Hopeless Romantic | ✔️

23| Drowning in Pork Chops is Surprisingly Suffocating

"Really?"

"Do you seriously think I'd lie to you? And also, do you think that I'd see this place as ugly? It's literally so gorgeous," Tyler said. "The fucking greenness of it, and the waterfall, all the moss. How do you even find a place like this?"

"I don't know. I wasn't really looking for it, and I didn't come here to hike or anything. I just ... came across it," I said, shrugging. "But, erm ... Have you ever just felt really connected to a place? In some weird way when you arrive?"

Tyler's hand left my face and landed on the rocky surface. "I know exactly what you mean. I think that's why you don't search for places like this, you just find them. Or maybe they find you. When they know you need them."

Before I could say anything, Tyler was shaking his head and laughing. He was looking down at the edge of the cliff towards the pond.

"That was dumb."

"No! No, it was smart!" I argued, turning my body to face him completely. "It was smart because I know what you're trying to say, and it's a hundred percent genuine. That's how I feel about this spot because, like, when I found it, it was totally random. I was on a drive, it was when I was 15. My parents weren't very happy with me, and then I went to volleyball practice and I played so bad. I ended up just driving. For like, a while. And then I pulled over into that parking lot and got out, walked right over here. I could have kept going, but my heart was like ... just stay here. And I did. And now I love it. So much."

"That's beautiful."

"Tell me about your place."

"My place?" Tyler said, eyebrows raised. He shook his head dismissively. "Nah, I ... I don't even know if I have a place."

"Oh, come on! You totally do! You explained it so perfectly, so you must have stumbled across some sanctuary of your own," I said.

He shrugged. "I mean, uh, yeah. I have a place. It's in California, though. For obvious reasons. It's not important."

"I'm not believing you for one second." My hand landed right on top of his. "I just want to know about it."

Tyler sighed. He paused and continued looking out at the view. "Mine isn't quite like this. It's a lookout, but it's more out in the open. It's a spot that a lot of people know about, but I didn't get there because I knew it was popular. I got there because my sister was the one who showed me it. We would always drive and sit at the little ledge and look out towards the ocean whenever one of us was going through it. Mostly me. Because Alex had her struggles, but I was always the obviously more fucked-in-the-head of the family.

"I actually went to that spot before I got on a plane to come here. It's a beautiful place, really simple, too. No waterfall, though," Tyler winked. "It's called Inspiration Point. I'll take you there. Someday."

My entire chest exploded with warmth. Butterflies fluttered even more than was typical inside my chest. Tyler wasn't just sharing his spot with me, he was talking about showing it to me someday. I had to tell my brain not to think about that too much, not to get too giddy like I would in any other circumstance.

But he said he would show me his spot while he told me about his spot while we sat at my spot. It was incredible.

"Hey," Tyler said, lying back on his side, propping himself up on one arm, "you never told me about your nickname. Porkchop."

My face immediately burned red. "Oh." I scratched the back of my head, more nervously than anything. "That old story?"

"I want to know why people call you that. Cayden said it's a legit story, but you kind of keep it on the down-low," Tyler said, smiling at me. Oh, how easy it would be to melt at a smile like that.