Chapter Three: You Look At Me It's Like You Hit Me With Lightning

Zelda gently closed the doors of her father's office and proceeded down the stairs. She's been speaking to him for nearly two hours and now her stomach growled with hunger. After only going down about five of the steps, she collided with someone.

"Watch it!" Zelda exclaimed as her arms and legs tangled with the other person's and they tumbled down the staircase.

"Ouch!"proclaimed the other as the ball of extremities landed in a heap at the stairwell.

Zelda stood up rubbing her shoulder "What's the big idea?" she asked angrily.

"Sorry", a familiar voice chuckled "I think you've forgotten that we always walk on the right side of the staircase." Zelda looked up to see Link grinning a little.

"Oh…. Yeah….." Zelda blushed "I'm sorry. "

"It's no problem", Link smiled, then shoved his hands and his pocket and took his eyes to their favorite place.

"Are you okay, Link?" Zelda, genuinely concerned, felt bad for speaking harshly to him as they were falling.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Umm. There's deku nut butter and chu chu jelly sandwiches for dinner in the cafeteria tonight."

"Eww! Are they as bad as they were before I left?" She really didn't know why he was acting so afraid all of a sudden.

"They're actually a bit worse", Link smiled at the ground, then looked up. "I was just wondering if you'd like to go to the Lumpy Pumpkin with me tonight. I-it's the best food around here."

"I would love to!" Zelda grinned feeling the best she had felt all day, but still unsure how Link felt. "I need to change my outfit and ask my father, so meet me outside at 7, okay?"

Link nodded as Zelda excitedly trotted up the stairs. He couldn't believe what he'd just done, but he had to prove to her somehow that he liked her back. With twenty minutes to wait, he headed to the river to pick his date some flowers.

Upstairs, Zelda roughly pushed through all of the clothes looking for the dress she envisioned herself wearing. She decided that even if Link did not like her back, she was going to try to make him. Finally, Zelda found the most impeccable frock that she owned. She quickly jumped out of her everyday clothes and into the pale pink dress. With a hem just below the knee and elbow length sleeves, it was modest yet still enticing. The scooped neckline with intricate white embroidery managed to somehow be innocent without being infantile. She fastened the three small buttons that went down from the neckline, slipped into her nicest leather moccasins, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Not bad… She thought to herself. Not bad.

The girl left her room and was just about to descend the stairs when she ran into her best friend, the spunky red-headed senior, Karane.

"Wow! Zel! Who are you all dressed up for?" The girl stood akimbo in surprise.

"Oh", Zelda looked down at her garb blushing. "I'm going out to eat with Link in about fifteen minutes. Too much?"

"Are you kidding me?" Karane grabbed onto her friend's arm. "Not enough! Come on! We're going to my room!"

Inside Karane's daintily decorated dorm, Zelda sat on the bed.

"Kay. What are you going to do to me?"

Karane looked for a hairbrush "We are going to do something different with those gorgeous locks of yours."

Zelda groaned and Karane responded "You've worn it in those stupid ribbons every day since you were five! Don't you think the booy deserves to look at something different for once?"

Zelda sighed in agreement as her friend pulled the brush through her luscious yellow locks.

"So… That liplock between you and Link this afternoon… and now you guys are going on a date…."

"Kay, it's not a date. I really don't know what's going on between us. You know I've had a crush on him basically forever, but I just really don't know if he feels the same way."

"You are absolutely insane. The way you guys hugged for like five hours? The way he just kissed you out of the blue like that? And asked you on a date? Pipit and I have been official for three months and he doesn't do things like that for me. The whole town thinks he's in love with you."

"It wasn't exactly out of the blue. You guys just couldn't hear what we were talking about. Link probably thinks I'm a freak and the reason he asked me out is to tell me to back off. And damn it, Karane! This is not a date!"

"Whatever you say, silly girl." Karane giggled and finished up Zelda's hair. "I'm done!"

Zelda rose from the bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Her bright yellow hair was weaved into one long braid that had started on the right side of her head, but somehow ended up on her left shoulder. One of her signature golden ribbons was tied at the end of it. She ran across the room and grabbed her friend in an embrace.

"It looks amazing, Kay! Thank you!"

"Go have fun." Karane smiled as her pal skipped out the door.

Zelda knocked on her father's door across the hallway and didn't wait for him to answer before sticking her head in.

"I'm going to the Lumpy Pumpkin with Link, okay?"

"Well, I was looking forward to dining with my daughter, but I guess it's young love so I understand."

Zelda giggled.

"I heard about your… moment with Link at the Light Tower earlier. He's a good kid and I understand you are forever grateful to him for saving you, but….. please. Don't go too far. I know how it feels to be in love for the first time."

"Yes, Father." She smiled. Gaepora was the perfect pop.

"Don't keep him waiting!"

"Okay, Dad." She laughed and skipped out the door.

Link got back from the river with three white calla lilies and waited in front of the Academy's main door.

You can't mess this one up, Link. He told himself as he waited for Zelda. You have to tell her how you feel. You have be fast and effective. You have to lay your heart on the table. You have to –

He never finished that thought because the door opened and the yellow haired girl he loved stepped into the Skyloft dusk. Link was in a trance. The feminine powder pink dress she wore swayed a bit with each step she took. It hit her in all of the right places, enhancing her already angelic hourglass figure. The sophisticated plait that wrapped around her head made her look more mature and the way her long fringe hung over one side of her face made her look mysterious. Not a hint of makeup was on her face, but she somehow still managed to be stunning. Link's mouth was completely dry, but somehow, he found his voice.

"You look… Y-you look… I mean… You're so… I just… I love you, Zelda."

Long chapter, I know. I just couldn't find a place to break it :/ Review, favorite, and/or follow if you feel like it! Also, please check out the poll on my profile. Thanks for reading and there's more to come soon.

This chapter's title came from the song Starry Eyed by Ellie Goulding.