The Perfect Lie

Link got back to his room and threw his books all over the floor as he fell face first into his bed. He was tired of going through life like this. To be honest, he really didn't know how he made it all the way to his Senior year in college.

Whatever, he thought, all I need now is some sleep.

….

Class was finally over and Link hurried to leave so he could avoid talking with the teacher, which seemed to occur frequently now that he was failing his Journalism class.

"Wait!" a voice stopped him and he turned around, expecting to see the teacher ready to scream at him again.

But it wasn't the teacher, rather, it was the girl he had a crush on for years at Hyrule University. Link had never been in love before. He had never had a girlfriend and never even went out on a date in his life. Girls just tended to shy away from him, even though he was truly the shy one.

Yet here was Zelda Harkinian, with blue eyes that bore into his like a mind beam, reading his every thought. Golden hair that shone like the sun and caught his gaze for many a class period. An athletic body that begged for him to touch it, but he wouldn't dare, because unlike the rest of the dudes on campus, Link stuck to his morals and honor…no matter how much it hurt him.

"Link, I've been meaning to tell you something…" Zelda trailed off, searching for the right words. Should she go ahead and tell him or just flat-out kiss the brains out of him? She chose the latter.

In a second, Link's eyes intensified. The girl of his dreams was kissing him, a pathetic loser that had lost all sense of confidence and respect for himself. Link felt his heart blooming with love and he returned the kiss in a passionate lip-lock. He felt like he could keep kissing those perfect, luscious lips forever. He felt, he felt…

….

His ears picked up the sounds of screaming, running in the hallway just outside his room, and lots of laughter. He had been sleeping. No wonder why it had been too good to be true.

The troubled Twenty-two year old rose from his bed and looked outside. The dark blue of winter was drowning out the night sky. He had been asleep for hours, but he didn't mind. He had resigned himself to the fact that he did not, nor would he ever, have friends to spend time with, much less the love of his life.

He took out his phone and noticed that he had two unread text messages. The first was from his mom who was wishing him a happy birthday and that she loved him. He sighed, remembering the days when he would blow out the candles and wish for video games, sports jerseys, a girlfriend. The next message was from Zelda, curiously enough. "Link, I missd class 2day. Cud I get the notes frm u?" Link texted back, "Of course, I'll b rite ther."

Putting on a jacket, Link trudged out into the freezing cold that defined December. He loved this weather the most because as poetic and silly as it may sound, the bitterness of winter comforted his soul. He really could not explain why he thought like this.

Shaking those thoughts aside, Link entered Zelda's dorm building and began his walk towards her room. Walking past all the girls' and guys' rooms, he was hit by nostalgia, but more importantly, waves of jealousy and envy. Scribbled on marker boards attached to people's doors were words of comfort and love. "Love you, Kate", "Miss you so much, Tyler", and "Last night was the best night of my life." Link's eyes started to get misty as he remembered all of the failed attempts at romance when he was in high school, one in particular. He was branded a stalker throughout his life at Hyrule High, and those were the days, nights rather, when he cried the most. He had loved someone quite a lot once. He was too afraid to talk to her though, so he wrote a message that expressed his utmost feelings for her, attached it to a rose, and gave it to her on Valentine's Day. However, because he never really said much to this girl, she became scared. Later on that year, he was called in to the Guidance counselor's office and was told never to approach the girl again. When asked why, the counselor replied that she had been freaked out by Link's "advancements" and was threatening to file a restraining order on him if he did not stop. Link was emotionally scarred and could not stop thinking about the whole mess ever since. He had not meant to sound like a stalker, but rather as a secret admirer, like in the movies. Not a day went by where Link wished he could go back and fix his mistake. But the rest of high school showed the hopeless romantic that love was not destined for him. People would pick on him, mock his honorable attitude towards people, shout fake stalker threats to him, prank phone called him frequently, and the list goes on.

Let's see if I can just make it through this day without breaking down for once, thought Link as he finally reached Zelda's door. There wasn't anything written on Zelda's marker board however, which was extremely odd. How does the most beautiful girl on campus not have someone courting her? He knocked on the door and barely heard it open before he was pinned against the wall opposite, arms circling around his waist and a head burying itself into the crook of his neck.

"Happy Birthday, Link!" exclaimed a very excited Zelda, admiration and happiness decorating her eyes.

"Y-you actually remembered?" asked Link, shocked that the love of his life had remembered his birthday, but also very touched.

"Of course, silly! How could I forget my bestest pal's birthday? Here come in. I made cupcakes from my Easy Bake for us."

Link could not believe this. Was he dreaming again? Did she really just give him the best hug he'd ever had in his solemn life? And had she gone and tenderly placed her lovely face in the crook of his neck?

No, she doesn't love you. Don't go down this road again. You know what happens.

"Link! I'm not gonna ask you again," Zelda said, feigning impatience towards the timid adult. "Get in my room!"

