"So?" the echo of a voice travels past my thoughts.

Link is meeting Mipha at the pool to tell her about us... I knew it was going to happen soon but I'm not prepared at all. I didn't see Mipha today, I don't know how she's feeling today or if she talked to Link during biology. Did he mention it to her then? Does she know what he is going to tell her or will it come as a surprise?

"Earth to Zelda," Pik waves his hand in front of my eyes.

"Huh?" I look at him.

"Are you good to go?"

"Go?"

"To my gig?"

"Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Er, nothing, sorry," I put my phone away.

"You still do that thing with your eyes when you lie," he smirks.

"Everything is fine, really," I smile up at him and get up to leave. "Let's go to the mall."

His smirk grows into a vast grin and he picks up my bookbag, insisting on carrying it for me. By the time we get to the mall it's already dark out and the whole place is lit by cute old-fashioned street lights and endless strings of light that hang over our heads like a ceiling. Sometimes places feel so differently at night; the mall, the pier, the campus...

Pik stops next to some palm trees and benches. There is a big fountain nearby and you can see part of the beach from here. This is the heart of the mall; the busiest part of it all. I wonder how much further we have to walk and why he wanted to park at the mall instead of just driving to the place where he is going to perform.

"Where is the gig?" I want to know.

"Right here," he smiles and tucks his phone between ear and shoulder while he takes his guitar case off to place it on one of the benches. He removes his guitar and starts tuning it. I'm confused. We are at the center of the mall, I don't see a bar or place to perform?

"Hey," he says into his phone, "yes, we're here.......... No rush, we just got here ........ Okay, do you need any help?........ Okay....... Okay, see you in a bit."

He hangs up and smiles at the scenery around us.

"It's really pretty here at night," he says to me.

"Er, Pik? Care to elucidate?"

"You'll see."

"You sound just like Impa. Just tell me where we're going. And who was that on the phone?"

"I'll take that as a compliment; Impa is awesome."

"Pik. I don't like being left in the unknown."

"I already told you; this is where the gig is. And the person on the phone was Kass. He's helping me out today. He won't stay, he's just dropping something off."

"Kass..." that name rings a bell... "From your choir? The one you taught?"

"You have a great memory," he praises.

"If he's not staying, does that mean you'll be performing alone today?"

"I'd need a crystal ball to tell you about the things that haven't happened yet."

I roll my eyes at him and sigh. "Do you intend on playing alone today?"

"Hm..." he ponders. "Not really. Playing alone is not half as fun as playing with others."

"You know what I mean! Is your band coming? And don't tell me you don't know!"

"They're not coming."

"Was that so hard?"

"Have I told you that you're cute when you're annoyed?"

"Yes," I growl.

"Have I told you that you have a great memory?"

"Yes."

"Will you go out with me?"

"No."

"Almost had you there." He laughs. "Hey, what do you think of my guitar?" He holds the instrument up for me to regard its many signatures and doodles scattered across the glossy wood.

"Wow, it's beautiful. Whose signatures are those?"

"Idols I've met at either their concerts or my own performances. I've been in a handful of movies and TV shows too, so everytime I work with actors or other artists I admire I ask them to honor my guitar."

"I didn't know you were an actor," I gape at him.

"You did know. You just didn't know that I work in front of the camera as well."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"It's not a big deal, I didn't mean to sound like a smartass," he chuckles.

"No, I'm sorry about something else..." I scratch my arm as I assemble the words. "Because of me, you had to give up your role as Romeo..."

"Not this again. It was my own decision," he smiles.

"I still feel horrible about it."

"Don't. That defeats the purpose."

"I can't help it," I mutter.

Pik gets up and steps close enough for me to see the reflection of the fountain in his bright eyes. "Zelda?" he whispers. "Stop overthinking everything."

He places the open guitar case on the ground, grabs a paper and a marker from his bag, and writes something down. *Smiles are the only accepted currency*. Then he places it in the case and picks up his guitar. I know what is about to happen and yet I'm still surprised and confused when he starts playing his instrument.

"What are you doing?" I ask without moving my mouth.

"Riding my water giraffe to fight galactic evil. What's it look like?" He guffaws.

"Why? Why here? Don't you usually perform in a bar?"

"Not always. Sometimes I like to just play in public places. Have you never seen a street musician?"

"I have."

Unbothered, Pik gains the attention from everyone in earshot. The way he plays the guitar is unique. He uses it, not only as a string instrument, but as drums too, by hitting the outside of the hollow object in an interesting rhythm. The people who pass us smile at us, him mainly, and some even stop to listen to the full song.

