Today, I decided to sit by the open window instead of the front row. I wanted to feel the breeze and listen to the birds gleefully chirping rather than the professor's rave about molecular endocrinology. I read the book back in high school, so I already know everything she has to say.

I checked my grades this morning. Perhaps I shouldn't have. Missing so much school in March really hurt my GPA. I also got a couple of questions wrong on my statistics exam... But worst of all, I forgot to turn in an essay for a midterm! My GPA has never been this low! It's at a 3.7 now!

Maybe that's why I'm not in the mood to pay attention to my teacher right now. I'm annoyed with college. I had a lot going on last month, I should have gotten a pass or something. But life doesn't take breaks when you need them, so it's only fair that I lost points for my incompetence.

I'd vent to Link, but he might blame himself. Besides, today is his birthday, so I really don't want to bother him with my problems. Or worse, insult him. If I call my GPA low, what does that say about his 2.5 GPA?

I used to think jocks didn't care about school until Link proved me wrong. He studied whenever he could, but next to practice, games, and team bonding, not much time was left for his school work. He would do his homework on the bus before and after away games, listen to missed lectures during his morning runs, and ask me to tutor him while his friends were partying downstairs. He is so dedicated to school, it's quite attractive.

My class finally ends and everyone starts to leave. I wonder if Father will bring up my grades any time soon. He is still cautious around me, scared that I will move out if he upsets me. I push the textbook into my bag and check my phone. I've been waiting for a response from Mipha. She helped me with Link's gift but she didn't seem too fond of helping me. I probably shouldn't ask her for help when it comes to my relationship but she was the only one who could have helped me with his gift. My last text was *Thank you again, you're the best! Are you going to stop by on Friday?*

That was three days ago. It's Friday now and she still hasn't replied. My old self would freak out and read too much into it. But Mipha might just be busy. I shouldn't bother her with more texts. Right? I should find out when her next swim meet is and stop by as a little surprise.

I leave the lecture hall and find my car in the parking lot. I have to remember to pick up the cake from Walmart before I head to the frat house. My thoughts dissolve when I approach the parking lot and observe my car in shock! Someone carved "lying bitch" into the side of my range rover!

"You've got to be kidding me!" I curse to myself. My beautiful car! This is unacceptable!

A guy with red hair and glasses stops next to me and eyes my car. "Are you doing the keying or are you receiving?"

"Receiving," I grumble with creased brows. I've seen this guy on campus a couple of times but I've never talked to him.

"You should report it then." I'm so embarrassed. What must he think I've done to receive such a hateful message? "Do you know who did it?" He asks.

"No," I lie. If I get Malice in trouble, she'll tell everyone that I broke into Ganondorf's house.

"Because you don't have any enemies or because you have too many to keep count?" He jokes.

"Neither. Both," I answer with a shy smile to dissimulate my inner wrath.

"Go to Auru's car repair shop downtown. Tell him Shad sent you; he'll fix your car for free."

"My insurance will cover it, but thank you." His name sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it.

"No need to thank me, I like to help where I can. But I've got to get going now. My lecture is about to start."

"Yes, of course, my apologies. I didn't mean to keep you."

"No worries, I was the one who stopped to converse," he says with a smile and pushes his glasses up. "Have a marvelous weekend."

"You as well," I give him one last smile before getting in my car and driving off.

The whole drive to the frat house I feel like everyone is constantly looking at my car. I have to get this fixed before Father finds out. Malice could get expelled if this gets out. And then I'm dead.

I arrive at the frat house shortly before 3 PM. I roll my eyes at the flowers lying on the doorstep and enter without knocking. Link is in the living room, doing his daily stretches while Teli is watching TV. I want to sneak up to Link but the moment I enter the living room he turns around.

"Happy birthday," I smile and walk up to him for a hug.

I wish I could claim to have been the first one to wish him a happy birthday, but I forgot about time zones. His family in Japan and thousands of fans around the world beat me to it, even though I set an alarm for midnight just so I could be the first. Oh well...

"Hey Teli," I say to Mr. Boxershorts.