Before Link could even react, he felt Zelda snatch his hand. The feel of her touch sent shivers down his spine. It was really quite embarrassing and frustrating that he was twenty-two and had never really had any physical contact with a girl. He was still in his dreamlike state of what it would feel like for Zelda to caress his face with her baby-soft hands, when he felt cupcake frosting all over his lips, followed by the bright flash of Zelda's camera. Zelda giggled as she showed Link the picture she had just taken.

"Look at how confused you are right now. You look so…cute!" Zelda commented as she traced her finger along her friend's lips, licking the frosting off of it.

"…I-" Link was shocked and didn't know what to say, but Zelda silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Shhhh….It's your birthday. I've been hounding you for notes all year and you've always been able to help me without anything in return. Let me make it up to you."

Link was about to protest when he once again felt Zelda's hands, but this time they were on his neck. Her warm touch was enough to send him into a lovesick daze. Her hands began to massage his shoulder blades and lower back, relieving quite a bit of pent up tension from his body. Link felt so happy right now. He didn't even realize it, but he was starting to cry.

Zelda's ears perked up as soon as the first sniffle was made audible. She stopped her ministrations and turned Link's face over to meet hers. Those heavenly, angel-like eyes of wonderment questioned the lonely, gloomy, and now teary eyes of her troubled counterpart.

"Link? What's wrong?" asked Zelda, her hand gently tracing the outline of a dark circle under his right eye, which was due to stress and sleep deprivation. Link couldn't believe that the most beautiful girl in the world was caressing his face. He loved her so much, and yet, he didn't deserve this.

"I…I just…I'm so happy right now, but like…I really don't…You didn't have to do all of this for me. I…I really don't deserve this" Link sadly replied as more tears came pouring out of his eyes. Tears of happiness. Tears of depression. He felt so embarrassed right now.

"What are you talking about? You're one of my best friends and I feel like we have been drifting apart. I wanted to have this time to talk with you. To care for you" Zelda whispered those last words so that Link barely heard them. Her index finger was still tracing Link's dark circle outline, and still sending waves of pleasure into the depressed adult's mind.

What are you doing? Link's mind was screaming at him, She's trying to connect with you and you're ruining it! This is why you've never had a girlfriend before. You blow every chance you get with a girl by tying yourself down with morals and respect, and for fear of what? Give yourself a chance! You are NOT a stalker!

"I…just. See, well, back in high school, I was branded a stalker for…um…sending someone a rose-but, the girl had every right to get scared of me. It was my fault. I should have talked with her first" Link explained slowly, trying to wipe away his tears. "And well, I…I guess I just feel too ashamed of myself to…"

He stopped. He couldn't finish what he was going to say because he didn't know what to say. He felt waves and waves of guilt crashing down on his trembling heart and reducing his happiness to nothing. His dignity and pride were disappearing, or what was left of them. All he could think about was how scared he felt when the guidance counselor warned him never to see this girl again or severe consequences would follow.

Another reason why Link stopped talking, probably the more important reason, was due to the fact that something had transpired while Link was speaking. Zelda had brushed her delicate fingers through his messy, blonde bed hair, leaned into him ever so slightly, and delivered a soft, loving kiss. The kiss was not for his lips or cheek, but for the same dark circle under his eye that she had been nurturing with her finger for the whole time.

"Link, I want to show you something, but I want you to let me explain why I will show it to you once you've seen it, ok?" Zelda asked in a soothing voice.

Link nodded. Of course, her wish was his command. After all, she was gradually starting to cheer the poor kid up with all that she had done for him this night, so much so that he was feeling extremely guilty that he had done nothing for her yet.

Zelda fired up her pink-coated laptop and headed straight to Facebook. She clicked on Mido's "College Life" picture album and scrolled down. Mido was Link's roommate and he was an avid photographer, though extremely mean sometimes. Link really didn't take a good look at any of the photos from Mido's albums, so he grew curious as to what Zelda was planning. And then she clicked on a picture that Link wished nobody would have ever found out about. He had no idea that his roommate had rudely captured the image and was starting to feel sad and anxious. There on the screen was the image of Link sleeping, while keeping both arms encircled around a big pillow, as if it were his lover. Mido had blackmailed him, and because his photos were marked as public that meant that many students on campus must have seen it. Okay, now his dignity was fully destroyed.

Instantly, Zelda flew over to Link, captured him in a tight embrace, and never let go. She was determined to help the struggling adult fight his obvious depression. The girl of Link's dreams leaned up and came within one inch of his ear. Her minty breath wafted out as she started to speak.

"I know you don't want pity. Believe me; I've been in this state before. I want you to know that this picture warms my heart. It is so nice to see that out of all the guys in this college, all of the pigs and jerks that crowd the dorms, at least one still has…a heart." Zelda whispered this in the most sincere and sweetest voice he had ever heard from her. That and the fact that she was whispering it into his ear in a slightly seductive way, made Link feel so soothed and loved.

