Mipha is already waiting by the parking lot with a large beach bag, towels, and a surfboard in hand. I park next to her and grab my stuff from the trunk.

"Good morning," her smile is brighter than the sun.

"Hey, sorry for the delay, I had to stop for coffee and bagels. I bought one for you too," I hand her the small paper bag.

"That's so sweet of you!" she beams. "Don't worry about being late. My brother is a little late too."

"Does he live on campus?"

"No, he's attending UCZD."

"That's a great school with an excellent swim program," I say impressed. "Is he a swimmer as well?"

"Indeed."

"Does that ever get... awkward?" I ask.

"Why would it be awkward?" She smiles bashfully.

"Well, doesn't HU compete against UCZD?"

"Yes," she still sounds confused.

"So you'll have to compete against your own brother."

"No," she giggles shily. "Men and women don't compete against each other."

"Right," I slap myself mentally. I should have known that.

I lock my car and stand next to Mipha in silence. A full minute passes in which neither of us says a word. This is already awkward.

"What time do you usually get up on the weekends?" She asks, breaking the silence.

"Around 8 AM."

"Oh, so this isn't too early for you."

"Not at all," I laugh a little. A little too much. I have to try to act more natural.

I can't even come up with small talk for Mipha, a girl who is very similar to me academically. How am I supposed to handle Link tonight, a guy I have nothing in common with? I will be the one doing most of the talking, I can only hope I won't make it uncomfortable for either of us.

Only a couple of minutes pass until a truck pulls into the parking lot and parks next to my car. The windows are rolled down and music is playing on the radio at an appropriate volume. A handsome young man grins from ear to ear and sways his car door open.

"Zelda!" He jumps out of his car and throws his arms around me to pull me into a tight hug as if we were lifelong friends. He must be at least 6.5 ft tall and his strong arms could lift me off the ground effortlessly. This greeting is too overwhelming and before I can decide whether or not to hug him back he is already backing away to introduce himself with a blinding smile.

"It's an honor to meet you! I'm Sidon," he flexes his biceps in a subtle motion and grins even wider.

"It's nice to meet you too," I say politely.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go ride some monstrous waves!" Sidon smiles broadly.

I feel the color draining from my face as I look over at Mipha.

"Don't worry, the waves will be gentle," she assures me.

Sidon grabs his sister's surfboard and stores it in the back of his truck with the other boards.

"I figured you didn't have a board so I packed you my old surfboard! It will fit you splendidly," he tells me with a quantity of excitement that should be illegal this early in the morning.

"Thank you, that is very kind of you," I say as he grabs our bags and puts them in the back as well.

He looks a lot like his sister, only their height is frighteningly different and the way they present themselves. While they are both very friendly, Mipha is very calm, reliable, and sensible, and Sidon appears to be excessively assertive, gleeful, and spontaneous. They are the living definitions of introvert and extrovert. I've known Sidon for no more than a minute, but that only proves my point. He presents himself in a way that pulls you in whether you want to or not. Just like the ocean, thankfully much less scary.

I smile nervously as we get into his truck. Mipha gives me a soothing smile and assures me that we will have a lot of fun. She thanks me again for the bagel and enjoys every bite of it. She's beautiful even when she's eating and never stops smiling. How could anyone not love her? How could he not love her?

We drive by the pier, the only part of the beach that I actually recognize, but we don't stop there. Our drive goes on for a while. The beach we're heading for is further to the south and it takes us an hour to get there due to heavy traffic. It's the perfect day to go to the beach and it's a Saturday, so it'll be quite busy.

We find a parking spot that isn't too far of a walk and take our boards to the beach. Well, Sidon is carrying most of it. Mipha and I only carry our bags and the towels. It's nearly 10 AM now and the beach is already pretty full.

"I cannot wait to practice my new tricks!" Sidon announces excitedly.

"I can't do any tricks," I gulp as I frantically shake my head.

"Don't worry, we will be where the waves are lower," Mipha points over at the part of the ocean that looks calm. "I'll teach you the basics, like standing up on the board. You will do just fine."

