Page 41 of How to Write a Rom-Com

I just have to finish the job I came here to do. No distractions.

Chapter Thirteen

Everything hurts and I’m dying.

Three miles, myass.

I’m about to let Liam experience the full wrath of tired, hungry, sweaty Lucy when we suddenly break through the trees. Liam turns around and smiles as I inhale a small gasp.

We’ve arrived at a small glade on the side of what, to me, looks like an actual mountain, but is really a cliff on the edge of an impressive hill that I just climbed.

“We call this The Point,” Liam announces. “That’s the Hudson.”

“The Hudson River?”

Liam snorts. “The very one. You can take a boat all the way down to the city.”

“Holy crap. This nature shit is crazy!” I love that the same Hudson I see in the city is the Hudson I’m seeing here, two different parts of the same river.

It might be the most amazing view I’ve ever seen. Some people love beach views, which are great in their own right. But the more time I spend here, and the mere seconds I spend taking in this view, I think this might just be it. The riverbank below is practically undisturbed, with jagged rocks lining each side. When I look to the left, I see the outline of proper mountains in the distance, they look so unreal, so magical, that they almost appear to be fake. I feel like I could have drawn them on a postcard, that is how perfect their soft peaks are. The Point is definitely making it into my proposal for Ruby’s book. The series could even be named after this vantage point—Something’s Point.Love at the Point. I’ll work on it. I was never good with titles.

There is a rickety picnic table to our right, which has certainly seen better days but is charming in that Hudson Hollow way I’ve come to appreciate.

“Come on,” Liam says, pulling off his backpack and setting it down on the table. He pulls out some Tupperware and napkins.

“Liam Miller, did you make us a picnic?” I ask, sheer delight in my voice.

“I told you I was going to feed you,” he says in a resolute voice. I watch as his hands move thoughtfully, arranging everything. The whole scene is feelingveryromantic. I take a deep breath.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, a lightness in his eyes.

“I’m thinking this was totally your high school hang out spot, wasn’t it?” I tease. Liam scoffs as he sets a water bowl down for Blue.

The sandwich that Liam hands me is neatly wrapped in parchment paper. I love that he takes such care with things like this. I take a bite. “Oh my God, what is in this sandwich?” I say, mouth full.

“It’s pesto. Why? Do you not like pesto?” He creases his brow, concerned.

“No, no, it’s amazing,” I exclaim. I hold my hand in front of my face in an attempt to appear polite.

“Thanks,” he says sheepishly. “I make the sauce from scratch.”

“I wouldn’t respect you if you didn’t,” I muse, pretending to be serious.

“And to answer your earlier question, no. I only came up here by myself in high school.”

“The brooding teenager, I get it.” I flash him a grin.

“I wasn’tbrooding. I was just trying to get away from my sister.”

“It’s like your Spider-Man spot.”

“My what?”

“Your Spider-Man spot, where you go to get away from it all. Empire State Building. Chrysler Building. Top of a mountain,” I say, listing the places on my fingers.

“You really like your pop culture references, don’t you?” Liam says, sitting beside me on the bench.

“It’s a way of life,” I reply, finishing off my sandwich.

---