Love Hard

"Josh Lin: But then the insecurities creep in, and you start with just a slight exaggeration. Still you, just a shinier version. But... you like it. So you tweak it just a little more, until the real you, which was probably pretty great to begin with, is unrecognizable. But here's the thing. You're not just fooling yourself. There's someone else on the other side of that lie falling in love with a version of you that doesn't exist. And that's not fair because the only way it ends for them is disappointment. And the only way it ends for you is heartbreak. If I've ever learnt anything, it's that love doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be honest."

"Josh Lin: Tag, I want you to meet my cousin Natalie. And Natalie, I want you to meet my old friend Tag. Tag: You two are cousins? Natalie Bauer: Yeah. Uh. We... Well... Josh Lin: From my stepmom's side, so that would technically make us step-cousins. Tag: Oh. Natalie Bauer: A distinction that only really matters if you're from Alabama. Josh Lin: [laughs] She's such a joker. [Natalie laughs] Tag: Yeah. Walden? Natalie Bauer: Oh. Tag: That's my favorite book. I reread it every year. Natalie Bauer: Really? Tag: Yeah. Natalie Bauer: Wow. Tag: No way! Tag: [chuckles] Yeah. Isn't Thoreau the best? Natalie Bauer: Well, some people find him a self-obsessed narcissist, fanatical about self-control, not to mention a total hypocrite, but personally, I find him so inspiring. Tag: "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." [sighs] Tag: I'm sorry. It gets me every time. [chuckles] Natalie Bauer: If anyone gets it, it's me. Tag: God. Have we met before? Because you look so familiar. I... I just can't put my finger on it. Josh Lin: Unlikely. Natalie just flew in from California this morning. Natalie Bauer: This morning. Tag: I actually teach a survival course in Yosemite every summer. Natalie Bauer: Savage! [clears throat] Tag: I guess you could say that, yeah. Natalie Bauer: I love Yosemite. It's, uh, I mean, there's some gnar-like, gnarly climbing there. Tag: You climb? Natalie Bauer: Me? [scoffs] Natalie Bauer: Do I climb? I'll climb anything that moves. I'm an aggro. Tag: Aggro? Josh Lin: Yeah, like aggressive. Aggro. [growls] Natalie Bauer: An aggressive climber. I climb all kinds of things like ladders, um, houses, um, trees, ladders... Mostly ladders. [chuckles] Tag: That's cool. Um, a few of us are climbing at Rock Ventures tomorrow. Wanna join? Josh Lin: Hell yeah! Let's do it. Tag: Great. Natalie Bauer: Mm-hmm. Tag: 10:00 a.m.? Natalie Bauer: Perfect. Tag: Um. Well, hey, it was nice to meet you, Natalie. I'll see you guys at 10:00 a.m. Josh Lin: See you, bro. Natalie Bauer: Climb you later! [chuckles]"