A little boy starts dancing with his plush monkey and Pik joins him. That little boy's eyes are twinkling with joy and his mother is recording it. I try to stay out of the frame, Pik seems to be doing the opposite.

Three songs later, Pik puts his guitar down and takes a sip from his water. Some people left money in his guitar case despite his kind note of refusal. Some guy even left his number. Pik smiled at the guy in a way that made me think that he will actually give him a call. But Pik smiles at everyone that way so who knows.

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

"What do you mean?"

"The attention. You get used to it after a while."

"I guess. I don't mind it too much because they are mostly focused on you. I'm just trying not to be on anybody's video."

He laughs lightly. "When it comes to attention we are as different as two complementary colors."

"Try growing up as a Hyrule..."

"It's about to get fun," Pik smirks at something behind me and I turn around to follow his eyes. On the other side of the courtyard, past the fountain, a young man with dyed hair is waving at us. But his colorful hair is not what I am focused on... He is pushing a large object in front of him and despite the unusual color, it only takes two seconds to register that it is a piano on wheels. He stops next to the fountain and waits for us to walk over to him.

"Kass!" Pik greets him with an informal handshake.

"We finally meet," Kass says to me, offering his hand.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Zelda," I shake his hand.

"Oh trust me, I know. My teacher cannot go a day without speaking of you."

"Pik has said many positive things about you too."

"Sure you can't stay?" Pik asks Kass.

"Sorry, I promised the wife and kids I'd be back for dinner."

Wife? Kids? He must be in his 30s already. I wonder why he is only now getting his Bachelors degree and how well he can juggle that with a full-time job and family, assuming he has a job.

"Stick around for one song," Pik bids, opening the fallboard of the colorful piano. Judging by its legs, it used to be brown before someone painted over it. I assume this is Pik's doing. So many impressive little paintings can be found on this instrument; I spot ocean waves, flowers, angels, animals, eyes of every color, and plenty more. Some parts are even plastered with texture. He glued Legos and cotton balls to it, covered an entire section just with stickers, and even wrapped LEDs around it to make it glow.

Pik takes a seat and places his fingers on the colorful keys. "Did you bring your Concertina?" he asks Kass.

"I don't go anywhere without it," he grins, revealing a small instrument from his bag.

"Let's play something together," Pik suggests. "You in?" he asks me.

"What?" I take a step back. "N-no. No, no."

"Awe, come on! We sounded great when we played together that day."

"No, thank you."

Pik gazes up at me, waiting for me to change my mind but I don't. His smile is evergreen. He turns his torso toward the piano and starts to play a melody. Kass joins him and both begin to sing a song. I am astonished by the number of people gathering.

After their song ends, Kass and Pik thank the crowd for their applaus. Kass leaves shortly after and Pik checks his phone for the time. It's already 9 PM. I wonder if Link has talked to Mipha yet. He must have. I should check my phone too and make sure everything went okay. What if he tried to call. What if she tried to call? What if she doesn't want to be friends anymore? What if he doesn't want to--

"Do you want to play the piano?" Pik interrupts my rising panic.

"No."

"I didn't ask if you dare to play, I asked if you wanted to."

"Not with all these people watching."

"What if they turned around? I can even make them close their eyes."

"That wouldn't change anything. I don't like playing in front of an audience."

"I understand. Sort of."

"Thank you."

"But..." Just leave it be, Pik... "Sit next to me while I play."

"Why?"

"Please."

I take a seat next to him and feel the blood assembling in my cheeks, not because of Pik, but because of the dreadful attention I feel as soon as I become a part of the piano.

"Nobody is looking," Pik whispers. I take a shy look around and he's right. Everyone is minding their own business. "What shall I play for you?"

"No classical songs."

"Why not? All can't be bad. Surely there must be one you still like."

"You could play an original."

"I could, but then you won't join in."

"I won't play either way."

"We'll see about that. What's your favorite music genre? Pop? Rock? Some hip hop maybe?"

"Hip hop?" I arch my brow.

"I can turn any song into any genre. Watch."

His fingers begin to play. I don't recognize this piece of music but it sounds like Mozart.

"That was Eminem," he laughs and plays another melody. This one is iconic; Moonlight Sonata, but it's not in the right key, and the tempo changes swiftly. It's much more upbeat now and when he starts to rap to it I have to stifle a laugh under my hands.

"Why are you laughing?" He says, laughing himself.

