Page 63 of Heartfelt Goals

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.

“The sticker,” she said softly.

Dustin froze mid-push-up.

His muscles flexed, his arms locking, his entire frame caught in that single moment of stillness. Slowly, he pushed himself back and shifted onto his knees, his broad shoulders rising and falling as he finally turned his head toward her.

“How long have you known?” she asked.

“For about four books,” he admitted, his voice unreadable.

Laurel’s breath hitched. “You’ve read four of my books?”

“They’re pretty… intense,” he said, a little gruffly, still not looking at her.

For the first time since stepping into the room, she felt something shift inside her—not just curiosity, not just amusement, but something deeper. He hadn’t just discovered her writing. He had been reading them. More than one. More than casually.

“Kendall should not be reading them,” he added after a beat.

She let out a shaky breath, nodding. “Agreed. I’m going to get one of those laptops with a fingerprint pass key and?—”

“You should have told me I got you the wrong kind of computer,” he interrupted, his voice suddenly quieter, rawer. His shoulders sagged slightly, something vulnerable creeping into his expression as he finally met her gaze fully. His blue eyes, always so steady, were brimming with something else now—something deep and unguarded.

Laurel’s heart ached at the sight.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice rough. “Because I want to help, to show my gratitude for helping me, and…”

She stepped forward, lowering herself onto the mat beside him, sitting cross-legged, her hands carefully wrapping around his abandoned tea mug before offering it to him.

“I don’t want your gratitude,” she murmured.

Dustin stared at her for a moment before hesitantly taking the mug from her hands. His fingers brushed against hers, andshe felt the warmth of his skin, the faint tremor of restraint still pulsing beneath the surface.

“Besides,” she continued, a soft smile playing on her lips, “I’m picky when it comes to my computer—or my wallet. I like certain things. The keyboard has to feel right, the trackpad has to…”

“Laurel.”

Her name left his lips like a confession, heavy and meaningful.

She looked at him.

“I want to support what you do,” he admitted, his voice low, sincere. “Because frankly, I think it’s amazing.”

Something warm and unexpected bloomed in her chest. “You do?”

Dustin chuckled, shifting slightly, his earlobes turning the faintest shade of pink. “Yeah, I do,” he said, his voice a little shy, a little awed. “You take these imaginary scenes, fabricated moments, and somehow come up with a world that even I was drawn into—and I don’t read that, you know?”

A startled laugh bubbled out of her. “Dragon boinking?” she teased, using Kendall’s ridiculous description.

Dustin grinned, shaking his head. “Exactly.”

Laurel exhaled, feeling the weight of tension between them start to ease. For the first time, they weren’t dodging or avoiding or pretending. They were just talking.

And maybe… just maybe… something between them had already begun to fall.

“Blue eyes, huh?” Dustin murmured after a moment, raising an eyebrow.

Laurel smirked. “I could have been talking about Yu-Gi-Oh. You know, ‘Blue Eyes White Dragon’ cards and such.”

---