Seeing Catherine looking a bit down in the dumps, I jumped in to give her a pep talk, "Don't sweat it, Cath. Like they say, 'Haste makes waste.' First things first, you gotta make sure your feelings for this guy are the real deal."
Catherine lay there without moving, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"You need to take a good hard look at whether you two have anything in common, whether he's really the one you want, the one who'll stick with you through thick and thin. If you're sure about him, then you've got a fighting chance!"
All of a sudden, she sat up, her eyes earnestly fixed on me through the screen. "Allie, I've thought it over, and honestly, despite his wise-cracking, the guy's solid. Think about it, how many can reach the top of their game like he has? Plus, he's so under the radar. No one even knows he's the one and only DragonLord..."
"Hold your horses, Cath," I cut her off, challenging her, "Are you looking for love or idolizing a celebrity? You gotta get clear on that – they're not the same thing!"
"I'm not getting it twisted," she insisted stubbornly. "The first time I met him, he was just like an electrician, showed up in his work clothes, nothing to write home about. I was so focused on helping you out, so I barely gave him a second glance! But..."
"That's just it," I cut in, "but as soon as you found out he was the legendary DragonLord, your heart skipped a beat, and you started seeing him in a new light! You got curious, wanting to dig into why he's the cream of the crop, why he could be DragonLord."
I articulated Catherine's thoughts, and she remained still, her gaze locked on me.
"That's what got you hooked, right? But I'm telling you, once his celeb aura fades, you'll start seeing his flaws. He won't be the mysterious figure you imagined. No more aura. You might even feel you've gone overboard and he's just a regular Joe, maybe with a whole bunch of flaws you can't stand. By then, it might be too late for regrets."
I rattled on, not minding Catherine's feelings. When it comes to matters of the heart, it's easy for those involved to get lost in the sauce. I felt it was my duty to give her a wake-up call, to keep her from spiraling.
Catherine gave me a look of exasperation. "If you put it that way, maybe I should steer clear of that entire emotional minefield altogether!"
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