"I didn't think you could rap. Or even liked rap."

"What do you mean? Rap is fast poetry. It can be beautiful and when the lyrics are right, it speaks to me more than any other music."

"Is that so? Who is your favorite rapper then?"

"Stop trying to distract me. Tell me now, what genre do you like?"

"Jazz?"

"Too easy. Any other."

"Rock."

"Now we're talking," he smirks. His hands on his lap, his eyes wander the bustling place. "Take a look at all these people. Study their faces. Their hands. What are they doing? Where are they going? What are they thinking?"

Everybody around looks ordinary. How would I know what they're thinking? They are either staring at their phones or walking past us without as much as a glance.

While I'm still trying to understand where Pik is going with this, he starts to play. The song he chooses stuns me. It's my favorite Jazz song! But I can hardly recognize it once he adds his twist to it. How can he improvise so easily? He is quite exceptional. I don't think a time will ever come when I am not impressed by him.

I bring my fingers to the keys and, even though my eyes are chained to the piano, I can see his smile from the corner of my eyes. Hesitantly, I join his melody. He arranges a smooth transition to some famous rock songs, bringing me along naturally. I can't believe how good this sounds even though I have no idea what I'm doing! This is so much more fun than practicing for hours on end to copy the composer.

"Don't stop, but take another look at the people around us," he says, never losing track of the tempo. "They are no longer lost in their own little world. They stopped staring at their screens and looked up, over their castle walls, and found a world occupied by others. They just noticed that they're not alone."

"They are staring," I conclude.

"No, they are smiling."

My hands are trembling and my eyes dash nervously between the keys and the people that surround us.

"We connected them. Our music guided them out of their prison and brought them together. Look at them, they are suddenly much happier, some are even moving to the music. It's magical!"

Pik is right. The way everyone stopped for a moment to look up is fascinating. And scary. But mainly fascinating.

"I know you're nervous, but you can't deny that you're feeling more alive right now. This may not be your comfort zone, but you're making memories that you'll look back at with a smile. Trust me. Right now you are the protagonist of your life, don't taint that with fear and regret. Even if it's just for half a song, enjoy feeling alive."

He switches songs again and plays Don't stop me now by Queen, merged with We are the champions. Containing my smile becomes impossible once he sings his own version of the lyrics. He keeps the refrain the same and some people even sing along.

...

"Do you sing? I've asked you this before but you never answered me," Pik says as we leisurely walk past the beach. The mall just closed and Kass came by to pick up the piano.

I simply shake my head at his question. He's carrying his guitar on his back and the money he earned in his hand.

"I think you're lying. Everybody sings."

"Not in front of people," we say at the same time and he laughs.

"You really hate the attention. How come you don't you sing in front of others? Do you dislike the sound of your own voice?" he asks as we approach our cars.

"That's not it."

"Really? Would you like to sing with me then?"

I shake my head again. "There is only one person I sing to."

"And who is that?"

"My mother."

"She's lucky," he says, unaware of the fact that if she truly were lucky, she would be alive.

When we pass a homeless man sleeping on the ground near the parking lot, Pik leaves his tips in the man's hat. Having reached our cars, Pik puts his guitar into his trunk and walks me over to my car.

"Today was fun."

"Yes." Today was a good day. I wonder if that will change once I hear about Link's night.

"I was really surprised when you started playing."

"Me too."

His smile is contagious. A short moment of silence passes between us until he takes a step toward me, closing the distance between us. His eyes hold our gaze and my breath is cut off when he bends down slightly. His hand reaches past me to open my car door for me. Then he steps back.

"Maybe I will get to hear you sing one day. Get home safely."

I thought he was trying to kiss me... I froze for a moment. "Thank you, you too."

"I'll see you on Tuesday."

I nod and get into my car. He gives me a last brief smile and drives off. I start my car, take a deep breath, and bring up my phone. No new notifications... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I call Link but he doesn't pick up...

When I arrive at the frat house, Link's car is not in the driveway.  Is he still with Mipha? It's almost 11 PM now, where else could he be? Should I be worried?

Just as I reach the porch, a car pulls up in the driveway and my heart skips five beats. I wait in front of the door as Link gets out of his car. His hair is wet... Walking up to me, he finally spots me and smiles faintly.

"Were you waiting for me?" He asks confused.

"No, I just got back myself."

"I was about to say, you don't usually just stand in plain sight like this."

"Yes, I was just about to enter the house. Why is your hair wet?"