"Okay," I breathe.

Sidon takes his board and heads for the big waves while Mipha takes me in the opposite direction. As we are entering the water I begin to wonder what was going through my mind when I agreed to going surfing. I've never done anything remotely related to surfing and still don't really desire to acquire that skill. At all. I just did this to prove to myself that I can make my own choices. Great, at least I will die in independence.

"It's not so bad, is it?" Mipha asks me.

The water is reaching up to my hips now. It's a bit cold but not as bad as I had expected.

"It's fine," I reply.

"You can lay on your board now to get a feel for it."

"Here? Isn't the water still a little low?"

Most of the surfing is happening way further in. Not that I strive to be in deep waters, but this makes no sense to me.

"Yes, we will paddle from here. Lie on your stomach," she demonstrates it for me.

Even just getting on top of this unsteady plank of floating polystyrene is a challenge, I can't imagine standing up on it! Once I have managed to lie on my stomach we begin to paddle further toward the sea.

"Thanks for coming along," Mipha smiles at me as she graciously glides over the water.

"No, er, of course. Thank you for inviting me," I smile back. All this smiling will make my cheeks sore.

"I love the ocean," her soft voice says in admiration.

The sun is dancing on the surface of the water and the chirping of jolly children is barely audible all the way out here. It's quite peaceful. This place, so warm and serene, perfectly resembles the girl in front of me. If I had to describe Mipha in one word it would be pacific.

"Ready to give it a try?" She asks, her voice slightly gaining excitement.

"What? You haven't taught me anything yet," I say panicked.

"You learn by doing."

"Well you've got to give me some tips. I have absolutely no idea how to surf."

"I'm sorry, you're right," she giggles. "You're going to lie on your stomach and when a good wave is in sight you'll start puddling toward the beach to gather some speed. When the wave is right behind you, you are going to first kneel on the board and then stand up quickly. Be sure to stand firm in a bit of a squat."

I wish I could write all of this down.

"What if I don't stand up in time or fall down? Or the waves push me under water? What if I crash into somebody? Or if I--"

"Easy," she sits up on her board. "Take it easy. You can't get hurt."

"But..." I begin but her smile takes half my worries away. She's so relaxed. In many ways she is very similar to Link. They are both understanding, sweet, and patient. Soft spoken and generous. They are both athletes too. They are a perfect match, why haven't they gotten together yet? Or have they?

"If you lose your balance or feel like you're going the wrong direction, you can simply jump into the water. The board is connected to your ankle so it won't go anywhere. And the waves are really low, they can't swallow you."

"O...okay," I take a deep breath.

"Would you like to give it a try?"

"Wh... What about you?"

"I will go too. Would you like me to go first?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay," she lies back down. "Just watch and wait here. I will be back."

She faces the beach, looks behind her and begins to puddle forward. I can see the wave she's aiming for. It's bigger than the other waves but far from the size I had expected.

Mipha goes from lying to standing without the slightest struggle and rides that wave as if she could magically steer it herself. She is truly blooming like a flower in spring. I try to think of something that brings me as much joy as the ocean brings to Mipha. All I can think of are books and studying history and botany. I wish I had something that makes me feel like Mipha when she's swimming, Impa when she's partying, or Pik when he's performing.

Mipha returns to me after a couple of minutes and encourages me to do what she just did. If I had the courage to look at her big, bright yellow eyes and tell her no, I would. But I can't. No one could. I'm terrified, but she has promised me multiple times that nothing bad can happen. I think my greatest worry is to run someone over with my board.

I lie down with a racing heart and watch out for the waves behind me.

"That one looks good," Mipha says and I nod breathlessly.

"Okay," I keep nodding and begin to move my arms in a circular motion to move with the waves.

"Get ready to stand up," she reminds me when the wave touches the rear end of my board. My fingers grab around the edge as I move onto my knees but I'm too slow and way too unsteady and plunge into the water as the wave passes by.

"Well that didn't work," I curse to myself, though I am thankful that I didn't crash into another surfer.

