Raising the Stakes; Zelink Coffee Shop AU (The Legend Of Zelda)

Chapter Five

4/26/17

I stood in front of the coffee shop door, motionless. Thoughts of my conversation with Urbosa flooding through my mind.

You need a little distraction, have a life so you can write a life!

I took a deep breath and opened the door, walked up to the counter, reached to ring the bell, and... walked away.

I set my stuff down in my booth and pulled the laptop out of my bag. Prepping the surface for the day of writing took only a minute, but in that time Link must have heard whatever small shuffling I was making.

"Afternoon," he said, the curtain in the doorway swaying as he moved through it.

From the tone of his voice, I wasn't quite sure if it was a greeting he was offering... or a questioning word.

He is attractive, and he was flirting with you. Why would this be a bad thing!

Because I don't know what I'm doing! Because this can't happen!

"Hi," I said.

"Would you like your coffee right now?"

"I would, thank you."

"Same as yesterday?"

I nodded.

"Coming right up," he replied with a smile.

As he moved behind the counter I forced my eyes off of him and put my attention back to my writing.

You need a little distraction.

"Easy enough for you to say, Bosa," I muttered to myself.

"To say what?" Link asked as he set the coffee on the only clear space on the table.

I jumped. "Ah, nothing?"

"I'm pretty sure 'nothing' is not meant to sound like a question," he replied, and then he winked.

As he walked away I stared after him. Why did you wink? What was the purpose of that? WHAT DID THAT MEAN?

I forced myself to look at the computer, but my eyes were not at all focused. My face was burning, and my stomach too. "Get serious," I told myself, grabbing my coffee.

I mildly succeeded, writing a scene that I had been meaning to get to for almost a week. So I was pleased with myself, as rough as it was.

Perhaps Urbosa had been right... I had found that the daunting scene almost flowed from my fingertips.

Was it because my face was feeling just as warm as my main character's face was? That I was feeling flushed, just as she was? That I didn't know how to react, just as she didn't?

You could use some research on the topic of romance.

Urbosa was right...

I know nothing about the topic first hand... My father never really let me have a friend, let alone a relationship... I... never really let myself think about it.

"It's getting late, aren't you going to eat lunch?" Link asked.

I startled out of my thoughts. "What?" I asked. "Oh, uh, right, thanks; I forgot..." I scrambled for my lunch in my bag, realizing now that my stomach was rumbling.

"I guess it's true that writers get so lost in their work they neglect themselves."

I chuckled nervously. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate sometimes."