😈

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Liiiiiink! Can I come in?"

Link groaned. He couldn't remember the last time Aryll had woken up before him. Well, maybe last Christmas she had.

"We need to talk!"

"Okay okay," Link said grudgingly getting out of bed. What was it that Aryll wanted to talk about so bad that she had woken up so early?

He opened the door and Aryll glared up at him from the doorway, "YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE GOING ON A DATE!"

Link groaned, "why did you wait to get mad at me?"

"Because my friend was over and you went to bed early," Aryll said, "well? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't need to. It's my business."

"IT IS MY BUSINESS! I'm your sister? Does she like you Link huh?"

"Uh..." why is Aryll so concerned about this? "Probably. It would make sense I guess."

Aryll groaned, "how do you not know?"

"Let me get ready for the day okay Aryll?"

"You are so dense sometimes Link."

After thirty minutes or so the two of them were ready for the day. Link had purposely hid the Tingle Krispies where Aryll wouldn't be able to find them. After a brief glance in the party Aryll called out to Link.

"LINK! WHERE ARE THE TINGLE KRISPIES?"

Link did his best to keep on a straight face as her answered her, "I uh... threw them away..."

"WHAT? THOSE DIDN"T BELONG TO US!"

Link dramatically looked at his watch, "oh look, you're going to be late for school if we don't get you over there now. Better eat something quick!"

"I WANT TINGLE KRISPIES!"

"YOU WILL EAT NO SUCH THING IN THIS HOUSE!"

"LINK!"

Eventually Link had to take the cereal out of hiding and allow Aryll to eat it so they would make it to her school on time. Before she left the car Link quickly shot a question off at Aryll: "Aryll why were you Tetra and Zelda looking out the window last night?"

Aryl seemed unfazed as she answered back just as quickly, "I told you. We wanted to see if you and that girl were going to kiss." She hopped out of the car and shut the door.

Link rolled down the window and called after her, "even Zelda?"

Aryll just looked over her shoulder and winked at him. Link sat in the car a while longer pondering her answer.

As he drove to the university and went through his classes he couldn't help but be distracted by their actions. Even if that was the reason why they had been looking, the situation still seemed fishy.

Why would all three of them be doing it? They were all laughing when he entered the house. Had they perhaps predicted what would happen when he came home?

In the middle of his Math 1100 class Link suddenly realized how stupid he was. There was absolutely no reason he should care about something small like this. He should be more worried about his classes and work later on. Why was he so distracted by the girls peeking out of the window?

I just hope that I won't have to go on another date anytime soon, Link thought, wondering how long he could avoid another one. Link didn't necessarily have good luck if that was what he wanted...

_^_

Why did I agree to spy on Link out the window? Zelda asked herself sadly as she shook her head slowly. Link's surprise the night before had made her guilty, and she had had trouble sleeping because of it.

She was sitting on her bed, reading her romance, as usual.

Apparently Tetra and Aryll were convinced that he was going to kiss the redhead girl when she had dropped him back off. And of course, Zelda was stupid enough to believe a couple of twelve year olds.

Link must think that I am only as mature as them, Zelda thought, there go my chances. Why couldn't love work how it did in the books she read? Simply, the two of them would like the other and after a bit a drama and misunderstanding they would fall together. How wonderful that would be?

Especially with Link.

Zelda blushed even though no one was watching. Why had that thought come into her head?

Not that it wasn't a thought she would have. Sharing a life with Link would certainly be something.

Still, the possibility of her feelings being one sided with like was high. Zelda pointed out what she thought were her flaws in her head.

Well...I'm not that pretty compared to the girl he went out with...I'm pretty shy, I probably will never be able to tell him how I feel...

"Zelda?"

Her mother was calling her from downstairs. Zelda sighed, bookmarked her place and shut her book, "coming!"

Zelda exited her room and went down the stairs, I wonder what she wants to talk to me about.

Once she got to the main floor she found her mother in the living room, "yes?"

Her mother put her book down. Zelda noticed the book she was reading: Jarring Stars.

Zelda gasped almost dramatically, "you're reading it!"

"Huh? Reading what?"

"The book I recommended to you!"

Zelda's mother smiled as she looked at the cover, "yes I decided to read it. It's really good Zelda."

"I know right?" Jarring Stars was yet another romance that Zelda had read. She thought her mother would like it so she had recommended it to her. She was surprised that her mother was actually reading it.

"So what's up?"

"I've just been thinking about Thanksgiving," she started, "I was thinking about inviting Aunt and Uncle Harkinian."

"That sounds like...fun," Zelda decided. "Will their kids come?"

"I'll have to ask," Zelda's mother replied, "it would be fun if Tetra had someone to play with."

"Yeah!" Zelda agreed. But in her heart...she would rather have Link come over. Aryll could play with Tetra then. And Link could meet their family.

She kept her wish to herself, "is that all you needed?"

"Yes you may go."