Mipha arrives at my spot and gives me a funny smile.

"It's not as easy as it looks," I defend myself.

"And not as scary as it looks?" She asks merrily.

"I suppose it really wasn't too bad."

"Give it another shot," she begs and I can only agree to it.

Even after five more tries I still can't get up without losing my balance. My body just isn't made for sports. I suppose equestrianism and golf will be the only sports I will ever succeed at.

Mipha and I end up sitting on our boards and talking about academics. The sounds of waves and seagulls accompany us and keep the scene alive even when neither of us speaks.

"It's past noon already," I say, looking at the sun's position in the sky.

"The soccer game has started by now," Mipha notes, her cheeks as pink as her surfboard. Should I ask her about Link? No, I should probably just change the topic.

"They haven't lost a single game this season," she continues. "But their greatest opponents will be the boars. Frankly, I am dreading that tournament. It makes me really nervous," she says with a sour face.

"Our team is strong, I think they have a good chance." As if I knew anything about soccer or the odds of victory.

"They could be the world champions and I would still be nervous to the core of my heart. It's because of Link..."

The butterflies in my stomach do somersaults at the mention of his name.

"Have you ever watched a game against Lorule Academy?" she asks me quietly. I shake my head. "They don't play fair. The coach trains them to execute fouls that appear like accidents. It is a corrupt team. Last year they nearly snapped Link's leg in halves. I am so worried about him, I wish he would skip that game, but our school is counting on him to score the winning goal. He is too loyal and too stubborn to let them down."

My stomach is twisted in knots but I try to hold a neutral expression. If Mipha knew how much I care about Link, she would probably not think much of it. After all, half the school admires him. But what if she knew about our secret? Our nights together? Our kiss in the center of the stadium.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" I ask the question I've deliberately been avoiding all day. She gasps at my bold question.

"Is it that obvious?" Her shoulders tense and she tries to hide her smile.

"No," I lie quickly. I didn't mean to put her on the spot like that and there is nowhere for us to run. We are literally trapped in the ocean. On the upside, this might be the perfect opportunity to keep my part of the deal.

"I kind of thought you liked Revali," I try to sound as convincing as possible.

"Revali? The archer from Vah Rudania?"

"Yes." I nod awkwardly. "He's handsome and very accomplished. And... nice."

"Are you friends with him?"

"Er... Yeah, yes, of course. He is very helpful and, er, loyal to his friends. And I think he might like you."

I probably shouldn't have said that last part.

"Oh," she squeaks.

"But if you already like Link..."

"Link and I... We are just friends," she explains. I can hear the disappointment in her voice. "And our friendship means the world to me, but... That is all it will ever be."

She sounds so sure. I wonder if she has already confessed to him. So many questions with dreadful and overbearing answers. 

"When did you know that you liked him more than a friend?" I ask.

I hope I'm not overstepping any lines.

"I'm not sure," she ponders. "There is a moment I specifically recall... It was many few years ago, back in Japan... Link came to visit me. It had been ages. I told him that there was a bully that had been picking on everyone lately. A scary guy, much older than us, the type that smuggles knives and drugs into school. When I said that, Link started walking toward the schoolyard. Spellbound, I followed him. When we were almost there, he told me to turn back. He insisted he would be fine on his own. I stubbornly stayed. While I argued, the bully recognized and attacked Link from behind! Link fought back, but when the guy drew a blade I was sure we had met our end. How silly of me to doubt. With a sure hand and a fierce gleam in his eye, Link disarmed the guy swiftly. Though I should have been terrified, I could not help but feel safe in the presence of my dear friend. His kindness and determination to help those in need... His strength and skill... My heart is drawn to his. I am doomed..."

Her gaze leaves the water and she looks at me with a mixture of hope and embarrassment behind those honey colored iris'. I want to say something encouraging but words so often evade me lately, and now more than ever. I can only share my empathy through looks.

"Forgive me. I did not mean to trouble you with my complicated situation," she apologizes.

"No, you didn't. I understand what you're going through."

More than you think.