"Yo. Want some brownies?"

"No thanks."

"Cupcakes?" He asks. "Or cookies?" I give him a confused look. "Link's fangirls have been dropping off truckloads of deserts all day."

"What?" I mousily peep. Link gives him a scolding glare. I aim my eyes at the dining table and spot a tower of sweets.

"Living with a star is awesome," Teli laughs with his mouth full.

Try dating one. Wait–Oh no! "I forgot to pick up the cake!" I cry.

"Thank God," Teli sighs, rubbing his tummy.

"I even told myself not to forget to pick it up!"

"It's okay," Link assures me. "Let's go upstairs?"

I follow him to his room. He hasn't used his crutches in a while but instead of scolding him, I tell him that I'm proud of him. I'm not sure what his ambitions are and how good his chances are of getting back to where he used to be but I will support him in any way I can.

"So," I begin as I shut the door behind us. "Since it's the weekend and the frat house is going to have a party tonight, I thought it best to celebrate your birthday somewhere else."

"Good thinking. Ravioli will hate us for bolting on a Friday night but he already hates me so I got nothing to lose."

"Oh but if he hates me, that's okay?"

"Hey, you're the one choosing to spend the night somewhere else," he laughs. "Where we going? You dad out of town again?"

"No, we are not spending the night at my house. We're going somewhere more private."

"Even more private than your guarded hillside mansion?" he raises both eyebrows and takes a seat on his bed.

"When you were in a coma, I regretted having said no to so many things. I was so scared of getting in trouble that I forgot to have fun. One day I'd like to play all your favorite sports with you, but since you're still in recovery, we are going to do something that doesn't require physical strength." I try to repress my grin. With a tickle in my lungs, I continue. "We are going to attend the annual chess conference at the senior home!"

His face looks a bit frozen. "Oh," he smiles.

"Isn't that exciting?" I cheer.

"Mhm, sounds chill," he says almost convincingly.

I bite my lip and take a seat next to him. "You're really adorable. You'd just be fine with that? No objections?"

"Huh?"

"We're not going to a chess conference."

"What? You pranked me?"

"Your reaction was very sweet," I laugh.

"I was going to say, that doesn't sound private at all. But I didn't want to be rude," he laughs along. "So what are we really doing today?"

"Remember our first date? We went to a small park at night where you told me that you like to look at shooting stars. You said we should drive to the desert and stargaze but we never did because of my curfew."

"We're finally having our second date?" He grins a genuine smile this time.

"We'll drive to Joshua Tree," I nod. "Oh, but... Can we take your car? Mine sort of got keyed."

"What? For real?"

"Yes..."

"Can I see?"

"It's embarrassing."

"Why?"

"She wrote something on it. Something mean."

"Wait, who did? And what did she write?"

"Malice. She... She said..."

"Is it a bad word?"

I nod. "She called me a lying... witch."

"Ah, that really sucks. I can't stand her. Are you going to confront her about it?"

"No. I'll just take it to the repair shop, it's fine."

"Okay. Sure we can take my car. Just gotta stop for gas."

"It's on me."

"No, that's okay."

"It's a 3-hour drive. Both ways. I insist."

"Oh damn, okay. What time are we leaving?"

"Up to you. It's going to get dark at 7 PM."

"I'll take a quick shower and then we'll leave. That way we can watch the sunset too."

Merrily, I agree to the plan and after Link has showered and changed, we leave the house. He's so curious about my car that he doesn't notice the flowers on the porch. He laughs when we pass my car in the driveway but doesn't comment on it. He simply kisses my frown away and gets in his car.

Our first stop is at the gas station. While it's pumping, my phone starts ringing. Why is Pik calling me?

"Hello?" I answer confused.

"Hey, sorry, I would have texted but I'm driving."

"I assumed you pocket dialed," I admit. "What's going on?"

"Um, so, I just dropped off a friend. I don't think you know her. But, um, she told me it's Link's birthday and then went into detail about her obsession with him."

"So? Half the school has a crush on Link." Sometimes it feels like half the world.

