Chapter Text
It took Paya 27 tries to get the shred of paper just right. Did she write her name or her number first? Did she need to write a message on the paper too? Zelda had said just a name and number would suffice, but was she absolutely sure that that would be enough? Should she write her name in cursive or print? She tried both, multiple times. Pen or pencil? What color pen? Should she spray perfume on the paper like the girls in movies do? The spray only wilted attempt number 15. What did the style of paper tear say about her? The curvature of its rip had to be casual yet elegant, as if to say “I am a lady of great worth and distinction, but it’s not like I actually care about that sort of thing.”
On her final attempt she wondered whether she should draw something to fill the blank spaces on the paper. Link drew for her frequently, after all. This would be an opportune time to return the favor. He won’t think it’s corny, will he? she wondered as she set off doodling. Or will he think I’m trying to one-up him? She finished her drawing and held it up to examine. In the corner of the paper she had drawn a small Korok struggling to hold a blue nightshade twice its height. She smiled. It was not her best work, but it seemed like something Link would find cute. She could only pray she was right.
– – –
A few days after her talk with Zelda and after a long and agonizing weekend spent rehearsing her every word and movement alone in her dorm room, Paya walked into Sage Coffee Company at her usual time. The shop was sparsely occupied by a handful of students and professors. Among their company was Zelda, sitting in her usual seat and looking at Paya with a knowing smile. Paya felt heat begin to climb her neck like a vine as she stepped in front of the empty counter. The back door swung open and Link clamored through it, cradling a stack of boxes heavy enough to show off his muscular arms. Paya gulped as she clutched the little shred of paper in her hand.
“Hey!” he grunted with a smile as he sat the boxes behind the counter and assumed his post. “Glad to see you again, Paya. How was your weekend?”
Her mouth gaped like a fish. “Um… It was, um… Good,” she managed. She watched his expression wilt ever so slightly and despaired to realize that Zelda had been right: he truly thought she did not like talking to him. The paper crumpled a little beneath the crushing weight of her fingertips.
“Well, uh, what can I get you today? One of your usuals?” he asked, looking down at the tablet before him.
Paya took a deep breath and hoped that he could not hear how it shuddered. She could not do it, she realized. She was too afraid. Even with what little confirmation of Zelda’s advice she had just received, she could not bear to take the leap. She hugged her arms across her chest and bit her lip. Perhaps if she could not take the big step today, she could try something a little less daunting in the meantime.
“Um…” she said, trying to steady herself. She could feel Zelda’s eyes on her, and the heat continued to climb from her neck into her cheeks. “I was actually wondering, um… What is your favorite drink?”
Instantly his expression brightened as he looked up at her with a small gasp. “You want to try my favorite?” he asked with sheer wonder, and his brows raised even more upon seeing her small smile. “Paya, you’re telling me you want to try something sweet?!”
Her face was fully flushed at this point. Something like that, she thought to herself. She nodded.
Link clapped his hands together and grabbed a paper cup. “I would be more than happy to make you my favorite drink. I’m not gonna tell ya what it is though. That’ll be a surprise.” He winked, and Paya’s stomach lurched.
He set off making the mystery drink while Paya watched him, feeling the shred of paper rub against her palm. She folded it and tucked it into her pocket while his back was turned, ashamed to admit defeat.
“Here ya go!” he proudly announced, handing the cup to her rather than just setting it down on the counter for her to pick up. Their fingers brushed against each other and she felt a jolt of electricity streak down her spine. “Before you try, as always, please give me your honest critique of my artwork.” She looked down at the cup. What appeared to be a dragon with long, deer-like horns snaked around its circumference. Its head was posed so that it seemed to be sniffing the drink from beneath the lid with closed eyes and a darling little smile. Paya, her worries having disappeared for a brief moment, chuckled.
“I like it,” she said honestly. “It’s very cute, but you forgot to add any scales. Also its legs look a little too straight. Maybe curve them a bit more next time?” She glanced back at him, afraid her honesty was a bit too honest. To her surprise, he only listened intently with a satisfied grin on his face.
“Got it,” he said with a nod. “Next time I draw you a dragon it’s gonna have the curviest legs you’ve ever seen. How’s the drink?”
Paya laughed and tipped the lid toward her mouth. To her shock, the sweetness of the drink was cut significantly by the addition of a surprisingly intense heat. “Oh my… What is it?”
“It’s a white chocolate mocha with a sprinkle of Goron spice. We call it the Goron City Mocha. I actually created it myself,” he announced proudly.
Paya smiled. “I really like it, thank you,” she replied, truly meaning every word.
She bid her farewell and walked out of the shop, pleased with their interaction but still feeling the weight of the little paper in her pocket. She stopped a few paces down the sidewalk and remembered Zelda’s words.
It’ll take one moment of insane courage.
She took another sip of her drink and frowned. Things had gone quite well between them just then. Should she have given him the paper when she had the chance? Did she just miss the perfect opportunity? Was it too late to go back and try again?
One moment of insane courage.
Paya took a deep breath and spun on her heels. With every step she remembered the speech she had rehearsed, the gentle smile she had practiced, the ladylike way she was prepared to hand over the paper. She turned these self-taught instructions over and over in her head until she had once again reached the door to the shop. Her whole body trembled with adrenaline. She fished the paper from her pocket, attempted a deep breath, and opened the door.
Link was still standing where she had left him, wiping down the wood countertop with a wet rag. He gave her a pleasantly confused look as she approached his side of the bar.
“Hey again,” he chuckled. “What’s–”
“I… I…” Her body shook frightfully, and Link’s expression turned to worry as he patiently waited for her to say what was on her mind. “I just… Um…”
One moment of insane courage.
“IreallylikeyouandIwanttohangoutsometimehere’smynumberBYE,” she blurted as she slammed the paper onto the countertop and ran out the door.
– – –
That evening she sat in her dorm room and rubbed her dry eyes as she researched transfer options on her laptop. With every passing moment that she did not have a notification on her phone, her need to leave UCH altogether increased. She could not show her face on this campus again. It was over. College was an interesting month-long experiment, but clearly it was time for her to move on to wherever the wind may take her. Perhaps a college education in general was never the right choice for her. Perhaps it would have been better for her to live on a remote peak in the Hebra Mountains instead, where there would be nobody around to perceive her. She sniffed and hugged her plush Blupee against her chest as a new wave of tears began to fall down her cheeks. Her grandmother had assumed too much of her. She could not grab life by the horns after all. She was not strong enough to withstand the pitfalls of living a full, daring life. Courage had never been her strong suit and she was a fool to believe otherwise.
Her phone buzzed.
Paya wiped her eyes and stared at the screen which displayed a message from an unknown number. Her heart leapt into her throat.
After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up the phone and prepared herself for the worst. Surely he would tell her to leave him alone, that he never liked seeing her in his workplace anyway, that her presence was annoying and her face was ugly and he never wanted to see her again. More tears fell as a result of her self-inflicted bullying. Finally, she mustered the single iota of strength required to open the message.
“hey it’s Link. I liked your drawing a lot, you're really good. do you wanna come to my intramural game tomorrow night? :)“
Paya read the text over and over again until she had every character memorized. After a few minutes of stunned silence, she looked at her laptop, at her phone, and back to her laptop. Slowly, she exited her tabs and closed the computer.
Perhaps college was not a mistake after all.