Page 8 of Heartfelt Goals

“I wouldn’t put it past you – but seriously. He’s on the twelfth floor. Just go up, knock on his door, ask to borrow a cup of sugar – and ask him out.”

“I can’t do it,” she whispered painfully. “Madeline, I would never get the words out. You know how I am around him – Iclam up completely. I know he doesn’t like me, because he never even acknowledges that I’m there.”

“Have you ever thought that maybehedoesn’t know what to say toyou?”

“You should be a therapist saying garbage like that – I mean, that was sheer inspirational garbage. In fact, it was almost so good that I almost believed you.”

“If it was one of your characters, what would you do?”

Laurel thought for a second, picturing it in her mind, and burst out in hysterical laughter that had her almost in tears. The picture that hit her mind was so vivid, so real, and so intimate – there was zero chance of that happening because she would probably completely flip out at the slightest sign that he was into her. Yeah, full on bout of giggles.

“It’s not that funny… is it?”

“I write smutty, fantasy dragon romance… and you know that.”

“So what would your characters do if the woman suddenly showed up to borrow a cup of sugar?”

“Well, there would be clothing ripping, limbs flying, kissing, dragon scales rippling with intensity, and…”

“Wow – color me impressed,” Madeline whispered, stunned, and then cleared her throat. “So yeah, go do that – all of that – right there with my brother and yup. You have my permission to go ‘dragon’ on my brother.”

“I CAN’T DO THAT WITH DUSTIN!”

“Okay – you’ve gotta lay off the shrieking because my sliding glass door just cracked fifteen feet away from me… and I have a nosebleed.”

“It did? You do?”

“No, but my eardrum is throbbing.”

“Ooooh! That’s a good word to use – hang on and lemme jot that down on my phone’s notes.”

“Don’t use that in a book –please– all of society will thank you for avoiding that word.”

“But it’s a good one. I mean, just think about it and…”

“No – and how do you write those sorts of scenes anyhow? You’re a prude and have been since you were thirteen years old. Remember those movies at school about periods and tampons? You blushed and stuttered for hours.”

“Those who can’t do, teach.”

“All hail the mighty teacher then…”

“Right? Because I would totally flip if I was ever in that position where someone was gonna… well…um, yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Words.”

“Agreed - words.”

They paused for several seconds before Laurel hedged nervously. “Don’t say anything to Dustin about us talking. I was so embarrassed, and my brain wasn’t working. I really don’t want him to know that I’m still crushing on him after all this time. It’s kind of pathetic, and you’d think I would get a backbone or something eventually.”

“He’s a good person – just quiet. Strike up a conversation with him, and you might just be surprised.”

“Ha!” Laurel scoffed. “You know what the single ‘ha’ means, right – it means that it’s never going to happen, and I know that. You know how people have vision boards or goals?”

“Yeah?”

“Your brother is my Mt. Everest… and I’m down here drowning at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the ocean. We’re complete opposites, and he’s so far out of my league it’s not even funny.”

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