"Well, she saw that some news reporters put you down as his girlfriend."

"So?" I ask again.

"She started bad-mouthing you. She thinks you made it up--that you two are a thing. To claim him or something."

"I didn't make it up."

"I know. But she thinks you did. She... Well, apparently she keyed your car..."

"That was your friend?" I gasp angrily. Link gets back in the car and shuts the door.

"Yeah, really sorry about that," Pik says. "I told her it's not okay. A lot of people seem to think you're lying about the relationship. I didn't say anything to her about that because I wasn't really sure if you're still trying to keep it a secret."

"It's not a secret anymore," I huff.

"Do you want me to tell her?" Pik asks.

"If it'll keep her from vandalizing my car, yes, please tell her, and any other deranged friends of yours."

"I'll tell her. I'll make sure she pays you for the repairs."

"No, it's fine, just keep her away from me please."

"Done." I'm about to hang up when he says, "Want to come to my gig tonight? I'm going to play a new song, it's about the environment. I think you might like it."

"I already made plans, sorry."

"With Link?"

"Yes," I look at him next to me. He's trying not to listen but he can hear every word.

"Bring him," Pik offers.

"We are not in town."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you next week then. Have fun."

"Thank you. Good luck tonight. Send a video of your new song!"

"Sure thing!"

Once we hang up, I let my head fall back into the seat and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Who was that?" Link asks concerned.

"Pik. After trying to hide our relationship for months, now that it's out in the open, people think I'm lying about it. How ironic."

"You guys are still friends?"

"What?"

"I thought you guys got into a fight over Valentine's day?" Link doesn't even care about the car, he's just asking about Pik. Interesting.

"We did get into a fight but we made up."

"Oh, when?"

"Back in February when you were in the hospital. He came by one night to see you. He felt guilty and apologized to me."

"Oh, okay." He starts the car without another word.

"Does it bother you that I'm talking to Pik?" I ask cautiously.

"No, I'm really happy you guys made up," he says and gives me a smile. "I know you care about him."

For a second, I thought Link got jealous. I immediately thought of Russ and Mipha. But I misread the situation completely. My friendship with Pik doesn't bother Link, it makes him happy. That avoids a lot of problems. I'm lucky to have such a cool-headed boyfriend. It's good that he doesn't care who I'm friends with.

...But why does it disappoint me? Somehow... I wish he would get a little jealous sometimes. Does that make me a bad person? It's not that I want him to tell me to stop talking to Pik, but I was intrigued when Link cared about my interactions with another guy.

I rid my mind of those silly thoughts and kiss his shoulder. His lips curl into a small smile. Despite my car getting keyed, I have a feeling that today is going to be a good day! I reach my hand out of the window and let it surf in the wind. Link turns the music up and hums to the music.

.....

We're already close to our destination. The drive didn't feel like 3 hours at all. When I'm with Link, time is an illusory concept. Whether it's seconds or hours, every moment I get to spend by his side feels right. Like I'm supposed to be here. It's like getting a 100 on an exam. Like waking up fully rested. Like feeling the sun on my skin. Like listening to my favorite song for the first time.

"GPS says we're here," Link says and slows down as we approach a small parking lot at the side of the road.

"We'll have to walk from here. It's not too far. You can park next to that Jeep."

"Or," instead of parking, he takes a left and keeps driving down a small dusty path.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's not go where everyone else goes. We can park somewhere off the road and have the area for us alone."

"That's how teenagers get killed in every cliché horror movie."

"Yeah but those movies always have a popular athlete and a pretty blonde in it–oh wait."

I laugh at his silliness. Link keeps driving for a few minutes until there is nothing but small hills, sand, and dry bushes in sight. Joshua trees every so and so many yards and some dead grass can be spotted as well. He parks the car close to the road but just far enough to create a sense of isolation. The sun is already setting behind the hills, we got here just in time to watch the sunset.

"Now what?" He looks at me as he removes the key.

"Now we wait for night to arrive."

"So you've never seen a shooting star," Link says, looking at the red clouds near the horizon.

