having these feelings for months now, and I can't deny it any longer. I've fallen for my best friend... What caused this? What changed? We've been friends ever since we were children, and we'd always hang out whenever Strich wasn't hanging out with Groose. I've always loved Strich as a friend, but now... Now I'm in love with him. Why did this happen a few months ago instead of a few years ago or never?

I sighed and sat down on a bench in the plaza. I guess that's not the most important thing to be asking myself right now. I rested my head in my heads and thought:

How long can I go on pretending like nothing's different? How am I supposed to behave as a normal friend when I'm attracted to Strich? Should I- should I confess to him?

The thought made my stomach feel like it was twisted into a knot. How could I ever hope to confess to him? Even in my fantasy I become shy and awkward, so if I was really going to tell him, I'd most likely be even more shy and awkward than I could possibly imagine! But I really don't think I can continue like this...

My thought process was interrupted by the sound of fast approaching footsteps. I turned my head in time to see Strich jogging over to me. When he reached the bench, he had to stop for a minute to catch his breath. I couldn't help but notice how red his cheeks were from his little jog, and how much he was panting. It wasn't really cute or charming, but it was something, I just couldn't find the right word for it. One thing was for sure, though I couldn't explain why, and that was how I enjoyed seeing him like this.

"Wheew, sorry for taking so long," he said.

"Oh, no, not at all! In fact, it seemed like that took less time than usual," I responded.

"Well, I was trying to hurry. I'm just really excited to show you this place!"

"It must be a really cool place if you're that excited about it. Would you like to go now or wait another minute to catch your breath some more?"

"I'm fine, now," he said with a smile. "We should leave now so we don't waste anymore daylight! Come on, I'll race you to the jumping off point!" Strich sprinted off towards the dock, calling out, "Last one on their Loftwing is a rotten egg!"

I laughed and jumped up after him. "No fair! You got a heads start and you're ridiculously tall! How am I supposed to beat you?"

And he yelled back, "You're not!" before disappearing over the edge of the plaza. I followed soon afterwords, the sound of rushing wind filling my ears as I jumped from the dock with a grin on my face.