"Told you I'd go to the pool." He opens the door and steps inside, crutches in one hand. He's behaving so normal... I expected him to be affected in some way; either sad, upset, or any other reaction really. Why is he so calm? Did Mipha not confess to him? And more importantly, isn't he going to tell me about it?

I'm a hypocrite, aren't I?

I follow him to his bedroom and take a seat next to him on the bed. He takes off his shoes and leans back. I wait for his eyes to look at me. When they do, he smiles.

"You okay?" he asks when I don't smile back.

"Yes." I swallow. "Hey, just so you know... That friend I went to the mall with is Pik."

The tiny twitch in his brows give it away, even if it's barely noticeable; that surprised him. "Okay."

"I just didn't want it to be a secret or anything."

"How was it?"

"Fine. He played his guitar and then his friend organized a piano. I just watched," I shrug. "Actually, I played the piano too. It was fleeting."

"Nice. Wish I could have seen it."

"I might be on some videos."

"Aren't you worried your dad's gonna see it?"

"He has met Pik. He knows he's just a friend. The most shameful thing I did today was to disgrace Beethoven."

"Okay."

I don't know why I expected more of a reaction... Link doesn't overthink things the way I do.

"How did it go with Mipha? What did she say when you told her?"

"What?" He tilts his head.

"Was she surprised when you told her about us?"

A moment of "Ah" appears on his features. "I didn't talk to her about that--yet."

"I thought that was the reason for your meeting," I gawk at him.

"No, I only went to the pool because she wanted to show me some physical therapy exercises in the water."

"Link," I slap my forehead.

"I'm sorry, I forgot..."

To Link, it may not be that big of a deal, he doesn't see the importance of this conversation and I can't tell him why he has to talk to her about it, but the longer he waits, the worse it will be.

"It's okay."

"You sure?" Link places his hand on mine.

"Yes, I promise. I just misunderstood. Did you have a good time at least?"

"Yeah, Mipha helped me relieve some pain."

"That's good..." I wish I could do what she does. "I forgot to tell you on Tuesday, I talked to Father. I didn't plan on talking to him right then and there, words just came tumbling out. It didn't go the way I thought it would and I left before he could respond. Today he approached me again. No screaming, no shaming. It was... good. He was a bit nervous to talk to me which felt odd. Even though the conversation itself wasn't bad, we are far from okay. He doesn't really seem to fully comprehend why I'm unable to just move back in with him. But I can see that he is trying his best, that's why I don't feel much anger toward him anymore. I think time apart is just what we need for now."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. He needs space as much as I do, he just doesn't know it yet. I don't want our relationship to feel forced. I want it to feel natural when he invites me to dinner and not have to worry about his intentions."

"Makes sense. I'm sorry that life's a mess right now."

"Not everything is bad. Lots of good things are happening too," I smile at him, implying that he is part of the good I have in my life.

"Hey Zelda?"

"Hey, Link?"

"I have a question..."

"What is it?"

"I need some help studying for the biology exam next week. You're pretty good at it so I thought..."

"I'd love to study with you!" Excited, I get up to grab my textbook.

"Not right now," he chuckles and pulls me back to lie down with him. "Let's just hang out for a little bit. After the exam, my team's leaving for the championship so we should enjoy the time we have."

"Next week already?" I sit up to look at him. He nods. "And you are going with them?"

"I won't play, don't worry. But it's my team, so I have to go."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Depends on how far we make it. The final is December 12th, but we won't be gone the whole time. We still have to go to school on the days we don't compete."

"I'll miss you," I frown. The longest I have ever gone without seeing Link was two days. How will it feel when he is gone for an entire week? I wonder if it will be strange to live with his roommates without him. Maybe this is the perfect time to start looking at my own place to live.

"You should watch the live streams," he suggests. "They'll probably talk about me. Did you see the News? All they've been talking about is the injury and my career..."

"Wow, they're fast. How did they even find out so quickly?"

"I think the Daily Hyrule was first, and then other people started talking about it. Now everyone knows... I had to turn my phone off, the notifications just wouldn't stop."

"Does it worry you? That they think you're done with sports?"

"I'm more annoyed that I can't finish this season. Next year will be different. First I'll destroy Lorule in Baseball and win the championship, then do the same for soccer."

"You're using singular pronouns again. You're not fighting alone, Link."

"We," he corrects himself, playfully rolling his eyes. "We, the team, will win. Happy?"

"Happier," I lean my head against his shoulder and close my eyes, smiling.