"All this time, I never…I just never thought anyone actually cared about me." Link finally spoke, tears forming in his pained eyes.

Zelda smiled at this, but before she could do what she wanted, it seemed Link had read her mind and carried through first. He kissed her full on the lips. No holding back. Link poured out all his emotions and vented out all of his loneliness on those cherry red lips. The girl could not believe how affectionate her good friend-now boyfriend was acting towards her. She let out a content sigh in her mind as she realized her plan had worked.

After an extreme make out session that involved quite a lot of touching, Zelda wanted to surprise Link once more.

"Sleep with me." She commanded, unknowing if her friend would want to or not.

"What?" asked Link, shocked that Zelda would ask for that from him.

"Silly, I don't mean sex. Can't we just, you know, sleep with each other? You know, cuddling…" Zelda winked at Link, hoping he didn't think she was making fun of him for his certain bedtime needs.

"Oh yeah, sorry…yeah, I'd love that." Link replied, unsure of what to say to the most beautiful girl in the world.

Zelda started taking off most, but not all, of her clothes, leaving her bra and panties on. Meanwhile, Link hesitated.

"Hey, don't worry. I love you. You don't have to be afraid anymore." Zelda spoke to him, once again in a soothing voice that instantly calmed all of his nerves.

So with newfound encouragement, Link removed his shirt and shorts, leaving him covered only in Hawaiian boxers. His lightly tanned body complete with a rock hard six pack of abs led Zelda to wonder why he was so depressed when any girls would clearly fall for someone like that. She also started to regret not wanting to…But she shook those thoughts away and focused back on soothing her Link.

"I-I just want you to know," Link started out slowly, "You're the first girl that has ever come this close to me before. I've really never been kissed, and I want you to know that…I love you too."

Now Zelda felt like crying, but she stayed strong because now was not the time for that. She lay down on her queen-sized mattress and patted the spot next to her, coaxing Link to join her. He obeyed, rather eagerly she noticed, and she watched as Link positioned himself so that he was on his side facing her. Very, very slowly, Link moved his arms to slightly hold Zelda in a completely romantic way. Zelda was loving every second of this, and she pressed into Link so softly, entangling her smooth legs into Link's rough, athletic ones. She heard the birthday boy give out a long, pained sigh as he squeezed out the last of his anxiety and smooched her face. His left arm curled around to lie across her waist, while his right hand caressed her cheek. There was more kissing as Link tenderly nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. Finally, the amount of emotions that had been pouring out of him took their toll, and Link fell asleep, dreaming about Zelda.

The girl of Link's dreams gazed deeply at her companion sleeping silently next to her. She was so happy that her plan to comfort Link had worked. She just wanted to stay in this moment forever, locked in a snuggling embrace with the man of her dreams. She too had a crush on Link, but was too afraid to show her love towards him before, for fear of rejection.

After a couple of hours, Link woke up from the loveliest sleep he had ever had in his life. It was three in the morning and he was in Zelda's room. He started to recall the events of last night and was reassured that she cared for him.

Then, a nasty feeling decided to pay a visit to the still troubled mind of Link.

She doesn't love you. She's just using you.

Wherever that ridiculous notion came from, Link was not sure, but it stung a bit. Was it true? Zelda had come onto him pretty fast. If she truly loved him, why were there no signs up until now?

Doubt was starting to creep its way into Link's head as he pondered Zelda's motives.

Nobody has ever loved me, so why should someone start now? I'm a stalker. My guidance counselor made that very clear to me long ago. I shouldn't be here.

Suddenly, Link knew what he had to do. He started to get out of the relaxing depths that were Zelda's bed, when he felt her feet brush softly against his. He froze, unsure of what to do.

She doesn't love you.

Leaning very close to Link so her mouth was practically kissing his ear, Zelda sleepily whispered, "You always have a friend."

She doesn't love you!

Link got out of bed and put his clothes back on. Tears began to fall as he sadly accepted what he needed to do. He didn't want to scare anyone anymore, not if he could help it.

She doesn't love you, you're a stalker! You're a creep that doesn't belong with anyone. Why are you even still alive?

The incident from high school was replaying itself in Link's terrified mind. A permanent scar that would never go away. Tears. Regret. Guilt. Depression.

He was now in his room and Mido was gone again as usual. Link dug around in his desk and rummaged through the kitchen utensils. At last his hands found what he would need for this task.

He grasped it with both hands.

She doesn't love you.

He gulped, unsure of himself.

You will always be a creep to people.

More hesitation; it was now or never.

The world will be a better place without you.

That did it. With both hands he thrust violently inward and gave a cry of shock. His knees slowly buckled and his body crumpled to the floor. His breathing slowed down. His heartbeat was becoming nonexistent. He closed his eyes.

"I'm…so…sorry…"