"You remember me telling you that?"

"Yup. Right after you started talking about having babies," he laughs.

"Why do you remember everything embarrassing that I ever did?" I pout, making him laugh more.

"It was a memorable first date; you looked like a lobster."

"Oh, right, I was sunburned from the beach... Another embarrassing thing you remember about me..."

"It was cute," he laughs.

"May I ask you something?" He turns his head toward me to give me his full attention. "What's your favorite color?"

His expression softens as he smiles. "Green."

"It was the same back then."

"And for as long as I get to look at your green eyes, that won't change."

"You're a flirt," I blush.

"I'm naturally gifted with words," he smirks, leans over, and kisses me. "Let's take a selfie before it gets too dark."

He gets out of the car. Startled, I follow his lead and walk around the vehicle while he opens the front camera on his phone. The colors of the sky are heavenly, the camera doesn't do it justice.

"Come here," he puts his arm around my shoulders to pull me into the frame. Stiff, I stand next to him and smile for the camera. He takes a photo, then he places his lips on my cheek and takes another one with my cheeks mirroring the deep ember colors of the dusky sky. We take a couple more photos, some silly ones too.

As we go through them, I stop at the one where he kissed my cheek.

"This one is cute," I say, admiring him more than the scenery in the background.

He opens Instagram, taps new post, and selects that photo.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Can I post it?"

"Is that something you want to do?" I ask flustered.

"No, didn't you see the guy behind us holding a gun to my head?" My eyes actually look behind him and he laughs. "I won't post it if you don't want me to."

"You've never posted a picture of us. I'm just wondering if this has anything to do with my car getting keyed."

Not denying my suspicion, he writes the caption: "Don't need birthday candles, I already have everything I could wish for" and adds #bday behind it.

"I'll tag you," he says, fully focused on his post. I'm too flabbergasted to shape a response. "Done."

"You didn't have to. It probably won't even get any likes."

"I don't care about likes. Just wanted to share how awesome you are for taking me to Joshua Tree. I used to really like looking at the stars but ever since I moved to Cali, it's been basically impossible." He puts his phone away and rests his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. "It's getting dark so fast I can already see a couple of stars. What's the best time to look at shooting stars?" He looks at me but I'm still thinking about that post. "You okay?"

"I'm good." My phone is vibrating in my pocket already. I'm afraid to look.

"Are you mad at me?" He turns to let his body face me.

"No, I just... It's nothing, really."

"Tell me."

"I promise, it's nothing, I just... You didn't have to do that."

"I know. I wanted to."

"Okay. I suppose I'll need some time to get used to it."

"Get used to what?"

"Dating a star," I smile.

"Oh," he returns the smile and puts his arm around my shoulders. "Take your time getting used to it. I'm not going anywhere."

"Does that mean we'll be dating forever?" I half-joke. I bite my tongue, instantly regretting having asked that! We're not even in our 20s, neither of us knows how long this relationship will last. I hope he takes it as a joke. He looks like he's actually thinking about my questions. Why is he taking so long to answer?

"I don't know," he finally says.

Huh... Now I don't know what to think. I was expecting him to say "Yes" or something like "No, eventually we'll be married". But I'm glad he answered honestly. We don't know if we will be together forever, and if he said yes he'd be making promises neither of us is guaranteed to keep. Our future is not completely in our hands and he knows that. We both know that. I'd prefer the truth over wishful thinking.

Who am I kidding? I wish he had said yes. But that's just my insecurities speaking. I shouldn't overthink it, I have to stop sabotaging my own relationship and start enjoying what we have.

"I hope so," he suddenly adds and my heart flutters.

I really did worry for nothing. He looks at me with a warm smile. I return the gesture before looking up at the sky. Now would be a good time to share my present with him. But I'm nervous! I wonder how he will react...

---

(Heyyy! The next chapter will be a bit shorter than usual because it used to be part of this chapter but I had to split it into two chapters since it was getting way too long. So even though you got a nice long chapter today, just know that the next chapter will only be half as long as this one :) Love you all, hope you're having a fabulous week!)