"Before I go," Zelda put on a giddy smile, "what part are you at?"

"Oh," she looked at the page she was on, "Kara is coming home from her bad volleyball match."

Zelda smiled, "you're at a good spot then."

"I'll keep reading."

Zelda left the living room and went back up into her room, it was fun to talk about books with her mother.

_^_

Link groaned at his teacher, along with the rest of the class. This particular class seemed to accumulate much more homework than the others, and Idaho was no exception.

If he had been paying more attention he would probably be more confident in the homework; he had been distracted ever since morning.

Zelda, of all things was on his mind. For some reason he was still bothered by what she had done.

But why should I care what she did? Link thought, frustrated with himself, if she wants to look out the window-so what?

The nagging in his head about her didn't leave as he got into work. Somehow she was the center of his head.

Of course he was assigned to stock more Tingle Krispies; probably the worst job of the whole market.

He looked down the isle casually and saw Illia walking towards him confidently.

Uh oh...

She was going to ask him out. He had avoided her for a while but she must have been getting impatient. He had to hide now.

He started walking as calmly as possible in the other direction, I'm not ready for another date. Not so soon.

The next ten minutes involved a hazardous chase around the entire market.

Link kept on running faster and faster, desperately trying to escape her. As he was rounding a corner she tackled him and they slid on the floor past a mother and child.

The mother walked up to them as they slid into the wall holding her child's hand.

"Excuse me do you know where I can find the...um...what are they called Micah?" She asked her son.

"Tingle Krispies!" He shouted proudly.

"Isle eleven," Link wheezed; Illia was on top of him.

"Oh thank you!" the mother said and she walked away with her son. Illia was still on top of Link. She caught me... Link thought.

"Sorry for hindering you from getting to where you needed to go but I was just wondering if you could go out with me now?" Illia asked very quickly.

Link exhaled deeply, "...sure..."

"YAYA thank you Link!" Illia screamed throwing her arms around him randomly and running away, leaving Link on the cold floor.

Link groaned, "why did this have to happen today?"

Illia came running back to him and Link braced himself for another hug.

"Hey I was thinking about what we could do, and I think it would be fun to go eat at Beetles and then have a stroll around Town Square. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful," Link lied. Anything to get her away from him, "just great."

"Oh good! Well I'll see you tonight Link!"

Link continued to lay on the floor. Maybe if I just lay here long enough I'll melt into the floor and won't have to worry about anything.

If only things were that simple.

Link was obviously depressed when he picked up Aryll, and she noticed as usual.

"What's going on Link?"

Link sighed, "nothing."

"It is not nothing."

"It is nothing."

"No it's not." Aryll thought for a moment and then gasped, "oh no! Maybe you could make a payment for the house?"

"No...Aryll that's-"

"It's okay! We don't have to buy any more Tingle Krispies! If it will get us enough money to keep the house!"

"Aryll, it's not-"

A tear ran down Aryll's cheek, "were gonna loose the house."

Link just groaned, "I'm going on a date."

Aryll peeked up, "oh is that what's up?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get asked out?"

"Yeah."

"And you don't want to go?"

"Obviously not."

"Why didn't you decline then?" Aryll asked, "there's a polite way to decline dates you know."

"There is?" Link asked surprised, but out of all people, how would his sister know about that?"

"Well sure. You just tell them you're not interested."

"Well that's not exactly polite..."

"Well its more polite than other things you could say."

Link groaned, "anyways, I'll be gone tonight, but Zelda should be around so you can ask her if you need anything."

Aryl looked like she was going to say something for a moment but didn't. After a little while she asked, "where is she taking you?"

Link scratched his cheek, "she's taking me to this restaurant named Beetles and then I guess we're going to stroll around Town Square."

Aryll wrinkled her nose, "why did you put emphasis on 'stroll?'"

Link shrugged, "it's just the word that she used."

_^_

At 5:30 as usual Tetra arrived at the Forrester home and Aryll greeted her as she always did.

"C'mob let's go finish out homework!"

"Okay!"

The two girls ran into Aryll's room. Aryl quickly looked down both sides of the hallway before locking the door behind them.

"What is is?" Tetra asked.

Resisting the temptation to yell loudly in frustration she said as quickly as she could, "Link has a date today."

"WHAT!?" Tetra yelled back in her face.

"Shhh quiet!" Aryll warned checking behind her, "it's okay I have a plan. C'mon let's go sit down."

The two sat down as Tetra wondered out loud, "two dates in two days...is Link asking to get asked out?"

"Probably not," Aryll guessed, "he didn't seem happy that he got asked out."

"Still, the fact that it's not Zelda that he's going out with his a problem," Tetra pointed out.

"Right," Aryll said, "that's why I have this plan: to ruin his date with whatever girl he's going out yet."

Tetra gasped, "that's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

"When she finds out that she can't enjoy herself when she's around Link, she won't like him anymore," Aryll said smiling sinisterly, "now...what to do..."